What are Orginazations for anyways?

[Cruentus]

There has been a lot of talk about the different M.A. Organizations out there lately. The question is, what is the point of the organizations? Why doesn't everyone just stay an independent?

There has been a lot of crap slinging (and YES OF COURSE my face is right in it) on other threads. And, I've been a bit war-like lately. So, I wanted to start a positive thread.

I think that the reason to follow an Org. is NOT because you believe that your Org. is "the true heirs of Modern Arnis". I think that people follow an Org. because it suits them best. Being a part of the Org. does things to help out the up-in-coming student, or instructor. Why don't we share what some of those things are, (or if your considered independent, why chosing that path suits you best)?

Please, state who you are, who you are affiliated with, and some of the positive things that your affiliation does for you personally.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I think that affiliation does a few things for an individual. To top it off, it gives them a support system for information and assistance. Secondly, it gives them validation. The better organizations have a set curiculum and guidelines for the members. A growth path if you will.

There are also benifits to remaining independant.... control for one. You call all the shots and make all the decisions.

Some orgs want full control, others dont care what you do as long as your check clears. The good ones I think are in the middle. You have enough control of things for your own comfort but also have the validation of the group and its standards.

For the record, I'm a member of the WMAA. I feel I've gotten alot of good training and other help from Tim and the other members. I've also looked at the other MA groups and other arts orgs and the biggest holdup on me joining a few others is cash and time. (No sence is joining when I cant participate).
:asian:

 

[dearnis.com]

In theory organizations exist to further the art and to promote a sense of unity among practitioners. In a well functioning organization they also promote growth, quality teaching standards, instructor credentials, etc.
All too often they exits to pad someone's ego and wallet.
They best, in my view, function more like a family.

 

[arnisandyz]

I have been associated by Ray Dionaldo's Filipino Combat Systems for a while. The thing that I like about this organization is that there are no ranks. It is more like a family as deararnis stated. Our small training group loosely follows Ray's curriculum, but there are quite a few things that are unique to our group that we discovered and developed together. The whole purpose in us opening a school was not for recognition or capital growth, but to have quality people to train and learn with (call us selfish) So it is possible to do your own thing but be affiliated with other organizations who recognize what your doing.

I think it is somewhat similar to the old ways of FMA being a tribal art. There is no way the thousands of different tribes could be under one organization due to geographical, social, and political reasons. I don't think they would all want to be doing the same thing anyways. But one person from a tribe might be allies or enemys with a neighboring tribe, learn or steal some method of fighting or techniques and teach it to his brothers in his own tribe. But what it comes own to is the core training group learning together.

I think of other groups in the FCS from other parts of Florida as "extended family". They all somewhat follow FCS, but each group has something unique and special to them. I think the modernization hurt and helped FMA. With organizations comes, well, organization, but also everything else that comes with it. "Follow me said the shepard to the flock"