In this seminar we will be focusing on the application of the NUDDA Filipino Boxing principles and strategies to an urban environment.

Venue: Ark Academy

Bridge Road, Wembley Park

HA9 9JP

Cost £40

For information about the seminar and book your spaces for the event please contact:

Omar Ali Grant

Mobile Phone -  07580 388 140

E.mail – enquiries@pucara.co.uk

The aim is to show all aspects included in the NUDDA M.A.X.TRAINING blend, from weaponry to empty hands.

The Seminar is open to everyone and it will give the participants the chance to experience a truly innovative way of training in the Arts.

On Saturday the 28th there will be also a master class for a reduced number of attendants wishing to get a deeper understanding of NUDDA.

Venue: Combat Gym
44-46 Percy Road
Aylestone
Leicester
LE19 4LE

For more information and to book yourself in

please contact the sponsor

Steve Smith – e.mail – steve@combat-gym.com

Roger Hunt and Kelina Cowell will be representing NUDDA M.A.X.TRAINING™in the Midlands and they will start teaching classes as soon as the Academy opens its doors in November.

NUDDA M.A.X.TRAINING™ is an explosive modern-day combat system that evolves from the Boxing phase of the FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) but with a cutting-edge approach that brings the ancient arts straight into the 21st century.

Roger and Kelina are really working hard to build and create an amazing school where you will be able to learn some of the best Martial Arts systems and grow into a great Martial Artist yourself. Their forward thinking approach to training and their passion for the Arts is inspiring to say the least, and I am really looking forward to being in Leicester again to train with them.

Antonio Faedda

Silat Seminar with Alvin Guinanao in Sardinia

Venue – Palestra Arkadia – Via Torres 42/A – Sassari – Sardinia (Italy)

This event is not to be missed if you fancy training with one of the best Silat teachers in the world and an amazing all rounded Martial Artist.

The seminar will be held in my hometown Sassari where Alvin and his family will be spending some time with me for a nice holiday.

This is the very first time Alvin teaches in Sardinia and Italy and I will be helping out with the demonstration as well as translating for the lucky ones that will be able to attend. Alvin truly is an amazing Martial Artist as well as a beautiful human being and he will be introducing his beautiful Silat system called Silat Buka Lingkaran which I regard as some of the best MA system I have ever trained.

The seminar will be five hours long (including the lunch break) and the cost will be 40 euros

For more infornatiom please e.mail info@nudda.com

Antonio Faedda

Founder of NUDDA M.A.X.TRAINING™

]]> http://nudda.com/2011/07/15/silat-seminar-with-alvin-guinanao-in-sardinia/feed/ 0 http://nudda.com/2011/07/12/time-to-stop/ http://nudda.com/2011/07/12/time-to-stop/#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:27:25 +0000 admin http://nudda.com/?p=423 Time for a change

There will be a point during your journey in the Arts where you will hit a Plateau and it will seem like you are not progressing anymore. It almost feels like you are stuck and things ‘don’t get any better’ and training is tedious. To reach such a feeling usually takes quite a few years of diligent practice and hard work and it can be quite a difficult stage as after all, Martial Arts is what we love so why should we feel like that? Where is the excitement, where is the spark gone?

The answer is simple, you are bored. Yes that’s it as simple as that. It’s out of your control and there is nothing you can do about it…or is it? Your rational mind is now thinking how can I get bored of doing something I love? The answer is that it is not even YOU that is getting bored, it’s your body that is looking to get challenged and stimulated in different ways and that feeling of ‘boredom’ is a signal that your body is using to tell you, it is time for a change. Your mind, your muscles, your nervous system need different sources of stimulation in order to feel alive, humans are ever evolving creatures and if we stop challenging ourselves, mentally and physically we simply ‘get bored’.

What I like about the Filipino Martial Arts is that there are so many areas you can focus on between empty hands and weaponry that you virtually have an art for life, however, even then you can encounter the same problem…So what do we do? How do we cope with this horrible feeling of ‘status quo’?

You have two options. they are both as good as the other and they will get you back to where you want to be, which is in the dojo ‘loving’ your training. Let’s have a look into it.

