About

 

Principles and Progression of IMA Learning and Training

Our training methods are simple and effective.  The aim of IMA is to help to develop your creativity, intuition, and spontaneity in as short a time as possible.

Developing your creativity is so much easier when you accept that an open mind can learn and retain new information easily when not pressured to "do it perfectly."  When learning is fun, not pressured, you can flow in and out of the ever changing situations in life and when street confrontation comes up.

So the techniques in the IMA progression charts are our basic fundamental responses.  From them comes the base to modify, add to, and combine, as needed when situations change.  So, creativity comes from the lack of mental taboo or traditional mandate to "do it perfectly'.  Liberate the body from having to perform and you will liberate the mind to become "No Mind".

Intuition is also very easy when one learns to read the body. Body language tells our conscious and subconscious recognition center of the brain (the hypothalamus) of our opponents intentions.  By using the universal five lines of attack (as used in the Filipino martial arts) you can simplify your opponents intentions.  This comes very quickly through stick fighting drills and principles.

See the specifics in our Physical Principles, Conceptual Principles, and Philosophical Concepts, Charts, and videos.

Spontaneity is the split second recognition just before intuition occurs.  It spawns from knowing enough diversified techniques from as many martial arts as is practical.  Because you have learned the basics of Kung Fu, Karate, and Filipino weapon arts, as well as traditional combative arts throughout the world, you are in familiar surroundings. And through "no mind' awareness you can be relaxed and flowing when needed.  This is the purpose of IMA.

Whether you are in the Masters or the Knowledge Certificate Home Study programs, the learning process is the same.  The aim of IMA is to personally evolve through the martial arts path of self-realization, spiritual awareness, and self-acceptance.  This typically occurs through your normal practice, while being aware of the applied principles of IMA.  As your practice continues and your self-esteem grows, you will start to discover new perspectives on life, and gradually become more open and less ego bound.  That's why martial artists tend to be able to avoid or walk away from a potential fight or confrontation.  No ego - nothing to defend.  Remember, you are performing an act of compassion and kindness when you avoid hurting someone who just might have had a bad day, or has been gunnysacking, and without thought dumped it on you  just because you were there; no real reason.  It is paramount to distinguish a serious lethal threat and a non-lethal threat.  Take responsibility for your actions.   This is the Principle of Compassion.

IMA's purpose is to supply the student with the most practical self-defense skills, using the finest of Karate, Kung Fu, and Filipino martial arts.  IMA is not an art form in the traditional sense.  In my teacher, Bruce Lee's own words,  "Use what is practical and discard what is useless.  And ... just like water, we must keep moving on.  For once water stops it becomes stagnant."

Another of my teachers, Ed Parker, stated, "It is not the aim to merely produce a skilled as well as powerful practitioner, but to create a well integrated student, respectful of all."

So called mistakes are left in from time to time during the video clips to show the viewer that imperfection is actually perfection and in the natural flow of things.  There is no such thing as a mistake; there is only opportunity.  There were no rehearsals or retakes of any of the techniques used in the original clips of IMA; only first time shots.

We often continue to hit or kick when the opponent is down, to practice for the natural flow when additional effort is needed to thwart a continuous attack or when assaulted by numerous attackers and you need the immediate attacker to stay down.

Every technique should be practiced on right AND left sides.  After a while, things start to not differentiate between the left and right sides - things to start to blend with no special distinction.  This is called "No Mind".

All contact techniques should be practiced with eyes closed as well as open.  This is done for night fighting and to develop sensitivity and No Mind training (not letting your eyes interfere with your body awareness, cues, and flow).  This develops intuition and adaptability and is what we call No Mind training.  Physiologically, it integrates the left and right hemispheres of the brain for a greater awareness and flow between the logical side and the intuitive side. 

In reality you will have to sometimes wait for the attacker to react from your first contact blow and then you may shift into the flow timing of the situation, because things do not stay the same, as in our practice perfect setup.  This is where we use feeding drills.  In feeding practice, the trainer applies random attacks slowly or maybe at a faster speed as needed.  Your reaction is one of obvious, logical application, based on IMA principles.  For example, use the principle of economy of motion, which means attack the closest opening with the fastest/closest weapon.  By going slower you can see the logical course of action.  Also you can afford to experiment and learn through practical non-competitive practice.  IMA strives to practice all drills on both sides, so that we become less dominant side oriented.  Gradually, we become ambidextrous.  As this happens there is less reaction time lost due to slow logical thought processes.  This type of practice leads us more easily to the "No Mind" flow, the ultimate in  martial arts skill.

All practiced techniques or drills are for an ideal setup.  When they are typically used on the street they are used out of our practice setups, but piecemealed into whatever offers itself up for grabs.  So you may use the ending or middle of a random unplanned application, whatever the natural flow leads you to.