Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek: 9th Virginia Cavalry: Boscobel, WI

Background: Earlier in the summer I had the privilege of witnessing a Civil War re-enactment in Keokuk, IA. I wrote an article about it which found it's way to the men and women of the 9th Virginia Cavalry. They contacted me and told me that watching from the sidelines was interesting but participating in a battle was much more exciting. I loved the idea and immediately agreed while quickly enlisting my wife and one of my friends into the battle.

The Civil War has long been a passion of mine and has grown on me even more so since moving down to the USA. In the same way that we study ancient martial arts and swordcraft I believe it is important to study the generals of past wars. If you want to become a better fighter than there are few better people to look at than the warriors of the Civil War.

Our mortar explodes into flames and fury against the Union.

Robert E Lee's aggression during the Seven Days Battles where his unrelenting ferocity caused McClellan to hesitate and ultimately retreat. Ulysses Grant's dogged determination to keep advancing in the Overland Campaign despite tactical loses to win a strategic victory. William Sherman was a master of maneuver warfare as he demonstrated in the Atlanta campaign.

Learning from these heroes of the past, Union and Confederate, can shape the way that modern fighters approach combat. Whether you are a mixed martial artist grinding your way to a strategic victory or in a street fight using wild aggressive to stave off a superior enemy these are lessons that the Civil War teaches. Good fighters train hard and study technique. Great fighters also study the past. Every boxer will watch Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, etc... We can also take similar lessons from the wars of old.

ACWSA shooters sending real ammo into targets. 

What I learned: Battles are team efforts and working as a unit is what drives success. Sure, I had had this lesson before in a number of different formats but never as clearly as when I was crewing on either the Union or Confederate guns. Thinking back to playing Airsoft or LARPing, working together was important but there was also an individual element of success. You could lose your team yet still "go it alone" although you were at a severe handicap. Crewing a cannon or mortar you needed to work together like a well-oiled machine.

On the first day I was fighting with the Union and was stationed on the right flank of the army. In comparison to those around us I was working on a reasonably light gun. The 9 pound Howitzer felt underpowered next to the larger guns around that stretched the length of the field. I don't mind admitting that I was suffering a small amount of envy that my gun wasn't "big enough." Suddenly, Confederate Cavalry swept over the hills and raced towards our lines. Thankfully, they were intercepted by Union cavalry before overrunning us.

Our 9 pounder blazing away.

However, I saw the advantage of our smaller gun on the flank. Able to pivot quickly we might have been able to discharge a round of canister shot. Just like in a modern street fight warriors need to be able to adapt quickly to change. By placing the lighter guns on the sides armies could pivot or "deny the flank" greatly increasing a the chance of surviving an encounter. The greatest damage to an army came when panic set in and they were rooted in disorder. In a fight today, denying that flank is equally important pointing to another great lesson to take from the civil war.

In the end it wasn't my gun that was small. Rather, I was the one being petty and small-minded at not seeing the bigger picture. It is a lesson I won't soon forget.

We work as a team to blast the Confederate lines.

What was Awesome: One of my projects is the "Fighter's Eyes" video series on Youtube where I get to show what it is like to actually be in a fight. One of the hardest and most painful tasks I have is deciding what goes into the video and what has to be cut due to length and flow. In order to keep my videos to under 10 minutes I often have to cut out great footage.

Gatling gun chewing apart targets down range.

This was the case with the demonstrations put on with the American Civil War Shoot Association (ACWSA). The ACWSA is a group dedicated to the firing of historic and replica weapons. After a day on the battlefield we went to go check out the exhibitions of skill and to see real munitions fired. The ACWSA discharged a variety of weaponry including cannons, carbines and Gatling guns.

It was fantastic to see these ancient weapons actually come to life and it gave you an entirely new perspective on them. Watching a cannon rip through barrels and explode against the back of the range was amazing. I actually had the privilege of firing a Gatling gun and it was wild. Pushing the crank around and blasting round after round down range was impossibly fun and really got me thinking on the challenges faced by soldiers in the civil war.

 ACWSA cannon booms on the range.

You can see the impact of the cannon ball after passing through a barrel. 

