Floro Fighting Systems

However, in the early days, I was into a lot of “solo” training as there was no one around to practice with.

So here are a few points that I follow:

1) Go through the moves VERY SLOWLY. I call it “Tai Chi” speed. The focus here is to learn PROPER TECHNIQUE. Make sure that the feet placement is correct. The body poised properly. More importantly, concentrate on the ORDER in which the technique is executed. For example, does the weapon move first BEFORE the hand? Does the hand move first BEFORE the arm and does the arm move first BEFORE the body. This is the proper procedure for non-telegraphic strike.

Alternatively, if executing a “fake”, then the entire procedure is reversed.

The ORDER OF PROCEDURE in which you execute the technique is one of those subtle differences that will make the whole move successful or not.

2) Exaggerate the “TIGHTNESS” of the defensive move.This is particularly relevant when practicing defensive moves.

One of the biggest mistake that my students make when defending themselves is that they “preempt” the block by reaching out. BIG MISTAKE.

It opens up your defence and nullifies your ability to take advantage of “drawing” your opponent.

3) Establish your MAXIMUM REACH. Whether you are working against the heavy bag, hung tennis ball, wooden dummy or even just facing the wall. It is EASY to be able to reach and hit the target.

One factor that needs to be learned is what your own personal MAXIMUM DISTANCE is. Those of you who have sparred me know that if you step into MY range for even a centimeter….you get hit.

You will need to establish what your range is.

The way I practice this it to stand in front of my target. I then execute a strike. I then adjust my distance till I’m just MISSING my target. In this way, my maximum ranges are programmed into my mind.

4) BE STILL. Stop rocking back and forwards. Stop bouncing up and down. These little “habits” are what will give your intentions away. It is the subtle involuntary movements and weight shifts that “broadcasts” to your opponent what your intentions are.

Imagine you are playing Poker, and put on your best “Poker Face”. Don’t give away anything. The more you move, the more you will give away subconsciously to our opponent. I can regularly “read” my opponents intention when sparring. BE STILL.

By NOT moving, it will magnify the “illusion” of your fake, when you do move to deceive you opponent. Hence, greater success. AFTER you have learned to control BEING STILL, only then, should you go back into training mobility in sparring. This way, every move you make will be purposeful, and part of the strategy of setting up your opponent.

These are the key ingredients I focus on when training alone.

Of course feel free to ask me questions and give me feedback on your own training methods.

Ray Floro

Those of you, who know me, will attest to the fact that I abhor any form of exercise.

In fact, after a long day of teaching, the last thing I want to do is anything else that resembles physical work

I don’t even like watching Martial Arts movies when I retire for the evening.

However, there was a time where my waist was pushing 40 inches, and after a mild heart attack……………

it was time to get serious. I didn’t want to join a gym, and I didn’t want to spend money on a warehouse of fitness equipment.

Don Stevenson has been instrumental in getting me to lose weight and increase my fitness.

His website is http://octogen.com.au/

So, Don suggested ONE piece of kit………..The Russian Kettlebell.

Looking into the various weights of the Kettlebell. Don suggested I go for the 16kg size.

I made a comment that the 16kg may not be “heavy enough” for an experience martial artist like myself (ego talking). He smiled and just made a comment “Ray…I can make you throw up with a 16kg…” POINT TAKEN.

Since my introduction to “the bell” and doing my 15 minutes workout….I have been able to reduce my waist size to 34 inches. Of course, cutting down the food I stuff in my face by half also helped.

Being on the constant search for ANYTHING that would cut down the time of my workout. I consulted “Dr Don” again, and he suggested a program called TABATA.

The workout can be done in FOUR MINUTES….WOO HOO!!.

The session is split up 20 SECONDS workout 10 SECONDS rest…..done for EIGHT reps.

The idea is to do AS MANY REPS AS YOU CAN within that 20 seconds.

I usually choose to do either the Kettlebell “Swing” or the “Snatch”.

Sounds easy………..NOT!!!!!!!!!

By the 6^th session…my tongue is dragging on the carpet.

A valuable tool for this is the TIMER. Very hard to find a stopwatch that keeps time for 20 seconds then rests for 10 seconds for 8 intervals.

