Modern Self Defence: A Closer Look at Filipino Martial Arts
Recently, there’s been buzz in the martial arts community. YouTube channel Hard2Hurt’s video, “JKD Instructor Explains What’s Wrong With Kali,” has racked up over 118,000 views and counting. The video delves into nuanced points about what works and what might not in Filipino martial arts, particularly Kali. So, do these techniques offer viable self-defence, or is there, as the video suggests, something off-kilter about Kali? The video hosts, Icy Mike and Ed, a Jeet Kune Do instructor and a practitioner of Filipino martial arts respectively, dive right into a light-hearted yet insightful conversation about martial arts practise. They begin by pointing out that criticism of one’s own martial prowess or technique isn’t a bad thing—it’s essential. Questioning established norms allows a martial artist to evaluate their strengths, identify areas for improvement, and ultimately, grow. The Critique of Kali: Techniques and Training Indicators The crux of their discussion revolves around assessing the efficacy of certain training methods. For instance, they caution against idealistic practice drills. These drills often involve the ‘attacker’ idly waiting for the ‘defender’ to execute a beautiful disarming technique, shrinking the gap between fantasy and reality. They instead favor drills simulating realistic, chaotic encounters where responses must be executed in split-second decisions, like the ‘snake disarm’—a flexible, high-pressure technique involving detangling an opponent’s weapon grip with minimal effort. However, much store is also put by the concept of ‘percentage moves’—techniques with a high success rate in real-life altercations. Engaging in low-percentage maneuvers can lead to a real predicament if your life hangs in the balance. Training should focus on mastering techniques with a solid success rate. Safety, Fun, and The Spirit of Learning While the discourse is analytical and intense, it’s interspersed with an infectious camaraderie and occasional bursts of laughter. Ed and Mike aren’t stiffs; they are martial artists who truly savour the practice. They believe that learning and sharing martial arts should not be a chore or a scary ordeal but rather an enjoyable, enriching experience. There’s also empathy and understanding that certain conditions might necessitate the use of self-defence techniques involving weapons. They acknowledge the reality of people residing in unsafe areas, who may have to resort to improvised melee weapons as a way to safeguard themselves. Their goal is not to downplay the gravity of such circumstances but to ensure effective training for such dire situations. Reclaiming the Misunderstood Despite the video’s playful title, the irony of the situation isn’t lost on the presenters; Ed, an instructor criticized for purportedly stating that Kali sucks, teaches martial arts at his own school. They playfully lash out, saying that neither would dream of training a martial art they claimed to be flawed—let alone teaching it. Deeper scrutiny uncovers an important lesson subtly concealed in jest. It is imperative to assess, criticize, and question one’s practice, but it should be done constructively, for improvement, not just mirthful downgrading. In Summary The video presented by Hard2Hurt is a treasure trove of entertaining critique and contextual insights into Filipino martial arts, like Kali. It is packed with expert analysis, presenting you with techniques, debunking myths, and emphasizing the importance of practical and realistic training. It reminds us to enjoy the practice of self-defence, cherish the camaraderie, and, above all, keep learning, unlearning, and relearning our martial prowess.Blablabla
The YouTube channel Hard2Hurt, owned by Icy Mike, provides practical self-defense tips. Mike, a self-defense coach and former fighter, shares content on martial arts, fitness, and personal safety. Through detailed video instructions, Icy Mike equips viewers with useful and accessible self-defense techniques in an engaging manner.
Self-Defence Block
That’s because the dog brothers are actually fighting. Roof blocks work work the crash against real sticks
As a FMA practioner when i was younger, we were impressed to learn from other art and evolve and perfect our own FMA style. Unfortunately, i veered from that route so i never had formed my FMA style.
So for me, its good to learn from other FMAs, and keep an open mind.
Keep doing your work and form your own FMA style. FMA is very fluid and adaptive at its core.
Very late comment- enough talk..maybe you should just invite 1 of those YouTube instructors and just have a mini fight to proved how useless it is in real scenarios. I just want to see if it's really ineffective as how you demonstrated with your own technique.
The rough block is an awesome block. If you do it correctly, you can even take gone. I baseball back to the head. Most people forget that when you're blocking all your doing this. Cocking to hip and you usually are blocking. The hands knocked the weapon. The only block the weapon for safety purposes for practice.
The roof block is an awesome block. You have to remember that you are just cocking to hit. When you block, you are blocking to the hands. Not the stick, you block to the stick for safety purposes during practice.
Arnis , kali, and eskema is the best fir the street fight even philippines army use it because it is more effective in philippines martial art if you train all the type melee weapons they will train you don't a melee and your opponent has a melee they will teach you
What a stupid snakey wakey disarm. You both looks like a kid playing a star wars sword 😂
The roof block is a 7 parry in Angelo’s Cutlass drill.
