Filipino Martial Arts

FMA Techniques & Training Methods (Includes Video and Pictures)

Sombrada Explained

Background

There are a great many different Filipino martial arts, with a great variety of different techniques, training methods, and strategies. However, most begin training with weapons and later move to empty hands. Commonly some combination of these weapon areas are trained: single sword, single stick, double sword, double stick, single knife, double knife (knife is trained in various ways, hammer grip, ice pick grip, or both), sword and knife, empty hands, etc..

The Filipino martial arts techniques used in Hertao come primarily from Pekiti Tirsia. My Pekiti Tirsia instructor's websites can be found here: Progressive Martial Arts Training Center and Bill McGrath's Pekiti Tirsia International. FMA training in Hertao has also been influenced by Inosanto Blend, Dog Brothers Martial Arts, and James Wilson's Doce Pares Eskrima.

Although many of the basic techniques, including those I teach in the Fundamental 5 have roots in empty hand tactics of the Filipino martial arts, I generally begin FMA training with single stick. For that reason, I'll begin below with single stick.

Single Stick

In my view, “single stick” skills are an excellent addition to empty hand skills in self-defense. Not only can a great number of objects be used in similar ways (shoe, purse, book, umbrella, etc.), but the footwork and understanding that comes from single stick practice can greatly increase empty hand ability. Most Filipino martial arts began with the blade, not the stick, and today, many use the stick to represent the blade. There are techniques that make sense with a blade, but not a stick, and there are also techniques that make sense with a stick, but not a blade. In practicing Filipino martial arts, where we pull the vast majority of our stick/blade work, it is important to make a distinction between techniques that work best with the stick, blade, or both.

Imagine here that we’re talking about a blade, similar in length to the average machete. If you’re facing an opponent armed with a machete, whether you have one or not, if he swings it at you, you’d better get out of the way! For this reason, Filipino martial arts have some of the best footwork around. In both blade and stick work, footwork may be the most important component of all. In many empty hand systems, such an emphasis is not placed on footwork. Most martial arts use a good bit of blocking. If an opponent throws a punch, it’s easily possible for you to block or cover it with your hand/arm. The same cannot be said against an attacker swinging a machete. If you block with your arm, it will most likely end up on the floor.

By adding footwork that gets you out of the way, or to a safe zone relative to the opponent, along with striking angles and methods from Filipino martial arts, you have great equalizers against bigger and stronger attackers. Enough with the empty hands…

Every Filipino martial art has a different curriculum, a different style of teaching. Some begin with the use of long and short, which can be both long sword and dagger or stick and dagger, some begin with double stick, some single stick, etc. To get a person to have real ability as quickly as possible, my opinion is that the most effective way to begin is with single stick. It’s easier to learn than two weapons at once, and more likely to resemble something in your environment. Once you’ve learned to grip and swing the stick along basic angles, which takes no more than 10 minutes, it’s time to add footwork to the mix. Without footwork, you’re not going to hit the opponent, and the opponent is easily going to be able to hit you. Again, if you imagine an opponent with a sharp machete, this is not a good thing.

I begin with “Close Range Fundamentals” to get the practitioner used to getting into and being in the place he/she needs to be in to take out the opponent, and from there, to “Long Range Fundamentals” which primarily deal with hitting the opponent’s hand/arm, and then getting to close range. With the stick, and especially the blade, you should always aim to strike the opponent, not his weapon. In training you will often do drills that involve stick to stick contact, however you should ideally be thinking about striking the opponent’s hand or arm whenever stick contact is made.