I've experienced a few different branches of FMA, but my foundation was in GM Rene Latosa's PMAS Escrima ...which later morphed into Latosa Escrima Concepts, with my empty hands foundation in Wing Chun. One general concept that applies to both these systems is that you "go direct", that is you don't chase hands (or weapons), you strike to the core. The same is largely true with the DTE (Direct Torres Escrima) people I have trained with in recent years. That's why they call it "direct".
The idea is that a good fighter has many weapons, whether it's a blade, stick, hands, improvised weapons, feet elbows, knees, head, and so on. If you disarm him, but he is still mentally in the fight, he will just use something else. --Check out Dog Brothers clips for proof of this! After all, the mind is the weapon, the rest are just accessories. So if you disarm him, the fight goes on. If you shut down the mind, you end the fight.
Many other FMA groups repeat the mantra, "defang the snake" and take the contrary approach that if you can disarm an opponent, and better, if you can injure his hand, then you can easily end the fight. Here is a non-denominational video expressing this perspective:
Personally, I see merits and problems with both arguments, and In my own "PCE" system we take something of a middle road. More on my opinions later. What do you folks think?
The idea is that a good fighter has many weapons, whether it's a blade, stick, hands, improvised weapons, feet elbows, knees, head, and so on. If you disarm him, but he is still mentally in the fight, he will just use something else. --Check out Dog Brothers clips for proof of this! After all, the mind is the weapon, the rest are just accessories. So if you disarm him, the fight goes on. If you shut down the mind, you end the fight.
Many other FMA groups repeat the mantra, "defang the snake" and take the contrary approach that if you can disarm an opponent, and better, if you can injure his hand, then you can easily end the fight. Here is a non-denominational video expressing this perspective:
Personally, I see merits and problems with both arguments, and In my own "PCE" system we take something of a middle road. More on my opinions later. What do you folks think?