What A Phenomenal ArnisFest!
Wow, what can I say about the 25th ArnisFest, which occurred this past weekend in Mooresville, Indiana? It was a phenomenal event filled with great instruction, training, friendships, and making new friends. In short, I’ve been blessed to have attended two great camps this year….
Friday Recommendation #20
Quick background: Sonny Sison produced the well-known FMA documentary “Bladed Hand” several years ago, which was widely acclaimed. He has long been involved in the entertainment industry. As evidenced by the interview below, he has studied various styles of FMAs. The interview touches on topics…
Friday Recommendation #19
In this video, GM Rodel Dagooc demonstrates some of his flow drills/sequences. Please note that I do not know his flow drills or training sequences. This is the first time I’ve seen him do those flow sequences. I enjoyed watching GM Rodel’s brief demonstration of…
Friday Recommendation #18
Disarms play a significant role in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA). By mastering disarms, practitioners develop a deep understanding of range, timing, leverage, and body mechanics. Moreover, this skill teaches students the inherent danger of facing an armed attacker, fostering respect for the devastating potential of…
Complicated Drills Are A Waste Of Time!
I recently watched a martial arts video on YouTube where an instructor demonstrated a rather complicated drill. In this post, I discuss the downside of overly complicated drills. I understand that I don’t have all the information about the video. The instructor may have performed…
Friday Recommendation #16
Modern Arnis is well known for its different locks and techniques using sticks and empty hands. Locking is used to break a joint, control another person, or set up a hit. Since applying a joint lock in a live situation is difficult, I think more…
Friday Recommendation #15
It’s time to return to FMA videos. To this end, I recently found an interesting interview with GM Rodel “Smoking Sticks” Dagooc. He talks about his journey from karate to Filipino Martial Arts. While the interview is not in-depth, it does provide interesting information about…
A Great Michigan Camp
This weekend, I attended the Annual Michigan Modern Arnis Camp in Southgate (outside of Detroit). I had a phenomenal time reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, and of course, the training was phenomenal. I went into this camp wondering how my hip would…
Crappy Hip to Bionic Hip: My FMA Footwork Reboot
Introduction While their stick, knife or machete hypnotizes many students, they often overlook the importance of footwork. In this blog post, I will explore the importance of footwork in FMA. Further, I explain how FMA footwork is my main barrier to returning to teaching. In…
Randomly Breaking The Rhythm
This past weekend, I conducted a three-hour grading for several students. All of them are private clients. That is, they all have trained with me one-on-one since March 2020. For many, this was the first time they had seen each other since the beginning of…
