FMA London

   What FMALondon is NOT all about is JUST Filipino Martial Arts.The *FMA* in FMALondon actualy stands for FREESTYLE MARTIAL ARTS.

  What that means is; from the instructors point of view, with 38 yearsof experience in the Pugilism field, he has discovered there are no *secret* techniques, there are no *magical* powers and, *a punch is just a punch*.

    What we offer is a *rounded* system of fighting.

Not a *perfect* system of fighting. Meaning, we cover everything from weapons, heavily based in Filipino, Thai and more modern combatives, such as street fighting and *Reality Based Self Defense* to stand up empty hands and ground fighting.

   We *specialize* in nothing but Self Preservation.(Self Preservation IS PERFECTION) We do not follow a *lineage*. Following a *lineage* actually implies you follow ONE persons interpretation on how HE found success in fighting. What people don't realize is, no ONE person ever got it right for the masses. Only for himself.

But, because he has all the shiny trophies and *purdy little titles*, people are fooled into thinking *if it works for him, it's GOTTA work for me!*

  SO, you should not just pay for a *name*, you should do RESEARCH and don't be afraid of hurting anyones feeling when you aren't happy with what YOU are paying for. After all, it is YOUR life you are trying to protect, not his reputation or wallet.

   Let me ask you this.... for an example;  What if this so called *champion* is right handed? He trains right handed, he fights right handed, he wins right handed.

You're left handed. (south-paw) Can he teach you how to fight *your way* or is he stuck teaching you HIS way because right handed is all he knows? Can he step outside of his comfort zone to teach left handed? Can he teach you how to defeat a right handed fighter?

 In this day and age, 98% of the time; NO. He cannot.

  Next example; all these *trophies*.... they are obviously won in sport tournaments. 99.9% of ALL sport based training will be fairly ineffective in a life or death confrontation(and all street attacks should be treated as such)because ALL sport based *martial arts* have rules that do not apply to the streets and they are all geared to dealing with 1 on 1 confrontations. Street/military combat situations are based in *I AM GOING TO WIN AT ALL COSTS* and, 98% of the time, will involve weapons, multiple opponents or both. Being able to get one guy down in an arm bar is all fine and dandy...until his friends walk up and start stomping your head in while you are trying to go for the *tap*.

    In FMALondon, we acknowledge, whole heartedly, that NO single system is perfect NOR are you going to fight exactly like the person you are training with or beside. You may be a south-paw. That means right handed styles are useless to you unless they can be taught to swap over. We try to accommodate YOUR needs. Not what we think you should do, but, YOU need to do.

    In FMA systems, 99% of the time, the angle 1 attack is usually a right forehand attack. Guess what? No ONE systems owns that technique! So, why should you follow ONE persons system just because of that?  Most systems on the planet are derived from one way of fighting.*Just hit the attacker!*. That is where it all started from BEFORE we fell out of the trees. Anything else that popped up after that, was just a way to avoid, or, confuse the other guy.   

   There a lot of politics based in misconceptions in the martial arts these days.The only thing to come out of it is... there is enough out there to please everyone. Everything from actual self-defense combatives to the overwhelming *placebo effect*.

     In FMALondon, we offer options. Not a system.  We do our best to draw on almost 4 decades of learning and experienceto try and find a way to develop something YOU can use when the time is needed.

Some people are very happy with what we teach, some use it as a stepping stone to go on to something they find more appealing and more suitable to themselves. If we teach someone something, we always tell where it came from and, if the person wants to specialize in that particular area, we do our best to find them the school they desire.

   We cannot guarantee anything. We will not be so arrogant as to say our style is best. It is not. There are no fancy techniques, no over complicated *katas*(actually, there are no *katas*), nothing is drawn out just so you can keep giving up your money.

   Our base foundation is just simple *meat and potatoes* of Pugilism. 

We are big on footwork for dealing with multiple opponents and dealing with weapons, both, offensively and defensively, and we are big on just using simple, basic, everyday actions and reactions based in YOUR responses.     

    We don't *grade*, exactly, but, you are assessed.   We don't make you stand in front *dan boards* who relish in embarrassing youand humiliating you when you give 100%..( In fact, there is no *dan board*) and, by keeping in with this practice, there are no *grades* to be charged for.

    We want to build your confidence. Your *performance* is not that important to us because we set no *bar* for you to reach other than your own full potential, or, as close as we can get. We do not compare you to other peoples way of fighting. We assess what YOU can do with options given to you. We try to prepare you for as many possibilities as we can and hope for the best if you ever have to use it.

    The chief instructor may not be a world champion.He may not have all the *trophies* and *life time achievement awards*, but, what he does have is the library of knowledge gained from extensive travel, experience, and he is still here to tell the tale and, hopefully, pass it on to those who are interested AND he is still learning himself... after all these years ;)

    In fact, if a *student* has something to pitch in, he freely sits back and allows him to do so. WE can, and SHOULD, learn from everyone who has something to offer.

My Grandaddy.

WW2 combat vet.

Confederate Gentleman.

Carpenter, farmer

and

ass kicker extraordinaire.