When studying Kali, learning in the beginning is easy. You just imitate those who are better than you. You drill to develop coordination through consistent repetition. Eventually, you memorize patterns of movements that become techniques. You learn to perform those techniques when your partner feeds you a specific attack. The process for learning this in the beginning is pretty clear. The tough part of learning Kali starts when you move beyond those basics. This is where things get fuzzy. It’s gets difficult when you have to coordinate your movements to attack and counter an unpredictable opponent. You have to see what is going on, decide what to do about it, then select and perform the right technique. It is hard because you must choose from a wide variety of responses, and in choosing th...

If we had more time to do so, many of us would spend more time training. Training for most of us is enjoyable. Putting in hours to improve our skills a little at a time is not a chore; it’s more of a pleasure. However, work, family, money, life can all compete for time that we would otherwise be training, talking about training, or, at least, thinking about training. Because of these demands on our time, we need to use the time we do have for training wisely. This is especially true as you climb to higher levels in the art. Once you have past the beginner levels of learning Kali, where everything is new and improvement is exponential, you have to be focused when planning your training. At the intermediate and advanced levels, there are so many things to train. It can be difficult to remain...

We all seek ways to get better at our skills. We learn new drills. We add new techniques to our arsenal. We find new ways to test our skills. Learning these things can keep us excited about growth. However, learning new techniques and drills don’t always make us better or even more skilled in applying our chosen arts. A lot of our improvement comes from spending time cultivating the skills that we have already learned. It’s not so much about the techniques, but the quality time we spend practicing them. We need many repetitions and the experience that comes with those repetitions to get better. Initially, we start developing a new skill by training the body to move properly. With more repetition, we develop precision that allows us to control the weapon and be more accurate....

One of the most important factors in your training to get right is reaction training. No matter how great your technique is, if you have not trained it properly, it will be useless. You must train the technique to be reflexive. You cannot rely solely on your conscious ability to analyze your situation and recall the appropriate technique when you need to act in fractions of a second. It is just too slow. Using a progression to train your reaction skills is the best path to your success. Here is how to get started:Coordinate the MechanicsProgram your body to do what you want it to do. First, learn the movements related to the technique or response that you plan to make reflexive. Coordination and familiarity with the movements of the technique are the cornerstones of training for succe...

While training, we are not only developing our physical skills. We are developing an intelligence that allows us to learn faster and accomplish more than others can do. To do this, we must always seek better methods of training and understanding that will maximize our time devoted. Understanding the nature and intent of our training methods and drills will help us do just that. Sometimes tradition gives us drills or exercises that are not fully explained to us. In some cases, the value or intent of those drills have been eroded by time. In other cases, our training is simply not complete, so the significance is not yet clear. Regardless of the situation, understanding the type of skills being developed will lead you to clarification and purpose when approaching your training sessions. Skil...