Hey there. As you may have read somewhere else I'm considering signing up for FMA lessons at a place I really liked when I tried it out. I could choose between Warriors Escrima, Sayok and Balintawak. I loved the practice session, and my only complaint is that it didn't feel like we moved that much. I would've liked a bit more sweat, so i'm also getting some conditioning. Obviously I'm not expecting a workout such as what you get during BJJ but I was wondering: How conditioning-heavy are normal FMA classes? I guess it will get harder when sparring is involved, right?
You certainly can sweat with FMA. But I've also been in classes that felt like we were dwelling on the technical intricacies and not moving enough. My first school, though... I went to my part-time job after class each day. And people used to ask me if it was raining as I walked in. Kind of gross, in retrospect. But I was 17. And dumb. It's really a matter of training methodology. How intense are the drills? How much time is spent watching the guro explain or demonstrate? Are you sparring? Running footwork drills? Etc. Check out a couple more sessions and check out the other FMA schools. See which are more arduous.
What ap said. It really depends on the teacher's style. Back when I was teaching regularly, I was quite deliberate about making sure my students got a thorough workout & some solid conditioning. Sometimes you have to get more technical, because people generally need to know how to do something correctly before they can do it hard & fast, but there should be room for both technique and sweat.
Once you learn the drill/technique you can increase intensity and drill as one step sparring etc and you should start sweating! Paul Guba Doce Pares North East www.moifa.co.uk
Train in the Philippines you'll sweat just walking to the gym But honestly if your doing it right you'll sweat.
With my balintawak instructors, they make it a point to give the new guys a breather after 90-120 seconds of any form of continuous drilling or agak (whether basic strikes only or groupings). So it would seem like not much movement. For us longstanding students, it's a whole different ballgame.