SEARCH NO MORE….Don suggested I get the “Gymboss” timer. http://gymboss.com/

For about $25.00 Aussie Dollars this valuable tool keeps it all timed. And I don’t even have to count.

So equipped with ONE kettlebell, with ONE exercise with ONE Timing tool….for FOUR minutes, my whole exercise regime is done.

Ray Floro

I’ve been fortunate enough to have been involved with the Australian Military since 2003. Throughout this time, I have developed many a close friends, and have worked closely with them to develop their Edged Weapons Awareness program. Although I cannot divulge the exact details of what is taught. I can give you a glimpse the topics covered.

The three major “Awareness” components that I usually cover in these seminars are:

What is an Edged Weapon? – In many instances, and edged weapon is ingeniously concealed or improvised to the extent that it doesn’t even look like a “knife”. Exposure to how these implements are concealed and fabricated goes a long way to identifying potential threat.

Image RMC1 – shows the typical samples I take with me in showing what edged weapons are like. By actually seeing and feeling the dimensions and weights of the weapons, goes a long way to identifying them, as opposed to just photos

What can an Edged Weapon do? – Many people are unfamiliar of the damage even a one inch blade (such as a Stanley Knife) can do. Demonstration on the leg of meat showing the effects of a one inch blade up to a 9 inch blade, shows the devastating cuts and “amputation” it can inflict.

Image RMC2 – shows the damage that a slash with a one inch Stanley knife can do. The leg of meat was slashed right to the bone.

You may also be interested in this demonstration I did showing actual tests done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9xJejkInvE

How fast is an Edged Weapon? – Here I actually ask for volunteers to don a helmet to see if they can defend against the speed of the knife attack. A simple thrust to the face is what I do. But, as countless of volunteers have experienced; the potential speed of a well timed stabbing strike can be frighteningly fast.

Image RMC3 – My photographer Scott Hartog manages to capture the moment the knife impacts on the “victims” helmet.

Image RMC4 and…

Image RMC5 – shows the result of impact to other unsuspecting volunteers. Notice that my knife arm is out and back, even before then can recover.

You may also be interested in this demonstration of knife speed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV5TfZBB1Lo

Once this Introduction and Foundation has been established…….the next stage is to show the exponents how to deal with these attacks.

Ray Floro

This last week Floro Fighting Systems was involved with the Martial Arts Industry Supershow, held at Homebush (the Olympic site). This event was for those who own or run Martial Arts schools, with the purpose of giving them exposure to speakers who are experts in their fields whether on the business side or the martial side.

Pic 1. My Floro Fighting Exhibition Stand.

We had a nice little exhibition stand and we were asked to be a guest speaker which meant doing a seminar for the attendees. This opportunity was made possible for me by John Will and Fari Salievski.

A HUGE THANKS TO THEM BOTH!

With help of a few friends, we managed to present a professional looking booth. With the display of “edged weapons and shanks” as the main pull (it was either that or a bowl of lollies). It was amazing how many people were not even aware that a toothbrush could be converted into many configurations as a device used for creating harm.

Couple that with the running DVD next to it – we had a winning formula. I do have to confess that after 2 days, I did get rather sick of hearing my own voice playing in the background on the TV.

It would seem that the issue of knife defense is on every instructor’s mind, as I had the pleasure of speaking with many people from all genres of Martial Arts styles.

We also had a few visits from Law Enforcement agencies, both locally and interstate. They had heard that Floro Fighting Systems was instrumental in developing the Edged Weapon Defense Program for the NSW Police, so they wanted to “check it out”.

Pic 2. Scott and myself, going through some FFS material.

The seminar that I conducted was well attended. I tried to give a complete overview of FFS, but due to limited time; they was a lot of material I just couldn’t get through.

Another highlight of the show was that I finally got to meet Richard Norton. I’ve heard a lot of great things about this man………and they are all true.

I couldn’t help myself, so I ducked out of my stand to attend his seminar. Very impressive material! We chatted at the end of the day and he promised that we will get together again for a trade of ideas and he also seemed keen to include some FFS into his training.

I also met Julius Melegrito. A Filipino Martial Arts Master based in Nebraska. He has several successful schools; and we will certainly be pooling our resources to do a joint collaboration with our styles: he’s one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met. But then again, he is Filipino!

