Bikinis and Filipino Martial Arts
Now I have your attention. Let’s talk. And yes, there is a discussion about bikinis and Filipino Martial Arts in this post. In this post, I discuss a problem that I see over and over: sexism in the martial arts industry. This is a result of…
The Redonda Drill
In this post, I discuss the Redonda drill, one of the core drills of Modern Arnis and many Filipino martial arts. Heaven Sinawali I teach Heaven Sinawali before teaching Redonda as both overlap movement-wise. As demonstrated in the above video, the sticks are always pointing up….
Angles of Attack in Filipino Martial Arts
The twelve angles of attack are among the first things learned when starting Filipino Martial Arts. Many Filipino Martial Arts use their version of the twelve angles of attack. The Modern Arnis 12 angles of attack are as follows: Regardless of which FMA you are studying,…
Defending Against Angle 12
In this post, I discuss defending against angle 12, which is typically an overhead strike. If you are not able to view this video, click here. The 12 strike is a powerful caveman-type strike. The power comes from two factors: (1) the attacker’s intent; and…
How I Teach Filipino Martial Arts to Children
A couple of caveats: This is not about WHAT I teach, or WHY I teach children. This covers HOW I teach Filipino Martial Arts to children, and this post mainly focuses on the 5 to 8-year-old age range. Moreover, I will focus on the technical aspects of teaching children based on…
Your First Filipino Martial Arts Class: What to Expect
This post delves briefly into what to expect in your first class and applies equally to children and adults. For starters, you can expect a hell of a lot of fun! You can expect to start on a fascinating journey through Filipino Martial Arts, which are full…
How Filipino Martial Arts Influenced Albert Einstein*
In 1905, Albert Einstein published his “Theory of Special Relativity,” stating that the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers. Further, the speed of light in a vacuum was independent of the motion of all observers. According to Wikipedia, “Special relativity says that every person…
Too Young to Learn Filipino Martial Arts?
I posted “It’s Real and Spectacular” a week ago on a martial arts discussion board. I discussed the topic of teaching Filipino Martial Arts to young children. Some martial artists raised concerns about my students’ young age and liability issues. One writer indicated his belief…
“It Has To Be Done This Way!”
A quote that bugs me the most: “It has to be done this way.” In martial arts, an instructor usually says this in the context of a prescribed self-defence technique or sequence. Again, it depends on the context. If this statement relates to proper structure, then…
Two Great Reasons To Move Your Feet
Often, I see folks executing techniques without moving their feet in class, seminars, and camps. You cannot reasonably expect an effective technique or defence without moving your feet. There are great reasons to move your feet! How do you expect to hit the other person…
