Vol 6 No 4 - 2017 Newspaper Propagating the Filipino Martial Arts and the Culture of the Philippines Adaptability the To Master or Not to Master Hallmark of Eskrima By Joel Huncar By: Mustafa Gatdula What type of Filipino martial artist are The first part of answering this ques- Article you? How far do you want to take this thing? tion is to state emphatically that mastery of The Sticky Subject of What are your goals in the arts? Is it necessary the art can only occur after one has commit- Weaponry Training to complete curriculums, teach the art, fight ted himself/herself to long term discipleship By Burton Richardson in matches, cross train, or aim for mastery? under a true master of the art. If you wanted Article And that, today my friends, is the ques- to learn to become a master mechanic, you tion. This question is not one that you need will not be able to achieve this goal under Cutting Class: to answer aloud, but is one you should be a man who has never worked on cars for a 10 Reason By Jerome Teague answering to yourself so that you can navi- living. You will not learn it from a book. You gate the martial artist lifestyle. “That” be- will not achieve mastery of automechan- Article ing the why of your martial arts journey– ics from YouTube clips. You will not be able not so much the eight questions I posed. to find a weeklong workshop anywhere You see, we tend to filter everything that will give you the tools, I don’t care if the we see in the arts through our own eyes–and seminar was taught by Henry Ford himself. our eyes tend to be discriminating eyes. If I You can tinker around in the backyard and have an insecurity about my actual fighting learn a few things on your own about cars, ability, I have been traumatized after becom- but that is nothing compared to the guy ing the victim of a crime, or perhaps I am a who spent ten years under the tutelage of natural scrappy guy who likes to fight, I might the master mechanics at a car dealership. be guilty of seeing all study in the martial arts There are many lessons that, while may be through the eyes of a fighter. If I aspire to be revealed to you through trial and error–are called some lofty martial arts title, or maybe not going to be learned like you will learn grew up feeling pushed around or held back, after repairing thousands of vehicles with About ... I may see the martial arts as a journey that be- all types of problems 40-60 hours a week Past Events gins with a low rank and ends in a high rank. for a decade. There simply is no comparison. Health & Safety If I am a community oriented man, have an Yet, the Filipino martial arts commu- Building Blocks of FMA infatuation with Filipino culture, or an inter- nity is heavily populated by men who have Tid-Bits est in Filipino history, I might look at the Fili- absolutely no actual combat experience, pino martial arts as a way of preserving, prac- no sparring experience, have 20+ teach- ticing, promoting, or rediscovering Filipino ers (and fewer than 10 actual lessons with culture. There are many reasons for studying 19 of them), and learned from the same the art, and we must consider why we under- source as hundreds of thousands of oth- take this lifestyle as well as decide what we er FMA students… who consider them- would like to do with our knowledge once selves a “master” of the arts. Preposterous. we have it. Even if your purpose is undevel- If one is a “dabbler” or wishes an intro- oped or as simple as you simply thought it duction into the FMA, then distance learn- was “cool”–each reason to study is valid and ing, seminars/workshops, and extracurricular has its nuances. Your journey won’t be the classes in a school specializing in another art same as someone in the same art with a dif- will suffice. These environments, whether the ferent reason for study and a different plan intensity is casual or whether the training is for his acquired knowledge. Because of this, difficult, can do little more than introduce www.fmapulse.com the question does not have a simple answer. concepts and give moderate explanations Rather than try and answer for everyone, about techniques and theories. However, I will answer when I believe mastery of the for building an actual foundation in an art, a art is necessary. You can then decide if you fit consistent and regular, regimented and on- this category, and if this path is for you. going program is needed. Just as you cannot MyFMA.net expect to take 5-6 “seminars” in learning to Studying by Seminar, Distance Learning, speak a foreign language fluently, what the Visit the FMA Informative Group and Long Term Discipleship average FMA man is doing very similar to on Facebook Click Here 2 FMA Informative Vol6 No4 2017 Vol6 No4 2017 FMA Informative 3 the old retired Navy veteran turned in his study and devel- degree that most people who path is not for everyone. Most understand how silly award- more material than even who can say “Please”, “Hello”, opment of his art, and anyone encounter him cannot name guys don’t even know that ing a “Master” certificate in your teacher gave you. Un- and “Thank you” in 10 differ- in his presence dare not chal- ten men with the same level of the path exists. Let me drop a a weekend seminar actually derstand that there is anoth- ent languages–but can’t hold lenge his worthiness of the title. skill… or he is no master. You few tips that will help you get is. Yes, this is a physical goal er dimension beyond simply even a basic conversation Is that easy enough to cannot call yourself a Master started on your path towards and we did not touch on the knowing a martial arts, and in any of them. Even most understand? Notice that this when most people know plen- mastery: nonphysical benefits of such another past being good “veteran” FMA seminar jocks, definition has two parts: ty of people with better skill. - perform every technique in a training regimen. Perhaps at that arts. Few will under- who can ramble off Tagalog 1. A Master is one who has Age is irrelevant here. If you’ve your system–attack as well as next time. Either way, there stand, but take the noncon- and Cebuanu terminology as fully studied and developed ever encountered a master defense–at least 5,000 times are many benefits to fully de- ventional road to proficien- a regular part of his speak- his art, and musician (and I have) a mas- face and fight 100 opponents veloping an art as far as your cy and that other dimension ing vocabulary and transition 2. His skill is visible enough ter artist, a master mechanic, - develop and train at body will allow you to–and will be revealed to you. I from drill to drill, showing a that no one would argue a master physician, a master of least 3-4 defenses for ev- during this training you will hope this article sparks your plethora of escapes, disarms, that he has, in fact, mastered academics, a master chef–then ery attack 1,000 times find that your brain’s creativ- curiosity to digging deeper takedowns, and other won- the art. you would know exactly what - regularly work with 500 ity will come up with much than most of your peers will. derful demonstrations–can- We must demand more I mean. Many of us just don’t repetitions in training not hold a “conversation” (i.e., from ourselves besides sim- know what a true master is, so - impact training and test- “Secrets” of the Filipino Fighting Arts Words from a Modern-Day Warrior sparring match) using 90% ply learning techniques, drills, it is easy to call a likeable, older ing; you should be able to Books by Mark V. Wiley of his knowledge without a and new arts. I could learn all fellow with mediocre or above break wood, bricks, coconut, filipinofightingsecretslive.com Do you have these publications? Do you even know about them? feeder or otherwise coop- the mathematical equations average skills as “Master”. I get baseball bats with your skills Well here is a chance, you can get them. Visit: Amazon.com - Click Here erative partner. Keeping the in the world–but if I cannot that. But once in a while, you - have a specialty, that if you Adaptability the Hallmark of Eskrima analogy of language going, a apply those formulas in the encounter a true master of the used that skill, weapons or By Joel Huncar martial artist who can “flow” real world and use them, that arts–any art. One who seem- technique–you know you will his techniques through dem- knowledge is of no use at all. ingly has no peer. One with defeat 90% of your opponents All martial arts have their simply weapons fighting arts; knife in a self-defence situa- alien to the true Eskrimador. onstration but cannot fight Too often, FMA practitioners nearly perfect technique. One - you can actually BEAT strength and weaknesses. they are fighting arts and the tion. A pen or a metal eating If it works they will add it to with those same techniques can demonstrate the art beau- who can answer every ques- 90% of your opponents There is no one martial art gift they offer is adaptability.