Option one: You stop training martial arts and start hitting the gym and get working on your strength, speed and stamina. Yes that’s it. Let’s look into this a minute, what is that going to do for my Martial Arts Training? Think about it a minute after a solid month of training you will already feel stronger, faster and generally fitter. Think about your MA training now, you will be able to hit harder faster and you won’t run out of gas after only a couple of rounds on the pads. Training will start taking a completely new dimension and you will love it. So if you area of self-development is on a physical level that’s what you should be doing. Train your body, that will sharp you mind as well.

Option two: You need a break. You’ve been training harder than anyone else always taking as many classes as possible as well as diligently doing your solo training. You also been hitting the gym to improve your overall fitness game and now, you are simply not enjoining as much. Well…Get out of there and take a break. You need it. Your mind is probably overloaded with information and that will need some time to sink in. You have learned x amount of punches, x amount of kicks, x amount of take downs and chokes, x amount of different angles of attacks, x amount of different ways of dealing with multiple attackers (probably none of it works but at least it was fun…), so now…just take a good month off and go and do something good for yourself. Enjoy a well-deserved solid month off training. Spend more time with your mates, your partner, do all those things you sacrificed in the name of commitment and discipline towards your Journey in the Arts.

After a nice break, you have allowed the brain to register all those information and you will be surprised about how easily you’ll be able to pull ‘that technique’, also you will feel stronger. The body needs rest as well as training and you will probably have bigger muscles after a month off training than if you are doing too much every day. You can still go for a jog to burn some calories or play beach volley to keep active but you need to detach yourself from MA training sometimes.

In all the best relationships there is a healthy balance. If you are constantly into your partner’s face she/he’ll probably start to get annoyed and bored. Sometimes is good to ‘miss’. Same principle applies here. You need to ‘miss’ training to keep the love going.

Until the next time,

Train hard and hit even harder

Antonio Faedda

]]> http://nudda.com/2011/07/12/time-to-stop/feed/ 0 http://nudda.com/2011/05/24/combat-network-magazine-interview-with-antonio-faedda/ http://nudda.com/2011/05/24/combat-network-magazine-interview-with-antonio-faedda/#comments Tue, 24 May 2011 13:11:11 +0000 admin http://nudda.com/?p=218 Hi Antonio, please tell us a little about yourself and your martial background (How/why did you get into martial arts, which systems did you train in etc)

My Martial Arts adventure began around 1984 when I started training in Karate back home in Sardinia. I did well and won a regional tournament however I did give up only after a couple of years. As any other kid of my generation I wanted to do Martial Arts to emulate the late Bruce Lee and soon realized that Karate wasn’t exactly what Bruce was doing in his movie. In 1994 I joined a JKD school where I was introduced to the FMA and it was love at first sight and never looked back since. As we all know JKD; especially the Inosanto’s expressions have a massive part of its curriculum based on FMA. In 2000 attracted by the high standard of FMA instructors left home and moved to the UK. That’s when I met guro Terry Barnett the man that introduced me to the Filipino Boxing Arts. His approach to the empty hands side of the FMA was absolutely mind blowing and very refreshing. Terry’s teaching allowed me to move away from fixed patterns and techniques collection and rather work on the attributes based approach of the FMA. He is by far the biggest influence in my training and teaching methods, the man is just awesome.

You’ve trained in a lot of systems, which did you find the most useful and learn the most from?

I wouldn’t say ‘a lot of systems’: I always focused mainly on the FMA and even though I am a black belt and a qualified Instructor in JKD I only focus in my training and teaching in the Filipino Arts. It just happened that I came across various interpretations and different systems of FMA. In the meantime I have been cross training solidly in Western Boxing – Muay Thai and Grappling although with the Grappling I now concentrate mostly on stand up grappling - take downs – and ground escapes. If you go out in the street and start grappling for too long on the floor you are going to get your head kicked in. Nobody goes out alone and chances are you would inevitably end up facing more than one person.

You’ve founded your own system called NUDDA M.A.X Training. Why did you decide to break away from the traditional styles and develop your own system for the 21^st century?

