In your local martial arts studio, it is common to see a class of children kicking and punching, learning confidence, respect and self esteem. The next class might be housewives in sweatpants kicking and punching to a thumping music backbeat, getting ready for swimsuit season. Both are fine activities, but not really what martial arts are about. Martial arts are about self defense-combat. In modern times many “traditional” systems have been dumbed down for kids, or adults who consider martial arts as being in the same category as their regular tennis or golf play.

It is the responsibility of serious martial arts instructors to teach their students skills to be applied in the real world, not just in a studio with a friendly training partner. The average 18-year-old “black belt” is not prepared to face the task of killing,crippling or maiming someone-and we should not ask him to. Let children learn basic self defense and put on flashy uniforms, practicing flips and swinging glow-in-the-dark nunchaku. He will get a nice plastic trophy to show the soccer mom who picks him up and takes him to the pizza party celebration. Real Martial Arts are for Adults.

The Vagabond Martial Arts Association (Marietta, GA, U.S.A.) was founded by Master James Eddings to preserve the combat aspects of the traditional arts. The main Art taught at the VMAA,created by Master James Eddings, is Vagabond Kali-Silat. This combat art is the expression of a lifetime of Martial Arts experience and research. It is firmly grounded in the Arts of Indonesia and the Phillipines,and including techniques and training methods from Western arts that follow FMA/IMA principles. Master Eddings has explored nearly every existing martial tradition (Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Indian, etc). Along the way he has earned the following ranks, among others:

6^th Degree Black Belt in Hapkido
5^th Degree Black Belt in Jujitsu
4^th Degree Black Belt in Taekwon-Do
4^th Degree Black Belt in Kempo
2^nd Degree Black Belt in Judo

The training of Vagabond Kali-Silat is unique in that it develops the martial artist completely. The training forces the student to expose and resolve his weaknesses and develop all the attributes necessary for combat. At the same time the student learns the “study habits” of a martial artist, and how to assess techniques and training methods from other sources.Vagabond Kali-Silat is truly the martial art that advanced martial artists use to get to the next level in their training.

Master James Eddings is the founder of Vagabond Kali-Silat, President and Founder of the Vagabond Martial Arts Association. He can be reach at Website: www.freewebs.com/vagabondarts E-mail: vagabondarts@yahoo.com