Good old fashion Kali/Escrima

[delta1]

We did both, sometimes putting a taped edge on the stick to represent an edge. By fencing, I mean the tendency to try and maintain a 'safe' distance by holding an opponent at bay with your weapon.

 

There was a fencer who worked out with us for a while, and he was excelent at getting in close. His forte was saber fighting, though he also did rapier and some other weapons. Had some good moves. So I'm not talking about classical fencing doing this either. Just a descriptive term. Ever see two kids play fencing? That's sort of the idea.

[thaiboxerken]

I get ya. That's probably more due to experience, or lack of.

[delta1]

I get ya. That's probably more due to experience, or lack of.

 

Yes, and no. Like anything, if it isn't worked out of the student, the tendency is to become an ingrained habbit. I've seen schools that are that way, and like I said, they get eaten alive by those that train all distances.

 

Another example of what I'm talking about here (we'll pick on me this time): I'm a Kenpoist, and we drill our stances untill they are second nature. When I started working out with the Kali guys, I had the hardest time adjusting the axis of my neutral bow. I'd start out at about 45', but as the fight progressed the axis would shift back towards allignment. My right side and arm were black and blue for a few weeks, 'till I broke the habbit. Kenpo does stick work, but at a more advanced level than I'm at. So this was all new to me, and I had a few bad habbits in regards to stick fighting that they were more than willing to help me work out!

 

I worked with some Modern Arnis practitioners for a while. They did it as a compliment to their base, which was practical TKD. That is where I get the comparison to TKD and FMA's geting stuck in bad habbits. I got to noticing that the ones that trained their TKD in close also took their Arnis in close. Those who tried to major in kicks and keep the fight at a distance had the same tendency with sticks. Get two of them fighting and you heard more clacks than thumps. They were great to practice on, though. One of these guys was a kicker, and earlier that night had kicked me halfway across the room. It was sweet revenge when we were stick fighting and I did a shield block to an overhead, spun behind him and worked him over! Once I got in he had no clue what to do. A simple foot maneuver would have saved it for him. But he was a 'fencer', and was lost in close. I'd never have tried that on the Kali guys. It would have been my back getting worked over!

[thaiboxerken]

You are correct, practice makes habits. TKD guys do tend to abhor getting in close, and I guess some Kali practitioners might be that way as well. I never really saw that, probably because I've always crosstrained and worked with people that crosstrained in BJJ and Muay Thai as well as Kali, Silat and JKD.

[Lyds]

Hello there,

 

To be honest it completely depends on what exactly your looking for in your trainning. I have got a couple of levels in Kali martial arts and I love it. Escrima trainning is close to alot of different weapons as well. Do you have any other weapons experience???

[delta1]

Do you have any other weapons experience???

 

Knives and firearms, mostly. I like my weapons training practical, though the principles, concepts, and moves in traditional weapons cross over to practical weapons. But I figure I'll just go right to what I'm likely to face or use.