FMA Tangent

This past week in Level 2 we took a little detour from the Krav Maga curriculum. To round out our weapons self-defense training this month (and just for fun) I showed some stick and knife skills from Modern Arnis, a system that combines traditional Filipino martial arts and Japanese jujitsu. There are numerous methodologies in Modern Arnis for defending against and countering attacks based on the angle of the attack, the weapon(s) used, and your weapon(s) available—precisely opposite Krav Maga’s approach to self-defense. With this in mind, I chose a handful of techniques that directly parallel and compliment those in the Krav Maga curriculum. In most cases the initial defense is exactly the same, but the follow-ups are quite different.

It was admittedly a lot of information compressed into two classes, but I hope everyone both enjoyed it and learned some new skills. For those who missed it, here’s what we did:

Monday

Stick vs. Stick

• Basic principles of the cane
• Angles of Attack (#1, 2, 12: forehand, backhand, downward)
• Block, Check, & Counter vs. Angles 1, 2, & 12
• Brace block, disarm, and counter vs. angles 1, 2, & 12

Knife vs. Knife

• Basic principles of the knife
• Applying a knife to Inside Defense and 360° Defense
• Defense, disarm, and counter vs. upward stab
• Defense, disarm, and counter vs. downward stab

Wednesday

Stick

• Angles of Attack (#1, 2, 12: forehand, backhand, downward) on a tombstone pad
• Block, Check, & Counter vs. Angles 1, 2, & 12
• Brace block, disarm, and counter vs. angles 1, 2, & 12

Knife

• Angles of Attack / Targets
• Grip styles: modified sabre grip, reverse grip edge forward, reverse grip edge backward
• Demo of “hooking” techniques with reverse grip
• Just how quickly is it over (i.e. how many times can your partner slash and stab you in 10 seconds)?

“Sparring”

• Stick vs. Stick
• Knife vs. Knife
• Stick vs. Knife

And at the risk of being a buzz-kill, here’s my reminder/disclaimer about the potentially SERIOUS consequences of using a weapon in an altercation, regardless the circumstances. Please read the use of force post.