In our program, we aim to create a balanced yet focused training of the mind, body, and spirit. Through mindful repetition we make our motions and practices permanent. We use the science of martial arts and yoga to instill a balance of character, strength, flexibility, confidence, and other important values achieved through our training.
Martial Arts is often thought to be just fighting yet the greatest masters to ever exist have always taught the importance of creating a balanced life both inside and out. We use martial arts as a way of life. Through living in this way we train our minds and bodies to be at excellent conditions allowing us to achieve normally difficult feats with ease. Most importantly, we learn to handle our emotions and navigate difficult situations throughout our life better.
Our training consist of a few main elements that are critical to the martial artists development; Coordination, Flexibility, Control, Strength, Speed, Mobility, Technique, Calmness, and Mindfulness. These elements are all important when in a self defense situation. Among the most important are the last two: Calmness and Mindfulness. These two alone are responsible for some of the greatest leaps in our abilities and accomplishments.
Coordination
We study Coordination through rigorous drills aligned with training a specific part of the body to move in controlled yet difficult patterns. These create new pathways in the brain creating muscle memory. The more one practices these movements, the faster one will be at performing them. We slowly speed them up to create plyometric drills also increasing speed and explosive power. Our agility is significantly improved through these movements overtime with focus and hard work.
Coordination can also come from slow and controlled drills where we focus on the muscles moving specific parts of the body. This trains the brain in activating those areas which then allows it to be used better in other scenarios. Often times in certain movements, our muscles are not activated and often just sit idly rather than using their power to improve the motion. These training methods can help awaken certain areas and strengthen them facilitating movement as well as increasing it’s power.
Flexibility
This is a mountain we often look at with uncertainty thinking if we will ever attain those goals. This can be a daunting approach. Accepting where our bodies are in their journey and progressing from there slowly and then gaining awareness of their situation. The feeling in that muscle holding tight and those around it supporting that tension; observing this sensation, which can be painful in a stretched position, can give us insight into how to let go of certain stress points.
Our flexibility increases our mobility. It allows our bodies to move easier and in greater ranges of motion. Flexibility increases your circulation and muscle elasticity increasing resistance to injury. We train flexibility through repeated short and long holds allowing our muscles to stretch and settle. We often stretch briefly before and an extended length stretch at the end of every class. Often, we have a class dedicated to stretching allowing us to truly delve deep into the tissues.
Control
Both control of the body and mind are critical in this training. First, the mind. constantly racing. Our brains want to think and put forth thoughts, feelings, observe the past, and dream of the future. How often do we pause and breathe to tune our entire focus into this very moment. The endless amount of information coming at us each second we are blind too. Through our physical training as well as meditation and breathwork, the mind becomes forced to focus because of your will.
In the body, we learn to control our movements being able to kick and punch precise locations at will, connect movements and techniques together seamlessly in combination and sparring. The awareness gives us control through repeat exposure and increased mindfulness. Through performing our drills and expert feedback, after increased awareness we are able to increase our control to the point of mastery.
Strength
With great strength comes great responsibility. It really does though. The bigger and heavier you are, the more power you can wield. This is why there are weight classes in professional fighting. Our strength and size can be a significant role in our self defense capability against different opponents. With our training, we find it imperative to increase strength levels. This allows for greater power delivery, faster explosive movements with our speed related drills, and all done with the combination of stretching to actually increase the flexibility.
The most important gain though is mobility. Through our drills, your mobility and ways you can move your body are increased. Martial Arts incorporates many ways of using our bodies as both weapons, shields, and just plain movement. Positioning is key in our world and mobility allows us to achieve our goals. Through focused movements, calisthenics, strength training in certain scenarios, plyometrics, and martial arts training, we build muscle for it’s peak explosive use in a safe environment. As we age, this is the most important key to focus on in order to age gracefully.
Speed
As some will say, speed is king. I agree. If you can get in before they can see you, you can’t be touched. The only problem is if there is no power behind that strike. Speed must be accompanied with power, together they are the couple that reigns supreme. Our speed allows us to get in before our opponents can block, it keeps us safe allowing exits when strikes come, it increases your reaction time as well. Speed gives so much, yet is it so difficult to attain and maintain.
Training to get to your fastest requires training to your limits. Pushing boundaries of strength and explosive power when in the exercise. We have to learn how much we can push our muscles and bodies. As they increase in power and explosive speed, we must keep digging deeper and deeper. Almost like an endless well where the only limitation is healing and nutritional upkeep. We learn to endure so we can push on. We learn to take breaks so we can rebuild and grow stronger. We teach the kingdom of speed.
