New town/School Options

[Rich Parsons]

So before this post, here's my disclaimers: I'm aware everyone has different needs/desires, I plan to check out all 3 (and am not limiting myself to these 3 options), I have the ability to email each of them and bring up any concerns I have before I go, and I know that until I go in person I won't know for sure which one I do/don't like. I've also got a preliminary ranking of which one I like the most/least just based on their websites. Okay, that said:

* Read and acknowledged*

I've found three schools that all teach FMA (2 kali, 1 arnis) that I'm interested in. Keep in mind my main goal is kali, but if I'm going to a school anyway, chances are high I'll attend their other classes. Each of them are between 25-30 minutes away. I'm not necessarily looking for any advice on what would be best for me, as I said I've already decided that, I'm just curious about which one other's on here would go to, looking at their website. And if you're interested in their non-kali classes instead, post that too! Also the first/second/third below isn't order of preference, just going left to right the tabs I've got open.

Appreciate any reviews.

I would ask what type of Kali are you looking for?
JKD or Leo / Nene? There is a big difference in focus

The first school teaches kali and aikido, each 2 days per week. Adult Martial Arts Classes In Raleigh | Innovative Martial Arts

The Personal Training with Dan I. Is someone who spent the money and went out to his school and trained with him and his instructors out there. So it is quite possible. Everything is in place for it to be real. *Trust but verify*

The Website just had a few small issues for me, yet they were annoying.
Videos and pictures without exit capability on the pop-up or overlay. Random off picture click in frustration .
So once frustrated , I am frustrated and I know it will bias my opinion.

The second school teaches MMA and Kali, and focuses on muay thai. Adult MMA (they don't separate by style) is 3 days a week, while kali is only on saturdays. DURHAM SCHOOL OF MARTIAL ARTS MMA & FITNESS

I have no clue of the type of Kali being taught. This for me is an issue.
Now it might be one of those things a marketing person told them to leave out so that people call and ask questions and one on the phone the sales pitch begins.
Not sure about the other issues already discussed.

The third school teaches Si Lum Kung Fu, Arnis and Tai Chi. Kung fu (they don't separate si lum from tai chi on their schedule) twice a week, only beginner/intermediate, and arnis three times a week but one is invitation only. Triangle Kung Fu Arnis Academy Raleigh, NC

This site while not as "Cool" had the information I wanted and easy to migrate.
My concern would be the time of the class and being a weekend.
I do a Sunday night class, which catches people coming back for the weekend. And I still miss people because it is on a weekend.

As to lineage et al, David listed his rank from Remy. He has been presented Rank and titles from some of the break up organizations the formed after his death. He does not have those listed. The logos and patches are from the time of Remy.
I believe he is trying to be independent and present his resume.

As to Rick Ward, he was known even in Flint when I started almost 40 years ago . He has been around. I never did a deep dive into his history or certificates.

***
Summary :

The first looked the nicest at first glance and then I got frustrated .
IT did not have all the details I needed to make a decision.

The Second didn't have the details I needed to make a decision and had questionable statements.

The third while older forms and maybe not the best color choices for everyone on the planet, it had the information I needed and would be the one I called first.

 

[Holmejr]

Well, the FMA videos on the tkfmma site looked kinda cheesy. Bummer. Unfortunately, you need some knowledge to ask pertinent questions. I’d definitely want to audit multiple classes.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I would ask what type of Kali are you looking for?
JKD or Leo / Nene? There is a big difference in focus

Just to clarify for anyone else paying attention. The answer would be Leo/PTK. Though I am open to trying any of the FMA systems, as I did not find anyone that trains specifically PTK (besides possibly the one school that does not list its style).

 

[MetalBoar]

* Read and acknowledged*


I would ask what type of Kali are you looking for?
JKD or Leo / Nene? There is a big difference in focus


The Personal Training with Dan I. Is someone who spent the money and went out to his school and trained with him and his instructors out there. So it is quite possible. Everything is in place for it to be real. *Trust but verify*

The Website just had a few small issues for me, yet they were annoying.
Videos and pictures without exit capability on the pop-up or overlay. Random off picture click in frustration .
So once frustrated , I am frustrated and I know it will bias my opinion.