Conclusion: One of the major concerns that we had was that we didn't have uniforms or any equipment. People clad in 21st century clothing make very poor stand ins on a historical field. When the 9th Virginia reached out to me I broached this topic with them. Without hesitation they informed us that they had spare uniform pieces and could outfit us for the day.

Re-enacting is like any community out there, they want people to participate. They will loan you gear to start and then you can purchase your own pieces. This gets you started and when you are in a position to do so you help the next generation of reenactor, like those before helped you.

Myself, my wife and friend dressed for battle courtesy of the 9th Virginia Cavalry. 

Best regards and keep training,

Martin "Travelling Ronin" Fransham 

If you are interested in training together I would love to get together with you. Drop me a line on facebook and we can connect. I would love to learn from you. 

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Travelling-Ronin/583588935029877?ref=hl
On check the video of my experience with the Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek
Check out the home of the 9th Virginia Calvary: http://www.9thvirginiacavalry.com/
The ACWSA can be found here: http://www.acwsa.org/

Ferguson Protests: Walking Through the Crowd: Ferguson, MO

Background: I went to Ferguson, MO on August 14 and August 15 in order to gain a greater understanding of what was happening. As a Martial Artist that travels around the country I have the rare privilege of interfacing with dozens of schools and fighters. This gives me a unique opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and hear their stories and opinions. With enough people posting their positions on Facebook, LinkedIn and in person it was easy to see that there is a range of opinions. Some people vilified the police while others defended the actions as self-defence.

I don’t train law enforcement but having trained with and under them, we are constantly talking. So when a situation as volatile as Ferguson occurs I like to check it out. It helps me validates what I am learning but also take back a civilian perspective to my friends in the law enforcement community. In the case of Ferguson two things became immediately clear, the police in Ferguson had failed the community utterly and the community desperately needed a police force.

A reminder of that we are all the same.

Observations on the police: There have been a hundred analysts that will debate the necessity of the the police response and the way it was conducted. Walking the protests I was amazed by the fact the police could only hug the edges of the conflict. As I walked around there wasn’t a uniformed officer to be found. Regardless of your view on Mike Brown and Darren Wilson’s characters, when thousands take to the streets and expel the police force, you have a major public relations problem.

It was amazing that no one was hurt in traffic accidents.

The night of the 14^th the armoured units were not deployed and I never saw the riot gear that caused so much uproar. However, in discussing the situation with the residents you got a sense of the mistreatment that they felt. One gentleman I spoke with mentioned being called “a monkey” and that the officers threw bananas at them. At first I wrote this off to exaggeration and hyperbole of an angry man. Yet, as the week went on and we had video of officers calling the citizens “animals” and threatening them with firearms I found myself thinking about the conversation. Suddenly, the man's statement I had written off moved from fictional to plausible. I found myself realising that I was trusting a man I met for only minutes more than the Ferguson police. If my feelings, as someone that is pro law enforcement, could be tainted then it was a small wonder the residents held such a low opinion of the cops.

Note to police – You have technology: A lot of commentary has been made about the militarization of the police. Strangely though, little has been focused on the the technological gap that exists between protester and police. If you have never walked in a protest I highly recommend it. They are noisy, boisterous masses of people that are boiling at an injustice they perceive. The problem with this is that it reduces your world to a tiny microcosm. Gone is the awareness of your surroundings as your hearing is limited to your immediate vicinity and your vision blocked.

My world is reduced the to the rear of the QuikTrip.

The police have a huge advantage. They are communicating over radios, receiving calls from 911 operators, getting pictures from the media via tweets, live streams and drones. Their ability to process data is enormous compare to the singular, unfocussed protester. Which means, the police  might know that there is looting taking place down the street and are moving in to enforce the law and maintain safety. However, this information hasn't been communicated to the protesters. Now, police in riot gear are moving in to clear the streets for public safety yet the people that have assembled peacefully have none of this critical information. Instead, because they are trapped in a microcosm of their immediate surroundings they view it as the police descending on them.

I can tell you that have been prodded with a baton during a protest, nothing turns you on the police faster. I wasn't even hit hard, rather nudged in the ribs with enough intent to demonstrate what would happen if I didn't move. Once this transpired it marred my opinion of the Montreal police for days. Ferguson is no different. Steps need to be taken to communicate with the protesters so they understand police actions.

