People are attracted to the Martial Arts for a wide variety of reason. Some want to be the next Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Chuck Norris or Helio Gracie. Some are looking for an energizing and stimulating workout that has practical applications. Some are the competitive type and are looking for a challenging sport to test their abilities. Others are looking for self-discipline, an Eastern approach to health improvement or spirituality. Still others are seeking a real-world solution to protecting themselves and their families in a violent world.

No one martial art is going to be right for everyone, and so the purpose of this article is to answer a few questions, give you an overview of what we teach at the Modern Martial Arts Institute, and — if you think we have a good match — guide you through the next steps of beginning your martial arts training.

Which Martial Arts Are Right For Me?
Finding the right martial art for you depends on your goals and expectations. What do you want to do In your martial arts training, and what do you want to get out of it?

We teach the Southern Chinese art of Wing Chun and the Filipino art of Balintawak Escrima. These are fast, furious and practical combat and self-defense systems. If you’re goal is to train in a martial art that can help you protect yourself and your family, you’re probably going to really like Wing Chun and Balintawak.

Wing Chun was an obscure art and little known outside of southern China and Hong Kong until the mid twentieth century. The style traces its roots back about 300 years to the Southern Shaolin Temple. At that time, the temple a was sanctuary to the Chinese revolution that was trying to overthrow the ruling Manchu. Because of this, the Manchu raided the temple and burned it to the ground, killing as many of the Shaolin monks as they could.

A lone nun, Ng Mui, survived the slaughter. She wandered the countryside, finally befriending in a young woman named Yim Wing Chun. Various versions of the legend of Wing Chun exist, but most agree that Ng Mui taught Yim Wing Chun a newly modified version of Shaolin Kung Fu that could be learned quickly and which would be effective for a fighter against a bigger and stronger opponent.

The system was passed down through the years, and eventually became known as Wing Chun, in honor of the founder. The veil of secrecy around the art was finally broken in the early 1950's when Grandmaster Yip Man began teaching publicly in Hong Kong, and his students began gaining noteriety for besting many systems and experienced opponents in streetfights and "friendly" competitions. The art enjoyed even more popularity when one of its students, Bruce Lee, began to enjoy world wide fame.

Eskrima, arnis, kali, kalirogan or garote are a few of the names for the martial art indigenous to the Filipinos. This system is not copied, rehashed or borrowed from anything foreign. It was developed by ancient Filipinos who fought with rattan sticks and balisong, kris, pinute, kampilan and bolo knives. Its history is imbedded deep way back into the pre-historic Philippines.

Eskrima was used to repel early Spanish invaders including battles with Ferdinand Magellan's forces, as recorded by Magellan historian and chronicler Pigafetta. It was a sport of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal and other heroes like General Gregorio del Pilar, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Antonio Luna and Andres Bonifacio. In Bobby Taboada's exposure to the Masters, he learned the history of the Balintawak Club in relation to the other eskrima clubs in Cebu. That it was the Great Grandmaster "Ansiong" Bacon who was the acknowledged master of the art way back in the 1930's and that the latter-day masters were his students.

In Balintawak eskrima the stick is used as the primary training tool to familiarize the students with weapons and blows. It is believed that familiarity in confronting weapons reduces fear and panic in actual combat.

Many people use the terms “Martial Arts” and “Self-Defense” interchangeably. Let’s be perfectly clear: they are not the same thing. Martial Arts covers a broad spectrum of study, ranging from performance-oriented art to sports competition to battlefield combat. Self-defense, by comparison, has a very narrow definition. For our purposes, we’re going to define it as what you do to get yourself or another person out of a potentially dangerous, threatening or violent situation.

With proper instruction in the martial arts you can control the stress and tension in your life, take off excess weight and enjoy yourself while learning an effective self-defense. Along with looking and feeling better you will gain self-confidence.

Martial arts builds and maintains muscle tone. A martial arts program is designed to keep the body perfectly conditioned. Its insistence on mental alertness keeps a sound mind in a sound body.

The immediate aim of the true martial arts is the welfare of the student. Not only will self-defense skills be attained, but more importantly will be the focus on the individual’s character development. A well-rounded personality can be realized only if the spirit is right. Courtesy, respect, modesty, loyalty, generosity and dedication are not only the source, but the reward of martial arts.

The student Involved in the proper instruction of martial arts will develop good self-discipline. Improvement of physical ability gained from training will be immediately visible to the student himself while the improvement of his self-discipline will be recognized by those around him. Physical activities used to enhance mental conditioning are helpful in developing a positive self-image.

By Women, For Women

Our system was developed almost 300 years ago in southern China by Ng Mui, a nun left to defend herself during a period of war and civil unrest. Fearing attack by younger and stronger males she thought about how she might fight back and realized that the best method was to use their own strength against them.

Why is your system Ideal for Women?
Our system is designed to defend against larger and stronger attackers. Through the coordination of movement and body position the force of an attack is re-directed back to the attacker, nullifying their attack and allowing you to safely escape.

The training at Modern Martial Arts takes into account gender specific considerations such as issues of size and physical strength, reasons for and types of self-defense situations commonly faced by women, how to deal with them, as well as ways of decreasing the chances of encountering potentially dangerous situations.

Emphasis for women is placed on being able to recognize and respond to dangerous and potentially dangerous situations by developing your confidence in your intuition, as well as to effectively apply your self-defense skills if need be.

At Modern Martial Arts Institute, our children’s programs are second to none. We teach our students (ages 7 and up) using a basic philosophy of positive reinforcement to build Self Esteem, Confidence, Discipline, Positive Attitude, and Values. At Modern Martial Arts Institute, we realize that although the ability to defend oneself is important, there are many additional benefits to be gained from involving your child in our program. Our unique method of training is fun and designed to:

• Instill A Positive Attitude
• Build Confidence & Self Esteem
• Teach the importance of Strong Values & Good Character
• Promote the desire to Learn
• Improve Effort & Motivation
• Improve Concentration
• Teach Self Discipline
• Instill Respect for Themselves & Others