Training Rules & Guidelines
Anyone who has ever taken a form of martial art can tell you there are mystical powers that make techniques work. We all possess certain internal powers sense of balance, sense of touch, sense of smell, sense of hearing, intuition, and others Generally the everyday senses can be used effectively without too much fine tuning. But, as in typing, where the user has to develop dexterity in their fingers and the use of eye hand co ordination or as in baseball where the player has to develop aim and eye /hand co ordination so is the goal in martial arts. To be good at these things time must be spent building or basic muscle coor-dination.
To some, shorthand is confusing and those who know it are respected as being highly skilled. Looking at shorthand it is s system of squiggles and dots and other short cuts to put down into print what a person is trying to say.
The student learns line by line, squiggle by squiggle how to do shorthand he doesn’t just know it magically; t is assimilated and refined. In Kuntaw, the student learns movement by movement flow by flow problem and solution to become knowledgeable. The time spent practicing these skills makes the skills more fluid and easy to perform.
THE GIVEN
"THE GIVEN" is a term that means the training partner gives or concedes that a certain technique will work if done at speed, focus, or power. You don't have to be kicked hard at the knee to know that it's going to hurt. You don't have to be hit on the knuckles with a stick to know how it would feel- you know, you concede- you give in to that fact.
Every person who learns - questions why. It's only natural. Kuntaw comes from a history of tried and true techniques, movements, and theories. Most possible variables are allowed for or prepared for by hand positioning or body positioning. To ask “what if......?" my oppo-nent is bigger, moves against, moves with, or doesn't do the particular action being taught is fine- to a point. This is where experience, skill, and wisdom come into play. You have to learn to handle non-textbook encounters. To question an instructor every couple of minutes distracts from class. It is fine to question but first question your own knowledge for the an-swer before questioning the wisdom and experience of the instructor.
RULES OF WAR
The art of doing battle has changed over they years. Western man’s early arts of doing battle were choreographed events. In early battles the battlefield was chosen and the com-batants advanced by rules of engagement. Flag bearers would enter the area to designate the boundaries and drums and bugles would sound the various stages of battle. Waves of foot soldiers or mounted warriors would engage and the whole battle was determined by how well the combatants survived.
When the colonies decided to rebel against England, they had no real armies, just a bunch of commoners who had survived Indian attacks and had learned to hunt and shoot for their survival. When the British Redcoats went to engage these rebels, they were met by people hiding behind rock and tree while they followed rules of engagement. The Redcoats would form ranks marching in regiment. Upon confrontation with their enemy a series of lines were formed with kneeling riflemen firing, followed by the next row preparing and a back row of men reloading their arms. Firing their muskets in volleys. Each line would shift to allow the next to prepare. This was a very organized /systemized line of attack that served them well in doing battle with other armies that followed the “RULES”. Their downfall was that the colonials were not trained military men. They followed no rules they used their tricks of survival on the Redcoats who were perfect targets for the colonials by wearing bright red uniforms with a big white “X” their chests.
In the jungles of the Philippines there were no rules of doing battle, you used what kept you and your tribe alive. If that meant using traps, snares, poisoned arrows or darts or even going hand to hand with your tools of your trade, that is what you did. Techniques that didn’t work left the practitioner who used them dead. The techniques that worked were refined. What allowed the Filipinos to survive was their ability to adapt and effectively use what they had.
RULE # 1- There are no rules. You have to use what works against your adversary. He may come off the wall with an attack; you have to use what you have learned to solve your protection problem. Unlike structured tournaments an adversary on the street is not bound by rules of war or any code of chivalry. You as well are not bound to only use such and such technique. If you have to spit in his eye to distract him- do it!! The only rule is protect yourself and don't be too worried what the technique looked like but did it work?
SALT AND PEPPER
If every technique can be described as the "meat and potatoes" of the art - added checks, traps, and disruptions can be labeled salt and pepper. These additions to the "Main Meal" add spice or flavor to the technique. They will vary according to the practitioners "taste".
