Battlefield Kali Programs are based on PERFORMANCE. Just as those ancient warriors who put their lives on the line on the battlefields, we are primarily interested in developing the skill necessary to prevail as the victor in a combat situation. Battlefield Kali is beautiful because it works at full speed and full power against an opponent who is trying his or her best to beat you. Battlefield Kali is comprised of the “brilliant basics” that will give you true confidence in your self defense skills. This program was developed by exhaustive research, and then engaging in countless hours of sparring over several decades, so each and every technique, tactic, and training method has been thoroughly tested under full-resistance conditions. You will also engage in sparring, but in a safe manner utilizing the concept of Progressive Resistance so that everyone can work at his or her own pace and intensity. There is no substitute for fighting all out with solid training knives or the Shocknife using minimal protection, but I understand that few people want to take their training to that extreme level. In Battlefield Kali, you get to choose the level of intensity that best suits your personal goals. Nobody is required to go hard.
While derived predominantly from the Filipino martial arts of Kali, Eskrima, and Arnis, elements of Jeet Kune Do, Zulu Stick fighting, Wrestling, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Silat, and other arts are present because these additions have proven useful in fighting, and are therefore included in the program. Whatever works!
One important training philosophy that we have here is that the basis of training is sparring. When a new student comes to class, even with no experience at all, they start sparring the first class. With protective gear and a soft stick and/or knife, but sparring comes first. If not, the person can develop very bad habits for years before actually trying the art out.
Also, the art is experiential, meaning that each person must experience the fight for him or her self. It may be great that the techniques have been proven by others, but the technique by itself is useless without the sparring time to develop the proper attributes to be able to actually apply the techniques in a real situation. So, each individual must develop the ability to use the technique under real fighting pressure. That is the difference between knowledge and skill.
Burton Richardson
