Modern Arnis Q's

[Untouchable]

Hi all,

I'm new to this board and to MA's too I have the opportunity to take modern Arnis by a really good and experienced teacher(guro?) I would like to know the answer to the following Q's:

1) How good is Modern Arnis as an unarmed self-defense system? I know it's a complete MA system, but I would like to know how good will someone trained in Modern Arnis do against another MA artist (insert art here ) with the same physical abilities and the same time/experience in training. I know this is a
"stupid" question, but perhaps some of you know were I'm trying to go.

2) What are the differences between modern arnis and the other philipino weapon based systems?

Thanx!

[sercuerdas]

modern arnis empty hand is very good, the stick trains the hands.
i'm an escrima practioner, so i will leave the detiled explanation of the art to a modern arnis guy, but the art is very good if taught correctly. just look out for watered down junk that is taught at alot of karate schools.

[Reactor]

Modern Arnis is ok provided you have a good teacher. IMHO however there are other styles better suited for developing empty-hand skills.

Actually, in my experience, the good modern arnis practitioners rarely limit themselves to Modern Arnis. The good ones are open-minded and usually explore other styles as well.

In case you are wondering, I am a Lakan Isa in Modern Arnis but shifted to another style a few years ago. In the latter, my fighting ability, whether H2H or weapon, shot up exponentially.

Was my new style better? Perhaps. This is simply my truth. This might not necessarily be the case with you or others.

Actually, the real challenge is finding a good teacher. If you don't have any experience, everyone looks good.

Someone once said that the martial arts is an investigative journey. Quite true. Like food, FMA has many flavors. You need to check out several and pick out the one that suits you best. Then you need to find a good teacher who will bring out the best in you.

Reactor

[Dan Anderson]

My own experience...

Hi Untouchable,

I have been training in Modern Arnis for over 20 years so from my perspective, I liked it right off the bat because it was self defense oriented. It differs from a number of other FMA systems as it is not so much a form of "stick fighting" (skilled eskrimador vs. eskrimador) but it for self defense. As far as against against another martial artist of similar attributes, when it's mano a mano, it's up to the man. There are a number of decent teachers out there. Tell me where are you based and then I can give you suggestions.

Yours,
Dan Anderson

[Untouchable]

Thanx for all the replies

Reactor,

Thanx for the info. I have also thought of other styles, in fact, I'm going to(atleast plan to) train in Aikido or jujitsu at some point in my life. I just love grappling techniques and throws, but I'll try the Arnis first. Would you recommend training in both arts at the same time? I was thinking of doing this, but I thought that I should have a strong base on one first and then move to the other.

Dan,

Thanx for the info! I liked the description you gave about modern Arnis. Seems I'll like it even more than what I do know. As for my location I'm located outside the states, in Puerto Rico

[Reactor]

Untouchable:

When I mentioned other styles, I was referring to other FMA styles, but it's not a bad idea to do other MAs so long as they complement each other. There are some MAs that are irreconcilable. I do BJJ myself although my base is and always will be FMA.

As I said, modern arnis is one good way to go. It's greatest strength (emphasis on safety ... I call it student-friendly) is also it's greatest weakness, but again some teachers depart from this which is why I pointed out that it depends on the teacher.

Since you're after self-defense, I recommend you look for at least a couple of things in your training regimen regardless of what arnis style you practice: (a) fighting in all ranges, but emphasis on close quarter. This will give you confidence where most empty-hand fights happen. Also, long-range stick fighting is excellent for weapons work and learning how to enter, but not as good for developing empty-hand skills; and (b) contact shock meaning when you train, you aim to hit the target, not the stick.

There are many other important things to look for of course but having these two will ensure you will learn quickly.

Just my .02 cents.

Reactor

[Untouchable]

Originally posted by Reactor
Untouchable:

When I mentioned other styles, I was referring to other FMA styles, but it's not a bad idea to do other MAs so long as they complement each other. There are some MAs that are irreconcilable. I do BJJ myself although my base is and always will be FMA.

As I said, modern arnis is one good way to go. It's greatest strength (emphasis on safety ... I call it student-friendly) is also it's greatest weakness, but again some teachers depart from this which is why I pointed out that it depends on the teacher.

Since you're after self-defense, I recommend you look for at least a couple of things in your training regimen regardless of what arnis style you practice: (a) fighting in all ranges, but emphasis on close quarter. This will give you confidence where most empty-hand fights happen. Also, long-range stick fighting is excellent for weapons work and learning how to enter, but not as good for developing empty-hand skills; and (b) contact shock meaning when you train, you aim to hit the target, not the stick.

There are many other important things to look for of course but having these two will ensure you will learn quickly.

Just my .02 cents.

Reactor

Reactor,

Thanx ALOT for your helpful advice