11/8/04
Mike,
1. What attracked you to the particular system of stick fighting?
Since about 1988 I have been attracted to stick fighting. However, I was a student and instructor in a traditional martial arts school. We were told we would not be taught and would basically be kicked out of the school if we studied any other martial art. Well- about 2 years ago, a friend of mine from another martial arts system who had studied under, Steve Carroll, my present Kali instructor. This mutual friend kept pestering me to check Steve's class out. I finally did. I was hooked pretty much immediately, eventually quit studying at my other school and have been training under Steve for about 2 years now. What attracted me- Practicality vs. flash, realistic self defense, carry over/application to knife and empty hand defense, the way Steve moved, the way he was able to break techniques down and to explain under what conditions (range etc...)that they worked, his enthuiasm for the art and skill in it!
2. The Kali system I study is largely based on my instructor's knowledge of Lamenco and Hock's Archapeligo system. We also use drills from Pekiti Tirsha and Dan Inasanto--some of his drills (from video tapes)...
3. What are the basics of the system? Footwork is pretty heavily stressed, ranges of combat, stick grips, developing power, striking-clock and the 12 angles also; striking using various grips, blocking, stike disarms (especially impact disarms at first, also strip and send, strip and keeps,etc), use of strikes and kicks in conjunction with sticks, the strategy of "clearing a path to the head" with the stick, basic flow drills (single and double stick), finishes (less the lethal-lethal), Hock's diminished fighter theory, various reflex drills, power strikes and combinations...basics also include knife, stick and knife, double stick and empty hand...many of the drills an tactics apply across the board...we do work on falling also...some on take downs and stick grappling but more of that and scenarios comes later...
4. How many hours did it take you to feel competent? Depends on what day I consider this question...I have improved a lot since I started but still have a ways to go! I have trained for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours about twice a week for over a year, once a week before that plus trained on my own outside class with/without a training partner at least 3 times per week for about an hour and a half each session...that does include some aerobics and all the weaponsweapons combos we study-not just stick.
5. What reflex drills do you use? randori like training, Hock's 3 for 3, 2 for 2 and so on; an attacker strikes any angle, defender blocks and follows up with a combination-sometimes preset/sometimes not, defanging the snake-hit the hand and follow up sometimes with control sometimes the trainer wears hand guard designed for this type of contact; visual cue-trainer flashes the stick, defender tries to get in and strike 2 or 3 times without getting hit...stick sparring-padded and live stick (with helmut and hockey gloves-groin protection for men)...flow drills, combinations of flow drills strung together, coordination drills, driils designed to elecit a specific response...eg. certain block and follow up to train it so it becomes reflexive...
6. Does you system emphasize power or multiple strikes---both. My instructor says Pungo Guro Edgar Sulite told them srike hard and strike a lot if you are in a bad situation...Boy-I've seen videos and he sure could do both!
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Topic: Systems of stick training (Read 1161 times)