I have no clue of the type of Kali being taught. This for me is an issue.
Now it might be one of those things a marketing person told them to leave out so that people call and ask questions and one on the phone the sales pitch begins.
Not sure about the other issues already discussed.



This site while not as "Cool" had the information I wanted and easy to migrate.
My concern would be the time of the class and being a weekend.
I do a Sunday night class, which catches people coming back for the weekend. And I still miss people because it is on a weekend.

As to lineage et al, David listed his rank from Remy. He has been presented Rank and titles from some of the break up organizations the formed after his death. He does not have those listed. The logos and patches are from the time of Remy.
I believe he is trying to be independent and present his resume.

As to Rick Ward, he was known even in Flint when I started almost 40 years ago . He has been around. I never did a deep dive into his history or certificates.

***
Summary :

The first looked the nicest at first glance and then I got frustrated .
IT did not have all the details I needed to make a decision.

The Second didn't have the details I needed to make a decision and had questionable statements.

The third while older forms and maybe not the best color choices for everyone on the planet, it had the information I needed and would be the one I called first.

I really like your whole assessment here!

The part in bold is something that I find interesting. In my experience, the more the website looks like the owner put it together themselves for Geocities, the more likely it is to actually contain useful info and the more likely the school is to be someplace I want to train. There are exceptions of course, but it's so often the case that if a school has a sharp, modern looking site it actually detracts from my interest, unless they really do a great job with giving me the info I want to know.

 

[jks9199]

Triangle looks the best to me, too. Solid information, less flash on the site. Seems like they probably have a better focus than the others; they're not bouncing around a ton of approaches.

The Innovative Martial Arts place seems to have 1 adult instructor and a bunch of kids, talks about Aikido and then the recite the Kempo creed? Maybe not a bad program, but not what I'd want.

Durham School of Martial Arts? Lots of "certifications" that I would suspect are quick seminars and a piece of paper. I'm always suspicious of folks who only claim big names for certifications with limited support. Dan Inosanto and Larry Hartsell aren't exactly collecting a lot of personal students anymore... and haven't been for a long time.

 

[Jimmythebull]

Dan Inosanto and Larry Hartsell aren't exactly collecting a lot of personal students anymore... and haven't been for a long time.

why due to old age?

 

[Tony Dismukes]

So before this post, here's my disclaimers: I'm aware everyone has different needs/desires, I plan to check out all 3 (and am not limiting myself to these 3 options), I have the ability to email each of them and bring up any concerns I have before I go, and I know that until I go in person I won't know for sure which one I do/don't like. I've also got a preliminary ranking of which one I like the most/least just based on their websites. Okay, that said:

I've found three schools that all teach FMA (2 kali, 1 arnis) that I'm interested in. Keep in mind my main goal is kali, but if I'm going to a school anyway, chances are high I'll attend their other classes. Each of them are between 25-30 minutes away. I'm not necessarily looking for any advice on what would be best for me, as I said I've already decided that, I'm just curious about which one other's on here would go to, looking at their website. And if you're interested in their non-kali classes instead, post that too! Also the first/second/third below isn't order of preference, just going left to right the tabs I've got open.

Appreciate any reviews.

The first school teaches kali and aikido, each 2 days per week. Adult Martial Arts Classes In Raleigh | Innovative Martial Arts

The second school teaches MMA and Kali, and focuses on muay thai. Adult MMA (they don't separate by style) is 3 days a week, while kali is only on saturdays. DURHAM SCHOOL OF MARTIAL ARTS MMA & FITNESS

The third school teaches Si Lum Kung Fu, Arnis and Tai Chi. Kung fu (they don't separate si lum from tai chi on their schedule) twice a week, only beginner/intermediate, and arnis three times a week but one is invitation only. Triangle Kung Fu Arnis Academy Raleigh, NC

I watched the videos on the YouTube channel for Innovative Martial Arts and was not impressed with the FMA being demonstrated. The students going through the techniques did not seem to understand the mechanics that would be necessary to make them functional.

I couldn’t find any videos from the Durham School of Martial Arts. The list of certifications isn’t particularly informative - I get the impression those might just be certificates for seminar attendance. I don’t see any indication that they have anyone with actual MMA competition experience, which would make me question the validity of any MMA classes.

Triangle Kung Fu does have a YouTube channel, but the few videos there are only solo demonstrations without a partner, which is much less informative. At least I didn’t see any obvious red flags.

