describe your FMA

**jspeedy** · Posted On: 3/09/2009 2:41pm

Quote: Travtex
"For the past few months we've been almost exclusively empty hand, with a pretty big emphasis on clinchwork."

That's how we do things where I train. We're a pretty small group so every so often we'll decide where we want to improve and focus on that. Right now our focus is 50/50 empty hand fighting and stickwork. Other times we focus entirely on the stick.

**Travtex** · Posted On: 3/09/2009 6:09pm

Yah. Hell, I don't think we've picked up the sticks beyond warmups in... three months or so? *hah* It's a group of 3-5 of the same people, so that certainly changes the whole dynamic of a "class".

As of today, though, it seems I'm going to hop closer to town for the next year or so to focus on BJJ (Which in turn gets integrated back into my usual training group, which operates under a 'whatever works among whatever whomever brings to the table' philosophy). Found a guy willing to take me on a pay-to-play per class basis, less than half a mile from my house.

**jspeedy** · Posted On: 3/12/2009 5:47pm

Sounds good Travtex. I hope to incorporate some BJJ into my training too, probably after I finish school (next year) and have more time and money. For now i'm just polishing my stick and empty hand striking skills. One thing that seems to lack from many FMA curriculums i've seen is ground work. Earlier in the post a guy mentioned garimot arnis which has filipino wrestling. That'd be cool to learn but I don't think i'll be able to find a place that teaches it in my small ass town.

**Travtex** · Posted On: 3/18/2009 12:00am

Yeah, it's pretty tough to find even in BIG towns. But, there's Judo and BJJ almost everywhere... and I'm thinking there are only so many ways the body can bend, so there's plenty of crossover.

For a little bit, I was doubling up there, as my FMA guy was focusing on Dumog.

(Though I think it's time for a week or so off. I did something ugly to my knee. And my wrist. And my shoulder. **** don't seem to heal right once you pass that '30-something' mile marker.)

**tim_stl** · Posted On: 3/18/2009 8:52am

Originally Posted by Travtex

Yeah, it's pretty tough to find even in BIG towns. But, there's Judo and BJJ almost everywhere... and I'm thinking there are only so many ways the body can bend, so there's plenty of crossover.

there is a lot of crossover. i've rolled with some bjj players, and sat in on a few classes. there's more of an emphasis on clinches and takedowns (it's wrestling), there is no closed guard, the training methods and some of the tactics are different, but all-in-all, they are similar. a base in any wrestling/grappling art will give you a good head start if you take up another.

tim