“Secrets” of the Filipino Fighting Arts
Words from a Modern-Day Warrior

Footwork in the Filipino Martial Arts is not as complex as many believe, yet it is not as simple. I know this ambiguity is confusing, but I hope to be able to explain it well within one article.

First, I’d like to say that I believe that the idea of dancing footwork–Ng Tatsulok (Triangle), in particular–has been overused and overemphasized in today’s martial arts. Although it does make good use of angled stepping and proper placement to the opponent in both attacking and defense, the method of employing the footwork should be simpler. For those that are unfamiliar, here is a clip of what I am talking about. Some of the points made by those who practice this method are quite valid, however, a more useful method of practicing footwork would be to isolate the pieces and train those skills individually as they relate to the purpose of the footwork. The attempts of many practitioners who want to adhere strictly to the idea of forming a “triangle” have hindered those fighters effectiveness in the name of staying true to its shape. What we end up with is a neat way of moving our feet that is less effective than the quickest way around the opponent.

Footwork has several purposes:

• to cover ground to reach an opponent when attacking
• to unsettle the opponent by denying him the opportunity to stablize his footwork and prepare for attacking or defense
• to evade an attacking opponent
• to confuse opponents before you attack them
• to give your attacks a strong foundation for power generation

When you train, keep these purposes in mind and integrate them completely into your arsenal. The simpler and fewer movements needed, the better. Keep in mind that your attack and the response you make to your opponent’s attack is over in a blink of an eye, and you will need a pattern that will match its speed. The footwork you practice should match the speed of whatever your attack is. An example would be to take the Abaniko strikes (whether you are throwing one or two strikes). In your stance, you will cover ground to land the Abaniko before retracting to finish with a powerful blow. The first attack (Abaniko) will be taken to the opponent with a single lunge that matches it in speed–even faster, if possible. The second attack (power hit) will be taken off the centerline (one of the slants of the “triangle”, if you must) by a side step that, again, matches the strike in speed. The combination will take little more than a second to execute, and should be trained with explosive speed, with long steps, and full power. This is what I mean by training with pieces of the triangle, rather than trying to make your footwork look like the whole triangle. We want to focus on the functionality more than the principle.

I would like to offer some additional advice for improving footwork for fighting:

• Practice crouching in your stance. The trend these days is to have an upright stance because it is believed to have the best mobility. However, while standing upright does allow one to enter motion quickly, it prevents you from entering explosive motion. Bending the knees will essentially serve as your finger on the trigger; all you will need to do is push off to launch an attack or a counter. Additionally, crouching lowers your targets, forcing your opponent to change his strategy and making your harder to hit.
• Alternate between moving and settling in your stance, and do this in random. Move around to keep the opponent from getting comfortable and preparing to attack you, then stop occasionally to set up shop (prepare for attack), then move again. Do not get into a rhythm, as opponents can time you and predict when to attack. The point is, to keep the opponent off balance and to keep him from being in a position to attack.
• When attacking, change your angles. NEVER attack an opponent straight down the pike (my students will probably cringe, because this gem is one of the “secrets” of my Kuntaw system). Attacking along your opponent’s centerline will give him a target to hit while you are motion.
• Shadowbox with ankle weights on your feet. This will work wonders for your speed and explosiveness. As a teenager, I use to dance around while holding a small punching back on my shoulders, and to this day I have very strong legs and quick footwork.
• Here is a principle you can learn from the Jow Ga Kung Fu style:  Hung tao choy mei. This means “head of hung, tail of choy”, or strong, powerful upper body with fast, evasive footwork, also referred to as “Tiger and Leopard Fist”. You want to have a powerful attack and fast, unstoppable footwork. This is a very scary opponent to face. Imagine if you had a guy like Kimbo, but with the speed of a Thomas Hearns (great fight, by the way, if you never saw it before you’re in for a treat! Leonard used the perfect strategy against a man with fast hands–you keep his feet moving so he can’t get set). You can’t get away from him, and he hits like a car wreck…
• Everytime you practice a strike, kick, or punch, you must practice the movement with either attacking or evasive footwork. This way, you are truly developing each part of your technique, not just the hand movements.

Footwork is just as vital as anything in your arsenal, not just something you teach on your students’ first day in class. Place equal importance on it, just as you would your bagwork, calisthenics, and sparring. When your ability to move is developed to a high level, you become just the kind of opponent any adversary would fear: one he can’t get away from, yet one he cannot catch.

Good training, and thank you for visiting my blog!