THE GROOVE
Everyone is built differently and with different strengths and weaknesses. Techniques work well for some but are more difficult for others. The objective is to find the grove in the technique that works best fore you. This is a hard concept to teach because the teacher can't feel for the student. This groove is a feeling. When a kick is done right, a loud pop is heard from the bag. If the kick s done wrong no pop is heard. The feeling you get when you make a pop is your groove and you must strive to duplicate the feeling each time you do your attack.
“If a technique isn't working for you, the technique
is being done wrong or you are using the wrong technique"
100 PATHS
Every technique is not complete within itself, as the opponent can change the outcome by just shifting his weight. To cover all of the variables or possible follow-ups requires the practitioner to learn the 100 paths. These paths are not numbered and they total more than 100. The term stands for these possibilities.
When an attacker delivers a blow and you defend against it he still has at least 3 more weapons he can use to counter your defense. So, you must cover these possible counters with a follow-up take -down, lock, brace, choke, destruction, or a final blow. When you de-liver your own attack you must have a follow-up defense or attack as your first attack may be deflected or neutralized.
These 100 paths are the follow-ups, flow patterns, take-downs, counters, or stance changes you may use to defend against your opponent's paths. Strive not to learn these paths by number, but instead by concept and flow. When you practice a technique you must be aware of the “what ifs". Example: What if your opponent fakes a punch only to deliver a different attack from another angle? You must be prepared to take a different path at any time.
THE FLOW
Other martial arts call this idea being in harmony with the attacker. In Kuntaw this is the flow. It is the ability to move with your opponent negating his attacks by blocking and coun-tering with transitions from block to counter using as little energy or movement as possible. Taking from your opponent and changing what was offered to what you want. Learning to anticipate and feel the subtle changes in your opponent’s stance, demeanor, or breathing. Trying to use power to control your opponent negates the ability to flow so, stay in the re-laxed state of mind and concentrate on being in harmony with your opponent.
KEY
To open a locked door requires a key. To make a meal you start with key ingredients. Every move or technique strategy requires a key. The key can be as simple as where you look or as difficult as how much force is to be used. The trick or key is to know how to use the key to make a technique the best it can be. Examples of keys are: for an arm bar to work the elbow needs to be braced at or above the elbow. For a kick to be well balanced and fast the kicking foot should touch or pass by the base leg knee.
TAPPING
When working with a training partner you may find that the technique he is using is caus-ing you pain. If this situation occurs, a command or signal should be used to avoid damaging your joints or nerve areas. Tapping is the best signal to let your partner know that you are hurting. By slapping his arm, your body, or the floor your partner is made aware to break the technique. This also signals that the technique worked without having to hurt you.
VERBAL BREAK
By saying "Good" or “Enough " your opponent knows that his technique was done prop-erly or that the desired result was reached, without putting you into a harmful situation.
GIVING
To practice the techniques in Kuntaw requires that you work with and opponent or training partner. Certain technique practice calls for your partner to “FEED” you an attack or action so that the technique can be used. If your opponent half heartedly feeds you a technique or doesn’t resist a technique, how can you know if your defense or counter would have worked? The role of the giver or feeder is to give you the level of speed, power, or difficulty that you need to work on. He does this by prearranged agreement or plan. By staggering the timing of his attacks you learn to read your opponent's intent. If he feeds you one attack right after an-other on a given beat, you cannot effectively develop perceptive skills.
FEEDING
When you are practicing a technique with a partner, you feed them the opportunity to use the technique. For a punch, you will hold the punch for a second longer for them to feel the technique (do not rapidly return the punch, allow them the opportunity to use the technique).