I never found the ‘traditional’ FMA style to have a problem itself; the problem is that there are many people out there that are teaching completely fictional techniques that only please the eyes and their ego but that in truth it is only a highly rehearsed set of moves that would never and I mean NEVER work in real time and under the stress and the pressure of a full on attack. When it comes to Filipino Boxing, again, there is too much tendency on over-elaborate and complicate things. The principles of angling, limb destruction, zoning and body manipulation are truly awesome however I always felt the need to strip away the unessential in order to make the Boxing phase of the Arts truly functional. NUDDA as a system evolves from the Filipino Boxing Arts but with a cutting edge approach towards the reality of the times we live. This days I have people training under me that are ex Muay Thai fighters and some even compete in MMA tournaments, some are already qualified Instructors in other system like Krav Maga or that comes from other FMA systems and they all find that my approach to the Filipino Boxing Arts simply ‘works’. I feel honoured to have them on board and the very fact that they are all sticking around means that things are definitely moving towards the right direction.

What does “Nudda” mean and what does “M.A.X” stand for?

NUDDA is the name of my own Martial Arts Cross Training system (This is what M.A.X. stands for). NUDDA is a Sardinian word meaning “Nothing”. Nothingness” represents the higher state of being; it is when we don’t just exist, is when we ‘are’, it is when we stop trying and we just ‘do’. In combat we cannot “think”. Fighting is one of the most chaotic experiences in life. When fighting you will be in a confusing state of adrenaline and hanger as well as fear. How could you possibly “think”? In combat we MUST act! The name NUDDA represents the absence of ‘pre planned’ actions and thoughts in combat. When we ‘enter the NUDDA’: everything will simply happen burned out of pure instinct. As the late Bruce Lee used to say – It is only a name.

Nudda has Filipino Boxing at its core. What other systems make up the Nudda M.A.X Training system?

A solid background of Western Boxing is necessary to fully appreciate what the Filipino Boxing Arts have to offer. I have been studying and analysing the beautiful art for many years; unfortunately a series of injuries due to over training prevented me to compete in the amateur circuit but I have been lucky to receive coaching and advice by some of the best coaches in the country at the well-respected Amateur Boxing Club “Fitzroy Lodge” in South London. I was meant to go for the ABA coaching qualification early last year to help with the kids at the Lodge but unfortunately (or luckily I should say) NUDDA got in the way . In terms of Grappling I have been training solidly with my training Partner Cat Necula under the supervision of Silviu Vulc in Russian Combat Sambo (Silviu have trained for two years in Russia in the red devil squad and I rate his coaching ability highly). The triangular footwork patterns found in Russian Combat Sambo merges beautifully within the FMA principles of zoning and body manipulation; Combat Sambo is an excellent submission art but it’s also extremely aggressive in its striking game. I am not too interested at this stage in submission grappling however it is something I will definitely look into it at a later stage. I suffer from a light form of Dyslexia and I have always found difficult to learn too many things at once. I have also trained extensively in Muay Thai to become proficient in the medium and kicking range and developed a bit of an obsession for the way Muay Thai fighters use elbows. I have reached a reasonable standard in these disciplines however I don’t claim to be an expert in any of those areas. These are the Arts that I use for my cross training routine to complement my FMA skills. My main areas of expertise are the Filipino Boxing Arts. I am also working closely with Cat Necula in single sticks sparring and knife fighting. Cat is one of the most talented and gifted Filipino Martial Artist I ever came across. He is been around competing regularly within the Dog Brothers circle and I can easily say that I have yet to meet anyone more deadly with a stick or a Knife in his hands. I mean the man is insane. Cat approached me a few years back to train with me to further develop his FMA empty hands skills and was blown away by the efficiency of NUDDA. Soon enough we realized that we had to offer just as much to each other and became training partners and I am now honoured to consider him a great friend.

Apart from the M.A.X classes, you also have the F.T.S and RISSA programs. Please tell us more    about these and how they differ…