Even a small wall of people block your view and shrink your world. 

Note to police – Protesters have technology: Although in the moment the individual is caught up in their immediate surroundings they hold a powerful tool. Ferguson demonstrated wonderfully how the collective rage of the internet can be focused with razor precision. Just like the individual protester is nothing compared to the technological superiority of the police, members of the law enforcement community are subjected to the near limitless processing power of the internet. There is an old saying that a if you have a good experience you will tell one person but you will mention a bad experience to ten people. The internet magnifies this a thousand times over with the possibility of a video going viral and being seen by millions.

A mind shift needs to go on in the police force. Cameras are everywhere and they are here to stay. It means that any time law enforcement is performing a police action they are no longer addressing an individual. Rather, law enforcement needs to consider that they are addressing a nation. Make sure that you are comfortable being on camera and speaking to crowds. Video your training sessions and compare them to videos of "bad" cops that go viral. How close are you? Would a video of your force go viral?

Seriously, what would you do if protesters showed up with a horse? Because they did. 

Note to police - Fashion is important: What you wear is important. Forget the "militarisation" of police force. Instead go look at the international section of your newspaper or better yet google "Police Oppression Ferguson." Then google "Police Oppression China" or any other government that you consider harsh to its people. Notice the similarities between the two? 

South African police suppressing the miners in Mokopane. (Photo Credit: Google Images)

Now this isn't to say that the police in the USA are the equivalent to the thugs that are employed by authoritarian governments. Far from it. Having been to places like Zambia where we bribed police officers to drive on the roads, the USA is nowhere close. Yet, it has been said, "appearance is everything" and this is extremely true in this case. Think of the level of indoctrination that the people of America face. Every day they are bombarded by images of oppression and when police dress in the same manner it doesn't matter that they aren't thugs. The perception is that the police force is the same as those they have seen on television. 

Police in Ferguson coming through the tear gas. 

Conclusion: Police are immensely important in any society. Without them law and order breaks down and gangs move in. I saw gangs and had my camera pushed away while being threatened. Yet, the police need the support of the community. When a community would rather trust themselves to the hands of the lawless it speaks not of a single issue but of a systemic distrust. 

. The Outlaw Bikers where just one of various gangs I saw. 

Best regards and keep training,

Martin "Travelling Ronin" Fransham 

If you are interested in training together I would love to get together with you. Drop me a line on facebook and we can connect. I would love to learn from you. On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Travelling-Ronin/583588935029877?ref=hl
On Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwXDjTjOSVMm3-98e0gHUXLlQecYRkcvN

Muay Thai, Jun Fan JKD & Krav Maga: Northshore Academy of Martial Arts: Libertyville, IL

Background: I found myself at Northshore Academy of Martial Arts (NSA) courtesy of a friend of mine, Randy Siordia. Randy and I got connected through social media, and he invited me to come see what NSA did. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw what looked to be a small school sandwiched in a strip mall. Having trained in plenty of small schools, apartments and parks this wasn't a problem for me. However, when I opened the door, I realised that the school stretched much further back and this was anything other than a small school.

Physics at work. You can see our sticks bending on impact.

Northshore Academy is a modern training facility and is equipped to handle a variety of Martial Arts programs. Since I adore Martial Arts I decided to participate in the three programs being offered that evening. It was going to be an evening of Muay Thai, Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do and Krav Maga which meant I was going to get pushed to my limit.

What makes Northshore Academy a great place to train is that Head Instructor Marc Halleck has acquired a fantastic staff to back him up. Each class is taught by a well trained, experienced instructor with the other instructors participating in the class to prevent "instructor fatigue." Instructor fatigue isn't often considered but having travelled around the continent I can tell you greatly effects a class. When instructors get tired they stop engaging their class, the pace slows down and the class is generally disorganized. Whether or not you are even cognisant of it when you get tired and sloppy as a teacher your class sees it and soon they go somewhere else.

Practising groin kicks is a blast with these bags. Unload at full force. 

The way Northshore Academy is structured prevents this. Whether it was intentional or not, it provides a great environment that is full of energy to learn from. 

