Comment by John R. Malmo on May 6, 2010 at 11:13pm

Marc did what great teachers do. He helped open your eyes to the reality of what we practice.

The barrage of strikes, that wouldn't harm a mosquito, that some individuals utilize for sparring only serve to damage the reputation of the arts - in my humble opinion. Sparring with armor and padded sticks can be beneficial to train certain aspects with beginning students and some new techniques that need to be improved. However, it is important to move onto live stick training and sparring...

I have had two instances in the past where individuals showed up to challenge the FMA because all they had seen were the padded patty cake sparring. I tried to persuade them that they did not want to spar with me using live sticks. It quickly became apparent that they needed to learn for themselves. They learned what FMA is, and what it isn't. :)

Comment by terry joven on May 7, 2010 at 3:04pm

John
great comment
I remember hearing Guro Bobby Atuna ( Dentoy Revillar's top SLD instructor) That Bahala Na Multi-style is the only school he has ever seen that trained the same way as they fight! to me that was a great compliment.
For a style to teach techniques that cannot be applied in live stick or padded stick sparring or in a real life saving or street confrontation is a disservice to their students in my opinion. Leo Giron taught simple but very effective Escrima. Simplicity is the key to success in combat! Come what may!

Comment by Ray Melchor on May 7, 2010 at 10:20pm

Wow! First of all, I have to say that I am LOVIN' this site already, and I have only been a member for a day. Everybody has such great stuff to say and is so willing to jump in. Exactly the "community" I like.

As far as my blog, I could re-write it much shorter by simply saying that, for myself, when I have a padded stick and am sparring with someone at my level, I pretend it is a bolo or rataan live stick and proceed as if I am sparring with my teacher. I use footwork and defense, and seek out position and opportunity. I go for targeted strikes with intent, and then get the *bleep* back into a ready-yet-moving chambered position. Although the padded stick barely leaves a mark, I treat it as if it could literally slice me in half. Cushion and padding are no reason for me to stop using technique.

As I said, I am close to finishing my first year, so compared to most of you, I don't know "squat." I would NEVER criticize someone who chooses to rush into a close range, fast and furious firefight if that is their style. More power to you. I just believe that any style or commited way of doing something should be thought out and deliberate, not just blindly jumped into because one has gear or padded equipment or other protection. So, as someone who is learning to be more of a precision fighter, I treat padded weapons as live weapons and work as carefully and methodically as I can. And I ask myself one key question when I use padded: "Would I do this with a live stick or bolo?" If the answer is no, then I don't do it. That is what I mean by understanding of/respect for the weapon.

Comment by Ray Melchor on May 10, 2010 at 2:53pm

Hey Ron...we met at your seminar at Guro Marc's club a few Saturdays ago. I'm sorry people gave you crap about your comments. I think I understood them, and they seemed reasonable. Now that I look back on all of the comments, I think I would write my initial blog differently. I was simply trying to make a point that seemed sensible to me: If you would not do it with a live stick, why do it with a padded stick? Period. So, if someone is the type of fighter who goes all out in a smash and bash attempt to pound someone into unrecognizable pulp, no matter what the weapon, then great...hammer away with the padded stick. But if you normally are more careful and selective and strategic with the live stick, then why suddenly get crazy and reckless when you have a padded stick? I think it wise to continue to be careful and selective and strategic. I am all for padded stick...it's a great way to train with minimal bumps and bruises...but I fight the same way as if I have a live stick. Otherwise, I am just wasting my time. But...that's just me. To each their own.

Comment by John R. Malmo on May 10, 2010 at 3:27pm

Ron,

Glad to hear your friends are giving you a hard time. =) Only through conflict, can we all gain a better understanding. I completely understand what you are saying about letting the blade do its job. We do not have to use strength and power to cut.

One issue I have with the padded sparring, especially with the armor/gloves/helmet, is that in a real life situation the individual would never have survived the beating I give them on their way to close the gap. They learn to rely on the fact that the armor protects them from any injury and they rush head long to kissing range so they can tap their opponent a thousand times.

In every single instance that I have invited the armored combatant to remove all their protection, they have learned they can not engage the way they do with the armor. I am confident and able at any range with stick, blade, or empty hand. I train the way I fight, and do not want to instill bad habits of relying on protection that will not be there on the street. I know that if you were to spar these individuals without their armor you would stop them in their tracks as well...