F.T.S. literally means for the street. It is a progression of what you learn in NUDDA M.A.X.TRAINING but taking it to a more street orientated scenario. The streets are different from the dojo, the main focus, if you are unlucky enough to find yourself in a “situation”, should immediately switch to the environment and your opponent rather than yourself. When the s@#t hits the fun you always go back to what you are good at and if you are s@#t is not your skills that are going to make the difference but rather your “intention” to survive the battle and the understanding of certain dynamics that takes place when you are out there in the street. We must remember that most of our students are going to be average people and not trained athletes. It takes years to master the arts to a degree of confidence and skills and to nurture a pupil it will also need its time; but we must, as sensible Instructors and mentors during their Journey give them immediate tools that they can make functionally work under stress. It is hard to explain here how the program actually works; in simple words is a program that is based on making the FMA principles applicable in a day to day scenario. The first thing to learn is that you should NEVER stay STILL and always work dynamically, you need to get in a sense of flow even when you are in the eye of the storm. Always guarding our base and never lose sight of the use of our legs because they are what are going to allow us to MOVE, then you need to perform when you have space around but be also prepared to fight with your back against a wall without getting stacked and always looking for an escape route if things are getting ugly. There is no shame in defeat if that means that you can live another day. Is about controlling chaos and become at once whit it. As said previously it is hard to explain in a few words. The RISSA program is something that evolves from the FTS. We are currently working on an online academy where all these principles and its application will be showed and explained. We hope it will be completed within the next year. FTS and RISSA (as well as NUDDA) are a work in progress.

Apart from your Nudda classes you also teach a separate class based on the Kaliradman system,    which still isn’t widely known in the martial arts community. Please tell us about it, where it comes from, and what it consists of etc.

Kaliradman it is not the name of a particular system it is only another name just like Arnis and Escrima. Kaliradman is one of the ancient names used in the Philippines to describe the art of sword fighting. It is common to hear people say that we should use the sticks like we are holding a sword however it is not quite the same. The weight of a sword varies considerably from a rattan cane and also the various witik and abanico strikes are almost impossible to perform with a blade due to its weight. A blade is meant to slash or stab and not to hit. In 2005 through one of my first Instructors in Sardinia I came across a system he began training a few years earlier called Angkan F. Kaliradman. I was introduced to the man that teaches it  in 2005 . The system is apparently a family system that was hardly influenced by the Spanish fencing arts of Esgrima. The main difference from the more popular FMA system is that Kaliradman utilize the space 360 degrees and also includes very acrobatics spins (paikot) and jumps (lundagan) and have virtually no disarms techniques. There are lot of similarities with Krabi Krabong. Never the less when I was asked to spar with one of the senior students I literally got my ass kicked and nearly lost an eye. We were sparring with rattan sticks with no helmet or hands protection. It was a shocking reality check. In a nutshell; anytime I was trying to close the range and go ‘corto’ the guy simply danced around me and battered me from all sort of angles. I had two choices. Run away and pretend nothing has happened or stay there and learn. I choose to stay and I was training at their place and sleeping in the gym floor at night to save money and afford a private session every day as I am a firm believer that One 2 Ones are the only way forward if you really want to learn anything thoroughly. I have been asked not to mention their name as we  the main Instructor don’t like the exposure in magazine or web community, is to do I guess with Filipino secrecy custom.

How does ancient sword fighting techniques relate to modern day street defence?

Modern day street defence is far too often mistaken as something new. The roots of all ‘modern day defence systems are one way or another ‘ancients’ it is only the surrounding that has changed, and the way we perceive things, we don’t leave surrounded by trees anymore so it’s a jungle made of cement rather than wood. But one thing hasn’t changed; a cold blade it is not something you face with an empty hand. Training with real blades will very quickly make you realize how lethal a weapon is. It is not something we should play too much or take lightly and make theories about. Although I have trained with some of the best so called FMA knife experts out there; to their admission it would be only down to pure luck to make any of those fancy move work at real speed. I wouldn’t base my chances of making it in life on playing the lottery and so anyone shouldn’t. The Chances to pull a disarm when a drug fuelled crack or god knows what addict is after you are extremely slim. Sword fighting takes you back to a world where people would go around carrying weapon, which is sadly what’s happening these days in this more and more violent society. The problem is simple. You fight like you train and if you train knife disarms that’s probably what you would try to do if anyone pulls out a blade in front of you, one day someone is going to get hurt. You hear people saying that playing knife disarms will improve your empty hands skills. Weapon training does wonder for your reaction and timing skills but there are plenty of tools in the FMA arsenal to play with to improve your trapping range and central line control. The Dulo Dulo or palm stick it’s a perfect example.

How is the Nudda system being received by the martial community? What has the response been like?

