My kids have started taking parkour so I’ve had a lot of time to think about parkour while sitting and watching them practice.  For those of you who are not familiar with parkour, here’s a video of David Belle, one of the founders doing what he does best http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x98jCBnWO8w.  Now my kids aren’t at this level yet, but a father can dream!

Anyways, what make martial arts like parkour and unlike a track meet?  Track meet have specific events with specific techniques for those events.  You see every hurdlers jump the hurdles the same exactly way.  Every high jumpers tackles the high jump in almost the same manner.  You can use high jump techniques for a hurdle. Some people think martials are is like that.  You have techniques for when someone punches your and you can techniques for when someone kicks you.  You can’t use the punch techniques for kicks.  Unfortunately some instructors teach the martial arts this way too.  Regimented movement and techniques.

However, to me, martial arts is more like parkour.  Parkour teaches you techniques.  And while the techniques may have specific purposes, they can be used in a variety of situations.  No restriction is in place that only a certain technique can be used for scaling a wall or jumping a fence.  Technique are taught and it is up to the traceur (someone who practices parkour – don’t ask…it’s French, I would have called them parkourers) to choose what techniques to use when based on their ability.  Someone may use their hands to vault over a bench, whereas someone else may just jump over it.  Parkour teaches your body how to move, and a traceurs goal is to get from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible using any techniques in their arsenal.  Unlike a track meet, their terrain and obstacles are everchanging.

This is what martial arts is–a set of techniques that teach your body how to move and it is up to the practitioner to select the right movement for the situation.

When people think of weapons, they immediately think of long range fighting techniques.  But weapons can significantly improve close quarter techniques as well. Using a weapon tranforms how your body works, how it moves and how it reacts.   Over the years I’ve observed several ways in which weapons have helped me adapt to open hand/close uarter techniques.

1.  Staying close to the body.  Because you’re not the only one with a weapon, you learn to keep your hands and elbows close to the body, extending them only when striking.  Keep them, extended unnecessarily only creates a nice target for your opponent’s weapon.  This habit carries over to empty hand where techniques are executed close to the body.
2. Body shifting .  Given the speed at with weapons move, the ability to block requires not only putting obstruction in the way of the attacking weapon, but also getting your body out of the way.  This is reflected in the practice of Sinawali.  This ability to maneuver is essential in close quarter combat for not only moving around your opponent but other objects and obstacles.
3. Reaction speed.   Parallel to number 2, given the speed of weapons, your hand-eye coordination significantly improves.  Since the distance that an opponent’s punch or kick has to travel is minimal in close quarters, the quicker reaction times are a distinct advantage.
4. Strength and flexibility.  Using weapons trains and strengthens and stretches all the stabilizing smaller muscles in the wrist and hand that aren’t as frequently used in unarmed combat.  This gives the hands much more flexibility and effectiveness required for close quarter combat.

There are probably many other ways that weapons help your body perform better in close quarter combat.  What have you observed in your own practice?

This is a repost of an article I wrote 3 years ago but since they’re disappearing from the web, I thought I’d post it here.


Originally published on Chicago Tribune and LA Times around 1/2010.

Choosing a Martial Art – Filipino Martial Arts

If you’ve seen any of the Jason Bourne movies, you’ve seen the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) in action. FMA is a generic term referring to several different Filipino arts including Arnis, Kali and Escrima. These variations stem from different regions of the Philippines however, at their foundation, they are very similar and many times the terms are used interchangeably. The most differentiating characteristic of FMA from other arts is that training starts with weapons. While Filipino martial arts are lesser known amongst the populace compared to Kung Fu or Karate, their simplicity and effectiveness have made them a integral part of training for martial arts practitioners as well as many armed forces.

Background: The first written record of the Philippine systems date back to the 1500’s as documented by the Spanish conquistadors. However, these arts are generally assumed to be significantly older. After the colonization of the Philippines by the Spanish, indigenous arts were banned and most FMA were taught in secret, being passed down family lines. It was during the 20th century that Filipino arts began to gain more visibility, first in the Philippines and then eventually internationally as skilled practitioners left the islands to spread FMA throughout the world. One of these practitioners was Remy Amador Presas who founded Modern Arnis. This is the art I have been studying for the past fifteen years.

Self Defense: The FMA are an extremely effective and complete self defense systems. Training starts with weapons techniques that evolve into empty hand techniques. Students generally learn techniques using a single stick (baston), double stick, dagger (daga) and stick and dagger. Weapons training can also translate to almost any object. Students learn weapon against weapon, weapon against empty-hand, and empty-hand against empty-hand. Additionally, depending on the exactly style of FMA, training can include joint locks, throws and grappling (dumog). Because of the variety of techniques taught and translated to use with or without weapons FMA can appeal to a wide range of individuals and body types. Additionally, because of the various fighting ranges incorporated in the art, FMA is well suited for those who want to keep their distance from their opponents as well as those who want to close in on an attacker.

Physical aspects: Because FMA are technique focused, most technique can be executed regardless of strength and flexibility, if done properly. Many schools, however, incorporate exercises to develop strength, agility and flexibility that can be an asset in more advanced training. Due to the significant focus on the use of sticks, the average practitioner will quickly develop arm and shoulder strength through the repetition of drills. Additionally, training with sticks that can move at significant speed also helps rapidly develop hand/eye coordination.

Typical Class: My typical class is approximately an hour and fifteen minutes long. When I have new students I will do a formal stretching and warm-up session for about ten minutes. Typically most of my students will stretch on their own prior to the start of class. The class itself consists of about twenty minutes of basic drills to develop speed, strength and muscle memory, followed by about twenty minutes of practicing previously acquired techniques. The latter half of class usually consists of building on previous techniques or learning new ones. If time permits, we also practice reality based situation analysis (i.e., how would you defend yourself in a certain situation).

Classroom atmosphere: Class atmospheres can vary depending on the instructor, but they generally tend to be more relaxed and less regimented than traditional martial arts. My classes generally bow in at the beginning of the class and bow out at the end, however, the rest of class is fairly casual. Uniform requirements can also vary and most school will required some sort of uniform, whereas individual instructors may just require sweats and a t-shirt.

Overall: The Filipino martial arts are an effective system of self-defense and one of the best training for weapons techniques. Due to the simplicity and effectiveness of the system, it can be adapted to many different situations and individuals. It is ideal for those who want to be able to quickly learn skills to defend themselves and expand their martial knowledge.