What is F.M.A.?

FMA refers to the Filipino Martial Arts.  Arnis, Kali & Eskrima are all forms of Filipino Fighting Arts.  There are several different styles of the Filipino Martial Arts, each with there own theories of combat, weapon preferences & stylistic differences.  Arnis, Kali & Eskrima are all general terms to describe basically the same thing but there are many individual styles of each of those terms.  To the untrained person it all may look the same but each style of FMA may focus on certain specialities such as: close quarter fighting, certain weapons, length of those weapons, empty hand sets, striking patterns, etc.  Many of the styles were named after their founder or named after a pattern of stick or blade movement.

 

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Are the Filipino Arts just weapons based?

Not at all!  Matter of fact nothing could be further from the truth.  People confuse the Filipino arts as having no empty hand component because when you start the FMA you usually start off learning solo baston (single stick) techniques.  What the general public does not realize is that anything you learn with a weapon translates into empty hand self defense or using what is at hand to defend yourself!  The FMA has joint locks, hand trapping, punching techniques, sipa (kicking) and dumog (Filipino wrestling).  All movements are based of the use of the single & double baston (stick) and are interchangeable with the stick, blade or empty hand.  Modern Arnis is truly a complete Martial Art!

 

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But isn't it better/easier to learn a empty hand system first before you learn a weapon based system such as  Arnis, Kali or Eskrima?

You might think so but if you give a black belt student in karate a stick and a martial artist trained in the Filipino Martial Arts a stick, you will quickly see the FMA fighter quickly dispose of his Karate counterpart.  Why?  Because the traditional training a karate student learns is not effective when it comes to a FMA based system of self defense.  The karate student has to unlearn and retrain his body to respond.  The FMA student adapts, redirects & flows.  The concepts learned in the FMA are proven in combat.  The Filipinos did not have years of training to "get ready" for a fight or invasion of their country..  So they developed techniques...simple techniques, that were deadly effective, easy to learn and easy to teach to the masses in a relativity short time.  Everything from effective hand positioning, body movement, striking angles and using different weapons including empty hand techniques interchangeably without having to unlearn the previous techniques taught.  The strength of the Filipino Martial Arts is their adaptability to the moment.  If you are choosing a martial art to be able to defend yourself, not to necessarily get a black belt, then I would recommend you enroll in our F.M.A. program of Arnis, Kali & Eskrima.  When our school competes with other styles in stick fighting tournaments our intermediate and advanced students routinely beat experienced black belts of karate, kung fu & taekwondo, many ranks higher than themselves.  Of course these are tournaments and not actual street encounters but it does help to validate the effectiveness and simplicity of the Filipino Arts over other styles of martial arts.

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So what would you say is a weakness of the Filipino Martial Arts?

Simple...Limited kicking & grappling ability but this is relative.  Yes the FMA has kicks, very effective kicks.  Usually low line kicking is emphasized, usually to the knee or lower leg.  Also devastating sweeping and takedowns with the legs are often found in the the Filipino martial arts.  If you want to know how to kick there is just no kicking system that can compare to the Korean systems of Tae-kwon-do or Tang-so-do, that is what they specialize in!  However, as good as these Korean styles are, their students usually lack the hand techniques & weapon skills of the arnis fighter.  The F.M.A. also has dumog (Filipino Wrestling) but it does not come close to the ground fighting ability of Japanese Judo or Brazilian Jujitsu.  This is why cross training in other styles is effective.  If you want to learn how to kick...join our Taekwondo class.  Want to learn how to ground fight...join a Judo Class.  Want to learn how to defend yourself...join our Filipino Martial Art class!

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What is the difference between Karate, Kung Fu & Taekwondo classes over Arnis classes?

With most other styles of martial arts such as Karate, Taekwondo & Kung Fu you spend most of the class time (80%) practicing individual techniques such as static punching, kata, striking & kicking targets etc and very little time (20%) practicing with a partner.   In the Filipino martial arts it is almost impossible to learn without having a partner to train with.  At least 80% of our class time is spent working with a partner doing drills, blocking & checking skills, footwork, takedowns, joint locks, sparring, etc and very little time (20%) is spent on individual training such as striking drills etc.  This is why the FMA student is able to learn what we call the "invisible techniques" & attributes such as timing, proper distancing, free flowing, reaction time etc, faster than that of a Karate, Taekwondo or Kung Fu student or other practitioners of martial arts that involve solo training.  It is not that other styles don't possess these skills it just takes their students longer to learn those techniques because you need to spend more time working with partners to learn these skills.  This is why anyone who is in a art such as karate can benefit by cross training in the F.M.A.  Imagine trying to learn Judo, Jujitsu or Aikido without having a partner to work with!  It would be next to impossible.  Those styles also involve most of the class working with a partner.  

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Is there an age limit for training at the Seattle  Arnis Academy?

There is no age limit however we do like the students to be over the age of 12.  The beauty of Arnis is that you can continue to study up into your 60s & 70s where in other arts you may not be able to do that.  The Seattle Arnis Academy does not usually accept any students younger than 12 years old into our full time F.M.A. program.  Exceptions can be made depending on the maturity level of the student.  Talk with the instructor for details. 

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What is taught at the Seattle  Arnis Academy?

Class starts out with some general warm up exercises and then progress to single & double stick striking techniques, foot work & angling.  There is an intensive amount of partner drills and exercises that involve disarming, counter striking, takedowns, joint locks, sparring, knife & blade work, sword techniques, empty hand striking & hand trapping & low line kicking.  The focus with the FMA is on simple direct techniques that work!  Ok...I am excited to start...now what do I do?  Click here for list of where we teach the F.M.A. program.

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What do I need to purchase for training?

You will need to purchase our Seattle Arnis school uniform within the first month of class if you are going to stay in our program.  On the first day of your class the instructor will have Arnis sticks available for purchase.  You will need three sticks for the class, two special FMA sticks & one padded stick.  After the second month of training you will need a 2nd padded training weapon & MA Helmet.  If you stay beyond the 3rd month it is expected that you get your own safety sparring gear for the class.  Head guard & hand guards are a required minimum.  Optional equipment includes elbow & knee pads.  See the instructor before you purchase the required equipment.  Only our approved sticks & protective gear are approved for training.  As you advance in skill it is mandatory that you get a training knife & practice sword for advanced techniques.  You may train in a pair of martial art shoes if you like.

 

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How long does it take to earn a black belt in Arnis?

What you really want to know is will how long will it take to attain the skill of a Modern Arnis black belt?  Am I right?  You can earn a black belt in Modern Arnis in around 2.5 to 4 years.  This depends on your overall dedication to practice & attendance.  Given just a few months of our high impact training and you will be skillful & dangerous!  To see our average rank chart and belt progression click here.  M.A.T.T. refers to the minimum active training time, the amount of time one is actively training in the Filipino martial arts.  If you take time off for summer then your M.A.T.T. time is only 9 months, not 12 months. Of course the 2.5 to 4 years is a average some may take more or less time depending on their commitment  to training and their individual understanding of the curriculum.

 

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Are there any membership fees to join?

There are no membership fees to join the Seattle Arnis Academy.  However, if you plan to test for rank (go from white to black belt) you must be a member in good standing with the USA MOO SOOL ASSOCIATION.  The $35 fee is not due until your test date and will be good for a one year period.  Testing for rank is optional and not a requirement for training.

 

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