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The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools. --Thucydides
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A Philosophy. A System. A Curriculum.

A Philosophy
Philosophy :: Physical Culture for the Modern Warrior. The philosophy at IMMA exhibits a fusion of physical culture, traditional martial arts, modern combatives, and health and wellness practices, to develop the body, mind and spirit. It also advocates and emphasizes study in as many disciplines as possible – within and without martial arts – ever seeking knowledge, wisdom and evolutionary progress. Physical Culture I first became aware of, and somewhat enamored with, the term “Physical Culture” about 10 years ago. At that time, I did not know this phrase referred to an exercise movement from the late 1800’s-early 1900s. Rather, I believed it to be an apt description of a tribal philosophy held by those who devote themselves to self-improvement and, at the most advanced levels – actualization – via movement, exercise, fitness and health. It is this tribal philosophy that is most prevalent at IMMA, while paying homage to the original definition of the phrase. I wrote an article (Movement Across Cultures) that reflects some of my thoughts on movement and physical culture. What is a Warrior? I am admittedly using a broad definition of the term "warrior". As a former US Marine, I acknowledge that most folks in the Armed Forces believe the word warrior to be reserved only for those who have seen or directly trained for combat, and I understand and accept that. I will take liberty with this term, however, and will explain my rationale. Hopefully my reasoning will resonate with you, because I do not want to contribute further to the abuse of this term. A warrior is one who battles his/her enemies, and diligently prepares and trains for these battles. Those enemies can take many forms and are often unique to each individual. For some, there are very real external entities to fight; for others, they have their own internal demons. A battle we all fight is the battle for our soul, regardless of how you define "soul". Our own personal battle to become the best human being we can be... that's a warrior to me. Other usages of warrior that fit in this philosophy include Carlos Castenada's spiritual warrior embodied in his writings and Dan Millman's peaceful warrior series. There are compelling synchronicities across both authors' works, the philosophy of Integral Movement & Martial Arts, and the book The Breath Is the Work - which will not be articulated here at this time. I'm sure I will explain the details of these conjunctions soon on social media (links at header and footer of this site) and/or the blog. On a more practical level, we train martial arts and combatives at IMMA, so the label of warrior is easily applied in this context. Being responsible for your own protection, and the protection of others, is a noble goal - and those of us who feel a calling to this path will consider it an obligation. Recall also that within the core philosophy of Systema we find: the synergy of three components creates a TRUE WARRIOR - Combat Skill, Strong Spirit and a Healthy Body. I have also written an article (The Obligation of Protection) on this topic. So the simply stated, six-word philosophy of IMMA goes deep. It blends these concepts as manifest in the actual name of the school, (described below), in the core training system, and the variety, focus and quality of the curriculum.
A System.
MOVE. SURVIVE. THRIVE. Move well... so that you may Survive... and then Thrive. At IMMA, we truly want you to get the MOST (MOve. Survive. Thrive.) from your training and become the best version of yourself. Each domain of the system is complete and essential unto itself, and simultaneously intrinsic to the entire system. MOVE All programs and classes involve movement, as MOVE is the literal foundation of the IMMA system. You will experience diverse and challenging forms of exercise and movement to develop unique attributes and skills. SURVIVE While the primary objective of SURVIVE is focused on self-defense, martial arts and combatives, the characteristics and traits you acquire at IMMA are relevant in any stressful or conflict scenario - including everyday life. THRIVE Build your health. Attain longevity. Develop an authentic and enduring body-mind-spirit harmony and synergy. Live your life on your own terms and extract all you can from this life.
A Curriculum.
The Curriculum is comprised of Programs and Classes, which are aligned with the three domains of practice of the core system: MOVE. SURVIVE. THRIVE. Programs are focused on a specific area of training; Classes are aligned to the domains and programs and allow students flexibility to achieve their individual goals. When you begin your journey with us, we will ask about your aspirations and goals, perform an assessment to establish a baseline, and then recommend programs and classes that align for you. Programs Programs are listed here. Review the programs to understand the types of training options available to you, and so you can determine your goals. Then build a training plan. We'll work with you to ensure you choose the best options to achieve your goals. Classes The Class Schedule is listed here. Flexible schedule options are available to meet your life demands, including ample opportunities for individual, private sessions.
Why "Integral" ?