What did I learn: Between the three classes I learned a ton of new tips to bring up my techniques. Certainly the class that I learned “most” from was the Jeet Kune Do/ Jun Fan stick fighting. We hopped straight into double sticks and I had to get my coordination down. I have always favoured certain sides when fighting or sparring. While fighting with my hands I almost always fight left leg in front switching when I did Historical European Martial Arts I brought right leg forward. Suddenly, I had to contend with ambidextrous drills and was pushed to get my body into alignment to intercept strikes using either leg.

I am reminded that in a real fight my hand would be gone. 

As a fighter it is great to get pushed outside your comfort zone. Having to switch sides and compensate for that discomfort is something that every fighter should go through. When I was competing I can tell you that I was constantly trying to stay in my comfort zone while pushing my opponent from his. Largely, I was very successful. However, despite this there were times that I was pushed well outside where I wanted. Being able to adapt is critical in these situations and I really felt doing the Jun Fan helps develop those skills.

What was awesome: I really enjoyed the approach to the Muay Thai and Krav Maga. During the Muay Thai class we worked on range drills. As a tall guy I love fighting at a distance and making use of my long limbs, however, this in itself wasn't special. What made the drill amazing was the instructor teaching it was a 'swarm fighter" meaning he likes to get in close and overwhelm opponents with close range techniques. Regardless, he realised that every fighter is different and needs to develop their own skills. 

Working in a round kick as part of a multi-strike combo.

I have met many instructors that don't teach to the student and rather teach to themselves. They understand what made them good and that is all they teach. The problem with teaching this way is that it confines you to an incredibly small set of experiences. Even teachers that have fought in competitions, former police officers, soldiers, etc.. have only seen a tiny number of scenarios when weighed against the collective experience of the many. Any successful fighting program, whether competitive or reality-based, leverages multiple coaches and experiences. George St. Pierre, one of the best ever MMA fighters, has trained with Olympic wrestlers, fight teams in Montreal, New Mexico and Brazil, etc... to broaden his experiences. Krav Maga & Jeet Kune Do both have been excellent about grabbing as many resources as they can. It was great to see the NSA embraced this and keeps growing instead of being locked in its own self-aggrandizing static glory. 

Working in long hooks to stay out at range instead of swarming in.

The other thing I really liked was the way the Krav Maga was handled. Guro Marc Halleck drilled us not only on technique but on the legal ramifications of our actions. All to often I will see instructors teaching that they need to "end the fight" without thinking about how the fight must be ended or the consequences. Marc Halleck coached us to always keep thinking as the situation progressed. Reminding fighters to constantly re-evaluate the situation and keep their use of force to within acceptable limits is very important. Sometimes I will see people get caught up in the fantasy of a Martial Art and forget that the world is an extremely diverse place. The acceptable techniques are extremely different if you are an Israeli soldier in the West Bank or a civilian at a party in Chicago. It was great to see an instructor emphasize this. 

Working on some basic pummelling and defence drills.

Conclusion: Northshore Academy of Martial Arts is a great place to train. From their reliance on multiple instructors to keep the classes fresh to their breakdown of sportive and self-defence programs I had a great time. It was great to see an academy that acknowledges all the aspects of Martial Arts. 

Great academy. Go check them out. 

Best regards and keep training,

Martin "Travelling Ronin" Fransham 

If you are interested in training together I would love to get together with you. Drop me a line on facebook and we can connect. I would love to learn from you. On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Travelling-Ronin/583588935029877?ref=hl
On Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwXDjTjOSVMm3-98e0gHUXLlQecYRkcvN

Go see NSA's website and more of what they do: http://nsama.com/

Randy Siordia of Wolf Martial Art's directed me over to NSA. Go look at his stuff as well. http://www.wolfmartialarts.net/

Haidong Gumdo: Friendly Practice Group: Ottawa, ON

Background: Haidong Gumdo* is a Korean sword art that is growing in popularity in North America. It revolves around the use of the Ssangsoodo, a two-handed sword that is similar to the Japanese Katana. The Hai Dong Gumbo association arose in April of 1983 in Seocho-gu, Seoul and in 1996 was incorporated as the World Hai Dong Gumdo Federation. Since that point it has slowly spread across the globe.

I was introduced to Haidong Gumdo by a friend of mine Chris Ouillet. He and his wife had been training for years and rented space at a local karate dojo to train themselves. Over time they have gathered a group of dedicated sword practitioners interested in learning top-notch skills. Naturally, I was curious to find out more about this art.

