So I'm looking (again) for a school in my general area to visit periodically to add some knife/baton work and expand my striking so all three are up to standard. I've found a school close enough to visit monthly or so and from my first glance the people look serious (if not all in the greatest shape) and what's being taught looks like it'll produce good fundamentals of movement. What's more there appears to be at least some live movement. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1b1USMktkE"]Inayan Eskrima - ISE Promo Vid - YouTube[/ame] Now I am wary of the "stand there and hold your arm out while I go through five or six movements" style of teaching but most of it looks like the movements are intended as individual options rather than a sequence, so that may not be a deal-breaker. The mittwork looked alright but then I'm not much of a boxer so that doesn't mean much. Some of the punches looked all arms/no hips, but then at these guys' size you can get away with that. Body mechanics may be emphasized more among the more average sized people. The disarms and long stick stuff looked awkward and stylized, not very natural or confident. And the gun disarm looked pretty rough to me. No visible offline movement, then hand it back to the guy with fully extended arms. I can't comment with any authority on the firearms stuff but I didn't see anything that set off my BS alarm. Maybe someone with relevant formal experience can comment on that one. Does anyone have any information on this group? Anything to point out from their promo video? Anything in particular I should look out for or demand in a good FMA school?
The Inayan eskrima system is one of the best that you can find. Suro Mike Inay trained with Angel Cabales from the Serrada eskrima system in Stockton back in the 60s. Suro Mike passed away a few years ago but the system is in good hands with his son and their stuff is top notch
Looks pretty good to me, and one of the top FMA practitioners in the world (IMO) - Johan Skalberg - trained heavily with Suro Mike Inay in this system. Bear in mind that as this is a promo video, decisions will have been made about what looks smooth and what looks messy. The more alive and higher pressure elements of training tend to look messier than the 'demo' type training elements, and might come across as 'sloppy' to the untrained eye, so may not have been included in the video. It is a good sign that the video shows some training with the helmets on, and that it is different to some of the armoured "stand and hit each other lots without acknowledging hits you receive" training you sometimes see on youtube. The video shows movement, timing and respect for the weapon - all good signs. You're right not to dismiss the "multiple hits while the opponent holds his arm out" - it's an early stage in training intended to cultivate fluidity with the weapon, allow the exploration of legitimate targets and drill the idea of not stopping your follow up strikes to wait for the next incoming strike. Integrating pistols indicates the school practices their art in a culturally relevant manner (you Americans all carry guns all the time, amiright? ), and "accessing" an "equaliser" in an unexpected weapon encounter is a highly transferable skill. Why not try it out for a month or so and see how you get on with the instructor and students? Just the same as any school, you shouldn't judge just by what the instructor can do, but what he can teach his students (potentially including you) to do. From an FMA school, look for "options" or variations on a particular technique or situation, and be wary of anyone who says "always do..." or "never do..." Don't expect it all to come straight away (unless you're an MA genius). If the instructor is good there will be a logical training progression with an achievable learning curve. Best of luck, and let us know how you get on!
