So we just downloaded the Ray Floro knife fighting video course. Ray Floro has been acclaimed as one of the best knife fighting masters alive today, and we just had to check if there was substance to the claims and not just pure hype. I did an initial check on Youtube and there's really not much to go on there, just a few very short clips. So the question was, is his video course any good? The course is divided into five lessons, each presenting a specific aspect of the Floro Fighting System. Even from the get go I really liked the clear structure of the course, really beginning with the basics and building it up little by little.
Lesson one starts off with the signature reverse grip for knife which is the standard knife grip in FFS. This reverse grip allows for the "non-telegraphic" strike, which is a straight linear thrust at the opponent. It's called non-telegraphic because the opponent can't see or anticipate it until it's too late. It's only the arm that moves during delivery; there's no preparatory movement from the shoulders, torso, or legs. I must add that the move is well thought-out and scientific in its principles. It was designed for the fastest attack possible, faster than any circular slash with a knife. I also like how Ray Floro immediately goes into sparring to prove the effectiveness of his techniques.
In lesson two Ray Floro also shows us an amazing innovation, of still being able to do a slash attack just with the linear motion given in lesson one. All it takes is pressing three of the fingers in the middle of an attack. This further showcases the advantages of the reverse grip since you can actually hook slash the inner arm of your opponent. Ray Floro also introduces variations of defences and blocks using this slash knife movement. At the very last part he introduces the lunging footwork which he adopted almost exclusively from fencing. Coupled with the linear attack thrust of the knife, this linear footwork makes for one of the fastest attacks I've ever seen in martial arts.
Lesson three sort of changes the rhythm a little bit, focusing now on basic unarmed defences. I think this is a great component for the video course, and is what will make it useful for the ordinary unarmed civilian. The "universal shield" is something you can teach to almost anyone, and takes advantage of the flinch response that people have when attacked by surprise. It just needs to be practiced for several weeks to commit it to muscle memory. The more advanced unarmed defense, which is a latch-on variation of the universal block, is definitely harder to do. But Ray Floro clearly shows its advantages, such as when the opponent pins you to a wall and starts stabbing you in the stomach.
Lesson four covers an element which I think few martial arts really deal with in their curriculum, faking and deceiving the opponent. It's such a shame, because fakes often come out during sparring sessions, and also in real life fights. The Floro Fighting System has clear theories in this area. One of the simplest and yet most startling techniques is "the stare" which uses the opponent's tendency to look at your eyes, and use it against him. I think the stare technique plus the non-telegraphic strikes of Ray Floro make his system one of the most unpredictable fighting systems out there. You just can't anticipate what the person will throw at you, because deceiving is part of the very system itself.
Finally, lesson five presents the most advanced concepts of the Floro Fighting System. Most impressive here is the "step, shuffle, lunge" footwork, which might look cartoonish at first, but is very effective in bridging long distances quickly to attack the opponent right in the face. This footwork is definitely different from many of the traditional angular foot movements found in escrima, and comes straight from the fencing tradition.
To conclude, I think the Ray Floro Fighting System is really one of the best knife fighting systems out there. You just won't find this kind of simplicity and honest in any other knife system. Others make things much too elaborate to be practical, while others make it too brutal and strength-based to be useful for ordinary people. I highly recommend this video course.
Lesson one starts off with the signature reverse grip for knife which is the standard knife grip in FFS. This reverse grip allows for the "non-telegraphic" strike, which is a straight linear thrust at the opponent. It's called non-telegraphic because the opponent can't see or anticipate it until it's too late. It's only the arm that moves during delivery; there's no preparatory movement from the shoulders, torso, or legs. I must add that the move is well thought-out and scientific in its principles. It was designed for the fastest attack possible, faster than any circular slash with a knife. I also like how Ray Floro immediately goes into sparring to prove the effectiveness of his techniques.
In lesson two Ray Floro also shows us an amazing innovation, of still being able to do a slash attack just with the linear motion given in lesson one. All it takes is pressing three of the fingers in the middle of an attack. This further showcases the advantages of the reverse grip since you can actually hook slash the inner arm of your opponent. Ray Floro also introduces variations of defences and blocks using this slash knife movement. At the very last part he introduces the lunging footwork which he adopted almost exclusively from fencing. Coupled with the linear attack thrust of the knife, this linear footwork makes for one of the fastest attacks I've ever seen in martial arts.
Lesson three sort of changes the rhythm a little bit, focusing now on basic unarmed defences. I think this is a great component for the video course, and is what will make it useful for the ordinary unarmed civilian. The "universal shield" is something you can teach to almost anyone, and takes advantage of the flinch response that people have when attacked by surprise. It just needs to be practiced for several weeks to commit it to muscle memory. The more advanced unarmed defense, which is a latch-on variation of the universal block, is definitely harder to do. But Ray Floro clearly shows its advantages, such as when the opponent pins you to a wall and starts stabbing you in the stomach.
Lesson four covers an element which I think few martial arts really deal with in their curriculum, faking and deceiving the opponent. It's such a shame, because fakes often come out during sparring sessions, and also in real life fights. The Floro Fighting System has clear theories in this area. One of the simplest and yet most startling techniques is "the stare" which uses the opponent's tendency to look at your eyes, and use it against him. I think the stare technique plus the non-telegraphic strikes of Ray Floro make his system one of the most unpredictable fighting systems out there. You just can't anticipate what the person will throw at you, because deceiving is part of the very system itself.
Finally, lesson five presents the most advanced concepts of the Floro Fighting System. Most impressive here is the "step, shuffle, lunge" footwork, which might look cartoonish at first, but is very effective in bridging long distances quickly to attack the opponent right in the face. This footwork is definitely different from many of the traditional angular foot movements found in escrima, and comes straight from the fencing tradition.
To conclude, I think the Ray Floro Fighting System is really one of the best knife fighting systems out there. You just won't find this kind of simplicity and honest in any other knife system. Others make things much too elaborate to be practical, while others make it too brutal and strength-based to be useful for ordinary people. I highly recommend this video course.
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Escrima might be helpful for individuals who would like to learn how to get skinny, especially how to get skinny legs.
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