Tech support

 Very recently I've had the privilege of taking part in an FMA Discussion podcast with a group of fellow Astig Lameco practitioners, including the method founder Roger Agbulos. We had such a great time and so much fun that time flew, but the discussion touched on several topics that might be of interest, if you have time to take a look and have a listen. 

Be as it may, quite lot of time was spent in effort to shed light on certain more or less specific aspects of technique, meaning how it is trained for combative effect. While there are numerous elements that comprise a well performed technique, it seems that to a lot of people it still boils down to a set of biomechanical building blocks that, if sequenced properly, should yield desired result. Since another prominent subject in the conversation was solo training, several listeners believed it focused on the said approach to technique. 

After all, isn't that exactly what it is meant when experts of all sorts offer opinions and advice on the proper and improper way of doing pretty much anything?

Well, not exactly. Naturally, if one's approach and interest in doing martial arts lies in some sort of aesthetic, artistic, meditative exercise and/or performance (kata, choreographed demos etc.), then the above mentioned view is pretty good. 

However, if you are in the category of practitioners who look for the functional use of technical arsenal in the circumstances of working against a non-complient partner/opponent (whether in competition, sparring of a real fight), thing tend to require attention toward several other dimensions. Yes, the mechanics of delivery are still important - including speed, power, strengths etc. - but there additional elements of the equation, such as timing, distance management, efficiency, intent and so on. And then, there is the avenue of tactics, strategy and other avenues of taking the other person into account. I have particular affinity toward the definition of technique as used by the authors of a book reviewed here: 

…both an accurate movement pattern as well as successful application in an Unscripted Training or Play Learning environment. Correct Execution does not mean a person can simply successfully mimic what a movement pattern looks like, it means that they can use the movement pattern effectively and also achieve its intended outcome…

See, it is the intended outcome that happens to be the key phrase here. That is why I said, during the discussion, that Astig works through the outcome based methodology, using the reverse engineering approach in identifying what makes a good technique, necessary physical attributes, and adequate training methods to develop all those. And this is why the impact of good instruction and feedback is especially important, even if you are working on your own. 

So...do your best to find it. 

Kaleidoscopic view

 A week ago I had a great pleasure of being interviewed by guro Tom Edison Pena of the FMA Discussion crew. During the chat, besides an overview of my background and journey in the martial arts, we touched upon several training related subjects. It mostly presents my views about the role of the instructor(s) in conducting the training for the adequate results and with proper approach. 

Some of you may be already familiar with some of the things stated here, but if you would prefer to watch and listen to me go on about various topics, check it out.

Here is a rough outline of the contents:

03.55 - Early beginnings and first steps in MA

14:00 - Physical attributes in technical development

22:05 - Starting RMA and learning perspectives

24:15 - Introduction proper to FMA

29:55 - Encounter with Lameco eskrima and doing long-distance learning

40:20 - Appreciating unpaid instruction

41:10 - Teaching as a learning tool

42:48 - Validity of training approaches

45:03 - Contextual functionalist

47:05 - Stint in MMA; on competition in general

53:30 - Role of luck

56:20 - Alex Zhelezniak and ACT system

57:40 - Teaching/Coaching methodologies

59:40 - Curriculum shortcomings

1:02:50 - Instructors vs Coaches

1:07:00 - Meeting Luis Preto and learning Jogo do Pau

1:11:15 - Tactics as a decision making process

1:12:15 - Mindset foundation for training

1:13:45 - Benefiting from Internet communication

1:18:00 - Importance of cultural and historical background

1:19:30 - Role of "flow" drills

1:23:45 - Forms pros and cons

1:30:50 - Differences between good athletes and coaches

1:33:05 - Sending students elsewhere for their sake or group sake

1:40:54 - Private vs group class

1:41:55 - Some recommended online FMA programs

1:47:54 - Importance of fundamentals and creative application

1:49:57 - Main requirements for teachers/instructors

1:51:35 - Need for education

1:55:40 - Craft before art

1:59:00 - FMA as a community?

Having done the interview, I believe there will be more articles on certain subjects mentioned, because as great as my host was, the boundaries of the format and flow of the conversation didn't necessarily get the fully fair insights into some of those. 

