SANDATA (WEAPONS)

The weapons curriculum is both traditional and practical. It is derived from a number of disciplines put together systematically to provide the student with the necessary foundation, skills, and progression to be an effective weapons practitioner.

Solo Baston (Single Stick)

This involves the use of a single impact weapon, usually in the form of a rattan stick. Students will learn the concepts of long, middle, and short distancing and the respective techniques afforded at these ranges.

Training in solo baston provides practitioners with a baseline of strength and endurance. Students are first taught the technical foundation of striking, evading, defending, and disarming blunt and edged weapons. The learning process begins with choreographed drills with or without a partner and then progresses into free-flow or un-choreographed drills that are applied to self defense.

Training in solo baston, at its ultimate expression, progresses to the use of bladed weapons such as the bolo (machete) or itak (short sword).

Doble Baston (Double Stick)

This involves the use of two 28-inch rattan sticks simultaneously, one per hand. Although considered a high form of kali, arnis, eskrima, doble baston training allows the equal and simultaneous development of both sides of the body. In addition to the coordination and dexterity developed, double stick training translates seamlessly into body mechanics needed for empty hand training and self defense.

Students begin with fundamental coordination drills and carefully progress onto more intermediate concepts with choreographed drills and then advance on to un-choreographed drills where the student learns to defend against random attacks.

Training in doble baston progresses to double sword (doble espada) — the use of two bladed weapons simultaneously.

Espada y Daga (Sword and Dagger)

This involves the use of two weapons of unequal length simultaneously, one per hand, and are usually in the form of espada y daga (sword and dagger) or baston y daga (stick and dagger).

Espada y daga introduces unique body mechanics that enables the practitioner to control the opponent’s range offensively and defensively. Due to the size difference in weapons used, the practitioner also learns to develop proper speed, timing, and distance in relation to the weapons used and the oncoming attacker.

The student will learn the basic techniques of espada y daga, and move towards pre-arranged flows and partnered drills. At the most advanced levels they will be able to defend against all manners of attacks — doble baston, solo baston, or espada y daga, without any preset patterns.

Dulo-Dulo/Improvised Weaponry (Double Pointed Palm Stick)

Dulo-Dulo is a double pointed palm stick that can be used for self defense. Everything a student learns in our system can be applied with improvised weapons such as tactical pens, books, bottles, magazines, or umbrellas. Students learn to be adept in identifying self-defense weapons of opportunity both on their person(s) and in the surrounding environment.

Scenario training is an integral part of the learning process where students learn to defends themselves against multiple armed or unarmed attackers utilizing improvised weapons they might have on hand to defend themselves.

This phase of training is essential to FMA students of all levels who are interested in self-defense.