Demopolis Karate saw more than two dozen people from around the state attend a Filipino Combat Systems (FCS) clinic Saturday.

“What makes this system different from a lot of stuff is that emptyhand techniques can be done with an empty hand, a stick or knife,” Buddy Hinson, who helped oversee and organize the event, said.

The clinic saw Demopolis Karate instructors team with Stanley Tippins of Montgomery, the head of FCS in Alabama.

“Anybody can do it. The sooner a person starts, the better off they’ll be,” Tippins said of the system. “Filipino Marial Art is so adaptable. It’s a combat art. It focuses primarily on weapons and empty hand.”

Attendees at the clinic began by using sticks to learn the Filipino Combat Systems techniques before moving to knives and eventually empty hands.

Tippins said the system’s unique design makes it very easy to learn.

“It makes all of the difference because when the techniques are very similar, one doesn’t have to put the stick down and relearn anything. He doesn’t have to put the blade down and relearn anything.”

Tippins also said the FCS system is very adaptable in nature.

“All students are encouraged to take the techniques and mold them to what they are able to do physically,” Tippins said.

“If someone were to have trained for many years in Taekwondo, he does not have to unlearn what he’s already trained with. We want people to know that it doesn’t matter what they’re training in, they can supplement what they already know.”

While the FCS system does involve sticks and knives, Hinson said the training focuses on disarming and disabling assailants.

“If you can lock them up and submit them, that’s the best way to go,” Hinson said.

The day-long seminar saw attendees of various age and ethnicity.

“We’ve got about as many females as we do males,” Hinson, who works with Demopolis Karate said. “The thing about this system is it doesn’t take a lot of muscle.”