Right now, we are all craving the opportunity to train, but our options right now are limited with the shelter-in-place orders issued to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Unless you are lucky enough to have a family member or roommate who is also a training partner, you are probably training alone. Training solo is very important for overall skill development, but sometimes it gets stale. Below are roughly 25 tips and ideas for your next solo training session. Coordination Coordination is the low hanging fruit here. It is very well suited for solo training. Here are a few tips and ideas for coordination training: 1. Get really deep in the analysis of your movement and refine the tiny details of your striking, blade edge control, body movement, etc. Observe the small details that add up to ma...

This article is part three in a series of articles focused on getting results when learning to apply the Filipino martial arts. If you have not already read part one and part two, please read those first to get the most out of this article. Each article addresses a different stage in the learning process. Part one was focused on stage one, developing the right mechanics in order to lay the foundation required for future training. Part two outlined a process for developing reaction with simple exercises. This article continues with a continuation of the the progression started in stage two, then progresses to stage three, which involves more open-ended exercises and live training with a resisting partner. STAGE 2 Continued - Advanced Reaction Training Once you have mastered the re...

This is part two of a three part series of articles. If you have not read part one, please read it before reading this article. As I mentioned in part one, I have identified three stages of learning only to make the material discussed in this series easier to organize, read, and implement. A more in-depth discussion could certainly subdivide these stages into many parts based on the science and development behind the progression. In part one of this series, I began to explain my approach to teaching students how to learn to react. Part one was focused on the first stage of learning a new technique. This first stage is largely focused on learning proper mechanics and developing coordination. In this article, I will discuss stage two of the process. Stage two is primarily concerned with...

How you approach your training can make a huge difference in the results you get from it. Two people can study the same art and end up with very different skills and results. Know what you want to get out of your training, then adjust your approach to it so that you will get what you want in a reasonable period of time. If you are simply training for fun, and don’t really have any serious goals associated with your training, then you don’t need to think about your training direction or progression very much. However, if you are primarily concerned about being effective with the Filipino Martial arts, then your training should be focused on application. When you are focused on application, all the exercises and drills you do should move you closer to being able to apply what you are learnin...

The Problem with Flow Drills I often hear people say that flow drills in the Filipino Martial Arts are just not realistic. Sometimes they say there is no relation between flow drills and their sparring. Because of this, they don’t see any value in the flow drills, and they don’t see a reason to include them in their training. I understand this, but I think if they knew how to approach flow drills differently, they may find more value in them. The Filipino martial arts are often taught in a way that is not well explained or not clearly structured. This makes it hard for the student to get the most out of the training. Sometimes people learn a variety of drills, but they do not always understand the drills completely. Because of this, the real value is sometimes missed. The problem I often s...