# When do you  begin to see students  acheived whats called Flow in Modern Arnis or FMA?



## BuffaloFOI (Jun 24, 2013)

Thanks for any input.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Jun 25, 2013)

In my opinion that really depends on the student/practitioner.  There individual development determines how quickly they develop.


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## Dan Anderson (Jun 25, 2013)

BuffaloFOI said:


> Thanks for any input.


On a physical level, when the student begins to string a series of movements together in an even combination.

On a conceptual level, when a student begins to adapt, change, counter when his partner/opponent changes.

The first is very easy under a good instructor and you will see that happen within the first few months.

The second happens when it happens.  This could take years.

Yours,
Dan Anderson


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## arnisador (Jul 23, 2013)

Dan Anderson said:


> On a physical level, when the student begins to string a series of movements together in an even combination.
> 
> On a conceptual level, when a student begins to adapt, change, counter when his partner/opponent changes.



I agree, and I think that esp. the latter is what's meant by flowing--moving smoothly and fluidly while reacting to an unexpected strike and countering it as though you had indeed expected it all along. It was probably 2 years, I guess, before I thought I was having meaningful success with that. There are drills that help bring out that kind of movement and those reactions and it partially depends on how emphasized those are. For me, the flow drill was aptly named.


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## Mark Lynn (Aug 19, 2013)

Dan Anderson said:


> On a physical level, when the student begins to string a series of movements together in an even combination.
> 
> On a conceptual level, when a student begins to adapt, change, counter when his partner/opponent changes.
> 
> ...



Dan

I totally agree with your post.

To add to it, I believe that a student begins to flow about the time when doing a drill and they miss a strike (a count or beat so to speak) in the drill, they don't stop and reset, instead they don't miss a beat and they continue on like nothing happened.  This is a beginning.

Then as the student progresses they might tie together different drills say the Sinawali patterns, then progress to 2 vs. 1 and again have all sorts of variations all of the while keeping the flow going and adapting to the new patterns etc. etc.  Around the same time solo baston vs. solo baston flow drills like Sumbrada (i.e. 6 count drill), Hubud, single cane sparring, give and take drill etc. etc. are introduced and the student again learns to flow in all of these.

Finally a student gets to the point where they can change as their partner changes such as what Dan wrote.

I think too their might be even levels within that phase.  Such as keeping the flow going as you respond to their change, or setting up a person (programing the outcome) by the way you feed.  Maybe this would be a more active position (I'm not sure if I'm expressing it right or not.

Mark


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