|
|
| Q.
Is it hard to learn? A. No. Serrada emphasizes repetition of a few basic movements, so even people who have had difficulty learning other physical activities find that they can learn Serrada. Q. Can I get a black belt in Serrada Eskrima? A.. No. Serrada does not use the belt ranking system. There are certifications for different sets of techniques within the Angel's Disciples organization, but no insignia are worn by practitioners to denote their level of certification. The levels are as follows: Basic Six Basic Twelve Advanced Diploma Datu For more information please see the curriculum section of the web page. Q. What kind of uniform is worn for Serrada practice? A. Practitioners wear any kind of clothing appropriate for strenuous activities. In winter that might be a heavy sweat shirt and insulated warm-ups, or shorts and a t-shirt in summer Q. Is Serrada only a weapon art? A.. Serrada is initially trained with a single stick, but the curriculum also includes the simultaneous use of sword and dagger (espada y daga) and single knife (daga) as well. Empty hand applications start out with hand on weapon disarms; that is, the unarmed exponent learns to disarm an opponent. Q. Why is a weapon taught first? A.. The environment from which the Filipino martial arts emerged emphasized maximizing personal fighting skills in as short a time as possible. Practically speaking, a person with a weapon is far more dangerous than one without one. Compared to exclusively empty hand training, weapons training allowed an individual to develop lethal skill in a shorter duration of time. Thus the Filipino martial arts generally, and Serrada specifically introduced the weapon from the first day of training. Today, we preserve that combat rationale in our system, and continue to concentrate on and teach the weapon first. |
Q.
Do the weapon skills translate to empty hand applications? A. Yes. Concepts such as range, angling and power development are important with or without a weapon. Training with a weapon develops the practitioner's focus and sensitivity, attributes that carry over to empty hand applications. Q. How soon can I use the skills I learn in a fight? A. It depends. Some people with a background in combatives (for example, high school wrestling, Muay Thai kickboxing or jiu-jitsu) can learn to fight with their Serrada skills within a few months to a year. Results vary student by student. Q. How do you train? A.. Serrada uses three basic types of exercises to train the student in our method of fighting. The first is Numbers, which are a drilled sequence of movements that ingrain in the practitioner crucial movement patterns, developing their basics. The second exercise is more free for Lock and Block, where one exponent continuously delivers a strike of his choice and then a stab to his opponent, who counters. The third basic exercise is counter for counter, or flow sparring. Practitioners deliver strikes and counters in a one for one exchange. It teaches players to develop a flow with another person and to follow up directly to the body. For more information, please see the curriculum section of the web page. Q. Is there sparring? A.. Yes. Sometimes. There are several types of sparring practiced, from flow sparring, a counter for counter drill / exercsise to padded and live stick sparring. In the latter two, practitioners are free to throw strikes and counters without regard for a one-to-one exchange. In both padded and live stick sparring, the emphasis is on real time application of techniques. Practitioners are given an opportunity to play with range, counter attacking and dueling movements. Protective gear is also worn to reduce the chance of injury. |
