FMA Informative Newspaper Vol4 No.1

Transcription

Vol 4 No 1 - 2015
Newspaper
Propagating the Filipino Martial Arts and the Culture of the Philippines
Ninth Degree Eskrima Masters
By Mustafa Gatdula
I never really understood this one.
Let’s just say up front that I never liked
the Black Belt ranking structure for the Filipino arts. I don’t have a problem with that
structure being used for students as a way
to designate the various levels of learning
and accomplishment. We even tried it twice
in my own school. It wasn’t for me, but I do
understand why it is used and how it may
be useful. Personal preference, to be honest.
For the expert (Black Belt) level,
however, I totally dislike it. Here’s why.
In the Filipino arts, unlike in Karate,
Kung Fu, Judo, Jujutsu, Aikido, and the like-we do not have the number of skills and techniques that they do. Our curriculum is more
like boxing, with a small number of actual
techniques, and a focus on skill-in-technique
and strategy. Honestly, one could learn all the
basics of boxing in a few months, just like you
could in the Filipino martial arts. There are
those who have more than others, but overall,
we have fewer items to learn in our systems
than in other mainstream arts. This is why so
many of us feel we can impart the Filipino art
through DVD, the internet and in seminars.
It sounds normal doesn’t it? You can teach
your whole curriculum by DVD so why not?
Question. Can you teach all the basics of, say Baseball, on a DVD? Of course.
Now could a man who learned how to
catch, hit, throw and run by DVD play baseball at the college level and be formidable?
If you answer “yes”, I’ll pause
while one of your colleagues slaps you.
Of course he can’t. You can learn how
to hit, throw, catch and run by DVD, but you
sure as hell can’t play with any level of skill
unless you got out there and played several
seasons worth of games with actual teammates, a coach and rival teams. If you believe
you can, no wonder the Filipino art is one of
the most bastardized arts in the world--we
are in BIG trouble. The truth is, this art is too
complex if you’re dealing with more than just
slapping hands together and playing pattycake with sticks to have a crash course and
think you can defend yourself against determined, ruthless attackers on the street.
Back to the subject of rank, students
have skills that have to be taught on a schedule. They must be learned in a specific order,
and one skill builds the capacity to learn
those of the next level. If you can’t perform
or execute the lower skills with any proficiency, the skills at the higher level will be even
weaker because they are standing on weak
skills as a foundation. At the same time, belts
may be necessary to define what point a student has achieved in his learning. I get that.
At the Expert level, however, in the
Filipino arts most of your learning should be
over. I can’t imagine what else a student has
left to learn new once he has been studying
for 4 or 5 years. Once your student arrives
to this point, that you have given him the
Black Belt or expert rating, he should represent the best you can put out. You should
feel totally confident that any caller who
knocks on your door for a match should be
the victor if he fought on your behalf. If you
do not have that kind of confidence in him,
then perhaps you may be awarding Black
belts to students before they are ready.
The question is, which Black Belt/Expert philosophy you believe in. Some believe the Black Belt is “the beginning”, which
would make it an extension of the students
ranks. Some believe it is the end of the long,
arduous road to expertise. I liken the Black
Belt status with the college degree; either
you are qualified as a manager, accountant,
school teacher, etc., or not. Now there are
certainly levels--the Master’s and the PhD-but they have very specific skills to learn in
order to earn those titles, and they have a
number of years of study assigned to them.
Unlike in the martial arts, the skill and knowledge difference between a 2nd degree Black
Belter and a 3rd are completely arbitrary. In
some systems, that is not true: I have heard
of systems that have curriculums all the
way up to the third or fourth degree Black
belt. There are forms to learn, techniques to
learn, and physical/strength feats that must
be accomplished for those levels. Do we
have them in the Filipino arts? I think not.
And this is why I am against the idea
of Black Belt levels in the Filipino arts. At
most, we should have three: the expert,
Differences Between
Strategy and Tactics
By Adam: Low Tech Combat
Article
Thorn or Echo...
By David E. Gould
Article
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2 FMA Informative Vol4 No1 2015
the teacher and the master.
Experts know the curriculum all the way through and
have excelled at it. Teachers
have the additional skill of
knowing how to to teach the
material. Masters have mastered the technique as well
as the art of teaching. Anything more than that opens
your art up to rivalries and
conflicts due to politics, disagreements and ego. Look at
your own systems, am I right?
Either you know the
material or you don’t. Nothing
to argue about that, if you test
your students properly. Anyone who doubts that student
is qualified is welcome to come
and *test* his knowledge personally. Either you can teach
the art or you can’t. This test
is not taken by the teacher,
but his student. If you doubt
that I know how to teach the
art, send your best guy to try
Vol4 No1 2015 FMA Informative 3
out my best guy. No need for
a ten year internet war, you
can settle this disagreement
in an hour. Lastly, on the subject of mastery, if you do not
have at least two generations
of students under you, you are
no master. At its most basic
level, “Master” is another word
for “grand-teacher”. Your students have students? You’re a
master. There are other definitions of the word, but let’s
save that for another article.
One last thought: Testing. Test your students on
other students, or test them
yourself. Do not rely on streetfights to “prove” your student”
ability. In my opinion, teachers
who talk about their students
beating up men on the streets
are either lying, or they are encouraging their TRAINED students to attack UNTRAINED
men on the street who neither
are physically their equal or
unaware that they are fighting
a trained fighter. That is both
dishonest and unethical. You
want to see how tough your
guys are? Then don’t pick on
some unwitting thug on the
street; call another gym who
has tough guys, and get them
together. Then make sure
they show each other gratitude and respect when the
fight is over, regardless of who
wins. Then you and the other
teacher, regardless of who
won the most matches, do
not brag about who beat who
or mistreat the reputation of
the losing school. This is how
real teachers conduct themselves. One of the secrets of
the masters. If you ever meet
a man who brags about how
many men he’s left in the dust
and naming names, know full
well, that you are not speaking with a mature master. He
can brag without belittling
the men who have helped
him build his skill, knowledge
and reputation--thus, earning
his rank. And the real teachers will ensure that their expert students follow the same
path he followed himself.
Trust me, very few 9th degree
masters have a teacher who is
a tenth. Because a man who
has earned his way all the
way through rarely puts himself above his teachers. When
a man or woman becomes a
Black Belt, he or she deserves
to simply be among those of
us who came before him. Hierarchy isn’t necessary; he’s
earned his place.
“Secrets” of the Filipino Fighting Arts
Words from a Modern-Day Warrior
filipinofightingsecretslive.com
Finally, the Differences Between Strategy and Tactics Explained
By: Adam
Low Tech Combat
(Self Defense for Smart People)
www.lowtechcombat.com
Images via: Okinawa Soba and Davide Restivo
Too many people use
the terms ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ incorrectly or even talk
about a particular ‘thing’ or
topic as being both a good
strategy and tactic. Usually,
this is actually referring to a
tactic but the person likes to
throw in the word strategy
because it sounds cool, they
don’t know better or believe
it somehow implies a deeper
thought process and means
more...
Not anymore.
No more excuses.
There are unques-
tionable and very fundamental differences
between strategy and
tactics and these will
be clearly detailed in
this article. Not only
are these words used
poorly and often interchangeably, but a poor
understanding of the
meaning of the words
can inhibit or mislead a
persons overall training outcomes and objectives. It can
muddy a persons goals and
lead people down the wrong
path. Sometimes, years can
be spent training a certain
way or in a certain system
that is not really in line with
their long term overall goals,
purely because the meaning
of ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ is not
clearly understood.
These matters and
more will now be discussed in
detail.
What are Tactics?
Traditional definition: ...the art
of disposing armed forces in
order of battle and of organizing operations, especially during contact with an enemy.
Simply, it is the art of disposing armed forces, especially
during
contact.
Tactics are those short
term decisions and actions
that give a combatant an advantage during combat or
that time immediately prior.
Tactics include, but are
not limited to, the following:
• Counter fighting
• Drawing an opponent to
use a desired attack in order
to present an opening to attack
• Feinting to determine likely
responses
• Stop hitting
• Using set up questions
• Using non aggressive stances and posture to mentally
disarm an aggressor
• Telling an angry male that
you thought you knew their
girlfriend from school, that is
why you were staring
• Appearing crazier than the
aggressor in order to prevent
a possible encounter going
physical
• Repeating the same technique in order to prompt the
defender to expect it again
and then do something else
• Go low then high, high then
low, left then right, right then
left etc.
• Deciding not to argue with
the drunk male who said you
were a pathetic moron and
told your girlfriend she could
do better
• Identifying that guy across
the room who is pissed at
you for some reason so you
decide to leave that room or
establishment prior to violence kicking off
• Crossing the road or turning around when you see a
dodgy person lingering near
a driveway up ahead at night
• Deciding not to use that
ATM because there are some
people hanging around that
do not appear quite right
• Buying that drunk guy a
drink after his got spilt by you
This list is not exhaustive. Tactics are where the action is.
Tactics are those actions and
decisions taken with a short
term focus. Tactics are right
in the thick of an encounter
or just prior to it happening
or potentially happening.
For many people, tactics are
where the juice is. It is what
they love. It is often quite
enjoyable to watch a sport
fighter fight who is a very
good tactician. There is a lot
going on. You can see them
setting up their opponent.
They are often referred to as
smart fighters. They think.
They utilize tactics and do it
well.
Tactics and a ‘game’
Of note, many sport
fighters are certainly not
good tacticians. Instead, they
use their exceptional power
or techniques. They have very
good tools and they know
how to use them. This could
be in the form of combinations
that work for them, superior
quickness or an unstoppable
takedown followed by submission or ground and pound.
These
combinations
of moves that work well for
them are a basic form of rigid
tactics. As an example, they
will punch high for a while
and when the opportunity
presents itself, they know they
will go for the takedown. This
rigid form of tactics is what is
referred to as a fighters ‘game’.
They have a game plan they
are going to follow. It is like a
strict system of tactics that are
tied together. Once a talented
fighter with great tools has
a good ‘game’ that works for
them, watch out. They can be
very hard to beat, even for a
fighter who utilizes a more fluid implementation of tactics.
Tactics are what most
people focus on. It is what
many people are good at. It
probably makes up around
99% of a persons training
time. It is what we do when we
‘do’ training. We drill, we spar,
we roll, we compete etc. Most
people have a pretty good appreciation of what tactics are
and how to train in order to
develop and enhance them.
The mistake is, many people
call some tactics, strategy. This
is incorrect.
What is a Strategy?
Ok, we understand what
tactics are now, so what is a
strategy?
Traditional definition: ...a plan
of action or policy designed to
achieve a major or overall aim.
Strategy happens away
from the action. If you are involved in a violent encounter,
you are not using strategy, you
are using tactics. Hopefully
good ones and hopefully to a
good standard.
Strategy is big picture stuff.
Strategy
happens
when you think about
something deeply over
a period of time and
make a deliberate decision. This could be a
goal or plan or whatever. These could be
medium term but are
generally long term.
Even very long term.
These deliberate decisions or
goals are what drives everything else. Implementing a
strategy often takes work and
effort. It can require a detailed
plan as to how you are going
to reach your strategic goal.
It is often hard work to
make something achievable.
That is one of the reasons few
people engage in strategic
thought and implement a strategic action plan to get things
done in accordance with strategic aims. It’s all too easy to
place it in the too hard basket
for a while and then go back
to doing whatever you feel
like on spur of the moment
decisions or just follow what
everyone else is doing. Following this pattern, it is very unlikely you will by accident end
up where you want to be.
And then you are 80 years
old and realize you haven’t
done what you truly wanted
to do...
In a martial arts or selfdefense context, deciding you
want to learn how to defend
yourself is very much a strategic decision. And an important one at that! However, too
many people leave the strategic thought there and simply
begin doing whatever classes
are close to them or what their
friends do. The basic strategic
intent is there, however the implementation of that desired
end state is done poorly. The
decision of what to learn can
impact on a person for years
to come. A person may begin
going to a certain class for 4
to 10 years or even longer. We
are talking about a long time.
But is that class really well
suited to the students desired
end state? Their strategic aim?
The issue largely stems
from a beginner not really
understanding violence and
violent crime, so any decision
they make at this early stage is
likely going to be ill informed.
As time goes on and the new
student learns more about
that violence they have made
a decision to prepare themselves for, better decisions can
then be made. Improvements
to previous decisions can be
made. The implementation of
that strategic aim can improve
over time.
A persons overall goals can
change, so their strategic direction will change accordingly. They may change from
wanting to be able to defend
against a real attack to wanting to understand a certain
culture and art they have since
fallen in love with. As strategic goals change, their plan as
to how they want to achieve
those goals needs to change
as well.
Another persons overall
goals may harden. They may
be more interested in the area
of human to human violence
and may want to learn more
and more and pursue the
worlds best practices and concepts in that field. This persons
overall strategic goals don’t
change, but their plans about
how they are going to pursue them, will. It will become
refined over time and more
targeted and informed. The
implementation of the strategic plan will improve as knowledge of the subject improves.
Strategic decisions drive
activity through plans and
routine. After identifying an
overall strategic goal (and this
may take some time to consider), a strategic plan is developed as to how that strategic
goal is going to be realized. That plan is then
implemented into one’s
life and is followed.
This becomes a persons training routine.
In that routine, classes
and seminars are gone
to, books are read and
thought is undertaken.
Lessons are learnt. Done
properly, these lessons directly
contribute to moving towards
achieving those strategic goals.
One of those areas that
are developed whilst actioning
our strategic plan is tactics. We
learn tactics at our classes and
whilst studying. With a properly implemented strategic plan,
these learnt tactics will be very
relevant to our desired strategic goals.
Strategic Decisions Drive
our Learning of Tactics.
This ensures what we learn
is what we want to be learning. If we did not make well
considered strategic decisions we will likely not come
across those lessons that we
desire which includes our understanding of tactics. What
point is being the worlds best
at performing a Wushu dem-
onstration when what we really wanted to do was become
a proficient boxer? This is
just a simple example of how
not making those important
strategic decisions and sticking with the intent can lead
one easily down some other
path that seemed interesting
enough at the time but became all-consuming as friends
were going there and the
people were nice and friendly.
Along the path, knowledge can increase strategic
understanding and provide direction as to how our routine
will best facilitate learning.
Here are some strategic
issues and areas where knowledge can drive understanding and appropriate training
which will likely lead to relevant tactics being learnt:
• Understand the real violent crime statistics for
your own neighborhood
• Understanding what form
of violent crime YOU are most
likely to encounter in your
day to day life (fight at pub,
mugging at car park etc.)
• Understand what weapons are most commonly used in real attacks
• Understanding that three
or more attackers are much
more likely than just two
• Understand that some
people will harness social
norms to gain an advantage over you non violently
• Understand how ego and
face can become a core reason
that violent encounters begin
• Understand that assault
types of attack are much more
likely (about 10 times more),
than muggings and robbery
• Understand that about half of
all assaults are between people
who know each other (It may
not be the stereotypical drunk
guy you don’t know in the pub)
• Understand where the primary danger zones are for you
and when they are most dangerous
The above is not an exhaustive list. These are just
some big picture considerations that could be seen to
be useful in driving some
training methodologies that
would be most relevant to a
person for THEM and not a
one size fits all. Once knowledge is gained and strategic
direction is followed, look out.
Such a person would be well
on their way along the path.
The importance of strategy does not only need to apply in the martial arts or selfdefense context. It can apply
anywhere. Think of a long term
goal and work towards what is
truly important to you. That is
strategic thinking and strategic action. Along the way, you
will learn tactics that work for
that particular strategic field.
This article has demonstrated some of the clear
differences between strategy
and tactics. The differences
are obvious. When you hear
people use the terms incorrectly now, it will be loud
and obvious. Harnessing the
power of strategy is the most
important thing. Tactics follow strategy. Strategy drives a
good understanding of tactics.
Strategic subjects are
generally those which are written about on this site. Most
articles here are about bigger
picture areas of what we call
Low Tech Combat. To us, this
is the most appropriate use of
the written word on the internet. Tactics are best learnt in
person from another person.
However, too many people are
engaging in training that does
not really follow their overall
intent. And that is a shame.
Strategy must come first
in order to facilitate informed
decisions and appropriate
training.
