Though the world has long been fascinated with competitions that involve fighting with empty hands, there is a growing interest in the study of weapons for self defense. The popularity of boxing and, more recently, mixed martial arts competitions such as the UFC have inspired many to train the martial arts both for enjoyment and for self defense.  Recently however, training with edged weapons, impact weapons, and firearms has become more and more popular. This growing trend of training with weapons is in part due to the popularity of weapon based arts in the movies, but, more importantly, it is also because many are seeing the real value of weapons training.  Weapons training has many benefits.   Weapons training offers excellent skill development at an accelerated pace...

In the Filipino Martial Arts, the personalization of your weapon is very important. Your success relies on the coordination of your skills through that weapon. You will spend countless hours of training to use it. If your weapon is not right, then your ability to train effectively and perform successfully will suffer. Your weapon needs to fit you by design, by training, or both. LengthWhether it be a knife, long blade or even a spear, the length of your weapon is usually measured against your body. By doing so, your weapon will have a physical relationship with your body. It will have proportions that match your proportions.Different systems have varying methods for measuring the weapons used. One method for measuring training sticks includes using four hand lengths, measured by ...

Whether you are a beginner or a long term student of Filipino Kali, you want the same thing: You want to improve your skills.  Knowing the right path to follow for that purpose is very important.  No matter what level you intend to reach, the path towards mastery is the best approach to improve your skills. With the right effort, mastery is available for anyone who is dedicated.  There are no special tricks, shortcuts, amulets or magic spells that will get you there.  You just have to do the work.  If you do the work long enough, and do it properly, you will first start to see glimpses of mastery.  You will have moments of clarity and synchronicity that bring a sense of freedom from the intensity of concentration normally needed during your practice or applica...

While training, we are not only developing our physical skills. We are developing an intelligence that allows us to learn faster and accomplish more than others can do. To do this, we must always seek better methods of training and understanding that will maximize our time devoted. Understanding the nature and intent of our training methods and drills will help us do just that. Sometimes tradition gives us drills or exercises that are not fully explained to us. In some cases, the value or intent of those drills have been eroded by time. In other cases, our training is simply not complete, so the significance is not yet clear. Regardless of the situation, understanding the type of skills being developed will lead you to clarification and purpose when approaching your training sessions. Skil...

  With a busy life, getting in just a little time for training can be difficult. Though I own a school and teach Kali and Silat full time, I find it difficult to carve out some extra time to practice on my own. Because of this, I want to be sure my students and I both get the most out of our training sessions in class and out. To do this, every repetition must count. You can’t afford to waste time when training. This is not to say you cannot enjoy the training. In fact, you must “play” with the technique to get to know it, to explore it.The key is that you stay engaged. Pay attention to each movement you make and determine if you need to make any adjustments to the next one. If you want to improve, repetition alone will not cut it. Included here are a few basic tips on getting th...