After training more than 10 years in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), I realized there are more benefits beyond learning self-defense and physical exercise. I would categorize the benefits into 3 groups: physical, mental, emotional.

PHYSICAL BENEFITS

Self-Defense.  Martial arts is a system of combat practices with and without weapons developed for combat and self-defense.  FMA techniques and drills are translatable and usable if attacked.

Training with a weapon.   FMA is a weapon-centric martial art which prioritizes weapon-based movement from the beginning of training under the principle that the weapon is a direct extension of the human body. By starting training with weapons, FMA practitioners start to build high levels of hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and spatial awareness that translate directly to empty-hand combat applications.

Recognizing that a practitioner will not always have a weapon at hand to protect themselves (although a key element of FMA training is to also be adaptable and learn to use everyday objects for defense), the ability to transition from wielding a weapon to unarmed, empty hand defense is a vital component of most FMA schools.

The real benefits are the improved hand-eye coordination, motor skills and spatial awareness. But it is cool training with a weapon too.

Training with two weapons.  Per Wikipedia, “Dual wielding is the technique of using two weapons, one in each hand for training or combat. It is not a common combat practice. Although historical records of dual wielding in war are limited, there are numerous weapon-based martial arts that involve the use of a pair of weapons.”¹  FMA curriculums  have many drills like sinawali (weaving) and Espada y Daga (sword and dagger). These  drills start out as structured and repetitive partner drills.  As practitioners learn various patterns, they then transition to fluid, continuous and unstructured movement.  

These drills build bilateral coordination and ambidexterity by forcing the non-dominant hand to execute identical patterns to the dominant hand.  The constant rotational demand on the hands, wrists, arms and shoulders builds grip strength, muscle endurance, and rotational torque.

The real benefits are the bilateral coordination, ambidexterity and improved strength in both arms. But if training with one weapon is fun; two weapons is more fun.

Spatial awareness – When working with weapons of various lengths or with no weapon, practitioners develop spatial awareness.   Practitioners often train in three ranges: corto (close), medio (medium), and largo (long) ranges.  Corto is the range where practitioners are within arms reach of each other.   Medio is the middle ground where practitioners with a weapon in hand can strike their opponent’s body, head or legs. Largo is the is range where practitioners are far enough apart that the tips of each other’s weapons might be able to strike the other’s weapon or lead hand. Various drills teaches practitioners how to move to attack while evading strikes. 

Balance and Coordination.   The FMA foundation is built on structured, geometric footwork.  The basic footwork is based on the triangle. Moving along a forty-five-degree angle is a primary mechanism for deflecting attacks, shifting the practitioner off the opponent’s attack while opening up flanking counter-striking angles.  

Experienced practitioners improve their skills by utilizing more complex geometric shapes like an asterisk (aka Philippine star) to train in various combat ranges and angles. 

Learning how to fall safely.   According to the National Safety Council, in 2023 – 2024, falls, slips and trips was one of the top categories for workplace injuries.  Falls, slips and trips include the following types of events: fall to lower level; slip, trip, stumble while stepping between levels; and slip, trip, stumble or fall on the same level.²   Training in martial arts helps practitioners reduce the risk of falling down and injuring themselves – or at least help reduce the impact of the injury.  Martial arts training helps to build spatial awareness and instantaneous reflex response by either adjusting one’s balance or by breaking their fall. 

Exercise.  Need I say more?

FMA is Accessible. I find that FMA is an adaptable martial art.  It had to be given the history of the Filipino people.  They had to adapt to their changing circumstances to survive and be resilient.  

When students come to my martial art school and mention they may not be able to move quickly, or have limited range of movement in their knees or shoulders, I appreciate knowing our teachers find a way to adapt the FMA system so students can learn the techniques or participate in the drills and ultimately learn ways to protect themselves.

