MARTIAL ARTS
Photo Credits: Moraingy, a traditional sport in Madagascar | Source cropped from Flickr by Hery Zo Rakotondramanana
Morengy (African Kickboxing)
Morengy (aka Moraingy, Morinque) is a indigenous African bare knuckle kickboxing style from Madagascar which is an island off the southeast coast of the African continent. The unique bare knuckle kickboxing art uses hand wraps, has no weight class and traditionally strikes with any part of the body with only one main rule, strike any body part of your opponent. Punching, elbows, knees, headbutts, etc. are employed with a similar fighting style to Muay Thai from Thailand but with some unique African techniques. The art originated back in the mid 1600s during the Maroserana Dynasty and traditionally practiced among young boys & young men as a sport to gain prestige and test their abilities & orally passed down among the natives. Three key elements of the art are not to fear your opponent’s incoming attacks, don’t hold revenge against your opponent & show respect to your opponent even after the match has ended. In modern times young people of both genders now practice the art and some techniques are removed from the sport to get more mainstream acceptance in the sport martial arts community. Lineage taught at this school is under the guidance of Coach Ferdino Betsara (aka Super Black) in Nosy-Be, Madagascar.
Photo Credits: Altered coloration of Da Vinci Human clip art found on Dumielauxepices.net by unknown author.
Martial Science Street Self Defense
No matter what martial arts you practice they all have one thing in common, the Human element. We are all human beings & have at least two arms and legs. Therefore just by simple body mechanics we will all move with certain commonality. There is just so many ways we can attack & defend. A kick is still a kick & a punch is still a punch. This class will teach you basic fundamentals that works in most combat/defense scenarios & teaches one combat awareness that is needed for survival. This art is integrated as a fundamentals class with the other martial arts taught at this school.
[IMPACT WEAPONS]
Photo Credits: A matrag training session at the sports complex near Ghriss by Djino
El Matrag
El Matrag is a stick fighting martial arts from Algeria. Using a single one handed stick, double sticks and two handed stick. Although it is mostly taught as a stick fighting art in modern times that was not its true goal. This is a medieval African military boot camp art used to teach and prepare warriors/soldiers for single sword, double swords, double weapons, weapon & shield and two handed polearms/weapons. Many North African swordsmanship can use Matrag as their training template. Examples of this advance African swordsmanship training was responsible for the Moorish Knights occupying and maintaining control over Spain for approximately 780 + years. Also, the Egyptian Mamluks (enslaved soldiers) were on the other side of the fence and gave the European Crusaders a run for their money with their fighting prowess and swordsmanship skills. Lineage taught at this school is under the guidance of Cheikh Chadly Karamane.
Photo Credits: Source: Westcapenews.com by Sandiso Phaliso
Nguni Stick Fighting
Nguni Stick Fighting (aka Ukuqula, Qula) is a martial art traditionally practiced by Nguni herd boys in South Africa. Each practitioner with minimal to no armor is armed with 2 long sticks, one used for defense and the other stick for offense. Generally there is hand protection on the hand holding the defense stick. The Zulu tribe include a hand shield & the Xhosa Tribe use a long cloth to wrap and tie their hand to the defense stick as part of their stick fighting arsenal. Sometimes the art is used as a right of passage to manhood, sport or to settle disputes. However the common objective is for 2 warriors to fight each other to determine who’s the strongest or the “Bull”. This is old school as one can get as an African gladiator fighter. In the current modern martial arts stick fighting arena, very few practitioners are willing to go toe to toe with an opponent with sticks and zero body protection as standard practice. A sure fire way of controlling your fears & not letting your fears control you. This art was also used as a training tool for the Zulu Shield and Spear made infamous by Shaka Zulu. As for the millennial, it was featured in the waterfall weapons duel in the 2018 Black Panther movie.
Photo Credits: www.tahtib.com by Dr. Adel Boulad
Modern Tahtib Principles
Modern Tahtib Principles is a fundamentals class in the art of Modern Tahtib that originated from Tahtib which is a stick fighting martial arts from Egypt. Tahtib has a 5000 year old history going back to the Pharaonic era of Kemet (aka Ancient Egypt) and was an ancient battle staff fighting art that was initially taught to the Kemetic military soldiers for polearms usage. Evidence of this ancient art can still be seen on the walls of the Beni Hassan Site (12th Dynasty, 1600 B.C.) and was one of the three main arts practiced at the time which was Archery, Stick Fighting & Wrestling. After the fall of the Pharaonic era and Egypt changing rulership, Tahtib evolved and moved away from its combat roots and was practiced as a folkloric art game currently practiced in many villages across Egypt. Modern Tahtib was created by Dr. Adel Boulad, an Egyptian native who now resides in France with decades of martial arts experience. He did extensive research of the folkloric Egyptian Tahtib and was able to codify the art, restore its combat roots, got “Tahtib – Stick Game” registered with UNESCO & now aiming for Modern Tahtib to participate in the 2032 Olympics. Lineage taught at this school is under the guidance of Dr. Adel Boulad.