TAKING
By being a training partner you are taking a role of a teacher and guide. You are the one who sets the movement and shows the weaknesses. If you are called on to be an attacker, you will attack at the training speed. As the technique is learned, you will advance the speed. If the technique is not right, you are the one to call attention to it. You have a job to do, and you are remiss if you do not do so. You are the dummy, the one who receives the counter at-tack. In the first stages of training it is not advised to try and find an escape during training. As the training progresses, you are urged to find ways of avoiding or turning a technique around. Your turn will come to be the student.
DUAL ROLES
In the case of Decadena, both players have equal roles of being training partner /attacker. The object here is to find your strengths and weaknesses building better ways to handle situations. If a technique is not being addressed properly, the two of you will work to-gether to find the proper solution.
HORSEPLAY
Horseplay has no place in training, if you do not follow training rules someone will get hurt. Horse play is playing tag, pushing someone, or just goofing off. At this time you or your opponent/partner will have a setback that may keep you from training for a week or longer. The techniques in Kuntaw can be very dangerous, and if done carelessly or foolishly you can hurt someone very badly. Free fighting is another story; it has purpose and should follow the guidelines set forth in this text. If there are no guidelines or goal, what is to be accomplished? Ego and anger can result.
HOW TO TRAIN
I offer this to avoid philosophical discussion whether or not these techniques will work. Can a .357 drop a man? The answer is yes, if it used properly and at the right time with the right experience and knowledge. If Kuntaw techniques are executed properly, at the right time and with the skill and knowledge, they too will work. An adage in the art says “if you are doing a technique and it is not working, you are doing the technique wrong or you are using the wrong technique.”
Techniques in this book cover a myriad of possible situations. It would be foolish to say they cover all situations. What will be shown here are the basics to be built off from by taking into consideration a lot of "what ifs", but not closing the mind to the possibilities? The goal you are reaching for requires that you improve your reactionary skills, balance, and ability to problem solve using the formulas and theories outlined and described here.
It is not necessary to inflict pain on your training partner to test the effectiveness of the techniques in this book. You must start slowly and deliberately to learn to control your actions and your partners ability to do further damage to you. This follows a formula- to learn how to do anything you need to follow this:
FORM+ FOCUS + SPEED+ POWER = PROPER LEARNING FORMULA
You can't go from looking at a picture of a fist to breaking bricks in one simple step. You have to build off of the ideas, reasons, structures, and applications needed to do any particu-lar skill.
You should start slow, first learning the technique, its form, structure, and capability. Then you and your partner learn to change positioning to test your ability to focus on the technique. As you become more adept with the technique you may choose to speed up the delivery. Don't try to learn too much too quickly, you will lose out on "the sights along the way" the possible change-ups and counters. Power will come as you learn the mechanics of the tech-nique and can pull it together.
The knowledge triangle is a formula for knowledge and training. Your instructor can give you the knowledge of a technique, but you alone develop the skill to perform it and the wis-dom to know when to use it.
KNOWLEDGE- SKILL- WISDOM
TRAINING TERMINOLOGY
ACTIVE: Moving / changing
Adhere: To place an appendage on your opponent to monitor his en-ergy and to control its flow.
ATTACH: Placing an appendage on your opponent and fixing it so he cannot shake you.
BASE LEG: The leg that supports most of your weight
BLOCK: Any action taken to protect your vital areas
BRIDGE: Any connection between you and your opponent is a bridge (punch, grab, kick, etc.)
CENTERLINE: An imaginary line running through the body from the nose to the groin
COUNTER: To give back
FEED: To give a specified attack to your training partner
INSIDE: The area located inside your opponent's arms
KEY: The prime ingredient that makes a technique work
LEAD HAND: The hand closest to your opponent
LEAD LEG: The leg closest to your opponent
LINE OF ATTACK: An imaginary line drawn from your opponent's center line to your centerline
LIVE HAND: The hand that is in support of the blocking or attacking hand
MONITOR: To touch or hold an opponent's bridge to feel his intentions
OUTSIDE: The area locate outside your opponent's arms
PASSIVE: Not offering resistance
PATH: The direction a movement or technique can go
REACTIONARY: Moving on a signal - physical or audio
STANCE: Any position you are in to support your weight
STATIC: Standing still / not moving
STANCES
To some, shorthand is confusing and those who know it are respected as being highly skilled. Looking at shorthand it is s system of squiggles and dots and other short cuts to put down into print what a person is trying to say.
