Over the last few years, I have been very inspired by the many excellent martial artists that have been promoting our arts for health. Guro Inosanto of course has been propagating this idea for a long time, and it is well known how much value Sigung Bruce Lee placed in health, dieting and conditioning. The very broad application of Filipino Martial Arts gained prominence in the late 1970’s when Guro Inosanto, Larry Hartsell, Tim Tackett and others trained the Dallas Cowboys. Guro Paul McCarthy is one of the individuals who have carried on what we now know as Applied Martial Arts to the football team at UCLA through Gridiron Combatives, and brought great awareness to the cognitive benefits of Kali with his Cognitive Kali program.
These ideas, that our Filipino Martial Arts can be used not only in military application, civilian protection and competitive sport but also for mental clarity, athletic attribute development and physical conditioning are what truly has allowed me to believe this journey to be a lifelong endeavor, not limited to the young and physically gifted. Over the last few years, the concept of mobility has also garnered popularity especially with people like Kelly Starrett and Mobility WOD. His own description of training not only as a method and conditioning tool but as a diagnostic for basic physical movement and expression is in my opinion parallel to how we use Filipino Martial Arts.
My clips on Martial Mobility are nothing new. They are movements, exercises and even techniques passed down through the great giants before me. The concept of Filipino Martial Art as something more than combat has always been taught, and the spotlight on the great benefits of this training has been done before, and still today by my peers and seniors far better than I . But this is my contribution. Another presentation of our arts, especially for those transitioning from one station in life dominated by combat and competition, to a season of longevity and maintenance. Maybe it’s just because I’ll be turning 40.
In any case, please enjoy and incorporate into your own practice if you find it useful. Please suggest topics or concepts, engage in conversation and dialogue. This is, in a way my own JKD expression of FMA.
Research your own experience.
Absorb what is useful.
Reject what is useless.
Add what is essentially your own.
All thanks and respect to Guro Inosanto, and all those that continue to inspire me.
LAKAS FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS 