Sensei Wael's training is very much oriented towards modern practicality, and the swiftest, surest, most efficient ways to defeat an enemy (or multiple enemies) in close-quarters battle. There are no katas; rather, combat scenarios are played out, unfolded one drill at a time.
This is not a competition art; its focuses are far too dangerous and deadly, with many bone breaks, strikes to the back of the neck, to the spine, and other physically devastating strikes. There is no pressure to "belt up," rather, the goal is purely to develop the skills to defend yourself and others in dozens of dangerous situations.
Before I started these classes, I, as a teenaged girl in a crime-rich area of Fresno, moved in public like a deer; alert, nimble, ready to be frightened. Fast forward two years, and I feel that if trouble confronted me, I would be the dangerous one. I move with even more alertness, but also with confidence, with ease. I can't thank my sensei enough for that.
The classes are engaging, interesting, and well-taught. Wael has come to a good balance of variety and repetition, and--while he focuses on practical applications against current threats--I was always interested to hear him lay out his knowledge of the history of one martial art or another, and what we can learn from that today. I also knew him to raise deep philosophical questions, ones we might have to struggle with as martial artists, and invite us to ponder over them with him.
I feel like I have so much more to say, but I guess this is enough to be going on with. Having left the country now, I find that this class and the people in it are one of the chiefest things I miss. Besides all the benefits you'd expect from a class like this, there's something about it that can forge the individual students into a family.
Go, and go often. Become a part of that. Become a force.
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