IS PRESAS ARNIS TRAINING SAFE FOR KIDS?
All physical activity is risky in some way.
Martial arts training has a much better safety track record than other sports such as football, cheerleading, basketball, and soccer.
Presas Arnis training does not have any additional risk compared to other martial arts training, and is as safe as common styles like Karate, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo.
Young children (4 to 8 years old) train in our Arnis de Mano program, which emphasizes empty handed skills and has a very limited exposure to stick work. Once a child is mature enough, Arnis de Mano students graduate into the main Presas Arnis program.
In Presas Arnis, our use of tools and weapons early in training gives our students an excellent awareness of the dangers involved, and the habits we teach are well-grounded in being safe for all participants.
Sparring is an optional activity, and when we spar, we wear a lot of safety equipment and use special padded weapons. Our rule set for kids sparring does not reward points for hits on the head.
Children in the Philippines learn Arnis as the official martial art and martial sport of the nation in physical education classes. We know our kids in the Kansas City area can do the same.
HOW MUCH DO CLASSES COST AT KPA?
Tuition at KPA depends on several factors.
First, we offer a 12 month membership to our school or a month-to-month, no-contract tuition option. Tuition with a 12 month commitment is cheaper monthly than our month-to-month option.
Second, our basic tuition is for 1 class a week, our standard tuition is for 2 classes a week, and we offer an unlimited class option as well.
Thus, tuition varies based on how often a student plans to attend and if they join as a club member or not. Classes cost between $79/month and $169/month.
We offer a discount for additional family members, and tuition does not include some uniform and weapons costs, testing fees, and additional, optional seminar fees.
Check with us about a free, no-obligation trial class and our two-week trial membership specials.
WHAT DO KPA STUDENTS WEAR IN TRAINING?
Our school is modeled on what is considered "traditional" martial arts training in the United States. We use kimono-style uniforms and have a belt ranking system in each program.
Arnis de Mano students wear black uniforms and have striped rank belts based upon time in class. Mat shoes are optional in Arnis de Mano.
In Presas Arnis, students under 16 years old under black belt wear solid black uniforms with mat shoes. Adult students below black belt wear black/red pants and a red jacket with mat shoes.
In Force Necessary/PAC, students wear t-shirts, shorts/athletic pants, and mat shoes.
ARE ARNIS AND ESKRIMA/ESCRIMA AND KALI DIFFERENT THINGS?
No. They are all commonly used terms for the indigenous martial arts of the Philippines.
Ultimately, there are literally hundreds of different lineages and styles in the Filipino Martial Arts. After all, the Philippines consist of thousands of islands and nearly 170 different languages and dialects.
In our case, the term "Arnis" was chosen deliberately. One of the early books by Remy Presas, the founder of Modern Arnis, is titled "The Practical Art of Eskrima". The style could have been "Modern Eskrima" and today we might have been teaching "Presas Eskrima".
Kindred Protective Arts is the only full-time Filipino Martial Arts school (where what we teach is primarily FMA's to all students, versus an add-on for other styles) in the Kansas City area, and is one of the few in the United States to teach FMA's as the primary style.