Decade of babbling!

 Whoa, it just appeared to me that a month ago it was the 10th anniversary of this blog! Man...who would have thought. Back then, even with the first actual post, my sole intention was to share some personal views and insights into this beautiful, funny, frustrating and consuming world of martial art training. Maybe I was hoping to somehow contribute to improving that very training process a tiny bit. Well, while there is no way to say if the later hopes have been achieved, I sure did keep on sharing those views, thoughts and rants. And got more in return than ever having dreamt of!

Just like it is the case with training itself, the main benefit of writing this blog turned out to be getting to know some really great people and learning infinitely more along the way than possible being able to teach in any way, shape or form. As the matter of fact some true greats found it worthwhile to get in touch and grace me with their time in conversation. Others provided me with the opportunity of actually learning under their guidance on a regular basis. What more could a guy, who happens to be a lifer in the martial arts, ask for?

However, as a complete coincidence, probably the biggest honor that aligned with this anniversary was the invitation to teach along with guro Roger Agbulos during one of his incredibly popular Zoom sessions. As a token of appreciation for all those readers who made running the blog worthy, here is my segment of that session, in all its (in)glorious detail:

The things that I would particularly like you to notice are the interpretation of what good technique actually means in combative arts (at the very beginning of the video), as well as a helpful way to improve one's solo practice and make it more effective. If you get more out of it - take it as bonus! 

In conclusion, it has been an awesome ride... Let's see if we can go for another round! 

Modern classic

 Let's straight it out from the very beginning - what makes a book a classic? Well, in short, it has to be an excellent presentation on the given subject, holding its value over time, serve as a go-to source of information, and ideally reveal new insights with every reading/consultation even years later. In addition to all that, the work presented today was published in the 21st century, hence the term "modern". And the author of the subject of this review is master Reynaldo Galang.

Rey Galang doing what he loves most

Master Rey is a fairly well known name in the world of Filipino martial arts (FMA for short) and held in high regard, both for his teaching ability and penmanship. On the one hand, he is a co-founder and a driving force behind one of the most prestigious organizations in this sphere - Bakbakan. On the other hand, he wrote and edited four phenomenal books on various aspects of FMA, as well as numerous articles over the past couple of decades. Having had the good fortune to attend some of master Rey's online classes, I can confidently say that his dedication to the arts and commitment to students is absolutely of the highest order. This is probably the exact foundation that the success of Bakbakan was built on. 

Bakbakan

Among the four books mentioned, I would like to point to the one titled Masters Of the Blade. Now, the books that seek to portray several, or many, representatives of any martial art (maybe even comprehensive overview of various styles within the art) are not exactly a new idea. In the realm of FMA itself there have been several, including one also written by master Galang (Warrior Arts Of the Philippines). However, there a few features that make the MOB book stand out.

the book

Firstly, instead of opting to cast a wide net of entire art (say, FMA) or geographical region (e.g. Philippines), the author chose to focus on a single aspect of the art, specifically the knife, and then bring in the views and thought from a large number of contributors. To be honest, all of the featured exponents in this tome had been more or less influenced by the FMA approach to handling the knife and dealing with it, but some of them (Tom Sotis of Amok!, Michael Janich, James Keating and Hock Hochheim come to mind) have moved to one degree or the other away from the typical Filipino treatment of the tool. 

Secondly, the contributors are not grouped according to their stylistic affiliations, but rather presented in the alphabetical order. Why is that important? To start with, nobody can accuse the author or favoring his own "tribe" and pushing their agenda to the detriment of another one. Also, it makes for a more interesting read, because the expressions of the topics vary from one chapter to the next, so you will keep focus better. Finally, the absence of style/system chapters eliminates the proclivity for skipping some chapters, and in turn made me discover new people and learn about their insights with a more open mind. 

Thirdly, all the contributing authors were obviously given the full freedom to state their position on the subject, even if it does not align with those of other exponents or the main author, which is a refreshing approach to doing this kind of work. That way, the book serves almost as a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences for the mutual learning benefit of the reader, regardless of his or her previous experience. 