Pic 3. Surprise attack by John (Kato) Will.

It’s always great to catch up with Prof John Will. I was fortunate enough to be at a stand right next to him. So if he wasn’t sneaking up behind me trying to stab me…..we had great conversations.

It goes without saying that I also met up with a couple of John Will’s Back belts…..Steve Perceval and Geoff Aitken….great guys.

I hope that I will catch up with them at future seminars.

And who could forget George and his “twins”. They kept me entertained.

It was also a great opportunity to catch up with guys who have trained with me in the past, as well as meeting some Martial Artists for the first time……

The end result was great; we sold a lot of “The Essential Ray Floro DVD’s” as well as booking several FFS seminars in the near future. All in all it was a great SUCCESS!!!!

I would also like to thank a great friend of mine and FFS, Scott Hartog, who dropped everything for the weekend to help me out; and to eventually catch my dreaded flu…………sorry bout that!!!

Ray Floro

I wanted to find out more about Straight Razors used in fighting or defense.

As the book “Razor” proves, there are many accounts of the razor being utilized in combat?

There are or were very few sources which touch specifically on the subject. Bradley Steiner wrote a book called “Close Shaves” (Published 1989) dedicated solely on the use of the straight razor for fighting. There is also an excellent article written by James Keating on Razor use:

http://www.jamesakeating.com/maajak7a.html

I found Mr. Keating’s article the most informative, and coincidentally his theory on razor use; confirms evidence given at an exhibition held at the Kings Cross Library (Sydney, Australia).

Image R1

At the exhibition, was a photograph of the method the razor gangs used to hold the Straight Razor (See Image R1).
When I first saw this method, I thought it rather a strange and cumbersome way of holding the razor.

Image R2
However, Mr. Keating’s article points out the following (See Image R2 for his preferred grip, notice the similarities
to Image R1.

1. Razors are made of very brittle, breakable steel. It is very “glass-like” and breaks like a wine glass if impacted on any hard surface at all.
2. Due to the reasons above, the razor fighters have developed specialized grips and methods to use the razor and not have it fracture in the course of said usage.
3. Cuts, strokes and attacks are also structured around the grip and the nature of the delicate steel.
4. A razor has no locking mechanism. It’s all dexterity and know-how with a razor, screw up and break your weapon, ugh-oh! Allow the razor to accidentally close upon your fingers and again… ugh-oh! So, grip-use-design-purpose must meld together or disaster looms on every turn of events.
5. Razors are best suited to snipe, wound, terrorize and disfigure (scar). Not good for heavy cutting, amputations, beheadings or other such fantasy Bowie knife-like applications.
6. Today, men do not own, carry or shave with these devices. So, they no longer have that carte blanche ability to be carried. They are an antique device. They would be seen as would any other edged weapon.

Keating goes onto explain the justification of this grip………….he calls it the PINCH GRIP

Notice how the pinch grip is applied. Here is why. The razor having no lock what-so-ever to keep it in the open position must be held in this way to prevent closure. The grip also lends strength to the blade and frame.

A proper pinch-grip eliminates most of the weaknesses of the razors design. The handle is not important, the blade is.Keep it intact and functional. When people show you “alternative grips” for the razor; I do not doubt that a razor could be held in such a way.

What I doubt is that it would serve any functional purpose to hold a straight razor in such a fashion. There is really only one way to grasp the razor when using it as a weapon, and that is the way I am showing you.

So now you know what to do if you are confronted at the Ye Olde Barber Shoppe or whilst shaving at home with your trusty “cut-throat”…….

Ray Floro

People know that FFS has its emphasis on weaponry.  
Not many know that we also have our interpretation on empty hand fighting.

This week was a focus on empty hand “Clinching” range.  Brought on by another visit by Davo.  He had to work “crowd control” situations, and one of the scenarios resulted in “The Clinch” as the ideal solution.

Traditionally the clinch tries to dominate the centerline with both hands clasping the back of the opponent’s skull.  Ideally both palms would be on the upper part of the opponent’s rear skull, with the forearms and elbows clamping shut to provide pressure and control.