Thorn or Echo...
By: David E. Gould
Punong Guro Edgar G.
Sulite once commented to
me that in training he would
rather be a thorn in the side
of his training partner than his
training partner’s echo. What
he meant was that if you only
agree with and systematically
echo everything presented to
you in training with out first and
more importantly thoroughly
investigating and testing its
actual combative worth in an
noncompliant training environment, how can you honestly gauge its true combative
effect? By being the thorn and
not just echoing sentiment
you are keeping your training
partner challenged to adapt
and adjust to the unexpected
attack or counter attacks as
they are randomly presented in a constantly changing
structure. A thorn annoys,
distracts and requires much
investigation as it involves a
certain amount of discomfort
where as an echo once becoming the standard in training quickly creates an environ-
ment of complacency thereby
diluting response and ability.
I demand that my students constantly challenge
me when opportunities become available to do so in
training as this alone will hone
my combative abilities and
keep them in check against an
unexpected random attack.
Rather than echoing what facilitates uncontested success
and establishing a false perception of ability in the throws
of training complacency. By
my students or training partners being naturally resistive
in training this keeps me honest and more importantly it
forces me to constantly adapt
and adjust to change as it occurs in combat or face the consequences for any failure to do
so. Most importantly it keeps
me challenged as I have to
react to the unexpected and
in doing so I am constantly
kept on a heightened level of
awareness throughout the ordeal looking at every threat
equally as opposed to just an-
ticipating what is expected or
agreed upon in an overly compliant environment. Our training partners and our training
environment are our portals to
reality through which we must
pass in order to transcend from
martial artists to warriors. Unless we thoroughly challenge
ourselves in training and hold
reality solely as the standard
of combative development at
best we will only remain martial artists without the possibility of ever moving onwards
to achieve warrior status.
Just going through the
motions while training is not
enough, the fact is for us to be
effective in combat at some
point in time our training must
brush up against reality as we
are always charged to diligently train with intention. Simply
when our training partners
comply and assist our every
performance willingly without
natural resistance or recourse
the most important lessons
can never be learned. Without
resistance in training there will
be no need for counter measures or counter to counter activity as uncontested success
will be misconstrued for great
skill, “uncounterable if you will”.
Remember that opportunity in
combat at real time speed is
measured in inches and centimeters not in feet or meters
and timing will definitely be a
factor. What seems to be the
accepted more popular approach to training these days
(total compliance) reminds
me of an old adage that states:
“The cat is king over a path of
mice, that is until he runs across
an elephant farther down that
same path”. In the dojo you
are the shit mixing it up with
your students but outside of
your dojo forced to fight tooth
and nail against some street
thug willing to kill you for his
next booger of heroine you are
nothing more than a gift delivered on a silver platter. The only
one that will be able to neutralize this situation will be you
alone for if you can not stop
him from killing you no one
else will, this is not an acceptable place to find yourself at
anytime. Remember that you
will not be fighting according
to your schedule but someone
else’s so immediately everything that you will encounter
will be unexpected and less
than ideal to say the least.
Combative effect solely
dictates ones abilities in com-
bat and nothing else, regardless of how many certificates
or trophies awarded or gained.
We are only as effective as we
are today as yesterday has
passed and tomorrow is yet to
be written so if your life hangs
limp in the balance of what
you were “told that you can
do” and what you “think you
can do” you are doomed for
certain failure. For at this time
only what you “truly are capable of doing” under less than
desired circumstances will dictate if you will live or be left
for dead. So how well you prepare yourself for this eventuality begins with your immediate training environment and
rules of engagement in that
environment. When you train
as if your life depends on it you
will fight as if it does as well.
I hear more times that
not someone stating and
gauging their own combative effect based solely on
who they know or who their
Instructors are. Just because
your Instructor is world famous or has experienced combat himself this does not mean
that you share in his experiences equally. It is true that a
great source of knowledge will
get you much farther along
the path of knowledge than a
poor source will. However, for
you to pass the test of actual
combat your instructor’s name
and experience in and of themselves will not be enough. You
will have to apply your skills in
your own time of need and if
you fail or succeed it will be by
your own abilities or lack there
of and not some one elses.
There is an old adage in
the Philippines which states:
“Ang langaw na tumuntong sa
kalabaw, ay mataas pa sa kalabaw” which is translated as
“A fly that stands on the back
of the Carabao thinks that
he is taller than the Carabao”.
This is endemic of what is going on amongst a majority
in our own community. Most
seem to gauge combative effect solely in accordance with
whom they are training as opposed to their own combative
effect or abilities in combat.
I hate to repeat myself but I
feel the need to reiterate that
only your own experiences
will allow you greater effect in
combat and you only form this
type of experience by actual
fighting or at the very least
sparring in a very limited arena
adhering not to overly stringent rules and regulations.
Respect your elders in
the arts for they have paved
the path that you currently
travel but be your own man
and prepare to fight and live
as such. Prepare yourself well
for war and no-one will have
to fight your battles for you,
arm yourself with knowledge
and no-one will feel the need
to speak in your defense, train
as if your life depends on it…
because it does and no-one
will have to carry your dead
carcass from the field of battle
prematurely. We are judged
not by our Instructors reputation good or bad but by our
own actions and abilities. Either you are effective… or not.
Either you allow your abilities
speak for you… or not. Either
you survive combat and live…
or not. A lot is at stake gentlemen so please remember that
there are no guarantees in
combat, only opportunity and
either you will take advantage
of that opportunity when it is
revealed to you in real time…
or not.
Lameco Eskrima (The Legacy of Edgar Sulite)
By David E. Gould
In the art of Eskrima, few names stand out like the late Edgar Salute’s. He dedicated his life to mastering the art
of Eskrima and put his reputation on the line, taking challenges for money and honor. He earned the confidence
of a collection of legendary grandmasters of the day, and earned the mutual respect of his era’s newest masters.
When Sulite came to the United States he took the country—and then the world—by storm. In this unique
book, Guro David E. Gould recounts the life, the art and the legacy of Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite and his
Lameco Eskrima system. Broken down into 10 distinct chapters, Lameco Eskrima: The Legacy of Edgar Sulite,
presents the evolution of a fighter and his art, from his early days in Tacloban City and Ozamis City, through his
middle period in Manila, and finally his later years in the United States.
Available through Amazon - Click Here
The Bladed Hand
Director: Jay Ignacio
Producers: Jay Ignacio, Kent Vives, Sonny Sison
This is a documentary about the global impact and current state
of Eskrima/Kali/Arnis, otherwise known as Filipino Martial Arts. Filmed
around Cebu, Baguio, Bacolod, Batangas, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Los
Angeles, Manila, Moscow, Oakland and San Diego. The Bladed Hand
will show how this native art from the Philippines has had a significant
impact on military systems and even on Hollywood. Featuring FMA
luminaries Supreme Grandmaster Diony Cañete, Supreme Grandmaster
Cacoy Cañete, Guro Dan Inosanto, Guro Diana Inosanto, Guro Ron
Balicki, Grandmaster Nick Elizar, Grandmaster Ising Atillo, Master
Christopher Ricketts, Grandmaster Remy Presas, Jr. and many more.
DVD Available at Amazon.com: Click Here
and also at: www.thebladedhand.com
About ...
10 Little-Known Facts About the Katipunan
While learning the basics of martial arts for self defense, self protection
or excercise, we also will assist you on your journey of self awareness
while training.
NAVA-STICKS Filipino Martial Arts will continue to train with following organizations, the International Modern Arnis Federation along
with the Tapi Tapi Masters, Dillman Karate International with World
Famous Grandmaster George Dillman, Professor Jay’s Small Circle Jujitsu with Grandmaster Leon Jay and Grandmaster Will Higginbotham,
Dayanquan Gong Fu-Wild Goose Qi Gong with Master Shane Lear, and
Kiai Jitsu with Grandmaster Song Park. In addition, Wing Chun with Sifu
Phillip Romero and Cacoy Doce Pares with Grandmaster Cacoy Canete,
Grandmaster Christopher Petrilli and Guro Sheril Johnson.
Nava Sticks FMA
Naabaahii is a Navajo word meaning “warrior”. NAVA-STICKS Filipino Martial Arts is dedicated to the “Naabaahii” way of approaching martial arts.
NAVA-STICKS Filipino Martial Arts use’s Navajo Philosophy as a base to
learning about self; physically, mentally and spiritually to attain harmony.
We know it as that shadowy group created by Andres Bonifacio to liberate the country from Spain. But
aside from that, is there anything else we would want to know about the Katipunan?
Yes, since the Katipunan is arguably one of the most influential groups to have ever shaped Philippine
history. It rightfully deserves recognition, and what better way to give that than to learn about some littleknown facts and events connected to it.
www.filipiknow.net
1. It Had A “Secret Chamber” That
Punished Its Members.
Guro Chester Brown, Jr.
Njoy Life Coaching DBA Nava-Sticks FMA
www.navasticks.com
The Thirteen Martyrs of Bagumbayan
A monument made by Napoleon Abueva depicting the “Camara Secreta”: Emilio Jacinto, Andres Bonifacio, and Pio Valenzuela.
Photo Credit: Carinoza
Visit Philippines, My Philippines on FaceBook: Click Here
December 29, 1896 Last Day of Jose Rizal with his family ...
1. December 29, 1896 – Rizal was read his death sentence. ..
2. December 29, 1896 – Rizal was visited by several priests including Fr. Faura,
S.J...
3. Decemeber 29, 1896 – Rizal wrote his last letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt
which read:
“ My dear Brother, When you receive this letter, I shall be dead by then. Tomorrow
at seven, I shall be shot; but I am innocent of the crime of rebellion. I am going to
die with a tranquil conscience. Adieu, my best, my dearest friend, and never think
ill of me! Fort Santiago, 29 December 1896 José Rizal Regards to the whole family,
to Sra. Rosa, Loleng, Conradito, and Federico. I leave a book for you as my remembrance.”
4. December 29, 1896 – Teodora Alonzo paid her final visit to Rizal. She was accompanied by her daughter, Trinidad Mercado...
5. December 29, 1896 – Rizal’s sisters were allowed to pay him visits. He gave
them his worldly possessions:
Narcisa – Wicker Chair
Angelica, niece – Handkerchief
Mauricio, nephew – Belt, watch, and chain
Trinidad – Alcohol Burner with Mi Ultimo Adios...”
(source: Malacanan Museum and Library)
On January 11, 1897, days after Philippine independence
hero Jose Rizal was shot by the Spanish, 13 martyrs to the same
cause suffered the same fate at the same execution grounds.
The 13 Martyrs of Bagumbayan (not to be confused with
the 13 Martyrs of Cavite) consisted of:
Antonio Salazar
Domingo Franco
Numeriano Adriano Ramon A. Padilla
Faustino Villaruel
Moises Salvador
Braulio Rivera
Francisco Roxas
Luis Enciso Villareal
Jose Dizon
Eustacio Manalac
Benedicto Nijaga
Cristobal Medina
They were casualties of Spanish pressure against the
revolutionary Katipunan and/or its Rizal-rounded parent organization La Liga Filipina.
Not all this grab-bag of sacrificial patriots were really
fire breathing revolutionaries. But the serious divisions among
Filipino activists and revolutionaries were of small import to the
Spanish, who (as the 13-strong martyr batches suggest) went in
for the wholesale school of repression.
Perhaps most notable in this day’s batch was Francisco
Roxas, one of the Philippines’ wealthiest men. Despite his liberal
sympathies, he’d refused the more radical Katipunan’s shakedown for financing, only to have that organization vengefully
place his name on a membership list the Spanish were sure to
find. Roxas maintained his innocence, but accepted his unsought martyr’s crown and never betrayed his fellows.
- Simoun (image: PMP Archives / article: Click Here)
Ready and Custom Made
Visit: www.mybarong2.com
Barong is actually short for Barong Tagalog, which describes the formal men’s wear of the
Philippines. It is properly referred to as the ‘Baro ng Tagalog’ (dress of the Tagalog). Contracting
the first two words produces ‘Barong,’ which literally means ‘dress of.’ So, if we want to be correct,
we wouldn’t say just ‘Barong.’ But, the slang way of referring to one of the beautiful formal shirts is
simply Barong. Yes, the Barong Tagalog is a dress, a garment, a coat in itself. It is not merely a ‘shirt’. If
it were, then it would need a coat or a jacket over it to qualify as formal wear and would have to be
worn tucked inside the trousers.
lished. Source: www.bulacan.gov.
ph
Notwithstanding the heated debate of whether it became a
de facto government after it operated in the open, the Katipunan
actually succeeded in establishing
a republic long before Emilio Aguinaldo’s Biak-na-Bato or the Malolos
Republic.
Located in Bulacan, the
Republic of Real de Kakarong de
Sili was established on December
4, 1896, by some 6,000 Katipuneros led by Supreme Chief Canuto
Villanueva and General Eusebio
“Maestrong Sebio” Roque. Together
they constructed a fort in the area
and established a working ministate.
The republic operated like
a real government, complete with
its own armed forces, police, and
other civilian offices. Unfortunately, the republic lasted for only
a month. On January 1, 1897, a
large Spanish contingent overran
the fort and massacred an estimated 1,000 – 3,000 Katipuneros.
The most famous survivor of this
setback would be none other than
Gregorio del Pilar.
A lieutenant at the time, del
Pilar sustained injuries during the
battle—his baptism of fire—but
managed to escape. Today a monument—the Inang Filipina Shrine—
stands on the site as testimony to
the bravery of the revolutionaries.
While well-known is the fact
that the KKK operated like a shadow government with its legislative
and executive functions, its judicial
branch is a little more obscure.
According to historians, the
Katipunan had a council called the
Camara Secreta (Secret Chamber)
composed of Andres Bonifacio,
Emilio Jacinto, and Dr. Pio Valenzuela. Also called the Camara Negra
(Black Chamber) and Camara Reina
(Supreme Chamber), this sinistersounding body doled out punish3. The Real Meaning of the Letter
ment to members who betrayed or K
broke the by-laws of the Katipunan.
Death sentences were
usually handed down in the
form of a cup with a serpent
curled around it. Supposedly,
five Katipuneros met their ignominious end inside the dreaded
chamber.
“C” found in the Spanish-influenced
Tagalog alphabet with the letter
“K” since it had already been in use
since during the period of the precolonial Filipinos.
In time, Andres Bonifacio—a member of Rizal’s La Liga
Filipina—came to wholeheartedly
adopt the letter and its revolutionary undertones. For him and many
revolutionaries, the letter would
come to symbolize independence
and liberty. Long story short, the
CCC became KKK instead.
4. The KKK Had Three Supremos
Deodato Arellano, the first Supremo. Source: Tragedy of the Revolution by Studio 5 Designs.
Contrary as to what most
of us would believe, Julian Felipe’s
Lupang Hinirang is not the first national anthem of the country. That
honor belongs to Julio Nakpil and
his Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan which he had originally composed in 1896 after being asked to
create a national hymn by Andres
Bonifacio.
With Bonifacio’s death, however, Nakpil’s work was overlooked
by Emilio Aguinaldo in favor of that
of Felipe. Incidentally, both men
were province mates. Nakpil later
renamed his piece to Salve Patria
as a tribute to Jose Rizal. Although
the original scores were later lost
during World War II, the current
version—which Nakpil reconstructed from memory in his old age—is
still alive and well today.
6. The Aims Of The Katipunan
After The Revolution
Thanks in part to the political rivalry between Bonifacio and
Aguinaldo, we can only speculate
what would have happened had
the Katipunan remained a united
front and succeeded in expelling
the Spanish from the archipelago.
Although it is generally held
that the Katipunan’s aim was to
completely break away from Spain
and create a new government, not
much is really known what kind of
government Bonifacio would’ve
wanted to establish aside from it
being obviously patriotic and anticolonial by nature. The issue is a
matter of debate for historians up
to now, with some inferring from
Bonifacio’s writings that he wanted
a “communist republic.”
One common misconception among many Filipinos is that
Andres Bonifacio had always been
the supreme leader of the Katipunan since its inception. However, Bonifacio was only the third
Supremo, having been elected
to the position three
times, first on January 1895, the second
on December 31
of that same year,
and the third and
last time on August
2. It Actually Organized the
1896.
