THE DIFFERENT STYLES AND WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
1) FMA (Freestyle)
WHAT IS COBRA FMA?
Cobra FMA is a freestyle martial art that combines Karate, Kickboxing and Ju-Jitsu into
a unique style of self-defence.
These three Martial Arts will give you the skills you need to help defend yourself if
confronted by a violent situation*. It will also help keep you fit and supple, as well
as being a good social outlet where you can meet and train with different people.
*It should be noted that nothing is guaranteed against a violent
attacker, and although we can give you techniques that can help...
awareness, avoidance and escape are always the best option*
There are three styles that make up the FMA syllabus and each grade is
made up of the following three Martial Arts:
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1) Karate - This will give you the speed, focus and balance required.
2) Kickboxing - This will give you the power and accuracy needed to deliver effective strikes using kicks, punches, elbows and knees.
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3) Ju-Jitsu - This will teach you locking and restraint techniques, using our 21 arm lock and 18 leg lock Bunkai, as well as grab escapes, floor and weapon defences, throws, sweeps and take-downs.
In addition, there is also a self-defence section on each grade where you will learn how to defend youself against a wide range of attacks.
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Right: Example of Kyu grading certificates, of which one will be issued per
coloured grade, PER DIFFERENT STYLE completed, alongside the coloured
belt achieved. The passing of each grade will also be recorded in the students
licence book.
2) COBRA KICKBOXING
Cobra Kickboxing is a Muay Thai based Freestyle form of Kickboxing.
Cobra Kickboxing is available to all students and combines techniques taken from both Muay Thai and Freestyle Kickboxing.
All techniques are trained, demonstrated and graded based on power and must
be completed full contact on focus mits, strike shields and bags. No part of the
syllabus is semi-contact or completed 'in thin air'. Strikes will include punches,
kicks, elbows and knees. The syllabus also includes various blocking techniques.
Given the nature of Thai Kickboxing, this session/syllabus is not only a great Martial Art, but a fantastic way of keeping fit, as lessons have a big emphasis on cardiovascular fitness.
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3) COBRA FREESTYLE KARATE
This style is a striking art.
It contains self defence techniques as well as pad work and hand / foot
combinations.
Freestyle Karate focuses the student onto areas such as balance, focus, technique and multi-directional striking.
This style is suited to both beginners or veteran Martial Artists looking for something slightly more technical.
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GRADINGS
At Cobra Hyde we assess (grade) students using a progressive grading system (PGS). The details of this are fully explained below.
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Why do we use PGS?
Clubs generally hold coloured belt (KYU/KUP) gradings at 3 to 6 month intervals, with the students learning the required techniques for each grade in the time between them. However, some students train more than others and while this may be the traditional way of grading, if we equate the time into hours, some will have done considerably more active training than others by the time the grading date comes around. In addition some may miss lessons or simply be unavailable on a set grading day. This is why we use PGS for all students, so that they can move up in grade once they have completed the requirements during the lesson rather than on that one set day.
Some students may also not be able to complete a full grading all at once for health reasons and equal opportunities tell us that everyone should be given access to take part in sport regardless of ability. The same applies to the martial arts, so long as taking part does not hinder or make any medical condition/long term injury worse.
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What is PGS?
The PGS allows students to grade over time while still maintaining high standards. In fact there is an argument that the standard required using PGS is higher, as students must pass every technique in order to achieve the next grade, unlike standard gradings where a set score is required.
However, if a student has had most of the grade signed off but is still struggling with a couple of techniques the grade may still be awarded, with these techniques being deferred and then re-visited at a later date, unlike a standard grading where these techniques would simply receive a fail score and possibly be left behind. The Instructor can then require the student to demonstrate once again prior to awarding a higher grade.
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How does PGS work and how are students graded?
The PGS works very much like an NVQ. As students work through the grade requirements, the Instructor will sign off each technique in turn as and when the student is able to successfully demonstrate it three consecutive times without error. Thus, once when a technique is signed off or 'passed', the student does not have to revisit the same technique again to pass that current grade (although we will revist techniques for revision purposes now and then).
Doing this then allows the student to focus more on techniques they find difficult rather than simply
repeating all of the grade requirements week after week.
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What about grading fee's?
Once all the techniques for a specific grade has been signed off grading fees then become due prior to
any certification and belts being awarded.
Grading fee £20 per grading.
