An essential part of progression in one’s understanding of subject matter is independent study and exploration. Here are a few resources that may help you on your path to a better understanding of martial arts and community self defense.
Basic Self Defense and Fitness
Self defense and exercise can cover a lot of ground and have good tips and ideas in varying disciplines. Here is a diversity of links pertaining to exercise and basic self-defense not linked to any of our regularly practiced martial arts.
- S1E23 – Dibs on Fitness for Every Body (castbox.fm) Live Like the World Is Dying Podcast
- Avoid and Dodge Excercise/Lower Back Warm Up – Avoid and dodge exercise
- Bagangan Guard – Open hand and touch head guard
- Muay Boran Self Defense Techniques – Muayboran self defense ep.2
FMA Tutorials
The collective’s love of Filipino Martial Arts has prompted us to amass a variety of research sources on the practice. Due to the wide variety of approaches to self defense in FMA, this is in no way an exhaustive list; it is just some resources that can be helpful in your progress.
- Knife Fighting: What You Need to Know to Realistically Use and Defend Against a Blade – Black Belt Magazine
- FMA Digest
- FMA Informative Articles
Bais Tres Manos
One of the central styles of FMA that we study, Bais Tres Manos, as presented by Maestro Mark Anastascio, is a weapons based martial art that covers stick, knife, improvised weapons, and empty hand fighting. There is a wide assortment of their materials on their youtube page and their website. Here are some of the fundamentals.
- Basic Knife Flow – FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS KNIFE BEGINNER DRILLS | TECHNIQUE TUESDAY
- Basic Weapons Defense – 10 Basic FMA Strikes & Blocks | Anastacio Kali
- Single Sinawali – THE EVOLUTION OF SINAWALI
- Double Sinawali – HOW TO FLOW DOUBLE STICK IN KALI | TECHNIQUE TUESDAY
- Reverse Sinawali – KALI REVERSE FLOW | TECHNIQUE TUESDAY
- AKA | Anastacio Kali Association
Balintawak
Another one of the Filipino martial arts we study is Balintawak, as presented by Grand Master Nick Elizar from Cebu, Philippines. This is a very partner oriented practice that focuses on close quarters stick fighting and combat judo at a rapid pace. It is really fun and moderately technical; you should give it a try.
- Nickelstick Balintawak Introduction – Basics (thinkific.com)
- Nickelstick Eskrima.com — The official web site for the World Nickelstick Eskrima Club and Grandmaster Nick Elizar
FMA Empty Hand
As you may expect, with the wide variety of FMA schools, there is an equal variety of empty hand techniques. At the collective, we are continuously researching and pressure testing these skills. Here are some foundational resources that can help you in your self defense progress.
- Combat Judo Basics – Eskrima empty hands
- Drills and Focus Mitt Training – FMA EMPTY HAND STRIKING | TECHNIQUE TUESDAY
- Gunting Entries – Empty Hand Gunting Entries | Anastacio Kali
- Shield Entries – Empty Hand Shield Entries | Anastacio Kali
- Block, Check, Counter – Block, Check & Counters | Anastacio Kali
- Empty Hand vs Knife (There Is No Safe Way) – Knife Defence Principles | Filipino Martial Arts
Muay Thai Tutorials
The ability to strike is an essential when one gets in a fight. With the overlap in empty hand fighting techniques that FMA shows with Muay Thai, they can be a very complimentary duo. Here are a few essential Muay Thai techniques that are easy to add to your practice.
- Basic Guards – VARIETY OF MUAYTHAI GUARD.
- Knees – Knee lesson
- Elbows – Basic training elbow 1
Taijijuan Tutorials
Many years in the making have allowed modern people the capability to learn the simplified forms of Taijiquan. Here is where we share some of those resources that we have used to feel more comfortable and aware in our bodies, and strengthened to face the day.
Liberatory Martial Arts/Decolonizing Your Martial Arts Perspective
This is where we will, in our small way, attempt to present resources that may facilitate discussions and the evolution of a liberation martial arts community. This is in no way all encompassing, and we ask the community to help us with links that can further our progression along this path.
- A Martial Arts Manifesto (Southpaw)
- A Guide to Starting a Liberation Martial Arts Gym (Southpaw)
- Decolonizing Martial Arts | Southpaw on Patreon
- African Martial Arts | Conversations With…
- HAMA Association – Research | Education | Discipline | Community (wordpress.com)
- Rener Gracie Trains Cops. His Jiu-Jitsu Family Has Deep Ties to the Far Right. (thedailybeast.com)
- Have Gi, Will Travel (Part 1)
- Bandilang Itim’s blog (Filipino Anarchist Blog)
- Notes for Decolonizing Embodiment (jhu.edu)
- Martial Arts Studies – YouTube
- Ancient Wisdom, Modern Warriors: The (Re)Invention of a Mesoamerican Warrior Tradition in Xilam
Community Self Defense (First Aid, Gardening, Homesteading)
Community self-defense can look many different ways, and encompass a wide variety of practices. We will continue to add resources to this space, and encourage the community to send us links to further this along.
- Live Like the World is Dying
- Autonomous Alternative – YouTube
- Defending Ourselves | The Anarchist Library (Mirror) (anarchistlibraries.net)
- https://www.hooligankeys.com/
- Skills for Revolutionary Survival: 1. Trauma Medical Gear – Indigenous Anarchist Federation (iaf-fai.org)
Leftist Martial Arts Across Turtle Island
We are stronger together, and that is why we want this space to go leftist projects that are furthering community self-defense all across Turtle Island. Like all of these resources, we are happy to add more if anyone wants to share some links with us.
- Time Under Tension: Lessons in Organizing from a Kettlebell Gym by Lara Messersmith-Glavin
- We Fight Back | Facebook
- Haymaker Gym (squarespace.com)
- Warrior Sisters (warrior-sisters.org)
- Southpaw – Southpaw (southpawpod.com)
- https://itsgoingdown.org
BIPOC Owned Martial Arts Suppliers and Online Trainers
This list is a failure, and absolutely does not represent the massive amounts of BIPOC martial artists and companies that deserve and need your financials to maintain the practices they love. Now, until capitalism is no more and the price of white empiricism has been settled, people will need the cash, so dig deep and give to the BIPOC whose heritage much of our martial arts practices are based on. And please, send us the links to any BIPOC owned self defense company you think needs to be on this list, and it will be added.
- AKA | Anastacio Kali Association
- Nickelstick Eskrima.com — The official web site for the World Nickelstick Eskrima Club and Grandmaster Nick Elizar
- Red Balintawak Eskrima | Facebook
- Kalahi FMA Gear Online Store (kalahicustomblades.com)
- islandwarriorfightingsticks.com
- FMA Supply