Lastly, the technical presentation makes for a mighty nice package. Excellent print quality on glossy pages makes the photos clear; good binding provides years of perusing pleasure without the fear your book falling apart; format is just right...and at 450+ pages this book is chock-full of great information and will offer many hours of reading pleasure. 

still going strong

Ok, but is it any practical in terms of learning  something from it?

Why, am I glad you asked! If you don't mind a personal anecdote (hey, it is MY blog after all!), pondering this very question lead me to my currently main instructor of FMA. 

Namely, when the book came out in 2005, the quality instruction in the Filipino arts was seriously scarce in my neck of woods, so I would take any opportunity (indiscriminately) to learn something from anybody who had access to real teachers. No wonder that some of those teaching would be contradictory to each other occasionally, system names were just labels to me, and it made me confused at more than one point. Upon going through the book a couple of times, there seemed to be chapters that, if taken in certain order, could constitute a solid training progression. And then, I shared my thoughts in this regard on one of the more active knife forums of the day. Here is what I wrote:

1. Start with the chapter provided by Roger Agbulos. It is dedicated to what I feel is the groundwork for any fighting endeavor, i.e. footwork and non-telegraphic movement. After you've done that on your own for a few days...
2. Find yourself a partner and get into drills nicely featured in Steve Grody's chapter. It will teach you how to stay in a long range, where your skills are most likely to give you the advantage over an untrained opponent (as they say - "proximity negates skill"), and you'll be pushed to use your footwork from the step 1 in a situational environment of sorts.
3. If you've been doing the above two steps for a few weeks, and started developing some timing and feel for keeping your distance, maybe entering and disengaging comfortably to some degree, you might be ready for basic medio and corto drills, so turn to Hospecio Balani's portion of the book. There you will also get a feel for working with a reverse grip. I'd like to add that you should not stop working on previous material, because we all need constant improvement and brushing up in those areas. The same principle applies in further steps too.
4. OK, once you have your live hand in sync with your weapon hand, you should move to more demanding tasks, such as those shown in the chapter by Dave Gould. This is where all your previous skills will be put to test, along with your mental perseverance, ability to cope with stress and failure in training and struggle with your ego.
5. At this point, which in my estimation is after few months of regular training, you should have your solid foundation in place, so you can start adding other material from the book, in accordance with your needs and interests - empty handed against blade concepts or stalemate solutions from Steve Tarani; solo training forms, techniques and drills and their applications from Rey Galang or Michael Janich; empty handed scenarios from W. Hock Hochheim and John Jacobo; multiple adversaries or VIP protection scenarios from Atienzas or Bakbakan; drills for overcoming knife defense attempts from San Miguel Eskrima and Krishna Godania; insightful and thought provoking writing from AMOK!, Ron Balicki or Jim Keating...and so on.

In essence, after you have your essential skills included in your functioning arsenal, you can go out and do research on your own, as the above is just a basic outline/framework, based only on a single book, although a great one.
Finally, The fact that I haven't mentioned some people who contributed to the book (Ray Dionaldo, Bram Frank, Felix Valencia...) is not to say that they have nothing valuable to offer. It is just that I tried to make this as simple and functional as possible. After all, refer to the section on "doing your own research"...That's why they call it a homework - you do it on your own!

As it turned out, the person who was mentioned first was also a member of the forum ad reached out to say thanks about the review. We really hit it off from there, and have become friends, to my great learning and training benefit for 15 years now. 

Also, I soon figured out that the next three instructors mentioned, just like the first one, were all practitioners of the Lameco Eskrima system of FMA, so that effectively made my decision on which path I would like to pursue in this regard. 

In conclusion, this book has stood the test of time, especially if you keep in mind that it was published in the pre-Youtube era. While several new name instructors and training approaches have emerged in the meantime, most of those featured in the Masters Of the Blade are still pretty active and further honing their material. 

If you get a chance to get this book - don't waste it! It will be a staple of your martial art library. That said, while eagerly awaiting for master Rey's next book, I'm off to check a couple of things in my copy...

