empty hand

Blanker,

That is a never ending question. We will all give you an oversight and largely the answers will all be similar, we may all specialise in different aspects but just listing what we teach to someone who hasnt been to a class, will, on paper appear the same.

The best thing for you to do would be to speak to those at the British Council for Kali, Eskrima and Arnis instructors. I am a member and my club is listed there, as are a number of other top instructors. It is a non profit org and we can advise you where to go for classes. Let us know where you live and we can introduce you to your nearest FMA instructor. There are many different styles of FMA represented there and I am sure you will find someone that can offer you what you are looking for, with a very high level of instructorship...

If you want anymore info feel free to message me privately.

http://www.bckeai.co.uk

Your Brother in FMA

 

Hey Blanker,

Bottom line, if you just want to learn empty hands, you can find someone to teach you.
And,sorry guys, you don't have to limit yourself to the british council.
There are loads of people out there who aren't on the council,don't follow the herd and willing to help you out and,yet, still damn good.
In fact, I know of a hospital in london who employs quite a few people from the philipines and other places in sout east asia and they have tons of good knowledge and not affiliated with anyone and don't have hang ups about teaching you what YOU want.

You just have to go find them.
Thats all.

;-)

 

thanks, you dont happen to have any contact details for someone willing to teach me the empty hand stuff?

 

Damian

A rather disappointing and inappropriate comment from you. I guess you are still bitter about something.

I greatly admire the efforts of the late GM Roland Dantes in trying to promote some unity within the FMA. That is why I, and many other people ARE members of the British Council and why other Councils are now well established in many countries. This is not a bad thing Damian.

Blanker, my advice to you is to check out any and all FMA instructors in your area. I certainly recommend all British Council members but also acknowledge that there are very skilled non-members around. You may struggle to find a respected FMA instructor willing to only teach empty hand because weapons and empty hands go together in the FMA. Basically, in the FMA you learn empty handed skills from the weapon techniques and training methods.

Good luck in your search and journey within the FMA.

Gumagalang

Peter

 

Funny that, it was not that long ago that you where asking me if you could use the BCKEAI logo on your web site and I had to tell you no simply because you where not a fully qualified instructor in the FMA yet and I beleive even now your still not, unless you have gained a full instructor rank from somewhere else in the past year that is???

But you are right you dont have to limit yourself to the British Council and all of the members of the British Council will tell you that, but what they will say, is make sure you check them out first and make sure they are who they say they are and not just someone jumping on the FMA bandwagon to make a few bucks. Also what a great place to start when your trying to find bonifide FMA instructors somewhere where you have 21 of the top FMA Masters and instructors in Britain and many of them also the leading FMA instructors and Masters in Europe for the 21 plus styles they represent.

All of these guys have been training and teaching the FMA for a minimum of 15 years with most of them being 20 to 25 year+ veterans of the art with one or two of them having brought FMA to the UK and helped to spread it and help it grow to the extent it is today, that alone tells you they know their onions. Between them they will know at least 99% of the FMA community here in the UK and a very large % both in Europe and around the world, how is that for a pool of information on where you can get a good FMA group to train with, not only that they are trusted, they are bonifide and they are more than qualified to head up their various groups/styles/systems that they have spent years mastering and training in.

The fact that they are all willing to share the idea of unification in a non politcal, non egotistical and non profit making organisation and all of whom are more than willing to give up their valuable time to teach for FREE every year to raise money for worthy charities and to help promote the FMA regardless of style and regardless of whether the styles/groups/systems are part of the Council is also something to be proud off which also say's a lot about those involved on the British and other Council's around the world including the Philippine Council of Kali Eskrima Arnis Masters to which all of the other council's are linked.

The one thing you can be sure of with regards to any of the instructors and Masters who are part of the British Council of Kali Eskrima Arnis Instructors is that they are more than qualified to speak with authority on the FMA, they are not interested in politics and egos, they are only interested in one thing, educating the public about real FMA and real FMA instructors.

So yes, look at everyone and every group and if you are unsure about them or who they are, then contact the BCKEAI and we will be more than happy to give you advise.