Hybrid, synthesis, integral... these words, and more importantly the concepts they represent, have fascinated me since high school. In my mid-twenties, my martial arts journey led me to Bruce Lee's philosophy of Jeet Kune Do, which - IMO - demonstrates the application of these terms and concepts. Swami Satchidananda - one of the main exponents responsible for bringing authentic Yoga to the west labeled his program of study Integral Yoga - combining six branches of classical yoga, including hatha. I practiced Integral Hatha for a while and was fortunate to meet Swami Satchidananda on two occasions - he was a remarkable human being. GMB Fitness - whose programs I highly recommend, offers an excellent course called Integral Strength. The principles in this course, and all GMB programs, resonate strongly with the programs at IMMA, and many of the GMB movements can be found in the Move domain.
The Inspiration
The difference a teacher can make ... Junior year of high school I had both physics and calculus classes. While I loved the concepts around physics, the teacher was awful and I got very little from that class. My calculus teacher, on the other hand, made a huge impression on me. Here's how it started and how I became more intrigued by the terms mentioned above - and especially "integral". It’s the first day of class for calculus. I’m a little nervous because calculus feels like such an overwhelming topic to me. Anyhow, the bell rings for class to begin. No teacher. A few minutes go by and still no teacher… hmm, what’s going on? Suddenly the door at the front of the classroom flies open, a man jumps into the room, grabs an eraser and throws it full force against the opposite wall of the room. Chalk dust flies. (Yes, it was chalk… I’m old.) After a brief pause for effect – and the entire class gawking in shock… I know I was thinking to myself “WTF!!??” – the man says, “That eraser never hit that wall!!” A few of us look at each other nervously and are thinking “This dude is f’ing crazy”. Then he calmly but excitedly says “… and with calculus, I can prove it never hit that wall.” This was how Dr. Len Viola began our calculus class that year. Boom. I was all-in. I learned about integral (and differential) calculus that year. Dr. Viola was an incredible teacher – the best teacher I ever had. Not only did he teach complex mathematics in a way that I understood – he translated and related these lessons to things in real life and other areas outside of pure mathematics, and allowed me to see the depth of meaning of the word "integral".
Integral Concepts
Integral means essential, complete, whole. It can also mean unmaimed or unimpaired; pristine. It also applies to elements or parts necessary to achieve the completeness of the whole; elemental or intrinsic. These nuanced and multi-layered meanings are highly relevant to the philosophy, system and programs offered at IMMA.
These Concepts Manifest at IMMA
Each class, program or domain of study is essential unto itself, yet each is requisite to the broader and ultimate objective of forging a more complete human being, with a strong body, mind and spirit. The mathematical concepts of integrals are also highly relevant to how we train and practice at IMMA. Breaking time and movement patterns into ever smaller slices, to understand the movements more completely, and to realize that time is a “forever slice of now”, and you can observe and manipulate behaviors within these slices... once you gain the ability to detect them. You then realize you are never finished… there is always another slice of time and movement at hand. To me, this is Zen in action. Our Systema classes put these concepts into practice in novel and compelling ways. Yet all IMMA classes and programs can trace to these concepts in some manner.
The name of the school is indeed Integral Movement & Martial Arts. Each of these words can be examined individually - and it also became apparent (by accident, as I was working on creating a logo) that different combinations of these terms are possible and actually highly relevant to the philosophy and system of the school. Those combos are discussed below...

Integral. Movement. Martial. Arts.

Integral Arts

Many arts have been incorporated into the IMMA system and programs - influencing the overall whole. Systema and T'ai Chi are obviously represented. Beyond that, numerous Chinese, Japanese, Filipino/Indonesian and Okinawan martial arts have influenced what is taught, and how it is taught. This also extends to the "arts" of strength and movement, honoring the legacy of traditional Physical Culture, while incorporating and evolving the concepts of physical culture in a modern era. An acknowledgement to all true art forms is implied here as well.
Martial arts/combatives and movement are inextricably linked. As has already been discussed, many forms of movement, strength and conditioning systems grew from warrior cultures or martial arts. Martial movement has many facets. It can be very aggressive, tactical and direct. It can also be extremely graceful, fluid and artful. It should always engender power, whether that power is "internal" or "external". Many ancient styles/forms of martial arts were either hidden or preserved in dance or dance-like movements, which is also relevant to the "Integral Arts" combination above.

Martial Movement

Integral Martial Movement Arts

The same four words arranged in this order is still a completely valid and accurate description of the school.

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