I can’t complain considering that I have shown very little of what we do. I have released a DVD last year which was completely self-edited and produced by myself and I have received very positive feedbacks from most people that have purchased the video, although compared to other DVDs out there wasn’t as flashy and cool in its presentation. In the DVD however, I haven’t shown the NUDDA expression of Filipino Boxing but just tried to give an overview of what Filipino Boxing can look like when performed a little more ‘as you do it’ rather than repeating already existing patterns and drills. It wasn’t mean to be a video to sell; it was only me and one of my senior students, Charles De Jesus, putting a few ideas down in front of a camera. We are now working on a new set of DVD’s that will be professionally filmed and edited where we will show the NUDDA expression of Filipino Boxing and I have to say it is coming out really nice. Apart from that I have only put a few videos out on You Tube and the response is been very encouraging. My regular articles in Martial Arts Illustrated also helped but most people found me via the internet or reading my blogs. I am definitely not a marketing Guru however for the little exposure we had the response is been great with e-mail and words of encouragement coming from all over the world. This is why I am creating an online academy as there definitely interest out there for NUDDA M.A.X.TRAINING and thanks to the current level of technology is becoming increasingly easier to share knowledge these days.

With the current craze on reality based systems such as Keysi Fighting Method, Krav Maga, Systema   and so on, how does the Nudda system fit in comparison?

Apart from Systema (which I know very little about) the common link between NUDDA, Keysi Fighting Method and Kraw Maga is the heavy influence of FMA in all the aforementioned systems. If you really start digging and researching them, you will find that they all have evolved from the FMA in addition to their own cross training. The Gun disarms in KM are virtually FMA knife disarms applied to a gun. They are great I have to say and I wouldn’t doubt their efficiency if you were ever in range to grab hold of the gun which is statistically very possible indeed. Every KM Instructor I ever met always talked of a strong connection with the Filipino Arts within their system. KFM has blossomed from JKD, it therefore has a strong FMA connection, I met one of the founders when I use to train at the Bob Breen’s Academy in London during an Instructor course. I am also aware that they have worked closely with Pendekar Steven Benitez in Silat. I also had the chance to train briefly with him and Jonny Silimon (Jonny was responsible for the Silat Cimande at the East West Studio in London). I did some great private sessions with Jonny because at that time I was investigating the roots of the Filipino Boxing Arts which have themselves a strong Indonesian influence. Cimande is more a standing up Silat system and I like to stay on my feet. Basically I think we are all together in the search for the Holy Grail and to create the ultimate self defence system. The Holy Grail doesn’t exist but the fun is the Journey and not the destination. We have all started more or less from the same core, which is Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do concepts, which gives you the freedom to NOT limit yourself in your training moving away from ‘classical mess’ (ultimately ZEN at its best), Filipino Martial Arts (definitely in my case) and a great dose of Cross Training in various arts. I do it my way they do it their way, as long as we are all having fun and as long as it works it’s all good stuff. I think in particular NUDDA and KFM have a very distinctive syllabus that differs completely from the Inosanto – Lacoste system but that’s where it all started and with the blessing of our mentors (Terry Barnett in my case) we just decided that was ok to experiment further.

Why should a self-defence student consider Nudda over other systems?

Is it Superman or the Incredible Hulk? I personally like the Cat woman…It is whatever you enjoy the most. NUDDA has a unique approach to the Filipino Boxing Arts and its extremely explosive and leaves very little chances to retaliate (this was actually in one of the testimonials for NUDDA), our weapon training is very dynamic, it’s about being agile and work in real time (although you will have to start slow) it will take you from white to black belt and by the time you are a black belt you will still realize that the Journey has only just started and that with us you will never run out of learning material as we are in love with training and we will always look for better ways to improve our selves as Martial Artists and human being. You will also know that you are in the hand of a fully qualified Instructor with a strong Lineage and that has also studied physical and fitness training and that will guarantee you the best training experience. The door is open whether you stay or you leave it will be ultimately your choice. It is the student that chooses his Master I am a great believer in that. I pestered Terry Barnett for years because he was the man I really wanted to learn from and nothing he ever tried to get rid of me ever worked.

You are currently working on an online academy. Please tell us more about this, what features this online school will have, when it will be up and running etc…

The online Academy will have three sections. NUDDA Filipino Boxing, NUDDA M.A.X.TRAINING and the IGMAT (alive in Cebuano) weaponry system which I am developing with Cat Necula.

How will this long distance learning work in regards to maintaining high standards from your   students and future instructors?

