Re:
\”The material seemed like it would work in with krav pretty well, because it assumes a muay thai like stance for most of it (similar to krav) and is all applied to freestyle fighting as opposed to stylized compliant techniques- and its not weapon fighting.\” – CLFMak
I believe FMA concepts and principles can easily be applied to any martial art you are practicing. A majority of our students are primarily KM students ranging from levels 1-4. All of them have used Serrada in combination with Krav when they are in fight class and found it to be extremely useful. When asked at what point in their fighting they found themselves using Serrada, they all stated that it was when they felt \”stuck\” after using a Krav technique. They also mentioned that they like combining the two styles because Serrada works great in \”filling in the holes\” and helping them to flow from blocking to striking easier and quicker. Although the system is very capable to be used on its own, it creates an extremely fast and much more destructive fighter when combined with another style, such as Krav… even without weapons.
Weaponwork in Serrada can easily be translated to empty hand fighting. Many of you are saying that FMA(Kali) is all about sticks and fighting with weapons. Look at the traditional style defenses…. now take away the sticks and perform the same move. It can be done and can be just as effective as if done with the sticks. The stick is simply an extension of your arms. When you train with sticks, switching over to empty hand becomes so much easier.
\”While Filipino stuff is highly effective and very well-thought out, it’s also very intricate and complex. One would have to train for years and years before the training would significantly help with self-defense. Those years are what most people aren’t willing to commit to.\” – KravMDjeff
We’ve used \”Filipino stuff\” to teach self defense classes using improvised weapons to people with little to no martial arts training and they were able to pick it up and apply it easily. If you have an instructor who can explain the concepts and principles in layman’s terms, they can break down this \”intricate and complex\” system into one that can be used quickly and by anyone. When taught correctly, the \”Filipino stuff\” can be used immediately.
So, getting back to whether Kali or any other FMA is effective for self defense, I believe it is. It’s easy to learn, uses natural body movement, and works well with improvised weapons. Try this…. learn one of the stick defenses. Then take away the stick and pretend your arms are the sticks. Now perform that same defense with either an open hand or closed fist. It’ll still work. Try it… combine it with Krav or whatever style you favor… I do.