The student learns line by line, squiggle by squiggle how to do shorthand he doesn’t just know it magically; t is assimilated and refined. In Kuntaw, the student learns movement by movement flow by flow problem and solution to become knowledgeable. The time spent practicing these skills makes the skills more fluid and easy to perform.
THE GIVEN
"THE GIVEN" is a term that means the training partner gives or concedes that a certain technique will work if done at speed, focus, or power. You don't have to be kicked hard at the knee to know that it's going to hurt. You don't have to be hit on the knuckles with a stick to know how it would feel- you know, you concede- you give in to that fact.
Every person who learns - questions why. It's only natural. Kuntaw comes from a history of tried and true techniques, movements, and theories. Most possible variables are allowed for or prepared for by hand positioning or body positioning. To ask “what if......?" my oppo-nent is bigger, moves against, moves with, or doesn't do the particular action being taught is fine- to a point. This is where experience, skill, and wisdom come into play. You have to learn to handle non-textbook encounters. To question an instructor every couple of minutes distracts from class. It is fine to question but first question your own knowledge for the an-swer before questioning the wisdom and experience of the instructor.
RULES OF WAR
The art of doing battle has changed over they years. Western man’s early arts of doing battle were choreographed events. In early battles the battlefield was chosen and the com-batants advanced by rules of engagement. Flag bearers would enter the area to designate the boundaries and drums and bugles would sound the various stages of battle. Waves of foot soldiers or mounted warriors would engage and the whole battle was determined by how well the combatants survived.
When the colonies decided to rebel against England, they had no real armies, just a bunch of commoners who had survived Indian attacks and had learned to hunt and shoot for their survival. When the British Redcoats went to engage these rebels, they were met by people hiding behind rock and tree while they followed rules of engagement. The Redcoats would form ranks marching in regiment. Upon confrontation with their enemy a series of lines were formed with kneeling riflemen firing, followed by the next row preparing and a back row of men reloading their arms. Firing their muskets in volleys. Each line would shift to allow the next to prepare. This was a very organized /systemized line of attack that served them well in doing battle with other armies that followed the “RULES”. Their downfall was that the colonials were not trained military men. They followed no rules they used their tricks of survival on the Redcoats who were perfect targets for the colonials by wearing bright red uniforms with a big white “X” their chests.
In the jungles of the Philippines there were no rules of doing battle, you used what kept you and your tribe alive. If that meant using traps, snares, poisoned arrows or darts or even going hand to hand with your tools of your trade, that is what you did. Techniques that didn’t work left the practitioner who used them dead. The techniques that worked were refined. What allowed the Filipinos to survive was their ability to adapt and effectively use what they had.
RULE # 1- There are no rules. You have to use what works against your adversary. He may come off the wall with an attack; you have to use what you have learned to solve your protection problem. Unlike structured tournaments an adversary on the street is not bound by rules of war or any code of chivalry. You as well are not bound to only use such and such technique. If you have to spit in his eye to distract him- do it!! The only rule is protect yourself and don't be too worried what the technique looked like but did it work?
SALT AND PEPPER
If every technique can be described as the "meat and potatoes" of the art - added checks, traps, and disruptions can be labeled salt and pepper. These additions to the "Main Meal" add spice or flavor to the technique. They will vary according to the practitioners "taste".
THE GROOVE
Everyone is built differently and with different strengths and weaknesses. Techniques work well for some but are more difficult for others. The objective is to find the grove in the technique that works best fore you. This is a hard concept to teach because the teacher can't feel for the student. This groove is a feeling. When a kick is done right, a loud pop is heard from the bag. If the kick s done wrong no pop is heard. The feeling you get when you make a pop is your groove and you must strive to duplicate the feeling each time you do your attack.
