Prospective Members
Interested in joining our training group? Based on the last 20 years of expereince with prospective members, here's some things we think you should know.
We are not a "Self-Defense" Class
Does learning FCS and FMA in general help you defend yourself? Yes, it does. But Self-defefnse is it's own specialized field of training and should be respected as such. Our focus is on training the techniques and flow of Filipino Martial Arts, not on self-defense specific scenarios.
If there are questions related to self-defense scenarios, we will try to address them and show how our skill set fits into them. We may even spend time in class or teach a seminar about specific defense techniques or scenarios, but this is not the primary focus of our day-to-day training.
If you need to learn to defend yourself quickly, or are looking for training to aid in things like security or law enforcement, contact us about specialized training.
This is not a "Fitness" Class
...but it does require work. Our focus is on training technique and flow, but doing martial arts does require a certain level of physical fitness. We don't have enough time in class to dedicate to a full fitness routine, and all of our members are encouraged to train their fitness outside of class (we will provide guidance on how to go about this for those that need it). We will do exercises that have varying levels of physical intensity, but sometimes we favor technique over exertion.
Commitment is Necessary for Growth
Many people come to martial arts with good intentions, but unrealistic expectations. Especially when it comes to time commitment.
Martial arts is a learned physical skill that takes time to develop. Like most physical skills, "if you don't use it, you lose it". We expect our members to commit to regular training, both in class and outside of class. This means attending classes consistently, practicing techniques at home. A good rule of thumb is that it takes a minimum or 3 days of training a week to grow a skill set, and two days a week of training to maintain it (experienced practicioners may be able to get away with training less to maintain their skills). The length and intensity of those training sessions may vary, but the important thing is that you're interacting with your skillset regularly.
To be blunt, if you can't commit to training at least twice a week, you will likely be wasting your time and money as well as the time and money of the other members of the group. We're not here just to take money from people, so we'd rather let people know this up front.
Be Prepared to Train Everything
FMA is a very broad system that includes training with many different weapons and empty hand techniques. Inevitably, that means people will have preferences for certain training modalities. That's perfectly understandable, but we do expect our members to be open to training all aspects of the system.
We will constantly ask for input about what people want to train, but we're not a big enough group to have people come into the room and say, "I only want to train this thing". If that sounds like you, please contact us about private training instead.