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Many Paths: The Middle Ground Approach to Eskrima, pt II
AKA “Create Your Own Path”. AKA “Many Roads to the Same Destination”. AKA “NO Way as Way”. Something about experienced martial artial artists vs inexperienced martial artists, and so-called...
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On Filipino “Ninjas”
I’m just kidding. ;-) I couldn’t think of a catchy title, and I was sitting here wasting time. Just figured I’d type something that would get your attention (I now hear they call that “click-bait” in...
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The Hierarchy of FMA’s Teaching Class
Some of you may dismiss this discussion as a matter of semantics, but this really is serious business. All who teach the arts are not created equal, and what separates us is so much more than which...
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The Level V Guro
If you haven’t gotten a copy of my book, teaching philosophy, you should get it on Amazon. Extremely vital to the survival of the FMAs, but ignored and often taken for granted, the art of teaching the...
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More on FMA Footwork
One of the weaknesses in modern martial arts is that the philosophy of fighting is no longer studied. FMA people either delve into fighting, they immerse themselves into philosophy, or they skip both...
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Sleeping on Floors, pt IV (Fat Cream/7Eleven Martial Arts)
The new age dating game and social media has cheapened relationships these days. There was a time that our parents picked our spouses (at least in my culture they did), and we married them and made it...
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The Master Student
Before you can become a Master Teacher, you must first become a Master Student… ^^ GREAT piece of wisdom, often lost on martial artists. ^^ Years ago, early in my teaching career, I had organized a...
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The Master Student, pt II (Definitions)
Most of the articles on this blog has been directed to fighters (which is what I refer to anyone beyond an intermediate level of training) and teachers of the Filipino arts. It’s time to switch focus...
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How Bad Do You Want This Art?
Seriously, how bad do you want to learn the FMA? It appears to me that the majority of people studying the Filipino arts don’t have a sincere interest in the art. We’re kind of like the greasy spoon at...
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The “Wrecking” of the Filipino Martial Arts…
Social Media is abuzz with anger and hurt feelings, and this time it ain’t because of anything Mustafa Gatdula wrote…😉 So there is a martial artist named Christophe Clugston who is posting video blogs...
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The Quickest Route
The Filipino martial arts is unique, compared to most other types of fighting arts because unlike Chinese Wushu and Tae Kwon Do–most new students to the FMAs are older and arrive from other styles. Few...
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The Problem with Being Polite
A Filipino martial arts philosophy that you might notice, but never hear discussed, is the absence of politeness from some parts of the FMA experience. Ask a master about it, and he will never admit...
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Time for an FMA Revolution
Let’s stir things up a bit. Yup, when it comes to stirring the pot, there aren’t too many people other than good ole theKuntawMan for something like that. That FMA Empty Hands article was written in...
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“There Are NO Qualified Masters In My Town…”
I would like to introduce you to a very old tradition in the Filipino arts, but it will sounds very foreign or strange to you. Western FMA students have it so good. You can shop teachers around, look...
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Path To the Perfect Martial Arts Student (A Series)
Can you believe that I wrote 900 words of this article–and then LOST it??? Starting over. And boy I am NOT very happy about this. I need a new computer, jeez. Happy Fathers Day. *fuming* Today is the...
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Path To the Perfect Martial Arts Student, pt II (The Laboratory)
There are many reasons to study the martial arts, and not all of them are to learn to beat people up. However, they all involve combat. Does this sound like a contradiction? I’m sure it does, but I...
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Protected: 7 Arnis Blows Your Guro Probably Never Told You About
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
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After Instructor’s Certification… What’s Next?
Congratulations! You put in your time, you attended the camps, took your licks, killed the exam–and now your Guro has bestowed a title to you every Arnis students long for: Guro. Surely, you deserve...
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Shut Up and Swing!
In other words, “How to Study the FMA, Even by Video“… I give up. You guys know, I absolutely despise the FMA video industry. Yes, it has helped the FMAs grow commercially. Yeah, grow into a classical,...
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Keep Swinging, pt II (How to Make Video Training Work)
If you are an FMA veteran, even if only a veteran student, you may walk away from today’s article feeling cheated. Please don’t, though. Because although much in today’s discussion is common sense and...
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