The FFS Clinch is slightly different in that the posture is as follows:

The left arm under or over hooks the opponents right arm.  The right hand is then placed across the opponent’s right collarbone / shoulder area.  The last three fingers of this right hand is then “anchored” on the opponents shoulder / collarbone area by bending the wrist and stiffening the fingers.  This “latching” on is an important move, because, done properly, it will be difficult for your opponent to dislodge your grip.

The posture is completed by placing your right forearm / elbow UNDER the opponents chin.

By pushing down on your right hand and lifting your right elbow.  It provides and effective leverage where it forces your opponents face to be lifted up.

Whilst your right arm is providing this leverage, your left arm, which is now wrapped around the opponent’s right arm, exerts a pulling motion.

Done properly, it unbalances your opponent, and neutralizes any strikes he may throw at you. 

In this position, you can now drive your opponent backwards or you can follow up with take down moves.

Ray Floro

This week I’ve reverted back to my old standby “Reverse Grip / Edge In”.

I have to say that it’s good to be back to the “old” method.  Fits just like an old shoe.

So the question is:  Is one method better than the other?. 

NOT AT ALL! 

I think it just highlights the fact that people are different and the old adage “different strokes for different folks” holds true.

The reason why I prefer my “old” Reverse Grip is that I KNOW that I can rely on its techniques.
I know this method so well, and it fits the way my body moves and is so suited to my character, that I am confident of its attack and defensive tactics.

When I am determined to score a strike – I can. When I am determined to repel an attack – I can.

It all comes down to training a few techniques against a lot of varied scenarios. I think this is the key to any system. It is better to master a few, than to be familiar with a hundred.

I see this with very accomplished people in their fields.  Even though the true “Master” will know all the techniques, they will have only a few “bread and butter” moves that they rely on.

These moves are so trained and ingrained in their psyche, that they do it instinctively, and it is second nature to them.  They have solid foundation in the way the technique is executed.  They know subtle variations and nuances that just make the technique work better.

With this extensive familiarity with these basic moves, they can disguise them, so that even though their opponent is hit by the same move time and time again, it seems that they are being attacked by several techniques rather than the one.

One of the ways I try to develop my “bread and butter” moves is to tell my training partner EXACTLY how I will attack them, and where.  I will give them every advantage by telling them my strategy, and even when I’m actually going to attack.

Training in this way, develops timing, distance and non telegraphic striking.

It also develops your ability to recover more quickly from an unsuccessful attack, because your opponent is aware of your offensive moves, and will usually counter more them readily.  Hence, if you don’t get back to an effective defensive posture, you’ll get “tagged”.

This comes back to the biggest benefit of this type of training. 

KNOWING that what you do WILL WORK, WHEN YOU WANT IT TO WORK.

Developing confidence and trust in what you do, is key to dealing with many potentially dangerous scenarios.  Confidence in your poise, confidence in the way you speak, and the way you carry yourself, may be the difference between a potential attacker pursuing his threat or simply backing down.

Ray Floro.

So far the results have been excellent. 

It’s amazingly adaptable to small “improvised” weapons such as keys and pens.  The trick here is to re-enforce the base of the item with your palm, and then “pinch” the body with your thumb and forefinger. 

Held in such a way, the grip provides an very nice extension of the weapon that maximizes it’s reach.

One thing that has come out in teaching this new method to my students is that the weapon arm needs to be held STRAIGHT whilst executing the strike.
Any BEND in the elbow actually causes the strike to slow down.  Either by telegraphing the strike, and mechanically it is just slower.

The bend also tends to decrease the power of the strike.

Another important discovery is that just before the moment of impact; it is more effective to turn your palm UPWARDS.  This final motion will give your strike more of a thrusting trajectory and will allow for more reach.

Upon withdrawal, again KEEP THE ARM STRAIGHT. 

One more tip is to keep a strong grip, which will mean the knife will be held at nearly 90% to the wrist. 

This will allow for a more powerful blow without sacrificing reach and accuracy.

Ray Floro

I prefer this for no other reason that I seem to be able to generate more power and apply greater speed and non telegraphic striking that the more recognized “forehand” grip. Nevertheless, it has always concerned me that I could only generate these qualities with the reverse grip.

In the last few days I was talking to James Seckold (who is an Instructor under FFS).  He has been researching larger “bowie” type knives. 

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