Typical FMA class outside of the Philippines

**Flipper** · Posted On: 11/22/2009 6:32am

Thanks for the replies everyone. A visiting PTK guy said a a lot of their students were from other MAs and in a way "ended up in" FMA. And the replies here just reinforces my notion that a lot of Filipinos abroad still ignore FMA.

**spamurai13** · Posted On: 11/22/2009 8:16am

A. 5 people

B. 80-90%

C. 0

D. 2 hours a week plus informal training at one of the members' house.

Given the trend that I see in the survey regarding most people having previous MA training. I wonder if people got into FMA in a similar fashion as I did.

As a kid (8-9 years old) I was faced with these options for MA: karate, kung fu, judo, fma. After being exposed to movies like Karate Kid and all the Bruce Lee movies, I chose a striking art first (karate). I continued studying solely striking arts (kung fu) all the way through college.

Then in college I was training with a friend who was a tkd/wrestler and through getting routinely tapped out, I realized that I needed some grappling so I picked up jiu jitsu. Then when I was not satisfied with the defenses I was being taught for knife attacks, I started studying Atienza Kali.

The members of my training group have similar stories. We have a mix of people who have done mma, wing chun, japanese jiu jitsu. Therefore I wonder what the journey FMA'ers have taken before they decided to study FMA.

Do previous arts accelerate or enhance your FMA training?
For those taking FMA as their first and only art, how did they decide it as their only art?

**Flipper** · Posted On: 11/24/2009 9:24am

I'm not sure how much of our student's previous MA has any bearing on how they train with us. I do notice that those with previous FMA training do in one way or another "fall back" on what they did before. It's really not their fault; its tough to "reprogram" hardwired skills, especially MA skills.

I do think that those without previous MA training are in some way easier to teach. They don't have any preconceived notions to unlearn and disprove. A lot of our students who have no MA experience take up FMA for a variety of reasons: interest in our own martial culture, interest in weapons, etc. I'm not sure if there's a specific common reason for studying FMA. I'll ask around the class next session..

**Chili Pepper** · Posted On: 11/24/2009 2:47pm

If the internet had been around when I started training (circa 1982), things would've been very different for me.

I started in TKD because that's the school that was the easiest to find. Back then, for anything off the beaten path, if you didn't know somebody who knew somebody, it just wasn't going to happen.

I'd always been interested in weapons, but getting into FMA took a chance meeting of my eventual guro's girlfriend and me, with her saying "you have got to meet Pete - you'd get along so well with him."

**variance** · Posted On: 12/08/2009 5:10pm

Originally Posted by Flipper

A few questions to the FMA people here:

a) How large is an average class where you train?

b) How many of the regular students have previous MA training?

c) How many Filipino or Filipino-Americans (or Filipino-___________) are there in your class?

d) How long is the class?

At our club, the average class is 15 students. About half have previous MA experience. All all Filipinos, except for 5 foreign students. The class is two hours long.

a) 1 - 8
b) All of them
c) I'm almost always the only one. I've tried starting training groups at FSA and getting a inter-univ competition going. but between classes and lack of interest things never got completely started.
d) 1 - 2 hours.

Most Fil-Ams don't even know there are filipino martial arts or that they are even effective and respected as MA in their minds is like Tae Kwon Do their parents made em take when they were kids along with Piano/etc and other things that represent the general Fil-Am youth experience.

that and generally we end up getting more into Dance/Music/Djing. (see America's best dance crew or UC's Friendship Games/The UT's Goodphil Games Dance competitions.)

**Flipper** · Posted On: 12/10/2009 6:14am

yeah, the preference for foreign martial arts over here is really depressing. I can walk in to any of the many aikido dojos in Manilla and there will be more students there than in our PTK club. But I do think the internet helps; FMA is becoming easier to find.

**variance** · Posted On: 12/10/2009 1:48pm

Originally Posted by Flipper

yeah, the preference for foreign martial arts over here is really depressing. I can walk in to any of the many aikido dojos in Manilla and there will be more students there than in our PTK club. But I do think the internet helps; FMA is becoming easier to find.

sigh. Aikido more popular than FMA in the PI?
that's a bit depressing.
isn't modern arnis part of the PE curriculum though
and there are other large organizations like doce pares aren't there.

**Flipper** · Posted On: 12/11/2009 9:42am

Originally Posted by variance

sigh. Aikido more popular than FMA in the PI?
that's a bit depressing.
isn't modern arnis part of the PE curriculum though
and there are other large organizations like doce pares aren't there.

Modern Arnis has a presence in a lot of schools. I'm not exactly sure anymore if MA is still required in high school and college, but I did have a semester (i think) of it in college. Even if its not part of a school's curriculum, there will usually be a club or a group in the school that does it.

But in my experience the problem is getting people to consider FMA as something to seriously pursue after school. Outside of the schools, other martial arts are far more popular. Its far easier to find a boxing gym, TKD dojang or aikido dojo in Manila.

The goods news is that interest in FMA is catching up; the internet brings contact info out to those who look for it. And the FMA people I know are into it for keeps, and its not just a fad or something they want to try. So in a sense, FMA is alive and well in the country, and it's a subculture of hardcore students and teachers, people who are willing to stick (pardon the pun) to traditions and not water in down for "family friendly" training. It's just not that popular as most foreigners might think.

The draw of the hakama is strong in these islands :(

**Gulogod** · Posted On: 12/12/2009 8:32am

Originally Posted by variance

sigh. Aikido more popular than FMA in the PI?
that's a bit depressing.

Blame Steven Seagal, Dumog locks and pins can't compete against aikido's spectacular throws. On the other hand, Pinoys begun looking at FMA a new way when they saw SG whirling two sticks against Dan Inosanto in one of his movies.

isn't modern arnis part of the PE curriculum though

The PE was the thing that actually killed the interest and respect of Pinoys for FMA. Virtually all of PE FMA instructors are inept incompetent stickguys. If you can find one PE instructor with average skills, then that would be a rare find indeed.

and there are other large organizations like doce pares aren't there.

Doce Pares is quite popular in Cebu but you can hardly find it in Luzon specifically Manila.