Filipino styles

[I-mon]

Just curious as to who on the board has trained in Filipino martial arts? I've been getting more and more keen over the last ten years or so to learn, and have finally been getting into it over the last few months and it's pretty much the best thing ever. All of the movements, and even the strategies, are identical to xinyi/xingyi and bagua, but with the added bonus of blades at the end of your arms which clarify a lot of things (like slicing, thrusting, clearing) and also provide extra stimulus because of their slight weight and air resistance. Really nice way to practice whole-body connection and power. The partner drills are even more fun, and quickly become semi free-form and reflexive.

What styles have people done? Maybe share your favourite video showing some clear stylistic differences or something?

[Pipefighter,PhD]

I like FMA, but i have spent more time with Shuai Chaio. The foot work, regardless of style, boils down to about the same, Pekiti-tersai, lacosta, innosanto, AMOK, whether kali, arnis, or straight bare hands. I like what FMA does with pulling, as they use the Puno end of the stick to "grab" the wrist and forearm. Interesting bagua has similarity, but i dont do bagua. I prefer the full grabbing of Shuai Chiao for grip control. The style i learned specifically was Lacosta/Innosanto blend, but my Guro went to a lot of seminars and we went over what the Dog Brothers were up to, the Pekiti guys like, and some specialty moves from other instructors. We also discussed form drilling vs. practical assault situations from a first person perspective.
I like the perspective of a real knife/stick guy, if he is the real deal. Great knowledge to keep in mind as you train in CMA. BUT FMA is plagued with wannabe's who do a ton of drilling, which will make you fast, but have never had to defend themselves in a real knife/stick/machete situation.
Shuai chiao also blends well if you know some arnis moves. You can transition directly into a throw once you have dealt with protection from the blade. Even easier if a stick is involved.
Nice thread posting!
The ground hits harder than the stick

[fuga]

I've trained some FMA: Visayan Escrima and more lately Dog Brothers and a taste of Sayoc kali and Pekiti semina.

Here's a video of my Visayan instructor training with her teacher:


My Dog Brothers teacher at around 2:22 and 8:35:


Right now the Dog Brothers work is making more sense with my primary focus of BJJ, but the Visayan work was lovely in that it was blade focused and our primary training was random flow training which does a great job of increasing awareness and training vision, timing and footwork.

[AllanF]

Hi I-mon

I'm a big fan of Filipino arts, i have been doing Inosanto Kali for just over a year (with a break of 3 months due to a broken ankle...kids! ) under Guro Rick Young here in Edinburgh. I love it, nothing like having a stick coming at your head to waken you up!

The practice of Kali has really informed the CMA Dao form i know and the movements are very similar. Kali is a great art and yet ironically i find the empty hands way more cooperative than taijiquan! That is not to say that there isn't some great techniques in Kali empty hands but i still prefer taijiquan/aiki in the empty hands stuff. Eventually i would like/hope to be able to apply taijiquan/aiki into the weapons stuff too. But that will be some way down the line.

[TrainingDummy]

I've trained in Ray Floro's system, which is FMA but with a number of boxing and western fencing concepts thrown in.

Its extremely fun, though you tend to double kill a lot.

[AllanF]

Slightly off topic but as he is known for his Kali i thought id add it here.

This is why i admire Dan Inosanto so much he began his BJJ study at the age of 59! Apparently he logged so many hours with the Machado bros that he got his black belt in 3 years! He recently received his 3rd Dan in BJJ! Legend!

[dspyrido]

Slightly off topic but as he is known for his Kali i thought id add it here.

This is why i admire Dan Inosanto so much he began his BJJ study at the age of 59! Apparently he logged so many hours with the Machado bros that he got his black belt in 3 years! He recently received his 3rd Dan in BJJ! Legend!

Do you think that having trained since the age of 9 under judo, fma, kenpo, shoot fighting, silat, jkd, etc. and reported to have reached instructor status for over a dozen+ styles (& created a few of his own) might have been a slight influence? Or that his name & brand might not have given him a slight edge leading up to selection for a grading? Or how about special teaching consideration from the other so called masters who grew up watching him & bruce lee battle it out?

I can just see it...