First Ever Republic.
Out of all the letters we
The first Supremo
have in the alphabet,
was Deodato Arellano—
none stand so popua Katipunan co-foundPhilippine Revolution.
lar—controversial—as
er—who was elected
Painting by Carlos “Botong” Francisco
the letter “K,” and for
in 1892. However, his
good reason. The letter ineffectiveness caused
has become a fixture
Bonifacio to depose him and order However, other historians
among militant groups, another round of elections on
have dismissed that view due to a
mutineers, and other
February 1893 which resulted in
lack of actual evidence. According
so-called modern revo- Roman Basa becoming Supremo.
to them, Bonifacio’s wish to create
lutionaries—which lead Bonifacio also deposed Basa a government and society which
us to wonder why it is
in 1895 after the latter criticized
viewed and treated men as equals
Kakarong de Sili Shrine in
so popular in the first place.
him over the recruitment process
did not mean he was an outright
Pandi, Bulacan. It is on this site
The answer, of course, lies
and his handling of the organizacommunist. Rather, Bonifacio’s
where the bloodiest revolution in
in the era before the formation of
tion’s funds. After Bonifacio, no
views came as a natural reaction to
Bulacan took place where more
the Katipunan, when debates were other man (not even Aguinaldo)
centuries of Spanish oppression.
than 3,000 Katipunero revolution- still raging over the creation of a
ever claimed the title.
aries died. Likewise, it is on this
new orthography. Filipino national7. It Lost Much-Needed Support
site where the Republic of Real de ists—Jose Rizal included—at the
5. It Already Had A National
After The Rizal Meeting
Kakarong de Sili of 1896 was estab- time favored replacing the letter
Anthem
Manila on May 1896.
During their meeting, the Katipunan
handed to the captain their letter to the
Japanese emperor
asking for the Japanese people’s help
to liberate the Philippines. Although the
end of the meeting
saw the Japanese
agreeing to sell the
This oil painting by Luciano A. Alejandrino deFilipinos muchpicts the meeting between Rizal and Valenzula
needed arms and
during the exile of the former in Dapitan from
ammunition, the deal
1892 to 1896. Found in j-rizal.blogspot.com
never transpired due
to
a
lack
of
funds
and because the
We all already know how
the Katipunan respected Rizal’s ad- revolution broke out prematurely.
Also, Jose Dizon, the man tasked
vice so much they sent Pio Valenzuela to Dapitan in order to secure to secure the weapons from Japan,
was one of those arrested early on.
his blessing for an armed revolution. However, instead of saying
9. The Bonifacio Plan
yes, Rizal denounced their plan as
premature and instead urged them
to gather more material support
from the wealthy Filipinos if they
wanted to really win.
Bonifacio—disappointed
by Rizal’s hesitation to support
the Revolution—was said to have
called him a coward and ordered
Valenzuela to keep silent on the
matter lest it affect the morale of
their men. However, Valenzuela
was reportedly compelled to reveal
the details of his meeting with Rizal
by the top leaders of the Katipunan.
Upon hearing the news of
Rizal’s refusal to endorse an armed
uprising, many of the wealthier
supporters of the Katipunan withdrew their pledges of support
to the movement. Not only that,
a good number of rank-and-file
members lost heart and turned in
La Ilustración Española y Ameritheir membership. Valenzuela’s dis- cana. Immediate source: Scanned
closure of Rizal’s refusal also caused and cropped from page 5 of joura rift between him and Bonifacio.
nal Sulyap Kultura (Vol. 1, No. 2,
1996), published by the National
8. It Tried To Get Japan’s Help
Commission of Culture and the
Arts, Philippines.
on the basis of its impracticality.
Since Cavite is relatively far off
from Manila, the rebels waiting for
the signal would have inevitably
arrived late for the battle. Also, the
Cavite leaders had already earlier
expressed their reservations about
joining the offensive due to a lack
of weapons.
As a result, it’s anybody’s
guess as to whether the revolution would have ended early in the
Filipinos’ favor had the Caviteños
bothered to show up.
So much attention has
been focused on the revolution in
Luzon and in Visayas that we have
forgotten Mindanao had also been
turned into a battlefield during
that period. Specifically, the “Calaganan Mutiny” and the establishment of the Republic of Zamboanga prove the fight for freedom was
a national endeavor.
Regarding the mutiny, it
was said to have started a month
after full-blown hostilities broke
out in Luzon. The mutineers—reported to be conscripts, KKK de10. The Little-Known Revolts in
portees from Luzon, lumads and
Mindanao
Moros—initiated a revolt in Lanao
del Norte which then spread to
the neighboring areas including
Bukidnon and Cagayan.
Spanish forces had to be
reinforced with a gunboat before
they could finally quell the revolt.
Today, many from that region are
petitioning to include Mindanao
as the ninth ray in the Philippine
flag as recognition of the patriotism of the local revolutionaries.
The Republic of Zamboanga, on the other hand, was
formally established on May 18,
1899 after the Spaniards surBroad, red line shows possible path
rendered and evacuated the
of Calaganan Mutiny. Extent of Bukid- city. It even continued to exist
non penetration is speculative. Map is for another four years before the
revised from Encarta World Atlas 1998. Americans finally dissolved it.
Source: Heritage Conservation Advocates.
For Information Contact: Jayson Vicente (+63) (917) 589-4576
Email: [email protected]
Garitony Nicolas (+63) (921) 499-91499 or (+63) [922] 870-1975 Landline: (+632) 225-2185
Reynaldo Samson (+63) (925) 333-5580
Contact: [email protected]
Website: www.facebook.com/PhMAHoF
Supposed Flag of the Republic of Zamboanga.
Source: www.watawat.net
References:
- Agoncillo, T. (1990). History of the Filipino People. 8th ed. Quezon City:
C & E Publishing, Inc., p.158.
- Baños, R. (2005). What NHI should have done instead for Iligan. [online]
Heritage Conservation Advocates. Available at: Click Here[Accessed 26
Another
Nov. 2014].
misconception that
needs to be dispelled - Chua, M. (2012). UNDRESS BONIFACIO, Ang Pagsalakay ni Bonifacio sa
Maynila. [online] It’s XiaoTime!. Available at: Click Here [Accessed 26 Nov.
is the notion that
2014].
Bonifacio was a ter- Cruz-Araneta, G. (2013). Katipunan decoded. [online] Manila Bulletin.
rible strategist. On
the contrary, he actu- Available at: Click Here [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
- Palatino, R. (n.d.). KKK for Revolution. [online] MongPalatino.com.
ally planned to take
Intramuros—then the Available at: Click Here [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
- Presidential Museum and Library, (2013). The Founding of Katipunan.
seat of the Spanish
[online] Available at: Click Here [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
Naval Ensign of Japan. Via Wikimedia Commons. government—in or- The Kahimyang Project, (2011). Dr. Jose Rizal in Dapitan and the
der to take out their
Katipunan. [online] Available at: Click Here [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
The Katipunan, in its bid to leadership in a decapitation strike
and while most of their forces were - Watawat.net, (n.d.). The Republic of Real de Kakarong de Sili. [online]
secure support for the revolution,
Available at: Click Here [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
also looked to Japan as a source of still stationed in Mindanao.
- Philippine History by M.C. Halili
As fate would have it, the plan
potential aid.
At the time, Japan had been failed as the rebels from Cavite
did not join the battle. According
About the Author: When he isn’t deploring the sad state of Philippine
a shining example of defiance
to
them,
Bonifacio
failed
to
raise
politics, Marc V. likes to skulk around the Internet for new bits of
against Western influence and the
the signal for them to march to
information which he can weave into a somewhat-average list you might
Katipuneros hoped that the JapaIntramuros.
Many
variations
of
the
still enjoy. You can also check out his ho-hum yet extremely addicting
nese would also help them fight off
lists over at Listverse.com and read them…
the Spanish. In fact, the Katipunan’s signal in question have been put
forth
including
fireworks,
cannonBig Three along with Daniel Tirona
fire, balloons, and even a blackout
and interpreter Tagawa “Jose”
in Bagumbayan.
Moritaro secretly met with the
However, many historians
captain of a Japanese warship and have
also
questioned that theory
the Japanese consul at a bazaar in
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Past Events
Arnis-Weekend-Semina
w / Grandmaster / Datu Dieter Knüttel
November 22 - 23, 2014
Ulm, South Germany
Seminar with Grandmaster / Datu Dieter Knüttel, 9th Dan Modern Arnis
November 15 - 16, 2014
Winterthur, Switzerland
Grandmaster / Datu Knüttel came to Switzerland in the school of
Grandmaster Juerg Ziegler, who also organized the event, to share his
knowledge ansd skill and inspired all the participants. The 2 day seminar
was very professional, diversified and packed with techniques at its best.
Grandmaster Knüttel took care, that everything was executed in a perfect
way and all the techniques, like the disarms had the right anges and that
the mechanics were well understood and internalized. This way we were
very effectve with very little movement and power. Modern Arnis is surely
one of the most versatile, flowing, functional and effective filipino martial
arts systems. We say thank you to Grandmaster Dieter Knüttel for his visit
to Switzerland and look forward to more exciting and instructive seminars
with him in the future. - Bèla Kapy, Winterthur/Switzerland
Grandmaster Jueg Ziegler with Grandmaster / Datu Dieter Knüttel
At the Arnis-Weekend-Seminar with Bundestrainier and Grandmaster Datu Dieter
Knüttel, 9th Dan Modern Arnis, the participants practiced doublestick Tapi Tapi and Palusot
Knife-Drill.
The excellence ability of Datu Dieter Knüttel for teaching this advanced topic even if the
participant is newcomer in Modern Arnis, made the seminar to a great experience!
Furthermore the content was diversified, on the one hand with doublestick Tapi Tapi you
play with three sticks, on the other hand while doing Palusot drill each partner act with a knife.
The members came not only from the south of Germany, but also from Hungary and
Liechtenstein.
The beautiful shown performances at the Dan-Examinations
made not only the examiners happy. Congratulation to Alexander
and Matthias to 3. Dan, Denis and Vladimir to 2. Dan and Oliver to
2. Dan, alle from Munich, and Marc to 2. - Dan from Ulm
We are looking forward to the next seminar with Datu Dieter
Knüttel in Ulm on November 14 - 15, 2015.
Houston Stick Fighting Association
4th Quarter Gathering 2014
November 29, 2014
Black Tiger Martial Arts
12218-J Jones Rd, Houston, Texas
Fourth and Final Houston Stick
Fighting Association gathering for
2014. This marks eight years that
it has been around. Over the years
they have had big gatherings and
small gatherings, but they have all
been quality gatherings.
We had a great 4th quarter
gathering. Thank you to everyone
who showed up and fought and
showed support for what we do.
Jason Evans
847 Hamilton Ave.
Waterbury, CT 06706
(203) 596-9073
[email protected]
TraditionalFilipinoWeapons.com
More than a handful of courageous novices showed up to play with the veterans on this day and proved their enthusiasm for fighting with
the sticks and the variety of weapons involved from axes, staff, bolo, daggers, Espada y Dage-etc.
It was an excellent day for trading shots, moves and various information related to the perpetuation of the mutual love for the martial arts.
Thanks to Curt Doyle for hooking us up with the venue for the 4th Quarter and 8th anniversary gathering of the HSFA. - Daniel Arola
Can you DIG IT! and this I’m typing off the top of my head...
Inayan Winter Camp 2014
November 28 - 30, 2014
Gamla AMU Center
Norrköping, Sweden
Camp Instructors
Suro Emanuel Hart
Katalungan Guro Kenneth Johansson
Three days of training
with focus on Classical and
traditional ideas within the
Inayan System of Eskrima in
relation to Inayan System III
Eskrima. We were a smaller group
then we used to be but we had
people from different parts of
Sweden and even one person
from United States. We touched
subjects as Inayan Sinawalli,
Kadena De Mano and Serrada to
name a few. We are also giving
away 150 € to cancer research
that is taking it out from the
camp participants fees.
Richard Bustillo Returns to Hawaii
November 29, 2014
American Jujitsu Institute
940 Keolu Dr., Kailua, Hawaii
Underground Battle - UgB8: MMA by the Bay
SM MOA right next to IMAX Theaters Bumper2Bumper X Car Show
2 Juego ToDo matches - 8 MMA Bouts
November 29, 2014
UGB 8, “MMA by the Bay” with “Bumper 2 Bumper X” happened last night and it was
a resounding success!!! With B2B celebrating their 10th anniversary, UGB 8 brought
in 10 Exciting and Explosive fights! It was cool to see the teams having their pictures
taken with the cars and hot models but it was a different story when they had to get
serious and had to put their game face on after the fighter briefing.
Fight fans from all walks of life, VVIP and VIPs ticket holders were able
to witness live MMA action in the flesh! Seats ran out and the venue had to be
a standing room only area. Marshalls had to continually ask the crowd from
approaching the fence due to sheer excitement.
All the
fights
except for 1 finished via the short route.
Here is the complete line-up and list of winners for UGB 8:
JTHFS (Juego Todo Hybrid Fighting System)
1. Eman Sampaga got a TKO win in the 2nd round over JAN AMPO
2. Jessdan Dela Pena won over Jesus Barcelo via doctor stoppage on the
2nd round due to a cut over the left eye
MMA
1. Crisz Aplicador won over marvin dela cruz in the 2nd round ground and
pound
2. Efren Benavidez over Diover Mangayaay via RNC
3. John Miraflor in a split decision win over Jaypee Espinosa
4. Dindo Camansa over Ezekiel Sanchez with a RNC
5. Dan Doma over Dhaner Palmario in 10 seconds of the 1st round via
armbar which won Submission of the Night honors
6. Jovanie Bualan won over Janito Bayot via Guillotine choke in the 1st round
7. Arvin Chan over Don Socratis via TKO
8. Jessie Salvador over Jun Paderna via RNC in the 1st round and the Fight of the Night honors for both fighters”
IMB in the house! Sifu Richard
Bustillo sharing his arts of Doce
Pares & Jeet Kune Do in Kailua.
S Kai Li
Jefe Ferdie Abadilla Munsayac and Dennis Guevara, we made history! The first ever carshow (in the world?) that has MMA in it.
We can proudly shout to the world, we did it! Thanks sir for being part of ?#?bumperXbumpercarshow
Sayoc Kali Seminar/Guro Krishna Godhania
November 29, 2014
Mick Shores Academy of Martial Arts
94-95 Spring Gardens,
Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
Great Seminar in sayoc kali
with Guro Krishna Godhania at Mick
Shores Academy of martial arts in
Doncaster......blade awareness as
well as blade defence was taught
alongside with an introduction to the
Sayoc empty hand royal guard series
People came from afar as
Scotland to attend the seminar
and all agreed it was an enjoyable
seminar.
Mick Shore
Filipino Martial Arts Seminar
w/ Visayo M. Balinado Jr.
November 29 - 30 2014
Wasseige, Rue du Moulin 22A, Liege, Belgium
It was a very good weekend and we are proud to have welcomed
Grandmaster Balinado in Belgium. All my student and I have learned a lot during
these 2 days. - Tony Raone
The first day is already finished....
First part of the second day seminar done... I love outdoor
training. Now go back to the dojo for the final round of
this weekend.
Askal Hybrid Arnis
November 30, 2014
Brionne, Normandie, France
Grandmaster Ver Villasin Seminar
November 30, 2014
Island Warriors Dojo at The Firehouse
1027 Alabama St, Vallejo, California
Rapido Realismo Kali International Assc. Inc.
Annual Gathering 2014 & Birthday Celebration of Grandmaster Henry Espera
November 30, 2014
Overdrive Manila Mma and Fitness Center
10th floor, Building #1557 Fugoso St.
Manila, Philippines
November 30, 2014 marked as the Rapido
Realismo Kali’s first Official Annual Gathering as fully
Government certified FMA Association attended by
RRK Guro’s and practitioner. Roland Isla, Head if Isla
Mandirigma Kali-Kali DeLeon Philippines who visited us
and greet our Grandmaster.
The day started with training conducted by our
Head Instructor and Founder of RRK, Grandmaster Henry
Espera. Followed by a student and Apprentice Instructor
Examination as the First standard RRK Examination
procedure that will be documented to be follow by all
RRK instructor.