The late GM Roland Dantes had a dream of unifying the real FMA Instructors, Masters and Styles around the world starting with the PCKEAM of which I am also a proud member. I am very proud to be playing a role even if it is a small one and to be part of his dream doing my little bit to keep his dream alive, and with 10+ councils around the world all striving for the same goal his legacy is something we can all be proud of whether we are part of it or not.

Best regards

Pat

 

Hey Damien,
I just had a quick look at your web site, interesting......

I was surprised to see this little ditty:

Well I have to ask, when the first Rapid Arnis London Club was opened in 1993, where you the one who opened it??? Also did you also run the other 3 Rapid Arnis London Clubs that where in existance from 1994 onwards??? I mean the ones I did not teach at, not my own personal clubs.

Also when did you attain the rank of Chief Instructor in Rapid Arnis???? Before 2001 there where only 2 Chief Instructors of Rapid Arnis anywhere in the world, that being myself and John Harvey and since then only a handfull of other people have held the title of Chief Instructor and you are not one of them, you gained the rank of JUNIOR INSTRUCTOR a 5 to 6 hour test which is part one of a two part test to attain the rank of FULL INSTRUCTOR... whish is also a 5 to 6 hour+ test. Which I am sure you can confirm that you have not done. As you personally know all too well, the rank of Junior Instructor is only held for one year until you take part two of the test the following year at the annual camp infront of the majority of the Full Instructors of the Organisation, and as you have left the group last year just after part one of the test I can assume you will not be completing the Full Instructor Ranking proceedure. Also as you know full well, if this is not completed you are not considered as a fully bonifide Instructor in the group let alone hold the rank of Chief Instructor within the group.

As a matter of fact (and you know this all too well as it was explained to you in great detail with many of the other full instructors present when you took part one of your test), if the two part ranking proceedure is not completed you are after the first year considered to be of the rank Brown Belt 3. I suggest you look at all that paperwork you had from me and and read it very carefully before making bold claims.

Rapid Arnis and Rapid Arnis London was founded in 1993 and was founded and headed up by........ ME. I left London in 1997 (although I carried on teaching in London till 1999) and still some of the clubs stayed on teaching after I left to live in Yorkshire. The people who head up Rapid Arnis in London now since my departure are Louis Beale (being that he is the highest ranked instructor in the London area and one of my longest running students) and Nigel Herterich the second highest ranked instructor world wide in the Rapid Arnis International Group. Yes he is based in Dartford, Kent on the outskirts of London, but it has always been the duty of both Louis Beale and Nigel Herterich to oversee all things relating to Rapid Arnis in the London region which I personally apointed them to that possition many many years ago before you even joined us.

Rapid Arnis London was in existance long before you heard of us and is still in existance to this very day, and for the record, I am it's founder, no one else. If your not sure about this ask people like Jude Tucker (who assisted me when RA London was formed) and John Harvey who founded Rapid Arnis with me.

If you are going to put something up on the world wide web, at least be honest about it. Just because I allowed you to use the Rapid Arnis London name whilst you where within our organisation does not mean it was you who founded it now does it and does not mean to own rights on it, you only had my permission to use it to promote your club on a temporary basis, I did not at anytime give up ownership to the Rapid Arnis name to you or anyone else in or out of London.

If you like I can always show you some magazine clippings from some of the early WEKAF British Championships of 1993, 94, 95 and beyond where it has medals tables listing the different groups and their medal tally, such as Rapid Arnis Luton, Rapid Arnis Kent, Rapid Arnis Stevenage, Rapid Arnis Yorkshire and guess what Rapid Arnis London

The Cheif Instructors for Rapid Arnis International now are (and that includes the London region): Myself obviously and which goes without saying, Lucy O'Malley and Nigel Herterich. This is followed by the Assistant Cheif Instructors who are: Jon Broster (who is my longest running student) Louis Beale and Shiraz Hussain, all of who have been with Rapid Arnis for over 15 years and guess what all where the original members of Rapid Arnis London with the exception of Lucy who was a member or Rapid Arnis Luton.

Just keeping the record straight is all.

Regards

Pat

 

** Not acceptable Post **

The Bear.

 

*sigh*

What are the odds that everyone here could air their dirty laundry face to face, in some constructive conversation, instead of shooting at one another across cyberspace and giving the shoddiest possible impression of the Filipino martial arts to any new viewers out there?

