What aspects of FMA empty hands are transferable to a competitive MMA environment?

Discussion in 'Filipino Martial Arts' started by Janno, Mar 15, 2012.

  1. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    Thanks for that!

    So that raises the question of why it isn't used more then. And, to be clear, I'm not saying that either 1) it wouldn't work or 2) those silly MMAers should wake up and recognize the brilliance of what we're doing. I'm a firm believer that it falls to someone (whomever) to get in there and demonstrate that it can work. The way that Mo Smith did for high kicking or GSP did for spinning back kicks, etc.

    The sipa: I'm usually trying to hit with my heel OR using it more as a checking action than an actual hit. Though, now that I'm thinking about it, I think I was at least wearing wrestling shoes when I sparred with that.
     
  2. callsignfuzzy

    callsignfuzzy Is not a number!

    Can you elaborate on this? You're allowed to kick, punch, knee and elbow people into unconsciousness already; you can threaten them with paralysis with high-impact throws and slams, as well as neck cranks; you can deprive their brains of oxygen when using chokes; you can permanently effect their lifestyle if joint locks are taken to the breaking point. All of this stuff is already legal. So my question is twofold: A) wouldn't you say that MMA doesn't have a problem with "brutality"? and B) what part of what we've already covered of FMA empty-hand stuff (limb destruction, footwork, kicking, body manipulation/grappling, etc), all of which is perfectly allowable, is too brutal?

    It's certainly bound by rules, but it's bound by rules for a reason. It's a competition of skill and will, not a death duel. Even so, as I covered, you're allowed to do a lot of damaging and potentially damaging things already. Frankly it's hardly "watered down" from the "anything goes except biting and gouging" days. A friend of mine was trying to convince a guy to try MMA; the second guy comes from a system that focuses on self defense. The second guy's reply was, "I can't win without my eye jabs, so I can't do it!" My friend notes that this guy is good at punching, kicking, and body manipulations (trapping/pummelling) already, all of which are legal and in fact necessary for MMA. This brings me back to my point: the empty-hand techniques that are trained the most often in martial arts are ones that are legal in MMA. Looking up some Doce Pares stuff:

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS5Bpxl3cuA"]London Barrio Fiesta 2008 - Empty hands - Doce Pares London and Kent - YouTube[/ame]

    Punches, elbows, hammerfists, knee strikes- all legal

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcxsusE-5Ic"]GUBA DOCE PARES Eskrima-Kali-Arnis - Seminar Newcastle, UK - YouTube[/ame]

    (Mano Mano runs from about 4:45-7:00)- Joint locks, takedowns, punches, knee strikes, standing grappling- all legal

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn3-qif7eps"]GUBA DOCE PARES GRANADA - Seminar Spain Day 1 - YouTube[/ame]

    All the empty hand stuff here looked legal, save for a possible groin strike leading into a perfectly legal takedown right at the end of it. In fact, most of the empty-hand stuff shown looks like it could easily be expanded out of basic Western boxing and wrestling.

    So yeah, it seems like it would tranfer pretty well, at least to the stand-up portion. So if that is, indeed, what you guys are learning, it doesn't seem prohibitive to the MMA ruleset.
     
  3. callsignfuzzy

    callsignfuzzy Is not a number!

    My guess is that the training most MMA guys get simply isn't covering this. Alternatively, it's being used, but we're not seeing it for some reason. One or two triangle steps used in a 15-minute fight could be missed or attributed to some other system; passive destructions might just be difficult to "aim" for if you don't know what's coming at you. It might even be that the combination of gloves and wraps adequately protects the hand from any damage it could take from colliding with an elbow, or that fighters breaking their hands is so common that it doesn't seem unusual when it happens. It's not even a fight-stopper; Urijah Faber, Josh Barnett, Fedor Emelianenko, and Rich Franklin, among others have broken their hands and continued to fight, with Franklin and Fedor winning their matches.

    Most of the guys I train with are very eclectic hybrids, and a few have FMA in their background. Although I never got into the empty-hand stuff in class, I've drilled what I've seen from instructionals, or what fellow students have showed me. However, in sparring, it's rare that something distinctively "FMA" comes out. Could just be that we're so blended that most distinctions get lost. Rarely do I wonder what system I just used to kick someone.
     

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