Congratulations to RRK Newly Promoted Practitioner:
Adrien Jesus Quidlat - Aprendis Guro
Tim Dulay- Student Level 3
Emil Pasa- Student Level 3
Oliver Rababal- Student Level 3
Ding Montemar- Student Level 2
Pabs Kenneth Escame- Student Level 2
Then Guro Adrien Quidlat, RRK Exec. Sec. Proceed to his annual Report of all the RRK
past event and Group Status and next year plan. The Event ended with an AVP of RRK
Instructors birthday greeting for our beloved Master, Punong Guro Henry E. Espera and
the birthday celebrations begin.
Thanks to all the RRK instructor who participated namely, Richard Roxas-Kuwait, Mark
Tarin- Switzerland, Ronald Tolentino and his students - Las Vegas, USA, Giorgio Pocile Italy, Alessandro Pani and his group and friends - Italy, Neil Buzick - Florida USA, Garrith
Brokensha- S.Africa, and here in the Philippines Adrien Pierre and Adrien Jesus Quidlat,
Joseph Ganibe, Joemar Obejas, Chris Roque, Ding Jallorina, Mac Mac, Cris Roldan,
Fernando Piloton, and Earl Hope Cortes. Thanks a lot and see you soon! Pugay!
It may have been cold and windy in Vallejo on the last
night of November, but inside the Island Warriors Dojo, things
were just beginning to heat up. Master Mel Orpilla hosted
his teacher, Grandmaster Ver Villasin for the last Balintawak
Arnis seminar of the year. Almost a dozen Filipino martial arts
practitioners from various styles came from as far as San Jose
and Sacramento to learn Grandmaster Ver’s style of Balintawak
taught to him by his father, Great Grandmaster Jose Villasin
and Balintawak founder, Anciong Bacon. The participants were:
Grandmaster Ver with Edgar Gabriel
Grandmaster Michael Giron, Suro Jason Inay, Guro David Ducay,
Ralph Cervantes, Jarell Cervantes, Edgar Gabriel, Renel Amante,
Ceasar Lopez, Robert Stewart, and Josh Baker.
After a short history lesson on the origins of Balintawak,
Grandmaster Ver explained where the power of the strikes
originate from. “The power comes from kicking off your back leg and
moving your weight forward into the strike,” said Grandmaster Ver
as he swished his stick through the air. “Balintawak Arnis uses the
complete body from legs to arms to deliver a fast, solid and accurate
Grandmaster Ver with Josh Baker
strike, all while keeping the elbows clipped,” added the Grandmaster.
The group then practiced hitting the Balintawak twelve strikes to
begin the warm up.
Balintawak Arnis is a Corto or close range
fighting style. Grandmaster Ver and Master Mel
demonstrated this by doing Pakgang and Agak for the
participants. They saw how important footwork, clipped
elbows, use of the open hand and eye to eye contact
Grandmaster Ver with Renel Amante
were in delivering the blocks and counters in a very fast
and hard style. “In Balintawak we believe in one block
one strike to end the fight,” said Grandmaster Ver.
Balintawak is also known for its wide range
of disarms and counter to counters of the disarms.
Students were able to practice a variety of these
disarms when they paired up. The use of body weight
and body mechanics was emphasized over brute
strength. The participants were also taught to finish
Grandmaster Ver with Jarell Cervantes
all disarms with three follow up strikes to end the
fight.
The Villasin style of Balintawak is distinguished by the use of the five “grouping”
methods that Great Grandmaster Jose Villasin developed as a way to teach the art
more safely and simply. All Balintawak practitioners
that teach or use the “groupings” belong to the
Grandmaster Ver with Suro Jason Inay
Villasin lineage including Grandmaster Bobby
Taboada and Grandmaster Nene Gaabucayan.
Grandmaster Ver and Master Mel demonstrated
the “groupings” individually and combined. “The
techniques in groupings are things that can happen
in any fight”, said Grandmaster Ver. “These techniques
train your muscles and your mind how to react when
confronted with any one of these attacks in a real fight.”
Grandmaster Ver practiced the groupings one
on one with each of the students so they could not
only learn the techniques, but feel them as well. In
Grandmaster Ver with Guro David Ducay
L - R: Master Mel Orpilla, Cesar Lopez,
doing so, the participants also learned how to use
Robert Stewart, Jarell Cervantes, Suro
the Balintawak blocks and counters as well as the
Jason Inayan, Grandmaster Ver Villasin, Renel Amante,
footwork. Since there were other styles of Filipino martial arts present, there was a
Ralph Cervantes, Josh Baker, Edgar Gabriel, Guro David
bit of awkwardness but in the end, everyone was moving like seasoned Balintawak
Ducay, and Grandmaster Michael Giron.
practitioners.
In 2015, the Island Warriors Dojo will be
hosting seminars at least monthly with
Grandmaster Ver Villasin and other Filipino
martial arts Grandmasters and Masters.
Island Warriors is home to Balintawak,
Kajukenbo and Sikaran classes. It is located
at 1027 Alabama Street in Vallejo.
For more information about classes or
seminars, please contact Master Mel at
(707) 477-1159 or [email protected]
Celebrating Rapido Realismo Kali International Association Inc. beloved Grandmaster Henry Espera’s birthday together will all the other
members of the Rapido Realismo Kali International Family!
Definitely a fun day of training, feasting and socializing!
2nd LSAI Invitational Arnis Tournament
November 30, 2014
CAA Covered Court
Pamplona Saging St.
Las Pinas, Philippines
Sword Stick Society International
Presents: Master Teacher Louelle Lledo
Improvised Weaponry (Theory, Application & Refinement)
December 6, 2014
Philadephia Wing Chen Kung Fu
117 North 10th St., 4th Flr,
Philadephia, PA.
Thank you very much Philadelphia
Wing Chun Kung Fu and our
Eskrima USA students for all
your support. Special thanks to
Mataw-Guro Art Eng and Sifu
Jung Eng for hosting this great
event, Dr. Christopher Viggiano
and Grandmaster Bob Martin for
sharing your time, knowledge and
skills. - Louelle Lledo
Filipino Martial Arts Seminars - Israel
December 5, 2014
HaYarkon Park
Tel Aviv, Israel
Featuring the expert instruction of:
Guy Rafaeli - Arnis Israel
Abi Moriya - Caballes Serrada Escrima
Samuel Yaron Brill - FCS Kali
Jon Escudero - Lightning Scientific Arnis Israel
Today was a great day for Filipino Martial Arts in Israel. It’s has been a
long time since the last gathering of FMA teachers, students and enthusiasts.
Being a “niche within a niche” type of martial art here, it was great to see a
solid turnout of participants throughout 4-hours of training in the open air of
Park HaYarkon.
The Philippine Ambassador, HE Neal Imperial, graciously opened the
event with a few inspiring remarks and words of encouragement to kick-off
the event and get the ball rolling. There were four sessions led by four of the
top FMA Instructors representing different styles in the country.
Participants also got a taste of some Pinoy treats such as puto, arroz caldo, turon
and suman with some gulaman to wash things down provided by Mrs. Leanie Baguio
with the support of the Philippine Embassy. A good sign of the good times to come in
the practice of Filipino Martial Arts in Israel.
Thanks for the support from the participating instructors and guests. Special
thanks go to our Ambassador and the Philippine embassy for all their support.
Jon Escudero
Atillo Balintawak
December 6 - 7, 2014
The Northern Academy
281 Peterson, Libertyville, Il.
Great morning training at Northshore Martial Arts with Marc Halleck and Grand Master Atillo! - Rick
Bjorkquist
Grandmaster Crispulo Atillo, what an amazing man. He is a true living legend. I have been honored
to learn his style of Balintawak and pass it on to my students - Marc Halleck
Interested in learning Atillo Balintawak contact Marc Halleck - Email: [email protected]
Visit: www.nsama.com
Pangulong Guro Jon Ward - Inayan Escrima
Hosted by: Shihan Russ Rhodes
December 7, 2014
Pacific Coast Martial Arts, Los Gatos, CA.
Topics covered were Inayan sinawali with there empty hand translations as well as empty hand of Inayan kadena de mano. We had close to
100 participants over 4 sessions.
Presas Arnis Seminar with Guro Steve Leeds
December 7, 2014
Fudoshin Dojo, Owen Sound, Ontario
Guro Stephen Leeds began the
seminar with a brief history on the Presas
Arnis system and a short explanation
of material that would be covered
throughout the day. We then moved on to
some twirling and wrist warm ups to get
everybody loosened up. There was a bit of
laughter from the group when everybody
realized that their left and right sides
do not move in unison as well as they
thought.
Now that we had the blood
flowing, the 10 basic strikes were
practiced. Everyone partnered and each
person took turns performing focused
strikes at our partner. At first there was
a lot of wincing as each person focused
a stick strike at their partner but near
the end you could see the comfort level
increase.
Partner drills that worked some
of the striking styles was next up. These
drills were a great way to get everyone
to strike a target with impact. The energy
throughout the group changed as people began to relax and move with their strikes.
We then moved on to a core drill in Presas Arnis which is Block/Check/Counter. The group progressed well and in a short time everyone was
moving well through the drill. Basic forearm strip was taught to finish everything off.
After spending most of the seminar on the striking aspect of the art, stand up locking with the stick was a nice finisher. The smiles of pain
were seen by all as everyone worked a few of the basic locking techniques.
As the seminar came to a close, everybody had the opportunity to gear up and try out some padded stick sparring. It was a nice eye opener
for those that have never experienced it. The matches continued for multiple rounds leaving everybody winded but with big smiles on their faces.. Craig Mason
www.ssomacanada.ca
Cebuano Eskrima
Beyond the Myth
By Ned R. Nepangue, M.D. and Celestino C. Macachor
Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth boldly unravels with compelling and provocative hypothesis on the
Hispanic origins of the Filipino Martial Arts known as eskrima, arnis and estokada
The authors present prima facie evidence on the fraud of the supposedly precursor art called kali.
A more plausible theory on the origins of eskrima are presented in startling detail from its early beginnings
as a defense against Moro pirates and slave traders and its later fusion with Spanish fencing through the
Jesuit warrior priests during the pivotal years 1635-1644, the height of Spanish rapier fencing in Europe
during the Renaissance.
It also presents a comprehensive chronology on the development of eskrima in Cebu, a meticulous
commentary of Cebuano pioneers and innovators of eskrima and elucidates the pre-eminence of Visayans in
the art of eskrima / arnis / estokada.
As both authors are practitioners of this martial art, technicalities in eskrima never before detailed in other
materials on the subject are carefully discussed in the book.
To Order Visit - Amazon.com
Filipino Kife/Panamtukan Seminar
w/ Instructor Steve Wright
December 7, 2014
The Ouston Community Centre
Ouston, Durham,, United Kingdom
Steve Wright is an instructor in JKD/Kali under Bob Breen with
instructorships under Larry Hartsell, Rick Faye and others, with qualifications in
Kettlebell instruction under Steve Maxwell. The Laban Baston Eskrima Club has
hosted Steve twice before (2006 and 2007 – both courses are available on DVD).
We began the course with a brief warm up which demonstrated clearly
that most of us need to work on our cardio-vascular fitness! We followed this with
the empty hand section of the days training. 3 count punching combinations from
the female triangle involved cross, hook, uppercut, forehand hammer, shovel hook
and groin slap strikes 3 count loop drills were used to develop parrying, evasions
and counterstrikes. Strikes used were a straight jab, straight rear punch, wide rear
punch, and lead hook. To counter these attacks we trained split entry (where one
hand goes to the outside of the attacking arm and the other strikes either to the
face or the biceps), parry (pa’awas), sliding parry (de lineas), follow (dikot), and
scoop (waslik) amongst others.
An example of the
material was to parry and
slip to the outside led to
an uppercut, clamping
the attacking arm into the
chest, stepping through
to a kneeling position
and striking with the lead
arm to drop the attacker
to the ground. This
motion naturally leads
the attackers leg to raise
upwards leading to a leg
or ankle lock.
The knife section began
by covering a 7 strike
system. There was then
a 10 count Abesedario taught. This involved the attacker feeding each of the strikes, with the
defender using each response, i.e. the first response is a slash against the incoming attack; the
second is to use the free hand to parry the attack; the third is to combine the first two to create
a Gunting response.
The other responses involve the defender cutting the attacking arm or stabbing
into the body or face, whilst the attacker responds by removing the arn or hand as quickly as
they can!
We next covered the Pekiti Tirsia method of
knife tapping, with a single, a double or a triple tap;
pick ups and stop hits being taught.
Steve decided to use the Lameco method
was used to teach disarms, using the Pekiti Trisia
knife tapping as a base to work from. Strips, peels,
reverse peels and switches were taught. Steve also
taught the Lameco system of knife tapping with
stop hits, scoops, wrenches, controls and disarms
all being deployed.
Steve decided to end the day covering knife
Sumbrada drills from the Mike Inay system,one of
which involves a backhand punyo strike followed by a punch.
An excellent days training with everyone reaching overload towards the end. Steve pointed out
that he had organized the material before arriving in Durham, and had realized that he had at least two
days worth of stuff to teach! This had led to rapid cutting out of material, and even then, Steve had to
leave some of the techniques for another day.
To that end we will be hosting Steve 30th October/1st of November 2015 for two days
of Kali goodness. Thanks again to Steve for an excellent days training, and thanks to all who
attended. - Bill Steven Lowery
Steve Wright
Durham 2014
Produced by Fighting Sticks Video Productions, the
DVD covers Monkey Defence system, punching combinations,
a variety of loop drills and follow ups, as well as Inosanto 7
strike knife system, Pekiti Knife Tapping, Lameco Knife Tapping,
Lameco Disarming, Inayan Knife Sumbrada’s.
For ordering and shipping costs send enquiries to labanb@
excite.com/ labanb.moonfruit.com or via The Laban Baston
Eskrima Club Facebook page
£15 plus
postage
For more information on Filipino martial arts taught in the North of England, especially Doce Pares under the auspices of Supreme Grandmaster
Dionisio Canete, Grandmaster Percival Pableo and Doce Pares Europe, contact Bill Lowery (0783) 446-5817, Email: [email protected] or labanb.
moonfruit.com
24th Phoenix FMA Training “Monthly Share”
December 13, 2014
Margaret T. Hance Park
1134 N Central Ave, Phoenix, Arizona
Well the day was supposed to be cloudy with heavy rain, due to
California going through heavy rain and mud slides and supposedly the
weather was to move into Arizona. However with a bit of rain in the early
morning hours. It turned out to be a bit cool in the 60’s and cloudy with
the sun breaking through at times, the get together went great, a little
cool until everyone got warmed up. But for the Arizona group rain or no
rain it does not stop the dedicated.
This the last get together for 2014 at Margaret T. Hance Park the
most dedicated to learn and share showed up. Michael Butz talked to a
few of the first to show up and it was decided that at this session it was
going to be a building upon a basic get together.
Michael started using a bolo as the weapon of choice, not
everyone had a bolo trainer so for those who did not the baston was to
act as a bolo. Michael started with a basic movement against a strike.
Once everyone had it down
then in order Alessandro Ashanti, Richell Sampaga, Taj Sowell,
Tea Sowell, Lamont Felton, Scott Nixon and Demetris Mendoz
continued to build on the technique, which as expected would be
benefiting to both practitioners for techniques would go back and
forth counter to counter to counter.
The get together went beyond the two hours normally
scheduled, however it was well worth the training and knowledge
each practitioner got. Of course after everyone departed the
rain started. So it goes to show that mother-nature gave a
break to those that are dedicated to training, knowledge, and
improvement of their skills.
See everyone in 2015.
Kali Majapahit Workshop
w/ Guro Fred Evrard
December 13, 2014
Martial Art America
120 Front St., Beaver Dam WI.
Program: Double sticks, Knife,
Knife defense Vs 1 attacker, Knife
defense Vs multiple attackers,
Conditioning, Nutrition talk.
NAVA-Sticks FMA Clinic
December 13, 2014
Gaea’s House
11257 N. 37th St., Phoenix, AZ.
The Modern Arnis clinic hosted by Guro Chester Brown Jr at his NAVA-STICKS
FMA home studio went very well. There were two students who attended the clinic:
Guro Matt Crane and Calandra Brown. Calandra traveled from Albuquerque, NM to
train with us.
