From: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: eskrima-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V7 #601 Reply-To: eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest Sun, 31 Dec 2000 Vol 07 : Num 601 In this issue: eskrima: Capoeira Angola eskrima: Legality of Canes/Response to Chris eskrima: Functional Stickfighting Ranges eskrima: . ========================================================================== Eskrima-Digest, serving the Internet since June 1994. 1200 members strong! Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource An open FMA discussion forum provided in memory of Mangisursuro Mike Inay, Founder of the Inayan System of Eskrima. Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe eskrima-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. To send e-mail to this list use eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of the Eskrima-Digest at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mikal Keenan Date: 31 Dec 00 01:54:07 CST Subject: eskrima: Capoeira Angola Regarding Capoeira as an Afro-Brazilian (rather than Brazilian-Portuguese) thing ... found this ... ... from http://www.capoeira-angola.org Capoeira Angola has its roots in BANTU tradition and was used by the enslaved Africans of Brazil as a form of revolution. In keeping with African war strategies, Capoeiristas masked the art's effectiveness from plantation overseers. Then and today, to uninformed onlookers the art appeared to be a harmless demonstration of dance, acrobatics, play and music. Authorities eventually learned of its power and outlawed the practice, with death being the penalty for involvement during the period of slavery. So troublesome was Capoeira that, during a later period, a few penal colonies were constructed primarily for the imprisonment of capoeiristas. For years Capoeira was practiced in secrecy and was not lawful to practice and teach until after the 1930s--about forty years after the abolition of slavery. The International Capoeira Angola Foundation is not an academy; but a cooperative organization of capoeiristas, dedicated to the preservation and the promotion of Capoeira Angola as a viable and positive social system reflecting the principles of African BANTU cosmologies. ____________________________________________________________________ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://home.netscape.com/webmail ------------------------------ From: Ray Langley Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 00:03:05 -0800 Subject: eskrima: Legality of Canes/Response to Chris > I'm catching up on a few back issues, so forgive me if this has already been > mentioned. > > Ray Langley wrote: > >In my opinion the Cane is the ideal weapon because it is legal to take > with you on airlines, in casinos, courtrooms, sporting events, etc. > > While this is true if you look like you need a cane, it may raise a few > suspicions if you don't. In the latter case it might prove difficult to > convince a jury that you were not carrying it as a weapon if you end up > using it to defend yourself. > Respectfully, Chris H. Hi Chris. My point is that the cane is "legal to carry" no matter whether or not you look like you need it! If you use *anything* to defend yourself (including your fists/feet), a whole new can of worms has been opened.... :-) A car is legal to drive, but some folks have been convicted of killing people with them. - -- Ray ------------------------------ From: Chad Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 00:52:11 -0800 (PST) Subject: eskrima: Functional Stickfighting Ranges Since first starting stickfighting the way we do, I have gone through alot of different thoughts in trying to find a way to teach functional material. It started out because we couldn't get guys to fight with us, so I decided to start teaching. I didn't want to teach the way I had been taught, because I thought there could be a more efficient way. So I stopped teaching and started working out with people. Some time back, Tuhon McGrath posted a question asking what would you teach to someone if he had a year to fight, or 6 months, or a month. Don't remember the exact time period he used, but you get the point. This post hit home for me. Being that the FMA claimed to make warriors in a short period of time, why not teach functional skills first then the finer points after. The argument had always been of course from everyone, that "what is functional for one person, may or may not be functional for the next". So with the task of creating something functional without "setting in stone" the techniques, this is what came about. Instead of saying what should happen in a fight (that will come later...I highly believe that one should be able to control the fight...at higher levels) we will take some things that happen in a fight and break them down to each respective range. Now I believe that the secret to becoming a good fighter is to train smarter than you train hard. Of course you need a mix of the two, but if you can train hard while training smartly, you've got the secret to success. So the importance isn't focused on what you train, but more so on how you are training it, that will make you a better fighter. This is currently the first part of the weapons curriculum for Full Contact Hawaii. The curriculum was set to be able to let the students grow rather than bind them to certain techniques. It took me over a hundred stickfights to "learn" these things properly, hopefully training smart under this outline will produce good results. Functional Stickfighting Curriculum 1. Long range - - Protecting your head - - Protecting your hand - - Protecting your legs 2. Middle Range (Transitional range) - - Closing the gap - - Accepting/countering the close 3. Clinch Range 4. Takedowns/Throws (Transitional range) 5. Stickgrappling Long range work involves some drills using various protective equipment and hard energy on the outside range. Alot of evasion, and hand hits. Middle range (Closing/Opening) work involves drills using various protective equipment and progressively build up the intensity to work closing the gap against resisting energy. Even though this is a transitional range (IMO), it is one of the most stressed things to train. Clinch range works alot of positional sparring, with light strikes put in. This structure is also played alot of attention to. Takedown/Throws range is the other transitional range. Transitional meaning it is something that only happens for a second in the fight. Not alot of emphasis is placed here, because a strong clinch structure can determine how things go to the ground, or open back up. Stickgrappling works alot of positional grappling utilizing the sticks for pressure chokes, etc. As with grappling, positioning and relaxing are stressed, and it isn't uncommon to see one fighter place his weapon somewhere to gain his desired position on the ground before picking it back up and using his stick. Disarms take a strong emphasis in this range, but more so clinch range. Long Range, Clinch Range, and Ground are what I consider the three main ranges. Meaning that alot of time is spent in these ranges so this is usually where fights will end. Closing/Opening Range and Takedown/Throws Range are what I consider transitional range and are more so something that you do rather than a particular range. For example, you are only in the closing range (charging roof block/deflection/whatever) for a second before you either clinch or hit him while he is peddling backwards. You are in closing range if you are closing against him/her or if he/she is closing against you. Similarly, Takedowns and Throws Range only happens for a second, and is something that is done in transition from the standing clinch to the ground. After doing #1, students should be able to long-range spar, no closing. After doing #2 and #3, students should be able to spar long range, plus closing and stopping the fight once a clinch is secure. After doing #4, and #5, students should be able to spar and set the "rules" for themselves. Sparring is not mandatory, but it's there if the student wants it, and these 5 steps should help someone to feel fairly comfortable, from there they work the next step, some different things. My personal strategy is to fight at the outside, and if I can't take him out there, to close and hit him, but if he is good at countering the close, to keep in clinch and punish him till he either gives up, I can trap and continue striking him, or till I can open us up a little to hit him. If he has a strong clinch structure, then it's down to the ground we go for good positioning and either submission or strikes, ex: scarf hold and 15-17 punyos to the face will do nicely. Once a functional level has been set, the finer points of training can be introduced and added on. Just ideas, not beliefs. ===== Chad chad@fullcontacthi.com Full Contact Stickfighting Hawaii http://www.fullcontacthi.com http://www.egroups.com/group/stickfighting __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online! http://photos.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 13:48:14 PST Subject: eskrima: . ------------------------------ End of Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V7 #601 **************************************** To unsubscribe from the eskrima-digest send the command: unsubscribe eskrima-digest -or- unsubscribe eskrima-digest your.old@address in the BODY of an email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and the Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.