There will be some terms and conditions for those who want to become leaders of a training group. For those who will simply want to sign up and learn from the videos they probably already realize that is never going to be as good as training in person as Martial Arts is a very physical experience and you have to feel the energy of a technique in your body to really understand it, however everything will be thoroughly explained to maximise the training experience

What are your future plans for Nudda?

To be able to make a living out of my biggest passion in life it is all I ever asked for. My focus at the moment is to build a great portal with the ‘online academy’ where people can start learning a truly functional FMA system, that is NUDDA of course. Thanks for having me, for those who are interested to found out more please visit our web site www.nudda.com

Antonio Faedda Founder of NUDDA M.A.X. TRAINING^TM

“Read this interview and more martial arts articles in Issue 6 of Combat Network Magazine. Read online or download your copy here: www.combatnetworkshop.net/freemagazine.aspx“

‘Ah ok so when he does that I do this right?’… It is perfectly natural for people to ask this questions and I think as their guides and mentors we need to make sure all this hanger for knowledge gets satisfied, however when things begins to get too theoretical I tend to pull the plug and make sure that everyone switches back on towards reality. ‘Reality’ is a strong word. ‘What is real’ when comes down to combat? How do you know if you are training realistically? Well…For a new pupil anything you are learning from scratch it seems to be realistic; you are sweating your heart beat is pumping, your pain tolerance increases…It’s a great feeling. Then…

You start learning patterns and drills and this is when things can go either amazingly well or terribly wrong! The thing is that as students we will never have the chance to control the outcome, it is down to us mentors to keep things honest and make sure that our pupils are enjoining discovering the multitude of drills but always keeping things practical. Our students should never start believing that collecting drills will lead them towards greatness. Quite the opposite I am afraid. Drills are there for you to start working on your muscle memory response as well as conditioning your body, learning more drills will make sure that your body will respond with different reactions to the diversity of stimuli you will experience in combat; so it is imperative to drill a technique as much as possible, however it is also imperative to be able to break free from drills and have the ability ‘flow’ when things don’t exactly go to plans.

You need to ‘feel’ the shot! It’s about developing a sixth sense that will guide you through the right ‘tool’ to use at that particular moment in time. You can develop the sixth sense by drilling and performing endless repetitions of a single technique or a combination of many, however; being able to break away from patterns it is imperative if you have to train towards ‘realism’. Sometimes things do NOT go to plan and ”that” is exactly what people should train towards. It is about being able to deal and control and ‘organize chaos’. Because that’s exactly how a ‘real’ fight feels like…”a right mess”…

Have a routine when you are training, and concentrate on the single element. A good punch a good knee a good elbow a good kick…Nurture your tools individually and then learn how to put them together in combos that are functional , you want to learn all the possible follows up for each single strike, learn drill and repeat them endlessly but THEN…throw all the drills out of the window when you get in a fight…empty your mind and remember again that “YOU are the fight”…let the muscle memory take over and hope that you will be the better man…there is no other way around it…Remember that it’s ok to make mistakes in training so be kind to yourself and take your time, the journey in the Arts is never a short run but rather a lifelong marathon…

Until the next time

Train hard and hit even harder

Antonio Faedda

Imagine always having your head in between a Boxer guard, either the left or the right hand are equally dangerous, therefore you want to constantly monitor both hands at the same time. Realistically this is not a position you would want to spend much time in, however being the most dangerous situation you can end up in, is where you really need to excel in case you happen to be there.

Once you learn this two drills in isolation you can start mixing them together and switch from the inside to the outside of the arms, again we want to be able to make the transition smooth so that at all time we are protecting ourselves and control the opponent attack whilst simultaneously striking back. As things gets tighter we can then switch onto the close range Hubad, again monitoring both the outside and inside line of attack; again work in isolation than start mixing the two, then we can start breaking from one range to another and begin to flow between the two transactions.

The beauty about hubud is that once you learn the basics and some variations, you can start creating your own drills. It’s always good when training Hubud, considering breaking the rhythm to avoid getting stuck into a flat ‘loop’; always keeping in mind that it is only a drill meaning that it is only another exercise to build attributes and reaction skills.