The Modern Arnis clinic covered the basic principles in movement using
these techniques; sinawali, crossada, and tapi tapi - balintawak. The clinic also
covered aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine and how yin and yang are used in
the techniques.
In addition we looked at scientific reasons from TCM and why these
techniques are so effective in regards to the changes polarity of footwork and body
positioning. We also applied these movements using empty hand sinawali, crossada
and tapi tapi-balintawak techniques against a stick and later in the clinic against a
knife.
In addition we used the same the techniques mono y mono and found that
the movements are using TCM, yin and yang which cause easy breaks to joints and
knock outs using very little effort. I am please with the material we covered and
look forward to the 2015 Spring Clinic. - Chester Brown, Jr.
www.navasticks.com
If someone would like to share and participate
in an enjoyable session of training and a pot luck
afterwards - check the Facebook group or Google
+ community “Phoenix FMA Training”.
The Secret Art of Derobio Escrima
By Dan Medina
In The Secret Art of Derobio Escrima Grandmaster Dan Medina will take you on a journey into
the lives and history of two of Leyte’s Legendary Men. One was considered to be one of the Philippines
most dangerous rebels, a leader of the Pulahan Movement who later became a patriot, General Faustino
Ablen (aka Papa Ablen). The other was his disciple, Grandmaster Braulio Tomada Pedo, who is not only
remembered for his kindness and physical and spiritual healing skills, but also for his great ability in
Filipino martial arts. In this book, Dan Medina sheds light into the deadliness of this bone and joint
crushing art.
The Secret Art of Derobio Escrima is the first look into this amazing battle tested art. Not only does
it take you through the basics of Derobio Escrima, it also gives you a glimpse into the art’s inner workings
of countering. This book is written with the student in mind and will take you beyond the basics. It’s
designed to walk you through the principles and theories behind striking, blocking, counter attacks and
locks. Of great interest is the counter to counter movement of Derobio Escrima, which sets this art apart
from other arts. It’s like the standup grappling of the Filipino martial arts with weapons. It teaches you
how to move with the opponent’s force, taking and using their energy and flow against them. The stick
locks which have made this system famous will make you want to jump out of your skin.
2nd Palasan Eagle Kalis Ilustrisimo System Seminar
w / Maestro Jaime Dela Cruz Quizana
December 13-14, 2014
Istanbul. Turkey
After the success of the first seminar held in Istanbul, Ankara and Kayseri in 2013 and with the
participation of both civilians and military personnel, the second seminar was held again in Istanbul
Abkhazian Cultural Center on December 13th and 14th by Maestro Jaime Quizana. Various groups
from the martial arts community and enthusiasts participated in the seminar which was hosted by
the group Kalis Turkey.
Jaime Dela Cruz Quizana was bron in
January 27th, 1955 in Hupi, Santa Cruz,
Mariduque to Sofia Dela Cruz and Andress
R. Quizana and he is the founder and the
current master of “Palasan Eagle Kali Arnis
Filipino Martial Arts Organization”.
Jaime Quizana started to practice Kali/
Arnis at the age of 30. In addition to having
the title of “Maestro”, Quizana and his team
earned a gold medal in the 16th Southeast
Asian Games held in 1990 and 1991 and was selected to be one of the “7 best fighters”,
also held the record of finishing every match the quickest. He held the place of champion
in every major Kali/Arnis event that was held until year 2001. He was awarded in the best
trainer catergory in the 2nd Filipino Martial Hall of Fame event held in 2014. He held another
seminar in Turkey, in 2013.
Jaime Quizana also trains the Military and the Police Force of the Philippines as well as
civilians to promote traditional Arnis, sometimes in seminars by the government.
Kalis Turkey Group continues its training under the supervision of Maestro Jaime Quizana
and is stationed in cities of Istanbul, Izmir and Kayseri. It is an amateur group, mainly
composed of Galip Akdas, Umut Inan, Robert Wegener, Atakan Surdum Avci, Izzet Cagri Baykan, Ozan Sert, Yusuf Taha Dincer, Mehmet Arif Aksoy,
Ahmet Serdar Inanmis, Huseyin Karaman, Ercument Subasi, Pinar Yildirim, Murat Serin, Fatih Yilmaz and Cem Arslan.
Kalis Turkey aims to promote Kalis and
Filipino Martial Arts in Turkey through unpaid
lessons and is supervised by expert trainer Jaime
Quizana; it is trained by Maestro Quizana both in
Turkey and the Philippines and attends tournaments.
The group also supported by Baxafra Armor group in
matters regarding tournaments.
Maestro Jaime Quizana shared his knowledge
and experience in Kalis Ilustrisimo in the seminar and
will stay in Turkey for about a month more to further
train the group. - Atakan Şurdum Avcı
Sonny Umpad’s Eskrima: The Life and Teachings of a Filipino Martial Arts Master
By George M. Yore
Born with the soul of a warrior, the intellect of a scholar, and a zealot’s devotion to his art,
Maestro Santiago “Sonny” Umpad forged an enduring contribution to the rich and colorful
history of Filipino martial culture. In 1976, after immigrating to the United States, Sonny founded
the school of Visayan Style Corto Kadena & Larga Mano Eskrima—rooted in his training in the
Philippines and tested by a hard and dangerous life on the streets, Sonny’s system was above all
else practical. As Sonny’s reputation as a talented fighter became well-known, he began to crosstrain with masters of other martial arts, including Jesse Glover (Bruce Lee’s first student) and Wally
Jay (founder of Small Circle Jujitsu). One of the most innovative and visionary exponents of the
Filipino arts, Sonny pioneered the concept of “mixed martial arts” long before the term was in use.
Sonny Umpad’s Visayan Eskrima provides an insightful portrayal of Sonny Umpad’s life,
philosophy, and teaching methods, as well as the structural underpinnings of his system.
Instructor George Yore has assembled the writings of six of Sonny’s students (including Wade
Williams, 2012 nominee for the U.S. Martial Arts Hall of Fame) to create a biographic homage
to this remarkable martial artist; basic techniques and applications are also demonstrated,
accompanied by 130 step-by-step photos. Practitioners of Filipino martial arts—as well as
mixed martial artists and security specialists—will find valuable instruction in techniques and
applications, while the thousands of people touched by Sonny’s teachings will gain a new
understanding of this notoriously reclusive master’s life—and how his experiences informed
the development of his system.
Paperback: $12.89
Kindle Edition: $10.48
To Order Throught Amazon - Click Here
Modular Blade Concepts & Applications
w/ Grandmaster Bram Frank
December 13 - 14, 2014
North Broadway BJJ
2222 South Vanbdeventer Ave., St Louis, MO.
Grandmaster Alberto Friedmann and Mike
Holcomb doing decision and switch points:
modular application of Hubud-lubud.
Its been a long week and the seminar was good. We did decision and switch points: the modular
application of Hubud /Lubud...we did split the beat, understanding of the cadence of the beat, ROC
Reactive Opponent Control..and of course entries and variations of the enties based on the decision and
switch points for Crmipt (Close Range/Control Response Medium ImPact Tool).
Ferguson and St Louis have been the hotbed of what should police do and why is there no other
option than lethal force for the officers. The point of the seminar was to bring the option of non-lethal
force training and tools into the picture. The CRMIPT as seen in issue #151 of FMA informative (Click
Here to Download) played a big part in the seminar training…as well as the Modular system and its
reality based training.
Thanks to Bryan Guidry, Mike Holcomb, Alberto Friedmann for their help and concern - Bram
Frank
Due to the current events no sworn officers are shown and no group shot! But Grandmaster Alberto
Friedman and Mike Holcomb were in a few of the allowed pictures. Thanks to both of them…for
being my go to guys, my Ukes and my assistants at the seminar. My thanks to Bryan Guidry and North
Broadway BJJ for the use of the school!
Professor Remy Presas told me “go slow, do it slowly… Bram, you must learn it slow to see it”. Of
course firearms, knives and sticks work on some of the same concepts. Slow is fast, smooth is fast…soft
is hard… In the pictures we are just doing the first decision and switch point of #1….deciding high line
or low line...next in the series is being stopped low, switch high, then stopped high switch low...then
instead of go with force around barrier, remove barrier... from remove barrier intercept and cut to far
side attack opposite side… then learn to free the trap and counter…then to intercept the attack before
it actually starts learning stealing the beat…each module has a common element to allow decision
points and then switch points. There’s a picture of me doing a CRMIPT entry on Mike leading to brachial
stun and then arm bar take down or cuffing control.
This training and its tool the CRMIPT are available to any department or security teams at
minimal cost and short duration training time! It’s not Rocket science!!
Grandmaster Bram Frank’s Knives and Tools
Grandmaster Bram Frank the Founder
of Common Sense Self Defense/Street
Combat, Inc. (CSSDSC) is not just an empty
hand art. In all ages of mankind warriors
carried weapons, citizens carried weapons,
for with a weapon even a child can be
king. At CSSD-SC they teach conceptual
weapons usage. Unlike traditional empty
hand arts, CSSD-SC teaches weapons
usage FIRST to allow for understanding
reality of combat. Knife teaches stick,
stick teaches empty hand, a one way
progression; for it doesn’t work in reverse.
Grandmaster Bram Frank is known
worldwide for his contributions in
improving edged weapon tactics and his
design of tactical folding knives and lesslethal control tools.
Grandmaster Bram Frank has been
teaching in the field of edged weapons
and martial arts for 50 years. Bram has
been inducted into several Martial Arts
Halls of Fame. Mr. Frank’s dedication
and service has also won him numerous
awards as a martial arts instructor. For his
design of the Spyderco Gunting, the World
Head of the Soke Councilship has called it the “Most Innovative Weapon of the Millennium.”
Visit the following websites to witness for yourself the excellent: Bram Frank’s Knives, Bram Frank’s
Tools, Holsters, Self-Defense Knives, Self-Defense Tools, Tactical Knives, Tactical Tools, Training Knives
Visit: www.CRMIPT.com
www.CSSDSC.comwww.S2institute.co
The Desangut Fixed Blade Magnum
By TnT Blades
Production Information:
This first run is a semi-custom / numbered
production. Only 100 pieces were made and getting
pre-sold fast. There are only a few left.
Trainers are now available
To Place your Order Click Here
Modern Arnis LG-Dortmund
w / Grandmaster / Datu Dieter Knüttel
December 13 - 14 , 2014
TSC Eintracht , Victor Toyka Str. 6 in
Dortmund, Germany
Datu Dieter taught 2 topics on saturday,
which was an open seminar for everybody.
The first was self-defense.
Somebody grabs you and attacks with
a strike. Datu Dieter showed many
possiblities to deal with this situation,
from avoidng the attack to defense.
The most important part was, that not
prearranged combinations werde taught,
but the situations were analyzed and
principles for the defense were taught.
The techiques used could vary then.
The second topiy was the kinfe
drill Palusot, which was new to many opf
the participants. He taught the basics and
the first vatiations, which the students
enjoyed a lot
On Sunday the seminar was only
for DAV brown and blackbelts.
More advanced aspects of Palusot The participants from the training group from Dortmund pose for a picture after the student ranking
were taught to the participants, as well as during the Modern Anris seminar in Dortmun together with Grandmaster / Datu Dieter Knüttel, 9th Dan
techniques from their black belt program
as preparationfro the black belt exam. All
together 2 very good seminars, where the participants had fun and learned a lot. - Dieter Knüttel
Pekiti-Tirsia International Monthly Seminar
W/ Mataas Na Guro Jack Latorre
December 20, 2014
Millman’s Martial Arts Academy
32 Main Street
Scottsville, NY (near Rochester)
The attendees worked diligently on the material, from:
- some combined footwork and empty hand drills for the
warm-up, to
- a quick review of the tapping against pakal grip from the
Advanced Hand Versus Knife seminar, to...
- the passing drills, to...
- the locking drills, to...
- the scissoring drills, to...
- the quick thrusts drill, to...
- the finisher drills, to...
- introduction to some basic double pakal drills, which
eventually turned into empty hand versus pakal drills.
An Introduction to Balintawak Escrima Training Seminar
Presented by: Laraw Kali Pamuok Filipino
Maartial Arts System
December 14, 2014
YMCA Bldg., 3rd Flr
945 Sabino Padilla St.
Manila, Philippines
Laraw Kali Pamuok FMA conducted a training
seminar on an introduction to Balintawak Escrima in Manila
Downtown YMCA, Manila, Philippines. The following topics
were discussed on the early part of the seminar which
includes: Brief history of Balintawak, Kinds of teaching
methods used by its practitioner (old method of random
instruction and grouping methods) and Differentiating
Balintawak from Laraw Kali Sungkiti System. Lakan Ronnie
Royce Base who facilitated the training also demonstrated
other routines like the pre-checking, double counter and
Punta y daga. Moreover, he showed a different and modified footwork pattern that can also be used in the system other than the linear pattern most
common in Balintawak. - Ronnie Base
Modified Pangamut (DVD Set Vol-1, 2 & 3)
By Master Marc J. Lawrence
The traditional arts are known as Kali, Eskrima or Arnis, stick, knife and hand to hand fighting
was developed over a period of many centuries in the Philippines as her people fought for their
independence from foreign invaders. Each skirmish with a new culture added to the Filipino Martial
Arts as warriors developed techniques to combat foreign styles. Subsequently, more than 100 different
Filipino Martial Arts styles developed, which can be grouped into three complete self-defense
systems which utilize sticks, swords, empty hands and other weapons. Our core system is a Mountain
Visayan fighting system bought to the USA by our system’s Founder (Pundador) GM Felix Roiles. His
Grandfather called it Pakamut also called Pangamut. This referred to having skilled hands in Cebuano, a
Visayan dialect. He shared this with Marc Lawrence, his families fighting system. Marc L awrence had his
own FMA fighting system that he had learned in his travels. In his travels and fighting other systems he
developed the Modified Pangamut System. This is what he teaches and fights with, Marc Lawrence is
our Punong Guro (Head Instructor) and he is a National Champion in the Filipino Martial Arts.
Volume 1: Stances & Footwork, Finger Locks, Sitting Position, Floor Defense, Disarms and Submissions...
Volume 2: Controlling the Axis, Multiple Strike Strategy, Defenses & Disarming …
Volume 3: Block and Counter, Drills and Disarms, Multiple Return Strikes Competition Drills, Learning
to Defend by Zones, Tournament Disarms, Distractions & Disarms, Vining of the Stick, Fighting Mixed
Weapon Tournaments, Concepts and Rules of Fighting, Choosing Fighting Greer, Competition Strategy,
Point Fighting Strategies, Continuous Competition Strategies, What Wins A Fight, What shots Judges
Look For…
Volume 4: Arnis De Mano ‘14 Uses of the Live Hand:’ - 14 Uses of the Live Hand from the
Arnis De Mano System when fighting with a single stick: Re-Enforce, Augment, Checks,
Passes, Jams, Pushes, Pulls, Grabs, Hooks, Spreads, Punching, Blocking, Pinning...
Volume 5: Cadena De Mano ‘The Chain of Hands’ - Cadena De Mano basic principals of
parry, check, counter strike on the inside and outside lines, including “V” footwork, body
positioning, entry and advanced concepts of defeat.
Order from Punong Guro Marc Lawrence and receive a package deal plus his book “The
Basics of Filipino Martial Arts”
To Order Masters magazine: Click Here
Health and Safety
Soar on to Success
By Zena Sultana Babao
Tasty High Blood Pressure News
Dr. Mark Wiley
Cardiovascular disease,
disease of the heart and blood
vessels, is the leading cause of
death in the United States. And
hypertension, or high blood
pressure (HBP), is the most common form of cardiovascular disease.
High blood pressure is a serious matter that needs to be
controlled. Embracing a healthy diet and exercise are the primary
low-cost, self-directed ways to prevent and lower high blood pressure
and control for the disease; yet many people seem unable to make
the change. Hypertension medications by default, then, are the most
popular treatment method. However, they are not without cost and
side effects.
The good news: A recent study confirmed that a simple
combination of two natural items is actually more powerful at
decreasing high blood pressure than prescription medication.