Strained training

 A couple of months ago I posted a short video clip on the Astig Lameco group on Facebook, showing one of the possible solutions for a common problem of many novice practitioners, i.e. losing the integrity of the combat stance after a few seconds of dynamic footwork. It showed me doing liner shuffling footwork in a skateboarding park, with one of those low, straight rails between my feet, on a mid-calf level. It caused some great reactions and comments, saying what a great way it is to address the issue.

However, it is nothing new or spectacular. In the coaching practice this approach to training is known as the method of constraints and affordances, and in a nutshell it entails the creation of such training environment that would either prevent the practitioner from making a mistake, or facilitate his achieving the desired outcome, respectively. In this post I will illustrate the former approach. 

We have all been in a situation, either as an instructor or the student, to keep pointing to the same mistake, but to no avail, since it keeps rearing its ugly head time and again. Instead of giving up on the issue or continuing with more of the same in terms of trying to fix it, there is a different, wordless way of dealing with it. How about putting the trainee in a situation where he has no choice but do what you ask of him?

Let's take a very widespread boxing mistake - flaring elbow when executing a jab. In other words, instead of firing the punch down the straight line, there is power leaking because of the crooked trajectory of the elbow during the execution. Here is the visual depiction:

the guard position

mid-phase with elbow sticking out

final phase

The problem with this technique is that if the distance is suddenly shortened in the middle phase of the punch, it will lose so much power that the effect will be negligible. So, the coach has been harping about it constantly, even tried showing the trainee some video footage of his faulty mechanics, but it has all been futile. Well, if we constrain the spatial options that allow for the mistake to be made, it should elicit proper execution from the practitioner. 

In this case, it is done as simply as putting the trainee next to a wall, his lead shoulder almost touching it. And then have him or her doing the technique, first slowly and then faster. 

the guard position

mid-phase, this time without wandering elbow

final phase

That is it! It will take a bit of perseverance, but lot less frustration to get where you want to go. 

The nice thing is that constraints are not limited to technical training. You can develop tactical solutions this way (eg. by limiting the available technical options during sparring; always starting the drill or sparring round from a position that you want to emphasize; taking a limb out of the equation by tying it etc.), as well as many other aspects of combative training. Basically, you start with the problem and reverse-engineer the solution by seeking to see how to disable the undesirable occurrence. 

Basically fundamental

I was asked on several occasions if I had ever gone to coach a training session without knowing what I would do? In short, the answer is - no! Admittedly, I have appeared in sessions without previously planning the class, more than once. So, how come the answer to the question was negative? Quite simply, there is a super important aspect of training that you can always revisit without feeling guilty... As the matter of fact, if you are not training every day, and making it part of that daily training, you are probably in need of more. It is called - BASICS!

If a man of Virgil Hunter's caliber, coaching champions, stresses the importance of fundamental techniques and tactics, who am I to dispute it? After all, he works with champions and challengers in a tough world of professional boxing, where the failure to train properly is very costly in so many ways.

Now, some may argue that the entire technical arsenal of boxing is rather basic in general, and that other combative systems operate in a more diverse circumstances, hence demanding more variety in training, too. Say, weapon based methods would be like that, right? Well, not exactly. Namely, while the challenges that the practitioners of non-sportive approaches to combat may be of wider scope, effective responses to them are, nonetheless, based on a limited set of mechanical and tactical principles that are best adopted through the diligent practice of those system's basics.

Interestingly enough, most advanced practitioners, and particularly those good in actual fighting, enjoy the constant focus on fundamentals, because they tend to always find new applications and variations of those underlying principles. And it is exactly those novel expressions and applications that make "new and advanced" techniques, but are only possible owing to the incessant drilling of foundations. My main FMA instructor Roger Agbulos keeps repeating his mantra of "advanced techniques being fundamentals done really well", and when you get to spar him, the deep trueness of this sentiment becomes very obvious.

Besides, this attitude is not limited to martial endeavors either. Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi is famous for starting the 1961 season with Green Bay Packers by gathering the team and saying: "Gentlemen...this is a football!" Another legendary coach, this time from basketball, John Wooden, would even go so far to teach his players how to put on their socks and tie their shoes.