“If a technique isn't working for you, the technique
is being done wrong or you are using the wrong technique"
100 PATHS
Every technique is not complete within itself, as the opponent can change the outcome by just shifting his weight. To cover all of the variables or possible follow-ups requires the practitioner to learn the 100 paths. These paths are not numbered and they total more than 100. The term stands for these possibilities.
When an attacker delivers a blow and you defend against it he still has at least 3 more weapons he can use to counter your defense. So, you must cover these possible counters with a follow-up take -down, lock, brace, choke, destruction, or a final blow. When you de-liver your own attack you must have a follow-up defense or attack as your first attack may be deflected or neutralized.
These 100 paths are the follow-ups, flow patterns, take-downs, counters, or stance changes you may use to defend against your opponent's paths. Strive not to learn these paths by number, but instead by concept and flow. When you practice a technique you must be aware of the “what ifs". Example: What if your opponent fakes a punch only to deliver a different attack from another angle? You must be prepared to take a different path at any time.
THE FLOW
Other martial arts call this idea being in harmony with the attacker. In Kuntaw this is the flow. It is the ability to move with your opponent negating his attacks by blocking and coun-tering with transitions from block to counter using as little energy or movement as possible. Taking from your opponent and changing what was offered to what you want. Learning to anticipate and feel the subtle changes in your opponent’s stance, demeanor, or breathing. Trying to use power to control your opponent negates the ability to flow so, stay in the re-laxed state of mind and concentrate on being in harmony with your opponent.
KEY
To open a locked door requires a key. To make a meal you start with key ingredients. Every move or technique strategy requires a key. The key can be as simple as where you look or as difficult as how much force is to be used. The trick or key is to know how to use the key to make a technique the best it can be. Examples of keys are: for an arm bar to work the elbow needs to be braced at or above the elbow. For a kick to be well balanced and fast the kicking foot should touch or pass by the base leg knee.
TAPPING
When working with a training partner you may find that the technique he is using is caus-ing you pain. If this situation occurs, a command or signal should be used to avoid damaging your joints or nerve areas. Tapping is the best signal to let your partner know that you are hurting. By slapping his arm, your body, or the floor your partner is made aware to break the technique. This also signals that the technique worked without having to hurt you.
VERBAL BREAK
By saying "Good" or “Enough " your opponent knows that his technique was done prop-erly or that the desired result was reached, without putting you into a harmful situation.
GIVING
To practice the techniques in Kuntaw requires that you work with and opponent or training partner. Certain technique practice calls for your partner to “FEED” you an attack or action so that the technique can be used. If your opponent half heartedly feeds you a technique or doesn’t resist a technique, how can you know if your defense or counter would have worked? The role of the giver or feeder is to give you the level of speed, power, or difficulty that you need to work on. He does this by prearranged agreement or plan. By staggering the timing of his attacks you learn to read your opponent's intent. If he feeds you one attack right after an-other on a given beat, you cannot effectively develop perceptive skills.
FEEDING
When you are practicing a technique with a partner, you feed them the opportunity to use the technique. For a punch, you will hold the punch for a second longer for them to feel the technique (do not rapidly return the punch, allow them the opportunity to use the technique).
TAKING
By being a training partner you are taking a role of a teacher and guide. You are the one who sets the movement and shows the weaknesses. If you are called on to be an attacker, you will attack at the training speed. As the technique is learned, you will advance the speed. If the technique is not right, you are the one to call attention to it. You have a job to do, and you are remiss if you do not do so. You are the dummy, the one who receives the counter at-tack. In the first stages of training it is not advised to try and find an escape during training. As the training progresses, you are urged to find ways of avoiding or turning a technique around. Your turn will come to be the student.
