Self defense skill development
Self defense skill development
FMA (Fundamental Martial Arts) is a practical, modern and no nonsense form of self defense training. The mission of FMA is to provide you the opportunity to greatly improve your ability to protect yourself and those you love.
The bad guy is not going to “let” you go. Rather than struggling in vain against someone stronger, meaningfully attack him to build the chance to get away.
“Welcome to the FMA website, thank you for your interest! FMA is a fit for Moms, Dads, Retired people, Serious teens, College ladies and anyone who is ready to greatly improve their ability to protect themselves and those they care about. When training in FMA, you will have fun and grow in many ways.
Please read through this brief website and the testimonials to get a feel for what FMA is about. I want to help you reach your full potential in your ability to defend yourself. I am humbled by the dedication and passion from our Members. Our constructive culture is welcoming and friendly, while being focused on continuous personal improvement. At FMA, we emphasize building practical skills against serious threats, meaningful skills that may be required if your gun is not in your hand at the time of need. Sometimes you can’t yet run away and must build the opportunity to escape. FMA will give you essential tools to help you.
You will be amazed at what you will learn and how much fun you will have. FMA is a great addition or unique alternative to regular fitness programs. This is likely something you’ve always wanted to do and know deep down you should, perhaps time or money have been holding you back. To help you with these concerns we’ve carefully structured the training to a doable once a week schedule with multiple options each week to choose from and you can flex week to week as needed. The value and affordability have been confirmed hundreds of times by our Members. I hope you accept this personal challenge and discover what you are capable of, you will love it! See you in class!” – Scott Shephard
With multiple attackers you must keep your vision and attention on both at the same time. As with all fights, stay in the moment and manage the moments as they unfold.
FMA Members develop genuine functional ability in managing and adapting to all types of attack. Students of FMA learn and practice responses to issues like being grabbed, choked, against weapons, multiple attackers and much, much more. FMA is not traditional martial arts, there is no bowing, no bare feet and no special outfits. FMA is not sport. Sport has weight classes, same sex, only one opponent at a time, no weapons and RULES. The development of FMA (Fundamental Martial Arts) points to Scott Shephard’s personal beliefs in what is important in studying Martial Arts and a result of the thousands of hours of training dedicated students.
Fundamental Martial Arts is designed to greatly improve every student’s ability to protect themselves and their loved ones and to encourage general health and wellness. The primary quest is to build true skills in the student to prepare them as well as possible for a violent engagement. FMA training will always be geared to developing the understanding and ability of students to manage an extreme confrontation with a determined and aggressive attacker(s).
Many available martial arts today are a merger of several arts, or are “watered down” versions of an art. FMA has a lineage that is respected, but it is an evolution and is a fully refined, meaningful martial art for today’s needs. In a dangerous encounter, a measly kick in the groin or a pounding on his chest will not do. There are many feel good type studios out there that unfortunately provide an unrealistic confidence builder type atmosphere, where sub-standard results are acceptable and the training methodology is obscenely optimistic. FMA believes that approach is irresponsible and not in the best interest of the student.
Fundamental Martial Arts is designed for the current world. Although we believe focus and attention to the material is critical, we dispense with bowing, wearing special outfits and any concept where we might expect our attacker(s) to act within any set of rules. We may wear a school t-shirt, but generally we wear regular workout clothes and athletic shoes (instead of bare feet). We do have a ranking system for the student to understand their progress and to help organize productive training groups when appropriate, but we do not wear belts in classes. There is a great deal more to a street fight than breaking a board too. Having said that, Scott personally respects ancient masters and their followers who seek more of the other side of training provided by most traditional schools, this just simply is not the way of FMA. There is far too much crucial skill material to concentrate on in developing someone into a person who can manage the serious threats of the modern world, therefore our student’s improved capability is our entire focus.
“I’ve never felt more safe and present in my life with what Scott has taught me. Being afraid to do something used to prevent me from experiencing or enjoying certain parts of my life. I was always thinking about what could go wrong and how I was not prepared. Now, I am present, enjoy life as it unfolds around me. And, if there’s a threat to my safety, I know how to handle it. Thanks, Scott!” – J.S.