Finally, there is one important distinction we ought to have in mind. When I rant about fundamentals here, it does not mean the disciplinary methods, i.e. customs and protocols aimed at teaching the students proper etiquette and conduct during classes (not that this is unimportant), but rather the aforementioned tenets and principles that form the technical and tactical groundwork of any given system. And with that in mind, the best way to get to the advanced levels of training is to find joy and pleasure in working on the basics.

In the long term, it is not about how soon you can skip to the next phase, but rather how long you can stay at the same and find it beneficial. 

Knowledge that sticks, in 1...2...3...

The issue of weapons training can be contentious issue from various aspects, be it the choice of tools (firearms circles seem to be ridiculous with constant bickering over the best caliber, makes, models etc.), or relevance of some of those tools nowadays (like, does it make sense practicing fencing). As always, my approach is contextual – the legislation here is very prohibitive of firearms, so I focus on the “weapons” that require the least legal hassle, in terms of owning and carry, and most carryover in terms of training being applicable to various improvised weapons. So, in the end, it means impact and edged weapons.

It is a widespread belief that some of the best methods of use of such implements can be found among the exponents of Filipino martial arts (FMA). While I have found out that there are other approaches that are just as valid, while of different geographical origins, it is definitely true that some of the arnis and eskrima systems (oh, all right…and kali, too) have a lot to offer in this regard. That said, although I have trained in various methodologies, my foundation for weapons handling is the Astig Lameco system of eskrima.

If you run even a cursory research on Lameco, you will find that it is formulated on the founder Edgar Sulite’s background in several traditional Filipino systems, five of them being main influences. Through my own training in the system, two of those have had most appeal to me, one for the blade training – Kalis Ilustrisimo; the other for its impact weaponry training – Eskrima De Campo 1-2-3 Original. It is the latter that is the subject of this article.

Eskrima De Campo 1-2-3 Original was founded by the legendary eskrimador Jose Caballero, and the system is renowned for its highly functional, hard-hitting approach to stick fighting, with no fancy maneuvers, but rather well organized training method of proven and effective techniques and tactics, honed through diligent practice. If you belong to the category of practitioners who seek a highly functional set of tools that you can confidently apply (naturally, after having invested proper effort and hours in training – no magic bullets here), you will feel right at home with this approach.

Due to Caballero’s reluctance to teach his art openly, the system never got the recognition it deserves, and only started slowly spreading in the West over the last decade or so. I was among those that felt frustrated with the lack of relevant sources of instruction, because the bits and pieces I was able to get from my Lameco instructors were very enticing. However, the advent of modern technologies has finally come to the rescue!

Today, the head of the school is Jose Caballero’s grandson Jomalin, who lives and teaches out of Ibo, Toledo City in the Philippines, i.e. the same home where his grandfather taught his handful of students. Owing to the great enthusiasm and tech-savvy of one of the modern day students, guro Paolo Pagaling, maestro Caballero has filmed the entire curriculum as the series of well-produced lessons, which is now available through the website decampo123.org

The technical material is demonstrated by maestro Caballero himself, while guro Pagaling does the narration additional explanations as needed, while the drills and applications are then shown by both instructors. The lessons are filmed against the backdrop of Caballero’s own backyard, which gives additional impression of authenticity, and to me makes the videos more pleasant to watch than if having been recorded in some studio. In other words, this is as close to the private lesson as possible, having in mind the format of the material. You can get free sample lessons on the website, to see for yourself how it is laid out.

Now, at the first glimpse, the program might look a bit pricey. However, if you keep in mind that we are not talking about some sort of the “best of”, “selected techniques”, “peek into the system” etc., but actually FULL curriculum and proven training progression, as well as the fact that the authors are willing to respond to potential questions and help you get most out of the material, maybe even potential certification, I would say it is a fairly good deal. Just check their Facebook page to find out more.

In conclusion, what the authors did with this program is essentially the exact thing that in the 1990’s I used to hope would be the main advantage of the Internet – finding true information from true sources, while dispelling myths and not wasting time on digging through the fluff and artificial mystique that has been surrounding all kinds of human endeavors for a long time. Well, we all know how it turned out with the spreading of internet forums and the ability for every wannabe and delusional self-appointed expert to say whatever they want from the anonymity of their homes and behind their screen avatars. The efforts and results such as the subject of this review are the high points in the presentation and preservation of some traditional martial arts that are out there and in dire need of being properly displayed.