What Is Blood Pressure?
When you get a medical checkup, the doctor always checks
your blood pressure. Why? Because blood pressure is an important
indication of your state of health and risk for disease.
Blood that carries nutrients and oxygen courses through your
veins and arteries delivers life-giving elements to your entire body. To
understand this, think of a network of hoses and straws transporting
water throughout a crop system to water the plants. Blood fills the
arteries to a specific level, which creates pressure. When the pressure
gets too high (often from things like arterial plaque, stress and
toxins), the health of the arterial walls is compromised and pressure
keeps building. That can cause pain and potentially life-threatening
conditions such as heart disease.
Blood Pressure Medications
There are many medications available by prescription that can
lower your blood pressure. While these have relatively few side effects,
they can be problematic and you should be aware of the unwanted
effects they can sometimes cause. Some, like ACE (angiotensin
converting enzyme) inhibitors and ARBs (Angiotensin II receptor
blockers), can be harmful for pregnant women. Others can cause
difficulties in those who also have diabetes or other diseases and are
taking other medications in addition to blood pressure drugs.
Erectile dysfunction is another common side effect of blood
pressure medications. Blood pressure pharmaceuticals that are diuretic
in nature (causing urination and sweating to help move excess fluids
and salts from the body) can lead to dehydration, weakness, leg
cramps and fatigue.
While HBP medications are relatively safe, they do not get at
the root of the blood pressure problem, nor do they work as well as a
combination of cinnamon and magnesium.
The Tasty News
In addition to exercise, a healthy diet can help prevent heart
disease while lowering blood pressure. Two recent studies show that
cinnamon and magnesium are key ingredients that, when combined,
may lower blood pressure more effectively and naturally than
prescription medications.
Cinnamon And Blood Pressure
According to results published in the October 2013 issue of the
journal Nutrition, short-term consumption of cinnamon is associated
with “a notable reduction” in both systolic and diastolic blood
pressure, especially in those who are also prediabetic or have type 2
diabetes. These results came from taking 500 mg to 2.4 g of cinnamon
consumed daily for 12 weeks.
The researchers concluded that cinnamon made possible
significant drops in blood pressure.
Magnesium And Blood Pressure
A 2012 meta-analysis published in the European Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, assessed the blood pressure lowering effectiveness
of magnesium. In the studies they analyzed, the mean daily
supplementation dose was 410 mg. They found a “small but clinically
significant” blood pressure reduction.
Dependable Results
When you consider all the natural methods that can lower
blood pressure, there seems to be no reason hypertension should be
a leading contributor to fatal heart conditions. Along with magnesium
and cinnamon, beet juice (which I discuss here) can also lower blood
pressure.
Don’t let high blood pressure steal your health. Supplement
with cinnamon and magnesium, drink some beet juice, exercise and
adopt a healthy lifestyle. The New Year is coming; make it a healthy
one!
Sources:
Nutrition: Click Here
NCBIPubMed.gov: Click Here
Way of the Ancient Healer: Sacred Teachings from the Philippine Ancestral Traditions By Virgil Mayor Apostol
After Hollywood screenwriter and script analyst, the late John Sherlock, took the author’s earlier manuscript copy back to his home in Ireland and pored over it, he wrote to the author commenting that he
read the pages with “great interest” but thought the book should take the form of a personal odyssey.
Taking Sherlock’s advise, the author interweaved his captivating healing and spiritual experiences, years
of historical research and collection of photographs, along with information on the roots of healing
from their cultural, shamanic, and spiritual origins. What manifested was his unique magnum opus, Way
of the Ancient Healer, a book that intermeshes esoteric and metaphysical beliefs with scientific explanations of healing practices, based on an indigenous science and culture.
Way of the Ancient Healer provides an overview of the rich tradition of Filipino healing practices, discussing their world influences and role in daily life. Enhanced with over 300 photographs and illustrations, the book gives readers a rare look at modern-day Filipino healing rituals, including personal
examples from author Virgil Apostol’s own experiences with shamanic healing and dream interpretation.
The book begins with an explanation of Apostol’s Filipino lineage and legacy as a healer. After a brief
history of the Philippine archipelago he describes the roots of traditional Filipino healing and spirituality,
and discusses the Indian, Islamic, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and American influences that have impacted the Filipino culture. He presents a thorough description of Filipino shamanic and spiritual practices that have developed from the concept that everything in nature contains a spirit (animism) and
that living in the presence of spirits demands certain protocols and rituals for interacting with them. The
book’s final chapter thoughtfully explores the spiritual tools used in Filipino healing - talismans, amulets,
stones, textiles, and other natural symbols of power.
Published by North Atlantic Books: www.NorthAtlanticBooks.com
Distributed by Random House Distribution Services, to order: www.RandomHouse.com or call (800) 733-3000
What will make you rise to the
top and stay there? Is it talent, training
and determination? Is it attitude,
enthusiasm, and persistence? Or is it
vision, charisma, and confidence?
The real winners in business - and
in life - have all these and more. Not only
do they have a positive mental attitude, they also have an attitude of
gratitude. Your attitude in life will fuel your success in anything that
you do.
Imagine a scale of 1 to 10. Where are you in this scale? Are you
stuck between 2 and 3, or waffling between 4 and 7? Can you move
yourself closer to the end of the scale? Or better yet, be a 10! How?
Here’s how.
Set your goals. Start with small ones that you could easily
achieve. Most people avoid setting goals because they are afraid of
failing. As you reach your goals, set new ones. You will find yourself
striving to meet larger, more difficult goals as you go along.
Do your homework. Be aware of all the outside forces that play
into the goal you are trying to reach. Developing a good plan will give
you more confidence and enthusiasm about your goal. As they say,
plan your work and work your plan.
Anticipate success. Visualize how winning will feel, taste, and
look life. Do these several times daily, while taking a shower, on your
way to and from work, and as you are about to fall asleep. Visualization
is a very powerful tool. Olympic athletes use it. For instance, a skier
sees winning in advance. She sees herself making a perfect run down
the slope, superbly negotiating all the curves.
Create a safety net. It’s much easier to walk a tightrope if there’s
a safety net underneath. For example, if you are in the real estate
business and you are going to make a selling or listing presentation,
anticipate all the objections and answer them in advance.
Be good to yourself. Motivate yourself through a long and hard
project by dividing it into steps and rewarding yourself after each one.
Increase the value of the reward as the going gets tough. For example,
after a successful listing or selling presentation, give yourself a treat at
the movies. When you close escrow, give yourself a weekend in Vegas.
But don’t blow all your commission away.
Surround yourself with successful positive people. Success is
contagious, and so is failure. You would be cutting your own throat
if you constantly associate with people who have a “loser” attitude.
Remember the saying, “If you wanted to fly with the eagles, you don’t
associate with turkeys.”
Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Life is not all
roses. The clouds of life carry storms. But what are roses without
thorns? Or clouds without storms? Behind the clouds, the sun is
shining bright. Move on!
Keep your body tuned and looking good. Your body is like a car,
it needs fuel, and it needs tune-up. Or it won’t run good. A 30-minute
aerobic work-out plus another 30-minute lifting weights three times a
week will relieve stress and create a feeling of well-being. Being welldressed and well-groomed will help boost your self-confidence. And
the confidence of others in you!
Give yourself a break from work. A satisfying family and social
life will sustain you through the work week and will provide additional
perspective. In addition, having important roles outside of work
reduces the anxiety of having all your emotional eggs in one basket.
Take into account that great achievements, like great love,
involve great risk. If you lose, as losing is part of the game, don’t lose
the lesson you have learned. Follow the three R’s: respect for self,
respect for others, and responsibility for all your actions. You can only
be what you give yourself the power to be.
With more time, training and experience, you will fly with
the eagles and soar on to success. John Heywood says, “Nothing is
impossible to the willing heart.” Virgil says, “They can because they
think they can.” And an anonymous writer said, “Sometimes we need
to climb much higher up the mountain so we don’t hear the world
shouting ‘Come down!’”
Pressure Points: A Skeptical Examination
By Iain Abernethy
In this article I want to
discuss the always controversial
subject of pressure points. Before
we go any further, I should make
it clear that my articles are always
100% focused on my personal
views. It would make little sense for
me to try to explain the views of
others (I’ll leave that up to them) or
to arbitrarily give “the other side of
the story”.
I have to assume that as a
reader of this article you are interested in my views. You may not
agree with them, but you still have
an interest in hearing what I have
to say. So that’s what I always aim
to give: an honest presentation of
what I think and why I think it. If
I disagree with something, then I
will say so. I’m not going to be dishonest or misrepresent my views in
an attempt to remain “balanced”.
I will give you the truth of
the matter as I perceive it. If you
want an alternative view – which
is always a good thing – then seek
that from an alternative source. It’s
up to me to argue my point, and
those who disagree to argue theirs.
There is no obligation on me to
give a platform to views I disagree
with and regard to be foolhardy
and dangerous.
All that said, everything I
do should be approached with a
critical mind. If people disagree
with everything I say, then perhaps
I’m failing to clearly communicate
my position, or maybe the reader
is being dogmatic? However, if the
reader agrees with everything I
say, then maybe they are not being critical enough with their own
thinking? As General Patton said, “If
everyone is thinking alike, someone isn’t thinking.”
I’ve looked at the information for myself and from there
formed the views I hold. We all
need to do the same and accept
that disagreement and dissent is
healthy.
I state my case in the hope
that others find it useful to them.
I don’t demand that people think
the same as me. I’d therefore expect others to afford me the same
courtesy.
So with all of that out of the
way, let’s get into the meat of the
discussion on pressure points.
The first thing that often
jumps into people’s minds when
they think of pressure points is
the martial use of the acupuncture points. Acupuncture, as I’m
sure you know, is the insertion of
needles in specific points along the
meridians, along which the “chi” or
life force of the human body is said
to flow.
The meridians are associated with
various organs and functions i.e.
we have a stomach meridian, a
heart meridian, a lung meridian,
and so on.
An acupuncturist will carefully manipulate the chi through
the use of points along the merid-
ians in an attempt
to cure illness and
improve health. The
martial artist, it is said,
can manipulate the
chi through these
same points in order to
injure and incapacitate
their enemy.
There is certainly no doubt that some
who subscribe to this
view can generate an
effect. But is it chi that
is at work?
Personally, I do not believe
that chi exists as a real force. I also
don’t even like using the term to
express abstract concepts either.
In Kennedy and Guo’s great
book “Chinese Martial Arts Training
Manuals”. There’s a great section on
Chi which offers the following four
definitions of Chi:
1 – A kind of “life force”
2 – Biomechanical efficiency
3 – Anything about the martial
arts that the speaker does not understand or cannot put into more
concrete terms
4 – Some combination of the
previous three
I think that is a great and
very succinct summation of chi and
all the issues surrounding it. I’d now
like to break down my thoughts on
those definitions.
1 – A kind of “life force”
Personally, I am happy to
totally discount this first one on
the basis that there is no concrete
evidence for its existence (i.e. anecdotal “evidence” only). There are
better, repeatable, evidence based
explanations for the differences between that which is alive and that
which is dead, that do not demand
the leap to Chi for an explanation.
Chi is not needed to explain
the processes of life and hence I
feel this kind of chi comes from a
“world view” as opposed to any basis in reality. We could use “chi” as
a shorthand catch-all term for the
processes of life, but I feel this adds
nothing but confusion and should
be avoided.
2 – Biomechanical efficiency
When it comes to the
martial arts I am a great believer
in optimizing our biomechanical
efficiency. This can result in things
that, on the surface, seem beyond
human capabilities. However, close
examination reveals that high levels of skill are at play as opposed to
any mystical energy. I can therefore
understand “chi” as a term to reflect
this biomechanical efficiency; but it
is not a term I would personally use
due to the instant implication of an
“energy” that is not biomechanical
in origin.
3 - Anything about the martial
arts that the speaker does not
understand or cannot put into
more concrete terms
I think this is a great point
that Kennedy and Guo raise! I’m
sure we all know of superb martial
artists who are not good teachers.
They have the skills, but are unable
to articulate them or get others
to develop those same skills. They
therefore use the term “chi” for the
“element X” that they have, but are
unable to articulate.
It’s the key element that
take the technique from good to
great, and it is something they feel,
but cannot explain. It is therefore
labelled as “chi”. However, the key
here is that someone who is more
articulate WILL be able to clearly
define what “element X” is and
hence they will have no need to
resort to using the term “chi” as a
kind of “I’m not sure?”.
4 – Some combination of the
previous three
Seeing as definition 4 is a
mix of the proceeding three, it is
also baseless if 1, 2 & 3 are accepted as baseless themselves.
There is no evidence for a
mystical “life force”, biomechanical
efficiency is biomechanical efficiency; it is not magical or supernatural, and a good teacher should
be able to communicate all elements of a technique and not need
to resort to “chi” as a fig leaf for
misunderstanding or being unable
to articulate something.
I would therefore say “chi” is
a redundant term that can safely
be dropped from modern martial
arts.
The only reason I can see for
keeping the term “chi” in common
use in the martial arts is an appeal
to the “mystical” in an attempt to
perpetuate the myth that martial
artists have “superpowers” and to
market the arts based on that myth
(definition 5?).
If we believe chi to be a real
force independent of biomechanical efficiency and vital to the
processes of life, then we need to
provide evidence for that. The
burden of proof rests on those who
make that claim. Seeing as no such
evidence has been forthcoming
(only anecdotal evidence, and we
also have that for UFO abductions
and the Loch Ness monster, and
hence I feel about as much store
can be placed in that same “evidence”). There is therefore no good
reason to believe in chi as a “life
force” until any such solid evidence
is forthcoming.
There have been experiments where acupuncture treatments have been compared to the
random placement of needles
(where the recipient believed they
were getting genuine acupuncture) and it was shown that both
“treatments” yielded the exact
same results.
A great demonstration of
placebo and the power of the mind
to effect health, but it showed that
the accurate placement of needles
on the meridians makes no difference; which is not what one would
expect if the meridians were real.
There is no doubt that
enough studies have been done to
show that acupuncture can provide pain relief. Although sceptics
would say this is due to the endorphins released in the brain through
the insertion of the needles as
opposed to chi manipulation.
Wallace Sampson (editor of the
“Scientific Review of Alternative
Medicine”) commented that a
“pinch on the butt” is also likely to
generate the same response …
and indeed it did on acupuncture
tests on animals!
Some proponents of acupuncture even accept that “chi” is
not the mechanism at work. Felix
Mann (the 1st president of the
British Medical Acupuncture
Society) is on record as saying,
“traditional acupuncture points are
no more real than the black spots a
drunk sees in front of his eyes”. This
obviously has serious ramifications
for those who would entrust their
lives to a chi based view of these
points!
Despite the doubts about
“chi” and the reality of acupuncture
points, acupuncture has been
shown to provide pain relief for
some people; however, there is
zero in the way of scientific studies
that show acupuncture has any
effect AT ALL on things like breathing issues (i.e. asthma), circulatory
issues, digestive issues, etc. The
claim that the meridians are linked
to the internal organs therefore has
nothing to support it.
This obviously has big
ramifications for how acupuncture
points apply to the martial arts.
Any claim that striking a certain
point can interfere with the heart
etc – through the manipulation of
chi – has no basis in fact. To be
clear, western medicine can explain
why trauma to certain areas can
interfere with the function of the
internal organs; but chi does not
come into it.
The scientific evidence
would also debunk the theory –
which originates from the theories
of acupuncture – that striking
pressure points in a certain order is
more effective than striking them
in any other order.
Certain meridians are
associated with certain elements
(fire, wood, water, metal & earth).
For example, the stomach meridian
is “earth” in nature; the heart meridian is “fire” in nature, etc.
From these elemental
associations we get a creative cycle
(i.e. wood creates fire) and a destructive cycle (i.e. water destroys
fire). Some martial artists subscribe
to the belief that hitting acupuncture points in accordance with
these cycles can have a catastrophic effect on the body. There is zero
in the way of evidence for this
however.
Striking certain areas does
have a mechanical effect of course.
And it is to these mechanical
effects to which the proponents of
chi cycles most frequently point.
