There is much about the Filipino martial arts (FMA) that at first can seem difficult. In many cases, we feel that various concepts are at odds with each other or even directly in conflict. The movements are initially hard to master and don't feel natural, particularly if like me you are coming from a very different background. The ideas of FMA can feel very alien, at least for the first few years.
Lately, in my research while teaching expressions of 5 count sumbrada, I am thinking a lot about compactness. On one hand, the idea of being compact is an essential part of being a good fighter and a cornerstone of FMA movement. In general, we prefer to have the knees deeply bent and to move low to the ground. We often avoid jumping or large steps in favor of keeping the footwork more as a shuffle, using the coiling step to develop explosive striking power. As time goes on, my blocking positions (when I block at all) in stick/empty hand/knife become more and more compact.
I find that I prefer to be very close to my opponent, negating any reach advantage (I'm small) and allowing me easy access to any vital targets without a lot of excess stepping or reaching. From the stick and blade I have found that when I "go get" an attack I end up losing my guard and structure and it becomes easy to hit my hands, get a disarm or pass my guard and hit my body or head. When I reach for the incoming attack I am often vulnerable to fakes. I'm much faster when I stay compact and I feel more protected. I also find it easier to get traps and disarms the closer to my body I am. Conversely, as a fighter I like to cause my opponent to extend their blocks, “drawing” them away from their guard in order to open up opportunities and attacking lines, often through strikes like abanico/witik or vertical redondo. Since this a key aspect of my fighting strategy, I deliberately keep my guard close and tight to avoid someone using those strategies on me.
In contrast, instead of being compact I usually want to extend fully when I hit or cut something. I want to use the reach of the weapon fully, and in FMA most weapons operate via centrifugal force via the shoulder, which means the more extended my arm is the more impact energy is transferred to the striking tip. This is less necessary with a blade, but helps a lot when you hit with the rattan and want to have stopping power.
Extending my arm fully when I attack also prevents the opponent from easily stepping back out of range, which can happen if I shorten the arc of my swing. I want to make sure the opponent must address my attack with a block or intercept rather than just dodging out of the way. That means I want to get both a powerful strike and long weapon arc wherever possible.
What I found is that I try to be as compact as possible when I block and as extended as possible when I attack. this combination of opposing principles seems to give me the most effective movement and the best "look" to my flow. When I emphasize this with my students, they definitely look better in 5 count sumbrada and can operate the drill more smoothly and quickly.
For footwork as well, when defending I keep my steps as compact and minimal as possible, usually one step and bring the trailing foot, no more. When attacking, I try to use the 45 degree corners aggressively and go as far on them as I can, always pressuring forward and always threatening to flank my opponent. This seems to help by keeping them constantly adjusting rather than focusing on finding attacking lines into me.
Thus, my current approach is a combination of being very compact and being very extended, which I consider to be two sides of the same coin.
I'm still working through this topic with my students and thinking a lot about it every day. I'll write up more as I develop more hypotheses and test them in class.
Please share your own thoughts and observations.
Train hard.
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