Running in circles, and getting somewhere

There are varying, and sometimes colliding, attitudes towards the role of cyclical, give-and-take drills done in martial arts. A typical example of those would be the familiar approach to them in Filipino martial arts, commonly known as hubud drills. Some proponents believe these are essential for the development of certain attributes, others that they are complete waste of time. Admittedly, I have been on both sides of the rift at some point, so now I hope to provide some insight into how to do such drills in order to bridge the gap in perceptions on their value.

For starters, let's take a look at a typical example of the kind of drills we are talking about.

The supporters of such training will claim that its main goals are line familiarization, developing the flow, learning about proper mechanical structure of the techniques etc. On the other hand, the
skeptics about the value of circular drills, mostly coming from the MMA or BJJ (sports) background, underline that they are static and lack energy/resistance, thus failing to prepare the practitioners for any realistic application whatsoever.

Now, there are certain shortsighted misconceptions in both camps. In so many instances, when the students lose sight of the end goal and keep doing the drill for the sake of just doing it, i.e. when the means is mistaken for the goal, they stay at this beginning stage and then all those objections from the critics then apply in full.

Interestingly, though, the sport crowd fails to see that there are training methods of that ilk are widespread in their domain as well. One such example would be the following positional drill in BJJ:

As it seems, the aim of this exercise is the familiarization with typical positions of the discipline (line familiarization?) and getting used to go from one to another seamlessly (developing flow?). Take notice of how the training partner is utterly static and not providing any resistance. Naturally, the response is that at issue is just the beginning phase of training and that at some point the person on the bottom will start offering resistance and actively attempting to hinder the top person's movements.

Another point might be that it is not even the cyclical drill of the give-and-take type as utilized in the FMA circles. OK, then how about the next one:

In this pummeling drill we clearly see the static phase and predetermined moves, along with little to no resistance. However, the training does not end there! Towards the end of the video, the trainees start adding footwork and moving with energy. And this is where those more "traditional" schools of Asian martial arts should look for some effective tweaks to their own training.

Still, in all fairness, some of those schools have been doing it fine all along. From a personal experience, after having learned some basic hubud drills I did them for a short while simply because they were fun and flashy when dome at speed (great for demos). But then, I completely abandoned them because they did not transfer well into sparring. Later, nevertheless, under the tutelage of guro Roger Agbulos, it became clear that when trained properly, these drills can offer some tangible value in terms of transfer to other, more alive and energetic modes of training. Here is an example of him coaching some intricacies of this work.

From here on, it is easy to also introduce timing variations, feints etc, ultimately using the basic drill as a springboard for further exploration and growth. Personally, my take is that all drills, being what they are - drills, are the means to isolate and better understand particular segments of the whole picture that is combat. Consequently, they should be treated as such - use them for what they're for and either move on or expand/adapt once they have served their purpose. Still, let's not not throw the baby out with the bathwater and miss on worth aspects of any training method because it is useless or harmful when implemented improperly. 

Teaching vs. coaching

The title reflects the subject I've been pondering lately, but to get something right right now - I do not think the two processes/roles are actually conflicting or in some sort of opposition. As it often is, most phenomena happen in some kind of continuum but for one reason or another, a lot of people will only see the polar extremes of that continuum. And that, of course, offers a distorted view of how things are 99% of the time.

So, let us begin with what the differences are between a teacher and a coach...in my own view and for the purposes of this article.

The essential role of the teacher is to present a subject of choice in such a way that the students will understand the matter and become able to approach the practice (hopefully), with the goal of mastering/internalizing/functionalizing that knowledge. The coach, on the other hand, is concerned more with the latter part, i.e. the practice and its results. In other words, in the more specific physical training context, the teacher works on the technical material/curriculum, while the coach works on the practitioner/athlete.

I have already written about teaching and what makes a good teacher, so this time I'd rather turn toward the other side, i.e. coaching.