Again, padded sticks and armor have their place for beginners and to train certain aspects, but one must move on to live sticks and little to no protection.

Comment by John R. Malmo on May 10, 2010 at 3:31pm

Ray,

When we use padded sticks, we do not use any armor/gloves/helmets. Some of the guys will wear their cup... =)

It's similar to the shock knife theory. When you get hit you know it, but it normally isn't enough to seriously injure anyone.

Comment by terry joven on May 10, 2010 at 4:09pm

Padded stick fighting is a great tool! As long as you treat it as what it is supposed to be! As Ron said a sharp cutting bolo! Manong Leo emphazised padded stick fighting. It was a great way to test your skills and to see what you needed to work on safely. If you are getting touched than you are getting cut. the object of the game is to cut the other person without you getting cut. If you train the way....than u will have a better chance of surviving a real life encounter. As Ron stated earlier Bahala Na likes to hit hard because the harder you strike ....if it is blocked... will interrupt the flow and intentions of your opponent and will open up oppurtunities that were not there previously!! Great comments from everyone on this blog! But if it is a blade.... it really comes down to who cuts who and where they get cut! So offense without a good defense is foolhardy and will get u killed quickly! Bahala Na!

Comment by John R. Malmo on May 10, 2010 at 4:39pm

Ron,

Picking on friends is nothing new to me! =)

As for rules, I love to thrust. Anyone that doesn't allow thrusting under the pretense that it is too dangerous, severely limits the game. If you haven't already, please check out this video from our Kombatan brothers in Europe. It isn't perfect, but they do a good job of showing how kicks can be utilized in sparring.

http://www.myfma.net/video/kombatan-ukraine

Comment by Chris Sargent on May 10, 2010 at 5:50pm

Using padded sticks gives people a false sense of security and teaches very very bad habits.

The only reason I can see using padded sticks is if you have someone that is very young training. Then that brings up the discussion, how old should someone start training? Let's get back to the topic...

The two “most” important drills students perform usually happen at the very beginning of every class; abanikos and rodundas. These drills are so over looked that people usually just fly through them without thought as to what they are doing. It is very disturbing when I see this happen. These are more than just warm-up drills.

The focus of the drills should be to touch the last inch of the stick with the last inch of the other stick. Consistent accuracy is crucial. The goal should be to increase the student’s accuracy. Anyone can just bang sticks but to learn where the tip of your sticks is at all times, helps students to gauge distance, and (most important which pertains to live stick sparring) learn targeted "stick pressure". That is live sparring, knowing where you are hitting and how hard you are hitting at all times. People will start out slow but give them time and practice. Then they will be hitting just like they weren’t paying any attention because it will become instinct. Gauging distance, knowing where you are striking, and how hard you are striking needs to be instinctive.

Who would’ve thought simple drills could teach so much but they do. This coupled with techniques being taught in class will prepare a student for live stick sparring.

Then the question that arises is how far do you take live sparring? I say think about it in a common sense kind of way. If I can hit your shoulder, I can hit your head. If I can hit your leg I can hit your groin. I say be respectful to your fellow students. After all if they are hurt you will have no one to train with. Light sturdy rattan sticks should be used with eye protection at a minimum. The sparring sessions should be supervised by an experienced instructor and the instructor needs to bring the student gradually up to speed. Discussions should take place after every match or even stop matches to explain what a student is doing wrong.

If you want to see what ill conceived sparring looks like watch any Dog Brother video. I’m not knocking the Dog Brothers. What they do is their thing and there will be those that are attracted to that but a live sparring match that is devoid of technique is a brawl and nothing will be learned except how much you are willing to be hurt. I see what the Dog Brothers do is more of a mental test.

Which is part of what sparring is all about, testing your heart and the skills you have learned. It was once said to me, by my friend Styles, that has followed me ever since I started leaning. That your heart will keep you in the fight but your technique will help you find comfort in the heart of danger. It is so very true.

It is my firm opinion that without consistent sparring, one’s art can not be fully learned. You will immediately see the difference in a match between someone that has sparred live with some one that has only used pads. You learn just so much faster with a live stick. It does take a rare breed to be able to take part in this type of training. So, if you find someone that is willing to train with you like this make the most of it that you can because it won't last forever.

Comment by terry joven on May 10, 2010 at 5:55pm

Padded stick or live stick it still comes back to..... can u touch me without me touching you!

Comment

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• …
• 8
• Next ›
• Page