Solo Training Blog

Single Stick – week 6

The stick or staff has been used as a tool or weapon since mankind has existed. Many cultures have developed a stick, cane or staff for fighting such as Irish Stick Fighting, Zulu Stick Fighting, European, Latin American and Asian Stick Fighting.

Although many systems teach defensive combat techniques intended for use if attacked while armed with a cane stick or umbrella, others such as kendo, kali/escrima and gatka (Indian sword art) are offensive arts that were developed from the sword and for safety and training purposes the stick is used in place of the sword.

What we will be showing here is the Stick Fighting style of Southeast Asia specifically FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) or what is popularly known as Kali, Escrima and Arnis.

We will be starting with some of the basic strikes and angles and proceed into some basic solo drills in upcoming videos.

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Kicking Tips & Drills

Martial arts have become very popular in the Western world as a recreational and competitive sport. One of the most common and useful moves in nearly any martial art is the kick. While there are multiple types of kicks, there are also kicks that are common to most all styles be it karate, tae kwon do, kung-fu, muay thai, silat or FMA.

While Kali, Escrima & Arnis are mainly associated with stick fighting, these arts of the Philippines are complete fighting systems. Kicks are used in conjunction with weapons training and empty hand combatives. Typically the kicking arts portion is referred to as Pananjakman or Sikaran.

FMA (filipino martial arts) kicks are kept low and used to attack the legs and feet and use the knee, shin, instep, toe and bottom of the foot for striking. The purpose is to incapacitate or unbalance the opponent. High kicks are not used except in the modern version of Sikaran.

   
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11 Footwork Drills to make you the Superior Fighter!

Your footwork is just as important as your hands in combatives. It’s absolutely crucial that you perform exercises that improve footwork to enhance your agility, balance and positioning.

In an actual fight, you will need to be able to dart in and out of range quickly and safely. Footwork makes all the difference on whether you’re going dictate the outcome of the fight, or your opponent will.

Agility and footwork drills will make you quicker and your movements more efficient.

You may not realize it, but all the extra half steps and wasted motions add up, making you slower, causing your technique and movement to be be clumsy and awkward. Having bad or incorrect movements can hinder you in dissolving your opponents attack and even cause you to trip or lose your balance.

Learn how not to waste movement, become light on your feet and set yourself apart from the average martial artist with the footwork/agility workouts below.

Week #4

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Adding Speed to your Punch – Week #3

The only way to go from average martial artists to outstanding is to train.  You may be limited in how many classes you can attend on a weekly basis, but you can make up for this by supplementing it with solo or individual training.  The key to greatness lies in training on your own, you are competing with yourself not the other students in the school.  This is how you get better, this is how you improve your skills, this is how you conquer yourself.  There is no other way.

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Don’t just sit there……….get training!

For years now I have had students contact me online asking me questions about our FMA training  and how
they can go through the courses without a training partner. While I tried to help with the best answer that I could,  I always felt that it wasn’t enough.  A few quick examples about Footwork, Bagwork or Stick Training, while helpful didn’t address the entire question.

We’ve started doing some punching (Jab, Hook) and basic training videos on Youtube and our website over the past year, but it hasn’t been consistent enough because I have been so busy with other projects.
After finishing our latest book “Secrets of the Karambit” I’ve decided that it’s time to really
address the problem of solo/individual training more completely.

We have started a weekly series shown only on our site to help the thousands of you out there who love martial arts but either have no school nearby, can’t afford it, have an unorthodox schedule or are
forced to train alone because you simply have no one to train with,
which is common for everyone, for every sport……….me included.

Week #2
     

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How long will you just sit there watching others do what you wish that you could do?

The internet is a wonderful thing, but it has turned many of us into a nation of watchers.  We watch movies, videos, reality shows, we watch how-to videos and blogs instead of getting up off of our butts and doing.  We always wanted to learn martial arts or a plethora of other activities, but we never seem to have the time or we make excuses.  “When I’m not so busy”, “When I can find a partner/teacher/school”, well I’m here to tell you that you will never have the time unless YOU make it!

This week and every week we are starting a vlog (video blog) dealing with Solo Training.  Many of you out there want to learn and train but have no partner to work with (the wife and kids will only put up with so much) so we will try to rectify this problem.

This new blog will feature many tips and drills to help you in your training.  We also want this to be a shared exchange of ideas so for those of you already training on your own feel free to share your ideas and tips with the rest of us.  You can email it to me or post a comment below.  You can also send us pictures and videos to share with the rest of the readers.

If you are new to martial arts you can check out these videos to learn the basics.

Week #1

Coming Next Week: Punching Drills