For the visual types, and not my own design

In the world of martial arts and general combative training, I do not see enough coaches, in comparison with the percentage of teachers. Especially so in the so-called traditional or classical styles, where the heavy emphasis in training is on learning the curriculum, which means making sure that some "sacred knowledge" is not lost or deteriorated in some way. In those circles, the focus of performance is on whether something looks adequately or seems proper. The principal criterion here is often visual, so the student may be told that something is done "like this, not like that", but when asked "why", the teacher typically answers that it is the right way of doing it. That, of course, is not an explanation at all.

To the coach, the main issue is not whether whether any technical element is done this or that way, but - does it work! And the work part means in the circumstances it is meant to be used in. That is why in most fighting sports we only discuss the individual styles of a fighter, not so much in the term of "lineage". Take a look at boxing...there are definitely styles in it (peek-a-boo, Texas slip 'n' slide etc.) but the bottom line is whether a boxer can hold his or her own in the ring. And that is also why you see different types of fighters coming from the same gym - the coaches work on each one's personal strengths and weaknesses to optimize their performance.

My most recent encounter with the dichotomy of teaching and coaching (which peaked the inspiration for this article) happened during the seminar with guro Roger Agbulos of the Astig Lameco school, a couple of weeks back. Namely, his approach to conducting a seminar is different to most other instructors I have met, being that he will keep harping on the same technique or principle for longer than the majority of other. On top of that, guro Roger will usually spar a lot of participants of the seminar, and then also have them spar among themselves, while offering tips from the side.

When asked about it, he said he would rather spend three hours on a couple of techniques than go over a lot, because it enables him to coach the practitioner in real time. More specifically, it gives enough time to see what are the problems/mistakes that the individual trainee will exhibit, and then work on correcting them. It also means the coach will tweak and adapt the material to suit the particular trainee, not the other way around. Ultimately, to a committed coach, what counts is the result, not the amount of technical knowledge or the size of the arsenal.

The author being coached by Roger Agbulos

Naturally, in order for the process of coaching to take place, it entails certain prerequisites. There has to be continuity in working with one coach/trainee; fairly high level of mutual trust is needed, too; both sides have to be aware of their roles and responsibilities in the process, and so on. Of course, when an instructor only does occasional seminars in particular places, and with a group(s) of people who do not show up repeatedly, the above conditions are absent. In that case it is very difficult to be a coach. Add to the equation that some folks are naturally more inclined to one role or the other, and consequently you have two broad categories that could be described as a "seminar instructor" and a "club instructor". 

And yet, these aspect do not necessarily exclude each other. Remember, most things happens are somewhere on the continuum line, hence consisting of various degrees of both extreme polarized values. 

As my friend Mladen Jovanovic rightly preaches, the best results are usually accomplished through the complementary approach, where you choose the right tool for the task at hand, instead of upholding a dogmatic attitude of things are done. 

In conclusion - know your goals; know your tools; know your trainees... An then mix and match the ingredients in a deliberate and attentive way for the best results.

Back and swinging hard!

It’s been a long hiatus since my last post here. But hey, man’s gotta focus on certain things at time. I had a terribly busy and hectic period during the second half of May and first half of June, which peaked in a jam-packed training week that included the first ever Astig Lameco Seminar of Roger Agbulos in Belgrade (hosted by yours truly) and the annual Training Above the Clouds camp with Alex Kostic (administered by yours truly) and private training in Jogo do Pao with Luis Preto. Tough but fulfilling experience!

This time, I’ll focus on the weapon based methodologies of Agbulos and Preto, while the insights from training with Alex will be a subject of my next post.

My faithful readers (yes, I love you all) know that my search for ways to enhance my training revolves around the attempts to functionalize the training methodology in such a way to maximize the effects of time and effort spent in training. In practice, it means that I am not in the business of training professionally , which in turn sets certain demands in view of available time for training. Being that my approach is directed at attaining certain standard of functional combative performance, and not just playing with martial arts for recreational purposes, it should put my “quest” into some perspective. And both guro Roger Agbulos and Luis Preto fit the bill perfectly.