DUAL ROLES
In the case of Decadena, both players have equal roles of being training partner /attacker. The object here is to find your strengths and weaknesses building better ways to handle situations. If a technique is not being addressed properly, the two of you will work to-gether to find the proper solution.
HORSEPLAY
Horseplay has no place in training, if you do not follow training rules someone will get hurt. Horse play is playing tag, pushing someone, or just goofing off. At this time you or your opponent/partner will have a setback that may keep you from training for a week or longer. The techniques in Kuntaw can be very dangerous, and if done carelessly or foolishly you can hurt someone very badly. Free fighting is another story; it has purpose and should follow the guidelines set forth in this text. If there are no guidelines or goal, what is to be accomplished? Ego and anger can result.
HOW TO TRAIN
I offer this to avoid philosophical discussion whether or not these techniques will work. Can a .357 drop a man? The answer is yes, if it used properly and at the right time with the right experience and knowledge. If Kuntaw techniques are executed properly, at the right time and with the skill and knowledge, they too will work. An adage in the art says “if you are doing a technique and it is not working, you are doing the technique wrong or you are using the wrong technique.”
Techniques in this book cover a myriad of possible situations. It would be foolish to say they cover all situations. What will be shown here are the basics to be built off from by taking into consideration a lot of "what ifs", but not closing the mind to the possibilities? The goal you are reaching for requires that you improve your reactionary skills, balance, and ability to problem solve using the formulas and theories outlined and described here.
It is not necessary to inflict pain on your training partner to test the effectiveness of the techniques in this book. You must start slowly and deliberately to learn to control your actions and your partners ability to do further damage to you. This follows a formula- to learn how to do anything you need to follow this:
FORM+ FOCUS + SPEED+ POWER = PROPER LEARNING FORMULA
You can't go from looking at a picture of a fist to breaking bricks in one simple step. You have to build off of the ideas, reasons, structures, and applications needed to do any particu-lar skill.
You should start slow, first learning the technique, its form, structure, and capability. Then you and your partner learn to change positioning to test your ability to focus on the technique. As you become more adept with the technique you may choose to speed up the delivery. Don't try to learn too much too quickly, you will lose out on "the sights along the way" the possible change-ups and counters. Power will come as you learn the mechanics of the tech-nique and can pull it together.
The knowledge triangle is a formula for knowledge and training. Your instructor can give you the knowledge of a technique, but you alone develop the skill to perform it and the wis-dom to know when to use it.
KNOWLEDGE- SKILL- WISDOM
TRAINING TERMINOLOGY
ACTIVE: Moving / changing
Adhere: To place an appendage on your opponent to monitor his en-ergy and to control its flow.
ATTACH: Placing an appendage on your opponent and fixing it so he cannot shake you.
BASE LEG: The leg that supports most of your weight
BLOCK: Any action taken to protect your vital areas
BRIDGE: Any connection between you and your opponent is a bridge (punch, grab, kick, etc.)
CENTERLINE: An imaginary line running through the body from the nose to the groin
COUNTER: To give back
FEED: To give a specified attack to your training partner
INSIDE: The area located inside your opponent's arms
KEY: The prime ingredient that makes a technique work
LEAD HAND: The hand closest to your opponent
LEAD LEG: The leg closest to your opponent
LINE OF ATTACK: An imaginary line drawn from your opponent's center line to your centerline
LIVE HAND: The hand that is in support of the blocking or attacking hand
MONITOR: To touch or hold an opponent's bridge to feel his intentions
OUTSIDE: The area locate outside your opponent's arms
PASSIVE: Not offering resistance
PATH: The direction a movement or technique can go
REACTIONARY: Moving on a signal - physical or audio
STANCE: Any position you are in to support your weight
STATIC: Standing still / not moving
STANCES
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AMERICAN MAHARLIKA KUNTAW ASSOCIATION
FILIPINO WARRIOR MARTIAL-ARTS CLUB