Remember what we said the last time about kicks up in football? Same principle applies here, so don’t aspect to get in a fight and use hubud to win; you might have a bad wake up call. Hubud and flow drills are just a way of repeating over and over again a single ‘moment in time’. The equation its simple, we train thousands  repetitions of the same move to perform a really good ‘ONE’, but  once you find an opening is time to hit hard and if the door stays open keep on hitting.

I personally tend to teach Hubud and sensitivity training drills at a more advanced stage to my students as I believe that before we can begin to explore energy and sensitivity we have to grasp the feeling of ‘impact training’. I like seeing my students becoming proficient at striking (whether is punching or kicking or a combination of both) and at the same time getting used to work on a solid guard and get used to being ‘hit’ or avoid getting hit all together by using the footwork. Training hubud too early could lead us to develop a false sense of security.

It is a fine part of the FMA that should be added to already existing solid basic skills of Boxing and Muay Thai as these are the best striking arts. Hence the CROSS TRAINING element takes place. It is always easier to teach the ’soft’ side of the FMA to already experienced Boxers or Thai Boxers because they already have an idea of timing and working in combinations as well as (providing they have been training with good people) a good body mechanic; they also have realistic expectations from training which makes the experience of teaching a lot more enjoyable.

One of my students recently told me that I am like ‘Morfeous from the Matrix’ I always give the red pill to people because I want to show them the truth. People wants to believe that they can fight like Jason Bourne because they are learning some hubud fancy moves (as a matter of fact a big part of the ‘choreography behind the fighting scenes are based on hubud applications), however the truth is that it will take long hours and many years of practice to make things work at real speed; and yet again once we are able to manipulate and outbalance our  opponent with our ’sensitivity’ skills, we are back to square; we need to knock him down.

In a nutshell; Hubud is great and can become a very important and enjoyable part of your training, however keep things into prospective, remember that is only ‘a moment in time’ and as soon as you can; you will have to go back into your solid hits and blocks.

Until next time ‘Train hard and hit even harder’

Antonio Faedda

During the early years of my Journey in the discovery of the Arts, I was convinced that “knowledge was the key to greatness” in the Martial Arts and that” knowledge” comes in the form of “numbers of techniques”; I used to get as many Martial Arts magazines and memorise and learn any new FMA ”technique” in the book (there was no You Tube in those days) and thought that I was actually getting somewhere. The training session used to sound a little bit like this “…If you do this, I do that…and if you do that…I do this…”

I believe it’s a process we all have to go through and that it can also be fun, however some people gets lost in this ”mass accumulation of drills”. This unfortunately happens to a huge number of people in the FMA and that it’s because their “mentor” was himself taught that way and genuinely believes that “that’s how you train in Filipino Martial Arts” (bearing in mind that this is not a problem restricted only to the FMA but to most Martial Arts in general).

There are so many different FMA systems and schools out there; all claiming (rightly so) to have the best, most effective and deadly system and to me they are all right. Filipino Martial Arts are indeed deadly. The problem is not the Art but the way sometimes the Art is taught. Angles, numbers, names, drills, counters, counter to counter drills, they all need to be learned and trained to the point where they become part of our muscle memory response. Repetition is the secret but “Timing” it’s the Key. What I am trying to say here is that if all these techniques cannot be applied in real time they are as good as having a shelve full of books that you have never read and that you will possibly never read. It makes you look clever and educated but are you?

Think about Boxing. Boxing it’s a relatively simple art but “simple” doesn’t mean ”easy”. After six months of training you can literally learn every technique in the Lonsdale manual, does that make you a proficient Boxer? No it doesn’t. An experienced Boxer knows the same techniques you know; so why can he beat you without breaking a sweat? The answer is simple. ”Timing”. Having timing is the ability to place the right shot at the right moment that makes the difference and not how many different ways of punching you know. An experienced Boxer can “time” the shot without thinking.

I can teach everything I know about Filipino Martial Arts in six months, but I can’t teach timing, because it can only be learned by training hard in the Arts.  It is the timing that makes the difference between a new pupil in and an experienced one. They both know the same moves but the”master” knows how, when and where to apply it.

Once you ”properly” (and that is another story all together) learn the technique, it is the “Timing” you want to focus on. Do that and you will go far. Remember that less is more when it comes down to fighting. Over-elaborated moves simply don’t work at 110 miles an hour. When things get tough there is not much”Time” to think.

Untill next time

Train Hard and Hit even Harder

Antonio Faedda