For example, if the enemy is holding my lapel and I strike them on
the forearm, their head will twist,
presenting a prominent target, and
hence making a strike to the jaw all
the more effective. This has nothing to do with chi however.
The head turns because the
forearm is connected to the upper
arm which in turn is connected to
the shoulder. Hitting the forearm
therefore directs the corresponding shoulder forwards and down
… and because the neck and head
rest on top of the shoulders, the
head turns and lines you up for the
great shot to the jaw. The enemy’s
brain shakes, and he passes out.
There is no need to invoke
Chi in any of this, it confuses the
issue, and adds an unneeded layer
of “mystical” complexity to what
should be the simple job of protecting oneself. There is no need to
consider “direction of chi flow”,
what element a given meridian is
associated with, what time of day it
is (because certain meridians are
said to be more active at certain
times of day), etc. We can make
things much simpler, and hence
more accessible and effective by
avoiding all of this.
So there is no misunderstanding, let me state for the record
that striking weak points, pressure
points, kyusho points, whatever
you want to call them, can work
very effectively. What I’m saying is
that this has nothing whatsoever to
do with a magical force called Chi.
There are better, more consistent,
scientific explanations that I prefer
to work with.
This is not an article on chi,
so I’ll stop now and avoid going
onto such obvious nonsense as “no
touch knockouts” i.e. using chi to
knock someone over from a distance, or the extremely dubious
“light tap knockouts”.
The bottom line is this; I am
a martial artist not a magician. I will
therefore study the weaknesses of
the human body and learn how to
exploit them. I don’t however see
any need to study chi.
Now, let me also make it
clear that this is not an out of hand
rejection of chi. I did spend some
time studying weak points from a
traditional Chinese medicine
perspective. The conclusion I
reached was that it got in the way
of the simplicity that I’m always
seeking, and that the application of
the “rules” of acupuncture made
not one iota of difference to the
actual result. I could simply whack
the weak points that have a scientific basis and get as good if not
better results. I therefore ceased to
look at points from a “chi” perspective.
Now I know others have
found the principles of “chi” and the
associated laws to be very useful.
But that was not my experience
and that is why I hold the views I
do.
If you disagree with me, and
what you do is working for you,
then more power to you. As I say, I
know some good guys who subscribe to a belief in chi and my
conflicting belief in no way takes
away from their ability or sincerity.
My own path has not led me to
reach the same conclusions
though. So no “chi” for Iain!
There are some people who
are totally deluded about their chi
based prowess. They believe that
their mastery of their chi, and the
chi of others, makes them infinitely
superior to those poor deluded
souls who actually train hard! A
quick scan of YouTube shows what
happens when they put chi up
against a physical combative test.
So while they are deluded, they
nevertheless honestly believe in
what they do. Whether they still do
after the test remains an unknown.
There are also some out
and out charlatans who use “chi” as
a way to make themselves seem
more mystical and hence make
some dishonest money. However,
they are a million miles apart from
the effective martial artists who
have a sincere and honest belief in
chi. Whilst I don’t agree with such
people about the existence of chi, I
nevertheless respect their ability
and sincerity.
So I don’t subscribe to a
belief in chi, nor do I use acupuncture based terminology for striking
areas. For example, I don’t use the
term “Stomach 5” when referring
to the point on the jaw that can
result in unconsciousness … the
reason being that such a point has
nothing to do with the stomach
and western medicine gives a solid
a scientific reason for why unconsciousness results; whereas acupuncture theory does not.
I will always choose “function” over
“tradition” and hence I prefer to
move away from “traditional labelling” and stick with a scientific, as
opposed to misleading, terminology.
The advantage of using
acupuncture terminology is that
students can look at any acupuncture chart and find the exact
location of the point in question.
The big disadvantage, in my view,
is that it invariably brings chi and
all chi based theories into the mix
and adds unproven and unnecessary complexity to what should be
the simple job of taking a guy out.
I prefer a scientific “whack
here” approach as it is simpler and
gets better results. The lack of “chi”
and acupuncture terminology
in my approach has led some to
wrongly conclude that “pressure
points” don’t play a part in my interpretation of kata. That’s wrong
because it does – for practical reasons it’s not the primary element
as it is with some – but it is there in
a scientific and simple way.
Whether you are “pro-chi”,
“anti-chi” or undecided about chi,
there should be a general agreement that knowing where to hit is
an important part of any martial
artist’s knowledge. I do study and
teach striking areas as I feel they
are very important: not as im-
portant as being able to hit hard
though!
Doing demos on a guy who
stands there is one thing. Hitting
accurately when things kick off is
something else entirely. Expecting
to hit with pinpoint accuracy at
a set angle and direction in a live
fight is unrealistic.
People move a lot in live fights and
the frantic exchange of “fire” leads
to an extremely chaotic situation.
It’s simply not realistic or practical
to say that power is unimportant if
you know where to hit.
Sure, we will always intend
to direct blows to weak areas,
but the realism and the chaos
mean – once we have gone past
the pre-emption stage and are in
“a fight” – that blows are unlikely
to land exactly as we intend and
hence they’d better be capable of
doing damage anyway. The ability
to hit with power ensures an effect
even if we don’t hit exactly where
we wanted to.
Some martial artists mistake powerful strikes as being the
result of raw, untamed strength
i.e. “powerful blows are the crude
way to subdue an enemy whereas
a true martial artist will rely on skill
and accuracy”. The big mistake
with this is the false assumption
that powerful blows are not the
result of skill!
Where this comes from is
the unskilled martial artists who
can’t hit hard because their technique is poor. Instead of working
on their technique, they incorrectly conclude that only big people
can hit hard and hence their weak
technique is beyond their control.
The answer, as they see it, is to
accept that they will never be able
to hit hard and hence the only
chance they have is to hit vulnerable areas that require less power.
This is totally wrong!
The key and overriding
component of power is good technique. Sure having extra bodyweight to get into a technique
helps. But a big guy with poor
technique will not hit hard. I know
lots of martial artists, with slight
builds, who can generate massive
power! One of the smallest martial
artists I train with is also one of the
biggest hitters I know. Indeed, I
have students who in self-defence
situations have dropped much
bigger enemies due to good technique. It’s therefore not right to
say a small person’s only chance is
pressure points when good technique will help them much more.
Knowing “where” to hit is important. Knowing “how” to hit is
much more important.
If you lack the “how”, the
chaos of live situations will in all
likelihood render your knowledge
of “where” impotent. So while I
believe a study of weak areas is
vital, believing that knowledge of
pressure points removes the need
to be able to hit hard is failing to
acknowledge the reality of conflict. You need both to be effective;
but I would always say the “how to
hit” is of greater importance than
the “where to hit”.
All the people I know who
use pressure points effectively
have good quality striking and
are good martial artists. They also
tend to dislike those who say that
pressure points absolve you of the
need to hit hard as it misrepresents what they teach and the field
of study generally. People then
think that “pressure points” are
ineffective; whereas in reality it is
ineffective people using them ineffectively that is the issue.
While it is not the topic of
this article, the kata do include
methods for increasing accuracy
including controlling the limbs
(clearing the path of the strike)
and “datum setting” (ensuring you
have a tactile awareness of there
the enemy is). However, even with
these methods, pinpoint accuracy
is still difficult and that is why
power is so important.
One other thing we can
do to make things simpler with
regards to accuracy is to think in
terms of “zones” as opposed to
“points”.
A zone is an area that
contains a number of “points” and
when hit hard enough any number
of them is likely to be effected. For
example, whereas some would ask
we hit “Stomach 5”, “Triple Warmer
17”, “Stomach 7”, “Conception Vessel 24”, and so on, in light of the
fact that exact location, angle and
direction are almost impossible to
achieve in a live situation; I would
suggest we group these together
in a “zone” and accept that good
shot to the “jaw zone” – from any
angle – will take a guy out.
The advantages of the
“zone method” is the avoidance of
chi and all associated mysticism,
the clear cut demonstrable fact that hitting
the jaw shakes the brain
and can KO people, the
practitioner is not looking
to hit a small point but instead has a larger zone to
aim for (which prevents
hesitation and promotes
positive action), and the
whole thing is infinitely
simpler in terms of both
theory and application.
In addition to
the “jaw zone”, the other
main zones I use are the
four diagonals around
the neck. Those who have been
on the seminars will have seen me
demonstrate a basic drill for these
5 key zones (Jaw plus the four
angles of the neck) utilizing the
motions and concepts recorded in
the early part of Pinan Shodan (Heian Nidan) kata.
It would be difficult to
describe that drill here, but a very
simple drill that rotates around the
four zones on the neck would be
as follows:
Imagine a partner standing
in front of you, take your left shoto
or forearm and take it diagonally
into the right (your right) / front
side of the partner’s neck (Zone
1). Then take your right haito or
forearm and take it diagonally into
the right / rear side of the partner’s
neck (Zone 2). Then take your left
haito or forearm and take it diagonally into the left / rear side of the
partner’s neck (Zone 3). Finally,
take your right shoto or forearm
and take it diagonally into the left
/ front side of the partner’s neck
(Zone 4). You can then repeat,
reverse or mix up the cycle to get
familiar with the zones.
These zones are all used a
lot by kata and it is important to
be familiar with them.
Now the zones work because they have “points” within
them. So for “knowledge” it can
be useful to know the points (by
which I mean the nerves and
structures that lead to the results
experienced when hitting those
areas). For function, however, I
think we are far better thinking of
the zone.
For those who insist on
acupuncture terminology – and I’d
suggest that we’d be better dropping the confusion and mysticism
and not using that terminology
– Zones 1 and 4 could be associated with Stomach 9 & 10 & Large
Intestine 18. Zones 2 & 3 could be
associated with Small intestine 16,
Gallbladder 20 and Bladder 10.
However, I’ll say again that the effects of these points have nothing
whatsoever to do with chi or acupuncture theory. They also have
nothing to do with the organs
they are supposedly associated
with. These acupuncture points
just happen to overlie physical
structures which when impacted
have sound scientific reasons for
taking a guy out.
The front zones (Zones 1 &
4) primarily work because of the
baro-receptors associated with
the Carotid artery. The sole function of these baro-receptors is to
monitor the pressure of the blood
flowing to the brain. A strike to this
area fools the body into believing that the blood pressure is too
high. In response to this stimulus,
the heart will slow down, the veins
will dilate, the arteriolar smooth
muscle will relax and the heart will
pump less blood per contraction.
This will draw blood away from the
brain, which will cause the recipient to pass out.
The Vagus nerve runs alongside
the Carotid sinus at this point
and that also has an effect on the
body generally. Applying pressure to this area, as in a strangle
hold, will also result in a loss of
consciousness. Striking this area is
very potent and can have severe
effects. The point is also very close
to the throat, which may also be
effected by the blow. We are not
deliberately attempting to hit the
throat though.
The rear zones (Zones 2 &
3) are where the muscles of the
neck attach to the base of the skull
and below is the occipital bone
which covers the cerebellum. This
is the part of the brain that controls muscular movement, balance
and muscle tone (it is said to be
alcohol’s sedation of the cerebellum that results in people staggering around when drunk). A blow to
this area can therefore result in a
loss of motor function, disorientation and unconsciousness.
Where the base of the skull
meets the centre of the neck is
where the spinal column has the
least amount of support from any
surrounding tissue, and is hence at
its weakest. A blow to these zones
can therefore have very serious
results and even cause paralysis or
death.
This brings us to a very
important point in that there are
no “safe striking” points!
You could kick someone in
the shin and they could fall and die
from their head hitting the floor.
We therefore need to be careful
about any claims of “safe ways” to
disable a determined attacker. We
should always do everything we
can to avoid conflict, but when it
can’t be avoided, then we have to
do what we need to do to disable
the attacker; and that is going to
mean doing damage to them.
One of the common
“myths” surrounding pressure
points is that they can provide a
“safe” or “humane way” of stopping
at assailant. This is simply not true.
If a person is intent on doing you
harm you have to be prepared to
harm them.
Trying to “humanely” stop
them is likely to result in you NOT
stopping them. I therefore strongly
object to those who suggest the
best response to violent rapists
and murderers is to humanely “dechi” them. The giver of such advice
is inadvertently assisting the criminal element. When our wellbeing
is threatened and escape is not an
option, we need to hit areas that
will cause damage and hit them
hard.
When our health and
wellbeing are legitimately threatened – and I hope you have the
good sense and maturity not to be
fighting unless that is the case –
then I would suggest that the jaw
and neck are the primary targets.
Those are the targets that are most
likely to end the fight and hence
they should be given priority.
Of course, there are many
other striking zones (or points)
beside these (all of which should
eventually be part of your study),
but I would suggest that these 5
zones are the primary areas.
There are many other key
areas and points to discuss, such
as the eyes, throat, groin, solar
plexus, supra-sternal notch, xiphoid process, sciatic nerve, etc,
etc.
Obviously it is not possible
to study all these points as part
of this article; but all these areas
and points should be part of your
study. My Bunkai-Jutsu book covers the main ones as does Gichin
Funakoshi’s Karate-Do Kyohan; so
there would be two places to start.
I’d now like to conclude this
discussion by quickly recapping
some key points:
1 – Chi is unproven and no link
has ever been established between acupuncture points and the
organs and biological functions
they supposedly affect. Western
medicine makes a much better job
of explaining why martial pressure points get the results they do
and hence I personally don’t make
reference to chi or use acupuncture terminology when discussing
weak areas.
2 – When a fight is in full flow
the accurate placement of blows
becomes very difficult (if you
disagree, try some energetic all-in
sparring). A knowledge of “where
to hit” does therefore not mean
you can ignore the “how to hit”. We
need both; but in the overall hierarchy of martial methods, being
able to hit with power – through
solid technique – is more important than knowing where to hit.
3 – Because carefully defined
points, angles and directions are
rendered functionally meaningless
in the chaos of combat, I believe
we are better grouping points into
“zones” in order to make things
simpler in theory and in practice.
4 – We should only ever fight if we
truly have no other option available to us. In such a serious situation we need to incapacitate the
enemy quickly in order to ensure
our safety. I would therefore suggest that the jaw and neck are the
primary “zones” in study and application. However, all other zones
should also be studied.
5 – There is no such thing as a
“safe” striking area. Every time you
hit someone, in training or in practice, there exists the risk of injury,
paralysis and death. It is therefore
vital you practice safely – with
great care and control – under
the close supervision of a suitably
qualified and experienced person,
and that you never strike someone
in reality unless you are legally
and morally justified in doing so.
If you have such justification you
should be focused on your health
and wellbeing and not that of the
person trying to harm you.
As I said at the start of this
article, pressure points are always
a controversial topic and there are
many different ways to approach
the subject. Whether you agree
with me or not, I hope that this
discussion of my own personal
approach to pressure points has
proved useful.
Notes:
- Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals: Purchase at Amazon.com: Click Here
- A skeptical look at acupuncture: Video - Click Here
Iain Abernethy - The Practical Application of Karate
iainabernethy.co.uk
www.fmatalklive.com
Filipino Tattoos: Ancient to Modern
By: Lane Wilcken
Tattooing is a very old and spiritually respected art form that has existed in many different cultures around
the world. After many centuries of not being practiced in Europe, tattooing was re-introduced to the
Western world through the inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean. Beginnning in the 16th century, European
explorers came across many people who practiced tattooing as an integral part of their cultures. This is the
first serious study of Filipino tattoos, and it considers early accounts from explorers and Spanish-speaking
writers. The text presents Filipino cultural practices connected with ancestral and spiritual aspects of
tattoo markings, and how they relate to the process and tools used to make the marks. In the Philippine
Islands, tatoos were applied to men and women for many different reasons. It became a form of clothing.
Certain designs recognized manhood and personal accomplishments as well as attractiveness, fertility, and
continuity of the family or village. Facial tattoos occurred on the bravest warriors with names that denoted
particular honor. Through the fascinating text and over 200 images, including color photographs and design
drawings, the deep meanings and importance of these markings becomes apparent.
Available at: Schifferbooks.com and Amazon.com.
Abon Taktikal Grading/Examination
November 23, 2014
Overdrive Manila MMA and Fitness Gym
Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines
Abon Taktikal Personal Protection/Close Combative Training System. A Filipino
martial arts based group who Focus on Personal Protection training and
knowledge enhancement.