Chris yells at me to lower my stance and work my legs.

Unlike so many other of the Asian Martial Arts where they just practice their forms and slash at the air, Haidong Gumdo believes in being a fighting art. Similar to any art that carries a combat focus they are all about eliminating excess and techniques that are simply there for flowery effect. Of course there is a "pageantry" or "show" side of Haidong Gumdo that is used in demonstration, however, this is present in all Martial Arts. At its core Haidong Gumdo is a functional art.

In Eastern Canada the Haidong Gumdo tournament seen is very limited. Therefore, Haidong Gumdo fighters tend to drift across several arts from Kendo to Historical European Martial Arts. Where you find a culture that swung long swords you will find fighters of this Korean sword art. Rather than being purists the cross pollination across several arts makes them strong fighters in numerous types of combat.

Chris and I competing at the Borealis Sword Symposium in 2013.

I joined Chris at the 2013 Borealis Sword Symposium and had the privilege of fighting beside him. Before entering the longsword division Chris gave me a number of tips that kept me more or less alive and allowed me to win my fights. Borealis was a tournament for Historical European Martial Arts but attracted the Haidong Gumdo fighters. You can also find them at other tournaments like Longpoint in Boston and other tournaments beyond practising and perfecting their craft.

The Ssangsoodo is the sword in the center and is flanked by Katanas. 

What did I learn: Obviously, I come from a background of fighting with my hands so fighting with weapons is largely new. I have taken three months of Historical European Martial Arts with a great group in Montreal called Arte Dimicatoria and they taught me a lot but I am still the most basic of beginners with the bladed arts. Spending a couple of hours working on my fundamentals is invaluable to me. From basic stances to beginner cuts, spending time working these techniques ups my survival rate.

Footwork and speed are crucially important as I lag behind. 

Unlike the striking and grappling arts, bladed arts are terribly unforgiving to mistakes. You can roll with a punch or fight through a submission attempt but you cannot fight through a sword cut. Massive trauma begins to shut the body down and limits someone abilities to fight back. With a focus on moving fast, getting in and getting out, Haidong Gumdo does its best to keep it's fighters alive and safe.

I get pressured to keep my range during a spacing drill. 

What was Similar: Immediately, I was impressed by the work ethic of this group. Although they say that they're a casual group just training for themselves they carry themselves like anything otherwise. They have a dedicated training plan that they follow that brings them through cardio, strength training and basic techniques. With the conclusion of their fundamentals they suit up and begin sparring and other combat techniques.

Solid foundations are worth more than all the advanced techniques in the world. If you don't have sound footings for your fighting style it crumbles under pressure. I have spent countless hours throwing jabs to perfect my striking. Haidong Gumdo is no different, hence all those basic cuts that we warmed up with. It was great to see that even in this small group didn't shrink the easy to forget basics.

I challenged Chris to a ridiculous fight with foam staffs since I lacked protective gear.

I was cut to pieces. 

Conclusion: Sometimes who you train with is what you defines you as a Martial Artist. It doesn't require the biggest gym or a thousand people that are just interest in showing up. You need dedicated people who strive to better themselves each and every time they train.

An evening training with great people. 

Best regards and keep training,

Martin "Travelling Ronin" Fransham

If you are interested in training together I would love to get together with you. Drop me a line on Facebook and we can connect. I would love to learn from you. 

*I found "Haidong Gumdo" spelt in numerous fashions, Hai Dong Gumdo, Haedong Gumdo, etc... I chose to use the spelling Haidong Gumdo unless an association or group spelt it differently. 

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Travelling-Ronin/583588935029877?ref=hlOn Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwXDjTjOSVMm3-

If you are in Ottawa and want to train with a great Haidong Gumdo group?  Give Chris an email: rabbit.of.war@gmail.com

Muay Thai: Grizzly Gym: Kingston, ON

Background: Muay Thai exploded into western consciousness with the rise of UFC and Mixed Martial Arts in general. What had been viewed in the past as an eclectic Martial Art suddenly blew up as one of the most functional and dangerous fighting styles in the world. As fighters learned to overcome the grapplers and wrestlers in MMA it gave rise to infamous "Sprawl & Brawl" fighters before gradually growing into more complete fighters.