Mobility
An often overlooked area of improvement for many, mobility is the cornerstone of implementation of extreme techniques. If you cannot move in a certain way, you cannot execute certain movements correctly. Your muscles must be strong enough and flexible enough not to compromise the bodies position in execution. Our mobility goes hand in hand with control and safely executing speed and power movements. It allows us to safely transition between techniques and position in various disciplines. It is often considered the foundation of safety, to move out of the way before you can be hit.
We train this mobility similar to control but tied into flexibility. Mostly, mobility comes from training specific muscles to fire when moving a limb or part of the body. We slowly strengthen these muscles facilitating these movements. This often takes stress off of other muscles groups that have often been focused on too heavily. This training can reduce pain, increase rotation degrees of movement, and improve posture. We also increase the flexibility of the muscles to increase their range to facilitate these movements.
Technique
Some focus on this too much. It is beyond important, although it is not all there is. Technique is what most would think of as martial arts training. Practicing specific punches, kicks, etc. Without technique, injury or worse can occur. Our technique becomes the basement or the foundation of what we create our martial arts training upon. This is why some focus on it so much as it can never be overlooked, but it’s important to practice technique while also progression in other areas mentioned here. Balance. Our technique practices allow us to deliver strikes safely. To execute otherwise dangerous movements without getting injured. Technique opens the door for disciplining the body and mind to respond to the will of the spirit.
After mastery of a specific technique, which is often not achieved by those who think they have, exploration becomes desirable. We see we’ve attained one technique through repetitive mindful training and we know we can now attain other techniques through similar methods. Slowly, we collect a group of these eventually mastering what we call a discipline of martial arts. This is most peoples goals. Being able to flawlessly execute beautiful technique. Here, we find the limitations that exist within ourselves. Those that can only be broken from within. The foundation of technique must be strong, but can be limiting if we allow it to be.
Calmness
Here we find a depth that is rarely attained in many travelers. The serenity and bliss within that radiates throughout. We often feel this calmness before we hear the voice of such a person. That calmness comes from within. That radiation that comes from attunement with this moment. In our world, we are a beings of feeling driven by our emotions and desires. Being able to calm the storm within by allowing it channels to flow. Giving ourselves tools to let these emotional expulsions discharge. The physical training alone allows for a great release, although some things can’t be channeled this way.
Oftentimes these is a great ocean filled with waves awaiting to unleash itself. We can often find breathwork as a gateway to channel these surges. As the tide rises and the winds and rains comes in, we can use techniques like Skull Shinning to channel these surges into a truly deep introspective beam. This offers a release that brings about calmness and self awareness that is often overlooked. Breathwork is powerful and when done correctly can sometimes lead to fainting due to these emotions being held in for so long. Don’t forget the take a deep breath.
Mindfulness
How often are you driving and thinking about the place you have to go and what you have to do or what you forgot? Mindfulness practices are difficult at first because our brains are trained to think all of the time. We are wired to constantly form thoughts reflecting on the past or creating some manifestation for the future. The power of ourselves lies in bringing that consciousness into this moment. Cleaning our the trash. Once our minds exist in this full moment by feeling the seat or ground under you, smelling the fresh air around, feeling the clothes or sensations on your skins, seeing all of the things around you, and doing all of these at the same time. How often can you hold that presence? How do you feel after trying it?
We make this easier through meditation practices that train our brain to focus on a single point. Meditation is a scientifically proven method of re-wiring our brains. Increasing neural plasticity, rewiring old connections, increasing awareness and calmness. Meditation has changed my life more than any other practice could have hoped to. Meditation is different than meditative acts. When we sit to meditate, we create a single point of focus allowing our entire minds to laser focus on the third eye. We gain awareness of our energy moving throughout our bodies. The subtle feelings around we never experienced before. Meditation is the key to unlocking the blocks set by the foundation allowing the growth to expand beyond the container.
Training at Fera
With these elements integrated into our lives, what kind of person do we become? Certainly not someone worse in any respect. These fundamental cornerstones of our training keep us progression into new heights of healing, growth, expansion, abundance, and love. Our aim is to create peace within ourselves so that we may radiate it out to the rest of the world. Through self inquiry and improvement, we wake up a new person each day. Allowing our old selves to fade and a new more beautiful version of yourself with even more glorious dreams to step forth. We offer the path of martial arts to train the mind to bend to the will of the spirit by creating a temple from our bodies.
If you wish to train here at Fera Academy, can you read more about the training program and make an appointment to sign up for our training program! We offer in person training in Temple Hills, MD and private online training that incorporates all elements we mentioned. We hope you learned something and feel inspired to continue or start your martial arts training.
We also go into great detail on these subjects on our podcast called The Unlimited You. Like and subscribe to support our channel!
