Three Reasons Why Filipino Martial Arts Suck
Over the years, I’ve heard several reasons calling into question the effectiveness of Filipino Martial Arts. Not surprisingly, the opinions often come from those who have not trained in Filipino Martial Arts and, consequently, are uninformed. Those uninformed about Filipino Martial Arts often say the following:…
7 Ways I Teach Children Filipino Martial Arts
Some believe children should not be taught a “violent” activity like Filipino Martial Arts. I’ve encountered those who believe FMAs are inappropriate for children because they involve swinging a stick or two. Ahem. While risks are inherent in swinging sticks, many age-appropriate ways to teach Filipino…
Simplicity
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo DaVinci. Simplicity is the key to brilliance. – Bruce Lee. My first formal introduction to Arnis/Eskrima was during a private lesson with Professor Florendo Visitacion, otherwise known as Professor Vee in the fall of 1989. I travelled to…
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…