Disease Prevention through FMA movement.  In the TedTalk Cognitive Kali | Paul McCarthy | TEDxUCLA,  I appreciate  hearing “imagine going to the doctor’s and getting a movement prescription instead of a drug prescription”.  I believe that moving supports a person’s physical, emotional and mental health. The speaker further said “Yoga and tai chi to reduce hypertension, stress and anxiety. Traditional karate for kids with ADHD because of its heavy focus on discipline, or Kali for cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s or dementia.”³ 

Upon further research into this benefit, I learned that FMA can be integrated into clinical physical therapy programs, most notably for managing progressive neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease.⁴

MENTAL BENEFITS

Stronger mind muscle.   I knew that learning new information (ideas, movement) was beneficial.  The Ted Talk video  Cognitive Kali | Paul McCarthy | TEDxUCLA spoke more in depth about the mental benefits of learning FMA.  The Ted Talk mentioned cognitive load and how this was important.   Compare the exercise to weight lifting, the benefit of weight lifting differs when using 1 pound versus 5 pound dumbbells. Both sizes of dumbbells provide health benefits, but the amount of benefit differs. Cognitive load is the amount of mental effort and working memory required to process information to complete an action.

In FMA, when a student attempts a new complex movement pattern, the brain experiences a brain scramble which is a brief moment of mental confusion.  I’ve seen many new students at my martial arts school who needed a bit of  time and repetition to coordinate the movement of their hands and footwork. Then the student becomes comfortable.  Add one stick in their dominant hand and the momentary brain scramble reappears, until they understand the set pattern.   Add a second stick for the student’s non-dominant hand and that brain scramble returns. 

Depending on the drills, FMA can provide a highly complex cognitive load. Imagine holding two weapons of various lengths and weights – one is a short blade and one is a long stick – and you are sparring with a training partner.  The spar is non-structured. The brain has to process a lot of visual, tactile and spatial information. 

Improved Creativity.  FMA practitioners, in the course of their study, transition from structured basic drills to freeform sparring.   Practitioners have to adapt by studying their partner’s movements and adjusting their own response.  Practitioners would string together different combinations of techniques in trying to win their bout.

EMOTIONAL BENEFITS

Resiliency and Self-Esteem.  The structured FMA training creates an effective mental health environment. By requiring total presence of mind during  drills, training acts as a form of moving meditation, lowering stress levels and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

FMA curriculum teaches more than strikes and blocking strikes.  It teaches how to disarm your opponent’s weapon, how to apply immobilizing locks, how to take your opponent down to the ground and how to control your opponent on the ground.   Practitioners learn how to do all this with one or two weapons or empty handed.   Learning new concepts provide students many opportunities to feel accomplished.  That sense of accomplishment builds up a practitioner’s confidence, self-esteem and resilience.

Cultural Heritage.  Inherent to studying FMA is to learn the history of how the arts evolved over time and through conflicts.  FMA schools endeavor to preserve and to educate Filipino history.   Culture is also taught when practitioners learn the Filipino language and rituals associated with studying FMA. 

FMA Community.  When spending many hours training with fellow FMA practitioners who share the same goal of learning together and supporting each other, an unavoidable byproduct is building a sense of community.

Bayanhian.

The Bayanihan (pronounced as buy-uh-nee-hun) is a Filipino custom derived from a Filipino word “bayan”, which means nation, town or community. The term bayanihan itself literally means “being in a bayan”, which refers to the spirit of communal unity, work and cooperation to achieve a particular goal.⁵

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1. Dual wield, Wikipedia website, viewed on May 31, 2026. ↩︎
2. Top Work-related Injury Causes, National Safety Council website, viewed on May 31, 2026. ↩︎
3. Cognitive Kali | Paul McCarthy | TEDxUCLA, TEDx Talks, YouTube, Jul 8, 2016. ↩︎
4. What to Know about Kali 4 Coordination: Martial Arts for Neurological Disorders, Sparling,Jamie, 5 Koshas Yoga and Wellness website, viewed on may 31 2026. ↩︎
5. Bayanhian, Philippine Cultural and Civic Center website, viewed on May 31, 2026. ↩︎