Kru Pete checking a kick beautifully.

What is it that makes Muay Thai so dangerous in the ring over some of the other fighting styles like Kung Fu and Karate? Is it that Muay Thai is fundamentally better than other Martial Arts? As a fighter with a background in Chinese Martial Arts I have always been curious on this. Surely no fighting style is better than another? Yet, if that statement holds true, why does Muay Thai produce so many champion fighters?

I reached out and contacted an old friend of mine, Mike Martelle, in order to get a better understanding. Mike and I competed against each other and have trained together on numerous occasions. Mike now runs his own gym in Kingston, Ontario and has led the Grizzlies into battle all over North American and beyond. Mike himself has fought around the globe, competing from Russia to Central America making him ideal to ask about the strengths of Muay Thai.

Kru Cody whipping a kick out at his adversary. 

Mike was more than willing to oblige me and, even better, he let me bring a couple of friends of mine. This let us host a whole gathering of Travelling Ronins. Kru Cody and Kru Pete were teaching the Muay Thai class and provided a wicked experience where we worked through some basics and then drove us into some more advanced techniques. It was a great day of Chinese Sanda fighters learning from Muay Thai fighters and a mixing of techniques.

Mike Martelle (left) and Eugene Shewchuk (Right) have both

played a great roll in developing me as a fighter.

Now, Mike was extremely gracious and let me film everything. However, all but the group photo are taken from the Grizzly Gym facebook page. Unfortunately, my camera was lost in a completely preventable fishing accident and the footage I shot was lost as well.

What did I Learn: I am extremely comfortable in fight gyms having trained in so many over the years. So I always like it when a fight gym can take things to the next level and really push me. After warming up with some standard callisthenic exercises we dove straight into working on a series of wicked combo drills. With the rotations it forced us to work with a variety of partners and body types to get our technique down.

Kru Cody (left) ran us through some awesome drills.

I also loved that the Grizzlies work into some incredibly tough and complex combos. I have seen a lot of schools that stop at four strike combos. Kru Cody had us blasting way beyond that in order to help develop the "killer instinct" necessary to win fights. "Killer Instinct" isn't about being violent or brutal, it is about continuing to press the assault when you have momentum. Far too often fighters will throw a couple of punches and than stop to assess the damage they have done allowing their opponent to gain their breath and reset.

What was similar: With my background in Chinese Sanda and MMA there were a lot of techniques that were familiar to me. With a few technical differences on how you throw a kick or a punch Muay Thai was easy to slip into. The Grizzlies were preparing for a fight that was coming in two weeks and you could see the competitive spirit radiating from them.

Grizzly Gym fighter PJ Ste Marie after his May 3rd, 2014 MMA Victory.

Fighters carry themselves with an easy confidence and it is wonderful to be around. Neither Kru Cody or Kru Pete had any ego in working with the fighters I brought down and so we were free to exchange techniques and learn. It was fantastic that Coach Mike Martelle had imposed such a great atmosphere to come train in. All my crew left asking when they could meet with the Grizzlies again.

Conclusion: Friendships like the one I have with Coach Mike Martelle are what make Martial Arts so much fun. I had a question on Muay Thai and he brought me in without hesitation. It is the mark of a true Martial Artist. 

To answer why Muay Thai fighters are so dangerous the answer was clear. Preparation and structure allow the style to turn out fantastic Martial Artists. I often saw Kru Cody refer to a lesson plan throughout the day which implies goals for the lesson and a focus on fighter development. It also means he wasn't just "winging it," rather approaching the training in a results orientated strategy. Muay Thai makes great fighters because they have a goal, measurable objectives to achieve it and structured approach to their training. I certainly will take that lesson with me.

A great day training with some old and new friends!

Best regards and keep training,

Martin "Travelling Ronin" Fransham 
If you are interested in training together I would love to get together with you. Drop me a line on facebook and we can connect. I would love to learn from you. 