Just repost to the head after the parry
this 2 are showing wrong style of Kali i don't know taught them kali is for killing thsts why police military in us such as navy seals and stick was only used in training in arnis eskrima or kali yiur wespons are long stick buttergly knife kris the machete hsnd nives nunchuck machete hungle bolo both you should learn from dose pares. and bakintawak arnis they are slot of kali master inthe philippines sticks are no longer use instreet fight only knives and kramit because you can hide them easily on empty hand if you have a lot of opponent kali the stick the empty hand then the blades those were the stages of kali not just stick this was used on the colonial are against the Spain and us thefact is that Magellan the spsnish conquistador was killed by arnis eskrima with shield in the battle of mactan by lapu lapu and the igorot revolt inthe north against Spain the Igorot uses. mountain terrain and Forrest and sent a lot of spanish head flying in to the air. with axe machete and hook blade that t was the beginning of aernis eskrima or kali
I've trained Kali from a traditional, virtually unknown teacher in the Philippines. While we use sticks in training, we always treat it as a two-edge bladed weapon. The Kali videos I now see in YT seem to be bastardized versions, to promote this self-defense technique as an art. I even see well-known Kali masters seem to treat the sticks not as two-edge bladed weapons, but just as sticks. Further from the truth. The real Kali is maim or kill at the very first oppurtunity. Not only to protect your own life, but that of your wife and children, and village. Kali was developed to fight against pirates. The fight sequences you show are laughable.
Stupid video
I like the fact that you can pick up anything and use it as a weapon as well as hitting as a form of blocking. Very effective.
Well Done Brother Kali Eskrima Practiioner… ❤❤❤
So… In a 9-minute-video two joking guys "explain" what's "wrong" with a complex style of martial arts by picking a handful random techniques. Regardless of whether these specific techniques would work in a given situation or not… seriously. The video should be renamed to something like "taking apart some things we have seen in FMA". Otherwise, in my opinion, it's just clickbait.
When they said martial arts look like each other I'm totally there with them. Every time I see Judo or Jujitsu I see stuff from wrestling.
FMA was originally a sword/bladed weapon martial arts. It's roots can be traced back to an ancient form of Indo-Malay combat arts known as Silat(the people that we refer to today as "Filipinos" are decended from a series of migrant waves of ancient peoples who migrated from around the Indonesian and Malayan peninsula.).
FMA, a.k.a. "Arnis", a.k.a. "Kali", trace its roots from ancient Filipino sword fighting arts(broad long-swords and short-swords), and was only forced to evolve into a stick-fighting martial arts because during the 300+ years of Spanish Colonization, the natives were prohibited from carrying bladed tools of a certain length(the Spanish authorities outlawed the carrying of anything that they would consider a sword). So the Filipino masters of the sword fighting arts during that time, adapted their sword fighting techniques to hardwood sticks to try to get around the sword prohibition of the Spanish authorities. And because the Spanish authorities did not feel threatened by the seemingly "harmless" sticks, the practice of Kali/Arnis was able to spread without opposition from the Spanish authorities.
The roots of the fighting system commonly refered to now as "FMA" /"Arnis" /"Kali" is from an ancient Indo-Malay swordfighting martial arts practiced by ancient Filipino warriors where one of the prized trophies of combat is your opponent's severed head. Head-hunting was a thing back in the pre-colonial days.
… And we all know that you can't decapitate heads with a stick😉
About the first technique. I always had a problem when somebody teaches a technique that requires your opponent to basically cooperate and stay still while you make 10 moves 😂
Genuine Kali students will quickly identify that the moves or strikes being criticized are purely drills and never meant to be applied in a real fight.
Do research. FMA in history war.
You guys do martial arts for the sake of art our kali is design to kill thats why we carry blades maybe im biased idk but if u guys are so good the way u say u r good challenge our kali gms in a knife fight winner leaves loser dies lets see how far u get degrading once martial art is not the way of teaching might idk if u guys were taught the word respect honor
True 90% of what's taught is pure BS garbage. But it's odd to think of someone instructing FMA and never doing any real full contract, no holds barred stickfighting (headgear, hand protect, groin, mouthguard minimum). You'd be surprised how non lethal the stick actually is and what actually works vs doesn't. If you're not stress testing your "art" then even more humility is needed.
My grandfather killed a lot of japanese soldiers during ww2, using kali, can you kill soldiers with you bjj
Buddy is judging the whole thing with basic moves, this video got me dead.
Swing it for real like not a friendly hit I want to see if he would recommend a second hit
There's always going to be those who consider their self defense
style better than others. The truth of the matter is… It's all about the
person and their skill set. I personally never got pass yellow belt
in a traditional martial arts school and I was able to go other martial
arts schools and beat or stand my ground against their so called black
belts in sparing! My instructor taught real world technics if you were
engaged in a street fight. Not how to win a tournament.
But that was back in the day. Lol!
I'm a lover now, but if the need arises…
I can still hold my own.
With help from the Lord above. (Smile)
Stay safe and healthy.