Good God, if I were a newbie, I'd be walking away shaking my head right around now. Justifiably.

 

Hi Mark,

I can thoroughly understand why you are protective of your instructor, and i'm sure that your comments, though somewhat factually inaccurate, were meant with the best of intentions: It's not nice seeing someone you admire lose face in public, and your words were clearly motivated by emotion rather than fact. Please learn not to be so inflammatory in future posts though, as it will only provoke an equally aggressive and distasteful response - usually the kind of response that exposes all kinds of upsetting details and silly agendas.

However, since you have brought me up in your post, please allow me to put the record straight regarding my current status: In September 2008, my predecessor left the Rapid Arnis organisation, and for professional reasons, was dismissed from his post as resident instructor at the SOAS Kali Society by the society president. Since then, i have been offered the contract for the society's resident instructor - which greatly moved me, as i'd left the class earlier that year. I was also nominated for the position as the head instructor for Rapid Arnis London (under the affiliate scheme, and with Louis' expert guidance), and the motion was carried by the RA executive board. So far so good, and with Louis and Pat's support from Rapid Arnis, not to mention guest seminars by Raymond Rodriguez (Unified Theory Wing Chun) and Darren Davies (CSSD/SC), the society has received arguably its most positive and successful academic year to date.

Now admittedly i don't yet have my black belt in RA (which i am going for in a month, and training hard for at that!), but i do have a large number of shining references from instructors (RA and non-RA), associates, and clients. I have a traceable background, and i run a thoroughly legit operation. Now in fairness you don't really know me, and i've only met you a couple of times in passing, so if you have any questions you would like to voice regarding my credentials, then please speak up and i'll do my best to answer them here. The bottom line is that i've worked my way from the ground up, and i have worked and trained hard to fulfil my potential and provide a good service to my students. Hence why i don't really appreciate my name being brought into a slagging match.

Whilst you were right about my current lack of black belt, you were wrong about poaching students, and I believe that most of Damien's students went with him when he left the university. If they haven't turned up to his class, then that's nothing to do with me and everything to do with him. Admittedly, I have about 5 students who've trained under him and who are now training with me - but contrary to what you say, none of them have left since they started at my class. In fact one of them still trains under both myself and Damien, though another one only makes sporadic appearances at my classes. They are good guys - and they enjoy what they do. But they contacted me to arrange classes - i didn't approach them. Out of those 5, 3 are going for senior grades at the next Rapid Arnis Summercamp in May, and i am confident they will do me proud, along with the rest of my students.

As we all know, having a black belt around your waist doesn't necessarily make you a good instructor or role model! If having a black belt makes your instructor a better man in your eyes though, then so be it - i concede. All i know is that in the relatively short time i've had my tenure at the SOAS Kali Society, i now have so many happy students that i'll be expanding to an additional venue - partially to cater for demand, partially to provide more intensive training programmes for my seniors. I also have the support of instructors from both inside and outside my organisation, who frequently exchange knowledge with me and send their students my way for cross-training. I am quite pleased with the way things are going, and I can only hope that your instructor's black belt has brought him the same success or better. I mean, come on - when you've got a black belt, the world's your oyster right?

Even with this in mind, i'm eager to get my black belt, but i'm in no rush - i'll receive it when i'm ready. Until then, i'll just keep on providing quality tuition to my students, and taking pointers from my peers

Best regards,

Andrew Janson
www.rapidarnislondon.co.uk
www.unifiedtraining.co.uk

 

So now it's not enough to air FMA politics. Now we're sharing personal information on a public forum. What the hell is wrong with you guys?!

Whatever the issues, this sort of public outing is inappropriate.

 

I see alot of first time posters coming on inorder to perpetuate this flame war. I request you read the TOS before posting. Also posting information about the personal life of forum members is unacceptable, please edit this.

The Bear.

 

Come on guys, do we really need to air this all on the pages of MAP? What do you think the OP is thinking now about fma? I wouldn't be surprised if he's decided not to even bother looking further into fma at all after reading the stuff in this thread:bang:

 

Yes...I think that any value within this thread has been overshadowed by slander and gossip. Shame because the thread starter seemed to have a serious question, which I think some people have tried to answer in that the empty-handed aspect really comes from the weapon and is not a separate aspect.

