What is HAMA?

HAMA means Historical African Martial Arts. This covers martial arts from Africa & the African Diaspora (Americas, Caribbean, Europe & Asia) that has origins that can pre-date Kemet (aka Ancient Egypt) or as modern as the 21st Century. For many people it is strange hearing the words African & Martial Arts in the same sentence. Everyone will accept martial arts originating in Asia, Europe and even in North America but will not mentally accept such practices from the African continent. Well here is a history reality check, any human culture with a dynasty or a military all had some sort of martial/combat art to survive their enemies and maintain their dynasties for decades or centuries. And yes, that includes the whole African continent. You cannot always go by the popular mainstream history books.

With the advent of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, many African warriors were scattered across the Caribbean, North America, Central America and South America. These enslaved warriors (aka prisoners of war) passed on their combat knowledge that adapted, evolved and sometimes merged with any local combat arts of the local region. Hence the African Diaspora Martial Arts was formed and they still exist till this day in the Diasporas.

Welcome to the Historical African Martial Arts & Wellness (HAMAW). It is our pleasure to introduce HAMAW and a different view of healthy lifestyle to the South Florida community. HAMAW will consist of African & African Diaspora Martial Arts from the Caribbean and the Americas.

Unfortunately, many African & African Diaspora Martial Arts are not known to the mainstream public or martial arts community. With this in mind many people assume if it is not mainstream it does not exist. Our goal is to educate, inform & teach the HAMAW to everyone young and old. But our martial arts training will borrow from the past and give practitioners a holistic approach. One of the key element to this training is not trying to be a museum to collect and display antiques. Instead we will show you how ancient warrior arts that was practical centuries ago are still relevant to modern day lifestyle in the 21st century. At this school the practitioner will be exposed to 3 main factors of martial arts; the martial (combat/defense), the wellness (diet/health/lifestyle/traditional medicine/pain relief) & the mental (mental empowerment/stress relief). These 3 factors will be wrapped up in culture from the region of origins of these arts for one to get a better grasp on what help forged warriors from these regions.

The martial arts approach we use is meant for self preservation as our primary goal. In our view if a woman, child, elderly, disabled or a weaker person cannot use the art to defend themselves, then it is useless. Always assume your opponent is stronger, faster, younger and more skilled than you. With that being said you are not always expected to win a fight but losing is not a option. Losing can result in serious injuries or worse. All we try to achieve with our students is to survive a confrontation with as minimal damage as possible and get home in one piece to their families or loved ones.

Our Mission & Goal

Our mission at Historical African Martial Arts and Wellness (HAMAW) is to bring back traditional, holistic methods to coexist in the daily routines of people by incorporating wellness coaching and pain relief as a part of their lifestyle.

Our goal is to educate people on how to maintain a proper healthy way of life. We offer a unique wellness experience for people, by providing the best holistic therapy. We deliver with pride, authenticity, originality and honesty and continuously strive for improvement.