Peace
for me the old way is far more better than the new one its suck to see FMA turns to MMA stick fight..
Amazing how these guys dissect styles with friends that doesnt train in them 100%. Go to a FMA classes and test your theory, this goes for any style you claim isnt as effective as what you teach. I would love for you to dissect the likes & don't like of what you teach..
I trained under Grand Tuhon Leo Gaje and had the privilege of training with Dan Inosanto on a few occasions. Both of them are phenomenal martial art masters and humble human beings. I appreciate the video's lighthearted analysis of Kali stick fighting, but their demonstration (1) lacked technical merit, and (2) failed to appreciate that the stick is the entry level to the knife and the hand. Let's not sell Kali short. JKD drew much of its insights from it.
To prove yourself right, why not dare to fight Bobby Taboada or at least Doug Marcaida? FMA was used in war since ancient times, that's why Kublai Khan failed to conquer the country and during the Philippine American War the American was no match with hand to hand combat or close quarter combat and so they have to use gatling guns and 45 caliber pistols against Filipinos so now FMA being thought and used by many police and Special Forces around the world.
Technology appropriate for a particular time may not be appropriate for another time. History is divided to the stone age, bronze age, and iron age for a reason. These tools are helpful to defined those eras.
Traditional martial arts are essentially old technology. They worked back in the day. When your whole lives stayed within a 50 kilometers radius. Your access to fighting knowledge was extremely limited. Whatever was the local martial arts system, that was likely the best technology in the region at that time. Most people even today have no fighting knowledge whatsoever. Knowing Kung Fu from the Shaolin temple was like having superpowers compared to the rest in the local village.
With a more connected world, techniques and ideas are shared and arts evolve. Better technology emerges from the confluence of cultures. That's what MMA is, an amalgamation and continuous evolution.
Haha, assholes whi are analysing stuff they are not experts on. May e gay stick competition hahaha!
Fun is not the main point of martial arts. That kind of bullshit mentality is the foundation of bullshido.
It's not a roof block but an umbrella block or what is called 'sombrada'.
I did a Eskrima system based/branched from the dog brothers (if I remember right) but most things were more or less as you said or were added in to complement, specially roof block, since it really saved me in many situations when we did intensive sparring. Eskrima really help me with my cursed hema monster style LOL
These 2 comedian were laughing at the Kali system, that saves the life of master Leo giron in the real death matches,using real sharp ,bladed weapons against the Japanese warrior during WW2.😠
The basics are ok and realistic. But some techniques in FMA is risky and almost impossible to do in reality.
Stucking the machete/sword/whatever under your armpit is legit (you must contract your arm towards your torso very firmly and tight, of course). There is a famous video from Dominican Republic of two people fighting eachother with machetes (not sparring, fighting to death) and one just does this movement and the machete kept stuck, even with the other fella trying hard as fuck to cut his armpit.
The footage is avaliable at the video "How to Defend Against a Machete", at the "Dominikhan" youtube channel.
It's not intuitive and I didn't and wouldn't believe such move works before seeing it.
Well that's your perception. Try to visit the school of Pintados in Canada and have spar or make a content and have actual spar with sensei😊
i get the stick u might be able to do this but im pretty sure filipinos use the stick for a sword so i think they would have a sword in real life if u actually got in a fight and if so bro there is no way to disarm someone with a sword i have done ancient european sword fighting and i can say a real sword fight is nothing like this there really is no grabbing the blade and disarm it because u gonna get tripped are kicked are punched and ur not gonna be able to grab someone wrist when there so unpredictable i have watched alot of filipino kali sword fighting and its not bad i like the view of instead of blocking go for attack but block is sometime good do yall people forget about clinch and stab are
Yawa man ni siala oi. Ako kali pod pero kalimot ko😂😂😂😂😅😅😅
You kali instructor should first teach you to hit correctly whit a stick!
You lost me as soon as you threw your Arnis stick on the ground ! Shame on you and any one who shares with you ! Throw your rifle down ?
At first I thought the reason he HATES FMA (and knives) was obvious… but clearly I am a bad person. Sorry.
I am a Kali practitioner, we don't do that in Kali. The system of Kali is Far different from Doce Pares and Balintawak because the Kali System focuses on footwork, we don't do roof block and snake disarm. We focus on reality rather than form
We all have a plan until punched in the face or a stick up your butt.
1:50 Love y’all 😂
As far as I’m concerned the FMA arts are damn good, been trained on them when I was in the Marines and as a civilian. As as the unusefulness hahaha that’s funny because there are others martial arts out there that have the same thing
"Kali Instructor Explains What's NOT Wrong w/ Kali" may be a better title.
Um..idk about this mma anyway so why not put all kinds of martial arts in one big arena then let their skill do the talking😂.. Also free to use every weapons in mind, like guns, rifles, bombs, and even Giant missiles (as long as they can carry it🤣).. Then the last one who survive is the best in the world ( if there's any survivor).