Let's hope we can regain the focus now.

Stuart...good to see you are still active.

 

Empty Hands FMA

Good points GB,

For the OP:

Contact the Council; do a web search; do a magazine search

You'll find someone willing to cover the material you want to learn (even if you have to do privates). Try to ignore the politics (good luck!!!) and enjoy the arts for what they are...damn good and effective fighting skills

Bill

 

My turn;

With regards to Peter Lewis and the of the Britsh Council,I do apologize for giving the wrong impression with my statement in my previous and only post in this thread.
It did sound harsh,but it did, in NO means, warrant the "wrath of integrity" from the others.

In my defense,I had been doing training sessions and workshops from kent to torquay and back again and I was just tired and did not think it all the way through at the time of posting.

Again, I apologize.

As for the rest,I guess the "integrity" speaks for itself. :/


Damien

 

Thank you Damien. Try to get some rest Old man!

 

My apologies - i've been a keen reader of this forum for a long time, and i've always found it a helpful resource in keeping a finger on the pulse of FMA in this country.

The only reason why i felt the need to speak up was because unfounded allegations were being made about myself and my club, by someone who had a personal vendetta against someone else, and who has never stepped foot into my club. I don't think it's fair that my reputation be tarnished because of that. Equally, he's made some serious allegations about an entire organisation and its chief instructor, who probably won't be very pleased at reading them.

Nevertheless, moderators, you are right - my response lacked tact, and it certainly hasn't done the FMA any favours. My apologies to Damien and his student for spilling the beans too - i shouldn't allow myself to be so easily provoked into giving such sensitive historical accounts. I shall eliminate the unecessary personal details ASAP.

Sadly though, there IS a recurring theme within the FMA. Unrecognised individuals, representing no-one, with references from no-one, with no traceable credentials whatsoever, will quite openly make derogatory statements about legit clubs, undermine established reputations, and claim to speak with some kind of authority. All on a whim. This in itself is an argument that the FMA is a minefield.

With this in mind, i would advise the original poster to have a look at the guys running open workshops, seminars, etc... Look at recognised organisations who have a list of fully legit and vetted instructors - regardless of personal politics, if a man has the backing of his seniors/peers, then he must be doing something right. Most importantly, (if you are able to) try a few different classes before you settle on one. For example, i once had a student come in who desperately wanted to start fighting in the WEKAF format - which is not my forte. I gave him a list of other instructors from a range of other organisations in the area, and he's since found a home training elsewhere. He still comes back to train with us from time to time, but he's very happy with the coaching he's receiving now on the WEKAF front.

Regardless of what system you teach, or what organisation you represent though, it all comes down to the person delivering the info:-

1. Are they legit, and do they come recommended by other legit instructors?
2. Can they themselves perform the knowledge they impart?
3. Do they deliver their knowledge professionally?

If the answer is "yes" to all of the above, then you're sorted. The only other thing is that if you're looking for specialist training in a certain area, then it might be an idea to book personal tuition with your instructor, or ask your instructor to hold a specialist workshop on that particular area. Provided students are enthusiastic enough, it is not uncommon for an instructor to cater to their requests.

Good luck in your search mate!

 

Well thanks Peter, though it's a bit ironic. This is precisely the sort of crap that prompted me to resign as the moderator of this forum in the first place. I can't imagine anyone walking away from this exchange with a positive image of what we do.

Ah, there we are. I just remembered the other reason I resigned. I got tired of sounding preachy all the time. Thinking maybe I ought to go back to being elsewhere.


Stuart

 

Thread closed pending review / clean-up.

 

Right I've edited out the personal attacks and information not specifically related to FMA. Now I'm going to re-open this thread BUT if anyone starts behaving in the same disrespectful manner as previously displayed, it will be binned permanently.
Now you are entitled to your opinon and you are also allowed to disagree with any organisations stance BUT you will do it in a respectful way.
Those in positions of power, I request you consider the influence you have and request you think twice before writing statements that might be detrimental to the art you represent.
There is a new sheriff in town and I don't have any attachment to FMA and will judge those and exactly how the act from now on. It is a new day lets act accordingly.

The Bear.