"Sorry dan you cant learn leg locks because you're a white belt"
"Oh thats ok Im happy to keep teaching the black belts until I pass my grading"

[dspyrido]

I've trained in Ray Floro's system, which is FMA but with a number of boxing and western fencing concepts thrown in.

Its extremely fun, though you tend to double kill a lot.

Rays stuff is awesome but what's a double kill?

[chud]

Do you think that having trained since the age of 9 under judo, fma, kenpo, shoot fighting, silat, jkd, etc. and reported to have reached instructor status for over a dozen+ styles (& created a few of his own) might have been a slight influence?

I would think so; there are only so many ways you can move two arms and two legs. After that much time training multiple styles, he was probably a quick study in BJJ (or anything else he wants to take up).

[kenneth fish]

When I was living in Toronto I taught at an FMA school (teaching the instructor and his students). I worked on the FMA stick, hand and foot drills as well, training along with them. I think that they are valuable in teaching speed, timing, and proper stepping angles. I also felt that they tended to become very programmed within their own art and drills - to the point where if you were doing something outside of their program they did not know how to respond. (This was not just a pick up group, BTW - the instructor was someone with a reputation as a teacher, and had taught Danny Inosantos along the way).

I have also seen some of Danny Inosantos' seminars - I was not very taken with the material regarding control of the opponents blade.

[WongYing]

One of the better people IMHO in the USA is Jason Inay, teaches a range of systems and skill set, but his family stuff is truely exceptional www.jason-inay.com

[dspyrido]

Just a thing I experienced with fma. Before joining arnis & doce peres I spent over 10 years in a couple of arts. I loved it as it limbered me up, drills were great & I did cool sticks/blades. Then I noticed a few things I could not fit in to what I thought made sense - namely the non-weaponed stufff, the near zombie patterned drilling, the point of the blade vs slashing & a few other bits. So after almost 2 years I moved on.

I think the fmas are great & can teach a lot but it also depends on where you are in your training path.

As I mentioned above rays stuff is fantastic but mostly because he spent so much time fencing before doing fma & then just refining & refining. So I would not class him as fma but a weapons expert.

[wayne hansen]

I have had the pleasure of training with Ernesto Preses,dan innosanto,tony Diego ,Christopher rickets ,Edgar sulite and rey galang and hold a black belt in bakbakan.
I went in search of arts that would help my tai chi sword arts.
The thing I found that even with the beauty of these arts tai chi had it all.

[AllanF]

Slightly off topic but as he is known for his Kali i thought id add it here.

This is why i admire Dan Inosanto so much he began his BJJ study at the age of 59! Apparently he logged so many hours with the Machado bros that he got his black belt in 3 years! He recently received his 3rd Dan in BJJ! Legend!

Do you think that having trained since the age of 9 under judo, fma, kenpo, shoot fighting, silat, jkd, etc. and reported to have reached instructor status for over a dozen+ styles (& created a few of his own) might have been a slight influence? Or that his name & brand might not have given him a slight edge leading up to selection for a grading? Or how about special teaching consideration from the other so called masters who grew up watching him & bruce lee battle it out?

I can just see it...

"Sorry dan you cant learn leg locks because you're a white belt"
"Oh thats ok Im happy to keep teaching the black belts until I pass my grading"

If you mean that teachers have a huge respect for the man out of what he has achived and then that respect being further enhanced by the fact that he works just as hard if not harder than people half his age, the fact that he is humble about everything he has achived, then yes i suspect he did get special treatment...does that mean he isn't deserving of his black belt and his 3rd dan?

I have also seen some of Danny Inosantos' seminars - I was not very taken with the material regarding control of the opponents blade.

It is interesting that someone who has achieved so much in martial arts and for whom most people here wouldn't be fit to lace his boots should get such back handed comments from...who...exactly?

[kenneth fish]

Someone with actual combat experience (Laos and Cambodia). The techniques that I was not taken with were demonstrated by Mr. Inosantos at his seminar in Gaithersburg, Maryland, some time around 2005 or 2006. He demonstrated some bare hand versus knife techniques that included grabbing the opponents knife. If my being less than impressed offends you, then that is your issue, not mine.