Photo Credits: Gran Maestro Miguel (Mike) Quijano
Calinda
Calinda (aka Calenda, Caringa) is a rare Afro Cuban & Afro Puerto Rican single stick combat fighting art not known to many outside the island of Cuba & Puerto Rico. The Cuban Calinda is a stand alone art while the Puerto Rican Calinda is taught as a sub art under Cocobale/Kokobale. This art was created by enslaved Afro Cubans & Afro Puerto Ricans that encompasses unarmed fighting, weapons (stick), dance, music and Afro Spirituality transmitted from teacher to student in a direct lineage. Traditionally the art is taught in 2 main components the Combat Art and the Folkloric Art to make a well rounded martial artist who can not only fight/defend themself but to pass on their Afro history, culture and traditions. In modern times on the island of Cuba & Puerto Rico many natives only know the art from a Folkloric nature and many elders only know fractions of the art. To the modern day viewer the art may look like Filipino Martial Arts or Silat due to its Single Stick usage. The lineage taught at the school is from a complete system done by Andre who is currently a student and Group Leader under the tutelage of Gran Maestro Miguel (Mike) Quijano.
[EDGED WEAPONS]
African Swordsmanship
The African Swordsmanship class is a comprehensive curriculum of African sword fencing via the use of a single sword, double swords, sword & dagger, sword & shield, sword & buckler and two handed sword used extensively in Northern & other regions of Africa on the battlefield+ over the centuries before the 20th Century. There will be multiple phases in this course and Phase 1 of this course will be using the Algerian stick fighting art of El Matrag as a template to cover African Swordsmanship skills. Sword Etiquette will be a major part of the course, since any swordsman/woman globally need to know how to handle and bond with their weapon that is just an extension of their arms. The art will be taught in a traditional manner from sticks to trainer swords (Synthetic, Steel Blunt Trainers, etc.). This is a hands-on course where the practitioner will have to know how to fence from a sports, self defense, dueling & a battlefield mindset. The teachings can also be easily translated to improvised weaponry for modern day self defense.
Photo Credits: Gran Maestro Miguel (Mike) Quijano
Cocobale/Kokobale
Cocobale (aka Cocobalé, Kokobale, Kokobalé) is a rare Afro Puerto Rican Stick & Machete combat fighting art not known to many outside the island of Puerto Rico. This art was created by enslaved Afro-Ricans that encompasses unarmed fighting, weapons (sticks, machetes, etc.), dance, music and Afro Spirituality transmitted from teacher to student in a direct lineage. Traditionally the art is taught in 2 main components the Combat Art and the Folkloric Art to make a well rounded martial artist who can not only fight/defend themself but to pass on their Afro history, culture and traditions. In modern times on the island of Puerto Rico, many natives only know the art from a Folkloric nature and many elders only know fractions of the art. To the modern day viewer the art may look like Filipino Martial Arts due to its Stick & Blade usage. The lineage taught at the school is from a complete system done by Andre who is currently a student and Group Leader under the tutelage of Gran Maestro Miguel (Mike) Quijano.
Photo Credits: Gran Maestro Miguel (Mike) Quijano
El Juego De Mani
El Juego De Mani (aka Mani) is a rare Afro Cuban armed and unarmed well rounded combat fighting art not known to many outside the island of Cuba. Mani is an African Kongo term for War. This art was created by enslaved Afro Cubans that encompasses unarmed fighting, weapons (sticks, machetes, knives, etc.), dance, music and Afro Spirituality transmitted from teacher to student in a direct lineage. Traditionally the art is taught in 2 main components the Combat Art and the Folkloric Art to make a well rounded martial artist who can not only fight/defend themself but to pass on their Afro history, culture and traditions. In modern times on the island of Cuba, many natives only know the art from a Folkloric nature and many elders only know fractions of the art. To the modern day viewer the art may look like Filipino Martial Arts due to its Stick & Blade usage. The lineage taught at the school is from a complete system done by Andre who is currently a student and Group Leader under the tutelage of Gran Maestro Miguel (Mike) Quijano.
Wellness
Mental Empowerment
“Anyone can name off 10 physical exercises on both hands to strengthen the body. Yet, many cannot even think of at least one mental exercise on one hand to strengthen the mind.”
Africa & Diaspora Culture & History
“I am not trying to create a better warrior, I am trying to create a better human being”.