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Travelling-Ronin/583588935029877?ref=h

On Youtube: Travelling Ronin

Go take a look at Grizzly Gym: http://www.grizzlygym.com/

Pekiti-Tirsia Kali: RFA Martial Academy: Addison, IL

Background: I have loved fighting with weapons for as long as I can remember. However, most of my introduction to weapons had come in the form of Medieval Martial Arts and Chinese Martial Arts. I had almost no experience with Filipino Martial Arts. Sure I had heard of Kali but other that knowing they did “stick fighting” I couldn’t have told you much about it.

Paul Ingram charging forward to slash me to ribbons.

Kali has many other names and you will sometimes hear of it referred to as Arnis or Escrima due to the Spanish influence in the Philippines. Like all of the Martial Arts I visit I was surprised by how rich and diverse the culture of fighting goes in Kali. This was anything but mere “stick fighting.” Filipino Martial Arts are as different and incredible as any of the Chinese Martial Arts I have studied. 

What I have always found extremely interesting is how cultures adopt from each other. During the colonial era Spain influenced the Philippines enormously. The sea-faring nations exported their cultures around the globe bringing various ideologies and technologies with them. Today, the situation is reversed. Kali is being exported around the world and has become a part of the Martial Arts of several militaries.

We started warming up with a basic pattern to develop timing. 

Pekiti-Tirsia Kali is one of main systems of Kali and was officially created by the Tortal Family in 1897. The current head of the system is Grand Tuhon Leo Gage Jr. who has been extremely devoted to growing this system of Kali. Beneath him gentlemen like Tuhon Tim Waid have been teaching the Filipino Marines and giving seminars around the world.

Paul Ingram was one of the people that got hooked on Tim Waid’s teachings and has dedicated himself to PTK. Paul is quite short and sought to level the field between him and larger fighters. When confronted with kickboxing or grappling he found they favoured a larger fighter. Indeed, the UFC will never place Demetrious Johnson against Jon Jones. Weapons provided that equalizer he was looking for. Suddenly speed killed and every strike was devastating. PTK turned a smaller fighter into a human weapon.

Tom takes my wrist. 

What I Learned: Pekiti-Tirsia Kali is described as a system not an art which I found very interesting. Paul stressed several times throughout the evening that a system is what you use and an art is what you create. The example that stuck with me the most was that of a painter. A painter / artist will use a system to create the piece they are working on. A baroque painter and a modern painter will both create “art” based on how they approach the canvas yet the result will be radically different.

The same is true with Pekiti-Tirsia Kali. Students are encouraged to learn the system and then create their own expression of the art. Larger fighters, like myself, might hit harder and stronger whereas a smaller fighter becomes fluid and flows faster.  It was this incredible dynamic of structure mixed with self-expression that I really enjoyed from RFA Martial Academy.

Paul and Tom working at full speed. 

The name stands for “Require Further Achievement” and is designed to push you and to not except limits. The limitations we face are largely self-imposed and RFA Martial Academy asks you to always continue learning and growing. There is no end just simply a new challenge to look at and conquer. Paul Ingram lives the philosophy that you should never stop growing and improving.

What was Similar: RFA Martial Academy matches some of the top schools I have been to because of their openness to questions. Paul is a believer that you should challenge and push your teacher. The strength of any system, whether it is Kali or another Martial Art, is its ability to withstand questioning. If your style and primarily your teacher cannot accept being pushed to answer hard questions then perhaps there is a fundamental flaw in what you are learning.

Tom slashes my face. He stopped with perfect precision. 

Teachers need to be open and welcoming with their students’ questions. It is something that my first teacher, Sifu John Hum, strove to install in me. When I took up grappling, Coach Eugene Shewchuk, was always there and answering questions. As an instructor your students should be helping you grow and making you a better teacher. 

Conclusion: A big reason I try to train with new groups and new people all the time is because it helps pull back the veil of ignorance and helps me grow as a Martial Artist. RFA Martial Academy showed me that Kali is way more advanced then I had ever imagined. I can't wait to see more of it. 

Awesome night training with a fantastic crew of people at RFA Martial Academy. 

Best regards and keep training,

Martin "Travelling Ronin" Fransham

If you are interested in training together I would love to get together with you. Drop me a line on facebook and we can connect. I would love to learn from you. 

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Travelling-Ronin/583588935029877?ref=hl

On Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwXDjTjOSVMm3-

Check out RFA Martial Academy: http://www.rfamartialacademy.com/