FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HAMA means Historical African Martial Arts which covers martial arts from Africa & the African Diaspora (Americas, Caribbean, Asia & Europe) that has origins that can pre-date Ancient Kemet (currently known as Egypt) up to the modern 21st Century.

We currently teach Martial Science Street Self Defense (Global Combat Martial Science), Morengy (Madagascar), El Matrag (Algeria), Modern Tahtib Principles (Egypt), Nguni Stick Fighting (South Africa), African Swordsmanship (North Africa), Calinda (Cuba & Puerto Rico), El Juego De Mani (Cuba) & Cocobale/Kokobale (Puerto Rico). All the martial arts are grouped together and taught in the following 4 separate classes: African Stick Fighting (El Matrag, Modern Tahtib Principles & Nguni Stick Fighting), Morengy (African Kickboxing, Madagascar Bare Knuckle Kickboxing), African Swordsmanship (North African Sword Fencing) and Afro Caribbean Martial Arts (Calinda, El Juego De Mani & Cocobale/Kokobale).

We currently teach Martial Science Street Self Defense (Global Combat Martial Science) & Morengy (African Kickboxing, Madagascar Bare Knuckle Kickboxing) with modern safety equipment.

We currently teach El Matrag (Algerian Stick Fighting), Modern Tahtib Principles (Egyptian Stick Fighting), Nguni Stick Fighting (South African/Xhosa/Zulu Stick Fighting), African Swordsmanship (North African Sword Fencing), Calinda (Cuban & Puerto Rican Stick Fighting), El Juego De Mani (Cuban Armed & Unarmed Fighting) & Cocobale/Kokobale (Cuban Armed & Unarmed Fighting) with modern safety equipment.

The El Matrag is a universal training tool for swordsmanship and training for single weapon, double weapons & 2 handed weapons. Nguni sticks is a training tool for shield & spear or other weapons with a shield. Traditional weapons training teaches one to improvise and learn how to defend against or attack with a baseball bat, pool stick, crowbar, machete, knife, etc, used in modern day conflicts.

It can be if not trained properly. Everyone starts slow to gain control & proper techniques. As your skill set increases, so does the speed of your training. Plus the aid of defensive footwork will keep you out of harms way.

These older arts was effective on the ancient battlefield & currently in the modern day concrete jungle. Human anatomy has not changed over the years & we all still have 2 arms & 2 legs. So there is just so many ways one can fight. Learning a martial arts created in war time is different than learning a martial art created during peace time. Older war time arts was for survival and modern peace time arts was more for sport or self improvement.

Martial Arts, Wellness & Mental Empowerment is a embedded trilogy that's like saying smoke & fire or lightning & thunder. All 3 components make up all martial arts, it is just a matter if the martial arts school decide to market the other 2 components or bury them since they do not think they are important in their business model. So we are not doing anything new, we are just going back to martial arts traditional roots. We will try to devote at least 1 week out of the month for Wellness & Mental Empowerment training.

Any martial art is a small portal to a local culture with a rich history. For one to fully grasp that martial art's philosophy properly you have to understand the history of that art/country & it's culture to be in sync with that martial culture mindset. Plus one will get to learn a bit of unknown parts of history not publicly mentioned in mainstream media.

No long term contracts.

No we do not have a belt ranking or any ranking system at the moment. Traditionally there was never a belt rank in many older combat/martial arts.

Monday Evenings: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Wednesday Evenings: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday Mornings: 8:00 am to 10:00 am
Sunday Afternoons: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Please contact us directly for class location.

Yes we teach kids but we do not have a kids class at the moment. We are currently accepting 16+ year olds. Please contact us directly for any further questions.

No age limit, our oldest student is a retiree.

No uniforms at this moment in time, just wear loose comfortable t-shirt (non offensive artwork), sweat pants, loose comfortable pants, socks & comfortable pair of sneakers. No Sagging or revealing clothing. No jewelry or body piercings (to avoid injury to yourself or other students). Bring a towel, a bottle of water & a yoga mat if you have one.

Yes, you can book a one time free no obligation trial class & you can book additional trial guests. We need to know the amount of people attending to make accommodation for any large groups. This is not a show & tell class so if you bring guests we would rather them try out the class as well. However if your guest just want to watch we ask for no distractions, no loud talking or cellphone conversations within the class training area. No pictures, no videos, no social media posting & no audio recordings without permission. This is not just for our privacy but the privacy of other students who may not want their deeds publicly known on the web.

No, you do not need to be fit prior to joining, but we need to know all personal ailments or medical issues before starting any classes.

No martial arts experience is required before joining.

Yes, you will be exposed to light to gradual high cardiovascular exercises accompanied by increased reflexes, increased hand-eye co-ordination, increased body posture, increased footwork, increased range of motion and increased arms, back & legs strength. And finally, reduced stress.

Yes you can still practice. We just need to know all personal injuries or medical conditions before joining & we can try to tailor the training around your injuries. Plus remember to speak with your doctor to make sure it's safe to do any martial arts activities if you have any medical issues.

Wear loose comfortable t-shirt (non offensive artwork), sweat pants, loose comfortable pants, socks & comfortable pair of sneakers.
No raised heel shoes, no open toe shoes, no slippers or strapped open footwear. Only fully enclosed shoes such as a pair of comfortable sneakers are recommended.
No Sagging.
No revealing clothing, no short shorts, no yoga pants, no mini skirts, no skirts or dresses.
No jewelry or any body piercings (to avoid injury to yourself or others).
No keys, cellphones or anything in your pockets (to avoid injury to yourself or others).
Please mute your cellphone or put it on vibrate during class and if you have to take a call please leave the class area to take your call.
Bring a bag for your personal belongs, a towel, a bottle of water & a yoga mat if you have one.
All students will be informed once per week if classes are been held or cancelled for any reason to respect everyone's valuable time.
Please let us know at least 1 day or 2 hours before class if you are attending class or not to respect our valuable time.
No pictures, no videos, no social media posting & no audio recordings without permission. This is not just for our privacy but the privacy of other students who may not want their deeds publicly known on the web.

*Cancellation Policy:

1. After a class/session begins, it is non-refundable.
2. Full refunds for cancellations made 24 hours before the class/session, Refunds may take 5-7 business days depending on your financial payment institution.
3. There is a $10 cancellation fee for cancellations made under 2 hours before the class/session.
4. No Refunds for No-Call/Text No-Shows class/session.

Note: All trial/full sessions are non-transferable and expire within 30 days from the purchase date. An appointment made within the initial 30-day purchase time frame can be rescheduled if 24-hour notification is given to HAMAW prior to the scheduled class/session at no extra cost. There are no makeup dates for monthly students who miss any classes.

*Cancellation policy is subject to change without notice.