First, Roger Agbulos devotes his teaching and training to working only on the aspects of Filipina martial arts he deems most directly applicable to the modern day needs – single impact and edged weapons, as well as empty handed defense against them. While his own command of some more traditional expressions (eg. double sticks, stick and knife) is awe inspiring, he believes it is most time-efficient to drop those from the curriculum. By the same token, guro Roger’s approach to impact weapons is actually hybrid, i.e. applicable to both true blunt weapons (clubs, sticks, batons) and longer edged implements, such as machetes. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVqYhS8r0Ck

In order to further enhance the instruction and accelerate the results, he strongly emphasizes certain pedagogical and technical principles. Namely, when it comes to the selection of technical material to be taught, he looks to meet the following requirements:

Functional

Universally simple

Can be done in real time

On the other hand, the instruction of the techniques that meet the standard is done with close attention to structural detail and physics principles. The drills are put together in such a way to bring these to life and up to speed, while also helping to expose all the mistakes and weaknesses that need to be worked on and eliminated. To that end, guro Agbulos always has keen eye on the practitioners and is relentless in his insisting on doing things right.

Before training

All that said, it my utmost pleasure and with feeling of pride that I have been appointed a representative for teaching Asting Lameco approach to Filipino combative in this part of Europe J

Even though coming from a different cultural background of martial arts, Luis Preto shares a lot of the same principles in his teaching (btw, he kindly and open mindedly took part in the first day of the Astig seminar. Interestingly enough, guro Roger recognized him from the book on Jogo do Pau he owns, and written by Preto).

Preto seems to share the same urge about martial training that I do, and for the same reasons. Being frustrated with the failure of some his past instructors to effectively and efficiently impart knowledge and skill can completely break your will to stay with martial arts, or motivate you to work hard and look for the ways to change that. Fortunately, Preto is in the latter group.

Now, I was already acquainted with his thoughts on the subject, being an avid reader of his books, but it was extremely gratifying to see it embodied in his physical expression of the teachings. And speaking of the teaching, Luis’ progression is so logical and makes so much sense that it makes one wonder how come everybody’s not doing it? Not only is it beautiful for the reason of facilitating the retention of the material, but also provides tremendous help in identifying the problems and fixing them on your own.

Get it! Read it! Do it!

It was great seeing Preto even letting my wife (black belt in aikido, thus some past experience with wielding sticks and bokkens) come and play with the ides, and being able to immediately make her realize the problems with certain techniques and eliminate them almost immediately. And all that in les than 5 minutes!

On top of that, he has a personality trait that people either love or hate (of course, I am in the former camp), which is being absolutely straightforward in calling things what they are, when it comes to things he has passion for, in this case training. That makes him completely at ease with slaying and barbecuing a sacred cow or two and debunking all kinds of myths that happen to have become almost universally accepted “truisms” in sport training. To see what I mean, just check his blog.

So, what was the common threat that stands out with both of these fine gentlemen? I’d say that the most succinct fashion of putting it is – COACHING! In my mind, being a good coach means having all the tools and the knowledge to use them, but oven more so actually caring (or better yet, being passionate) about the performance and results of your students/athletes.

If you can, seek training with either (or both) of these brilliant teachers. Not only will you get to acquire some of the nice tools and learn how to use them, but also be inspired in your training and teaching. 

Seminar announcement!

If you are one of those who had found the article on guro Roger Agbulos and his Lameco Astig style of eskrima/arnis, it is my pleasure to invite you to the seminar he will conduct on June 2 in Holland, near vicitnity of Amsterdam.

The address of the facility where the seminar will take place:
Kapap Center Europe
Address: Weversbaan 9B
Leiderdorp


The seminar will start at noon and go on for 6-7 hours, so it will be a great opportunity to try first hand the excellent teaching and training methodology of this brilliant instructor.

I will be there, so if you are one of the people who read this blog, please do not hesitate to drop by and say hello...

Roger Agbulos: addendum

I have to admit that I am very happy about the reactions that have followed my previous post. However. it dawned on me, at one point, that maybe some of the readers would like to see how it all looks in action, so if you are one of those, check the following video clip, also edited and put together by yours truly.