 

[Steve]

Some red flags already covered better by others. Only thing I’ll add is I would not give any consideration based on the quality of the site. It’s as likely these guys had a site built by a nephew, niece, friend, student, or they used Wordpress or the site builder on their domain service. Point is, who knows if they’re tech savvy or not? Focus on the substance and not the superficial stuff.

 

[Jimmythebull]

Focus on the substance and not the superficial stuff.

if a school was a bit of a drive away i would just phone them up & try to get the man or woman who does the training on the phone or write them a mail..gives a good indication.

 

[jks9199]

why due to old age?

Did I say old age? I simply said neither have particularly been taking new personal students for a long time. But... Dan Inosanto is about 86, and Larry Hartsell passed away in 2007.

 

[skribs]

That's pretty much the same checklist that I've got. Only, I obviously can't check them out being a solid 500 miles away. So figured I'd see what online impressions were.

Ah, that wasn't specified in your original post. I thought you had already moved and just hadn't had a chance to visit them yet.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Ah, that wasn't specified in your original post. I thought you had already moved and just hadn't had a chance to visit them yet.

Ah, nope. Haven't moved yet was just doing some homework before the move.

 

[Jimmythebull]

Did I say old age? I simply said neither have particularly been taking new personal students for a long time. But... Dan Inosanto is about 86, and Larry Hartsell passed away in 2007.

No you didn't say old age but never gave a reason why not.. but good now you have. I was assuming old age, ill health.

 

[tkdroamer]

Ah, nope. Haven't moved yet was just doing some homework before the move.

Are you having trouble finding living quarters? The southeast real estate market has absolutely blown up. Rentals are hard to find and exorbitant. There are strong indicators that it is slowing down and shrinkage is anticipated. If you can hold off for a year it may dramatically change the price of things. Of course, rising interest rates will consume much of the purchase price if you have to finance full boat.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Are you having trouble finding living quarters? The southeast real estate market has absolutely blown up. Rentals are hard to find and exorbitant. There are strong indicators that it is slowing down and shrinkage is anticipated. If you can hold off for a year it may dramatically change the price of things. Of course, rising interest rates will consume much of the purchase price if you have to finance full boat.

Already found one that I'm set to move into next month. Way cheaper than where I'm from. And wouldn't really be able to hold off for a year and keep the job I have (holding off for a year would also cost me more outside of the job offer, since I'd have to pay my current rent until then).

 

[Hanzou]

Forgot one extra disclaimer: Yes, @drop bear, I know...Do MMA.

I'd say do Bjj. There's some solid schools in that area.

In all seriousness, good luck in your search.

 

[tkdroamer]

Already found one that I'm set to move into next month. Way cheaper than where I'm from. And wouldn't really be able to hold off for a year and keep the job I have (holding off for a year would also cost me more outside of the job offer, since I'd have to pay my current rent until then).

It feels like all the people moving to the southeast from the west & north should call this time "The Great Migration Part II".

 

[skribs]

And what ungodly hell is muay thai point sparring.

My guess is it's emulating Muay Thai (can use any type of strike with a relatively open target area) but trying to avoid concussions and other head injuries.

One of my issues with Taekwondo is that while it's relatively safe from concussions (compared to an art where you are targeting KOs), adult black belts can go for KOs in competition, which takes away that safety line.

However, I think the way they set up the "point kickboxing" is pretty lazy. I would prefer if it was done either in the way Taekwondo was done in the recent past (judges hold electronic pads and hit a button when a point is landed, so the score can be tallied) or in the way that Taekwondo was sometimes done in the distant past (back when I was a kid) where you break after each point. Sort of like how Karate Kid/Cobra Kai works.

I don't really like the 10-9 system, because I don't really see a difference between a round being scored 10-9 or the round winner simply being awarded a point.

 

[Steve]

I don't really like the 10-9 system, because I don't really see a difference between a round being scored 10-9 or the round winner simply being awarded a point.

If there's a penalty, it would be counter intuitive to award negative points at the end of a round. I don't know all the background, but the logic of it makes some sense to me. 10-8 or 9-9 makes more sense to me than 1 - (-1) or 0-0.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Ran into someone in my apartment's gym, who recommended a mma school (Hometown Martial Arts). I think I'm going to check that out and train kali solo for a bit.