Abon Taktikal Guro Isagani Abon conducted a surprise Level
1 Examination to one of our student, Trisha Hulipas. An Instructor
Candidate. She passed her test that Include tough physical Conditioning,
Demonstration of the essential skills and ended with series of Realistic
Scenario which she handle very efficiently. Congratulations.
Abon Taktikal is a modern Filipino martial arts based and realistic
self defence Training system that specialize in teaching people realistic
and effective street personal protection and survival. We doesn’t claim of
creating a new Filipino martial arts system, we just focus on the principles
of realistic training for Filipino martial arts street application. Abon Taktikal
Training System is a distillation of the Different Filipino martial arts which
i’ve practiced over the years mainly Rapido Realismo Kali, Abon Pamuok
as well as Arnis Defense Silat and Orabes Heneral Escrima then blend it
with more research and cross training with different Oriental and Western
martial arts and combat systems. Taking only the essential and effective elements. What it provides is a very Practical approach to FMA training and
Transition Skills, easy to learn and efficient way of defending oneself and loveones.
Our mission is to dispel the belief that Filipino martial arts is just an old style with a lot flowery moves, and have no modern combative use,
well to me these people are totally unaware of a very practical art that is so devastating and combat effective, if you just train it the right way, Armed
or Unarmed. - Isagani Abon
Abon Taktikal on FaceBook: Click Here
Abon Taktikal Personal Protection Course
Don’t be Scared! Be Prepared! Equipped yourself with Self Protection knowledge and Skills.
Come Join our Abon Taktikal Personal Protection , Rapido Realismo Kali and Combat Fitness Class for Men and Women. Learn to Protect yourself and
love ones simultaneously get fit with our Warrior Fitness.
We offer
Taktikal Pamuok (Combat Hand to Hand)
Taktikal Tagis Talim (Offensive and Defensive Knife Tactics)
Ligtas Kababaihan (12 Days Special Women’s Program) and More
We are also available for Private Class/Tutorial, Seminar here and Abroad, Corporate Workshop, Instructor
Abon Taktikal Course also Available.
Contact us for more information on Abon Taktikal Class, Private Tutorial, Certification Course through private message,
Call/Text: +63 (921) 917-6010
Like and share:
FaceBook: Click Here
Youtube: Click Here
Webite: abontaktikal.weebly.com (soon to be launch)
Abon Taktikal Main/Head Training Group
Guro Isagani Abon teached a Sunday Class of Abon Taktikal and Rapido Realismo Kali
9:30am-3pm at Overdrive Gym Manila (MMA and Fitness Gym)
FaceBook: Click Here
Located at: 10th floor #1557 Fugoso St. Cor. Santo Tomas St. Santa Cruz, Manila
Near Doroteo Jose LRT Station and Manila Grand Opera. Two Blocks away from the Station CM Recto/Avenida-Doroteo Jose-Lope de Vega-Fugoso St.
MARPPIO Instructional Video’s and Live Seminar Video’s
Grandmaster Remy A. Presas
Single video’s and sets
To Buy - Click Here
Discovering the Filipino Matial Arts
The Reason Why They Do It
By Joy Lim
Hubby recently joined a 50 km (31.25 mi) run and I went as support. Typhoon Hagupit was expected
within the day but the organizer declared that it was a “rain or shine” event so a few minutes from their 4
o’clock gunstart on that chilly, windy morning, sixty-three determined ultramarathoners eagerly listened to
instructions.
“This is a no-fuss run: No freebies, no media,
no gimmicks. Just plain running.” I watched with
amusement when the participants cheered to that.
“They must really just love running,” I smiled to myself, admiring their passion.
And run they did and at the end, they celebrated well, in their own no-fuss kind of
way.
Now that’s how I felt when I went to watch an Arnis tournament recently.
The participants competed fiercely such that one lady who passed by
asked how much the cash prize was. When I answered that there was none and
that the athletes even paid to participate, she slowly nodded her head and said
“Ibig sabihin, mahal lang talaga nila ang Arnis.” (“That means that they just really
love Arnis”)
I think she’s right. How else could you explain the effort that the athletes
make just to compete? They train, pay to register, and on tournament day, wake
up early, commute, lug their own food and drinks, stay until evening. After
the winners get simple medals and trophies, everyone packs up for the tiring
commute home. Prestige? Bragging rights? Maybe. But why FMA when it’s so
non-mainstream? There are hundreds of other sports to choose from.
I thought about this a lot and the answer I came up with sounds silly and
corny but really, its love. L-O-V-E. The athletes do it because they love the sport.
That’s what makes all the effort meaningful. Awww!
Visit: The Blog - The Deadly Dance, By Joy Lim - thedeadlydance.wordpress.com
ABANICO Modern Arnis Apps
We have worked hard, but now they are there and available:
The first ABANICO Apps for smartphones and tablets, available for apple products through the Apple Appstore and through the Google store for
Android.
The first apps covers the new Modern Arnis grading program.
The apps are free of charge and you can buy the videos in-app and watch them on your device. The videos in the apps are cheaper than the DVDs.
You can download the videos to your device or you can stream them, whatever you prefer.
This way you have the videos there on your smartphone or tablet during your training. The videos in the app do have menus, so that you can jump
directly to the topics you want to train.
For the future I plan to issue more
apps of my ABANICO videos.
Here re the links to the appstores:
The apps will always be free and
you can buy then the videos you are
Modern Arnis App
interested in.
Apple for IPhone and IPads (IOS7 ist required): Click Here
Also, they will be theme orientated. Like a
Google for Android Smartphones and Tablets: Click Here
JKD app or an Inayan app or a selfdefense
app.
I would be glad if you download
the apps and give me a good rating in the
stores. But I am also happy, if you would
give me a direct feedback, whether you like
them or if you think we can improve the
app.Modern Arnis App?
Dieter KnütteI
Knife and Gun Defense app:
Apple for IPhone and IPads (IOS7 ist required): Click Here
Google for Android Smartphones and Tablets: Click Here
The Goat Locker
The FMA Informative has been fortunate to be able to have Jefe Ferdie Abadilla Munsayac (aka - Papa Goat), the owner of The Goat Locker Gym (TGLG)
and Dennis Guevara, which was established on January 9, 2011, join the FMA Informative and provide a column on the Goat Locker which provides up and
coming fighters in the Philippines a chance to excel in the fight game of MMA, Mauy Thai and Arnis.
Based on his personal life experiences, knowing how it feels to need help and support but with no one else to run to, Mr. Munsayac believes that
through these efforts, he can give something back to the community and promote “Sports Tourism” for the City of Marikina. Mr. Munsayac is also currently
the Vice President for Luzon for the National Muaythai Kick Boxing Council of the Philippines. This is where the Goat Locker get the majority of their fighters,
nationwide.
Mr. Munsayac is a retired U.S Navy Chief Petty Officer, living in the Philippines. Mr. Munsayac dedicates his time and money to help the needy.
Papa Goat
The Goat Locker Boxing Gym is a charitable institution in the form of a Gym, the first of its kind in the
Metro. It is located at 107 Rajah Soliman Street, Parang, Marikina City, Philippines. With the 1st and only MMA
standard size Octagon (32 Footer) Cage and Professional Size Boxing Ring (20 FT X 20 FT) in the city which is in an
“open air” set up similar to a Muay Thai Training Camp in Thailand, it sits on a 1,000 sq.m., lot. It also has a Certificate
of Accreditation from the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) as a
Professional Boxing Gym.
With the primary goal of helping young, poverty
stricken but SKILLED boxers/Muay Thai and MMA fighters,
they will acquire skills that would be able to provide a
“Brighter Future” for their respective families. This program gets these children off the
streets, away from vices and focus on a better tomorrow. The Goat Locker Boxing Gym
sponsors these children, (ages 12-18) to be competitive and be aware of the importance
of sports and discipline. Training and facilitating for them to excel and win in every
competition they wish to join. This is “Grass Root” level which is a “long term” training
program designed to guide them with their professional careers. This is The Goat Locker
Boxing Gym’s way of “Beating Up Poverty”! We are dubbed on Face Book as “Ang Gym ng Mahirap
na May Pangarap” (Gym for the less-privileged with Dreams).
Aside from the charitable works, free training and scholarships, The Goat Locker Boxing Gym organizes Underground Battle (UgB),
a series of contact sports events. These potentials of our Filipino MMA and Filipino martial arts fighters must be supported and enhanced
because they have what it takes to be an International Fighter.
We also have held several MMA tournaments in Fairview, QC, Cavite and Cagayan province. Our fund raising tournament called “Fight
for Help” was held at the Marikina Sports Center on November 17, 2013 which was a fund raiser for the Typhoon Yolanda survivors.
Aside from funding our own Goat Locker scholars, we do outreach activities such as Feeding Programs for the Manila Boystown
Complex and Philippine Red Cross.
For services offered, we have personal and group classes for boxing, Muay Thai, Mixed Martial Arts, Arnis and Jiu Jitsu. Special Self
Defense classes are also offered.
The Goat Locker Boxing Gym is a CHARITABLE institution in the form of a Mixed Martial Arts Gym, the first of its kind in the metro. With
the following services and accomplishments to claim:
1. Sponsored scholars, (ages 12-40) to be competitive and be aware of the importance of sports, discipline and financial freedom. These
children are taken off the streets, away from vices to give more focus on a better tomorrow.
2. Provides them with daily monetary allowance, vitamins, uniforms, shoes and personal fighting gear.
3. Proper Training - minimum of 6 days a week, 4-8 hours a day. This is “grass root” level which is a “long term” training program designed to
guide them up to their professional careers.
4. The 1st and only MMA standard size octagon (32 Footer) cage and professional size boxing ring (20 FT X 20 FT) in the city which is in an
“open air” set up similar to a Muay Thai Training Camp in Thailand.
5. A weekly TV Show, called Underground Battle-Philippines on cable TV Channel, Pinoy Xtreme. The show has a tele-magazine format that
features behind the scenes of the fighting industry, the gyms and the fighters involved and Martial Arts instructional segments.
6. Conducted regular M.M.A and Self-Defense demonstrations for Sporting Events in Malls and Schools in Marikina, Fairview, Manila, Subic
Town and Pampanga province.
7. Quarterly outreach activities such as feeding programs for the Manila Boystown Complex & fund-raiser for the Philippine Red Cross.
8. We did a fund raising tournament called “Fight for Help”, held at the Marikina Sports Center on November 17, 2013 was a fund raiser for the
Typhoon Yolanda survivors. This is TGLG’S way of “BEATING UP POVERTY” on a daily basis. We are dubbed on Facebook as “Ang Gym ng Mahirap
na May Pangarap”.
9. Certified and accredited by the Games & Amusements Board as a Professional Boxing Gym.
Aside from the above mentioned, TGLG has its own AMATEUR MMA Fight League known as Underground Battle (UGB), a series of tournaments
of Boxing, Muay Thai and MMA.
1. UGB 1 (April 28, 2013) held at our gym, The Goat Locker Gym.
2. UGB 2 (July 28, 2013), the 1st MMA CAGED EVENT INSIDE A MALL, held at the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall in Cainta, Rizal.
3. UGB 3 (February 1, 2014) held at the Dapitan Sports Complex, Sampaloc, Manila.
4. UGB 4 (May 9, 2014) held at Skippers Beach, Subic Bay, Zambales, Which was the 1st BEACH BATTLE Tournament in the history of MMA.
5. UGB 5 (July 27, 2014) held at the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall in Cainta, Rizal.
6. UGB 6 (September 27, 2014), the launching of Juego Todo Hybrid Fighting System which is FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) with weapons plus
Mixed Martial Arts inside the MMA Octagon Cage and it was held at the Field’s Avenue, Angeles City, Pampanga.
7. UGB 7 (October 24, 2014), Loyola Memorial Park, Marikina. 1st ever Halloween MMA Battle by a memorial park.
All of our UGB events have received remarkable reviews and accolades from sports enthusiasts, fans and critics alike. Their testimonials
proved that our events could become “The Next Big Thing” in the trenches of Philippine Contact Sports. We were also noticed by The Manila
Standard Today as “the country’s premier amateur MMA league.”
On Face Book
The Goat Locker Boxing Gym: Click Here
Team Goat Locker: Click Here
Group Page for Discussions
The Goat Locker Boxing Gym: Click Here
Tid-Bits (Fact, Fiction, Fantasy or Gossip?)
The first written account of “KALI” as the pre-Hispanic name of the Filipino Martial Arts by FMA History Redux
Mga Karunungan
The first written account of “Kali” as the pre-Hispanic name of the Filipino martial arts Source: Larong
Arnis” by Placido Yambao and Buenaventura Mirafuente, University of the Philippines Press, 1957... the first
book on the Filipino Martial Arts that we know now... its section on the history of the Filipino martial arts stated
that when the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, Filipino martial arts was not yet called “Arnis” but “Kali”
(“Ang Kali na dinatnan ng mga Kastila ay hindi pa Arnis ang tawag noong 1610”)... The book also mentioned
that a Kali demonstration was once performed in honor of the newly-arrived Conquistador Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi on the order of a tribal leader in the Island of Leyte... Philippine Hero Rev. Fr. Gregorio Aglipay, the
source of Yambao & Mirafuente’s “Kali”...
The Philosophy of Arnis Nicolas System
From the book “The Philosophy of Arnis Nicolas System”
Author: Punong Lakan Garitony C. Nicolas
The Proper holding and correct grip of the Arnis stick.
5) Reverse hold
In philosophical point of
view, the stick does not just represent a weapon or an extension of
the hand. It represents your knowledge, dignity, honor, the way you
think, and the principles of a true
Arnisador. I believe that “How you
hold the stick is how you handle
your life”. What one must remember when teaching the art of stick
fighting, are the principles behind
it. Though it is pleasing to be an
expert martial artist, it is even more
rewarding to be a real martial artist
that holds true of the rules and way
of life of the Arnis system, and lives
a life of honor.
When do we grab the stick
and when do we grab the wrist?
During training a lot of
There are different ways of
people
are asking questions as to
looking in the way a person holds
the sticks; it can be on the physical when to grab the wrist or stick.
In reality, there is nothing
side or principle behind it.
In the physical perspective wrong in catching the stick, or the
wrist of your fellow practitioner.
and importance of holding the
The difference between them on
stick, is like similar other sports in
which holding or gripping put into the other hand, makes the differpractice such as badminton, table ence between whether you wish
tennis, basketball. A correct grip is to disarm, or throw and lock your
the secret to control, develop tim- opponent.
Basically, catching the stick
ing, improve power, and speed in
allows you to disarm the opponent
every blow that is delivered.
with ease and leaser risk to oneself.
While the hold is firm, the
wrists have to be flexible. Keeping It may also be used when trying to
the wrist in this state will guarantee throw or lock the opponent, but
there is more risk in attempting to
that the blows are delivered with
execute the throwing and locking
force and speed.
There are different kinds of holding techniques, since your opponent
may have the opportunity to counthe sticks:
ter throw, counter lock, or release
1) Hold the stick at the very edge
the stick and also counter lock or
2) Hold the stick about an inch
throw. Locking the stick alone is
from the edge
safer, and more common in the
3) Hold the stick with a one fist
disarming the opponent.
width from the edge
Holding the opponent’s
4) Center hold
All books published and distributed by Central Books Supply
Website: central.com.ph/centralbooks
Or order directly from Grandmaster Garitory Nicolas
Note: No portion of any book or MAMFMA information may be copied and reproduced in books, pamphlets, outlines or notes, whether
printed, mimeographed, typewritten, photocopy, or in any form, for
distribution or sale, without the written permission of Punong Laken
Garitory C. Nicolas.
All rights reserved.
wrist on the other hand allows one
to throw, lock and disarm safely. It
provides the decision of one otherwise the other. Whereas it requires
getting closer to ones opponent, it
provides more an option and decision, where the opponent is at distance where there is an adequate
amount of space to safely throw or
lock the opponent, or disarm them.
Locking is easier when
holding the wrist of an opponent,
as compared to hold the stick, as
your opponent has the prospect
of releasing their stick, as well as
counter attacking.
There are three phases
of Arnis such as bladed weapon,
stick and Mano-Mano. The bladed
is a weapon well-known for its
sharpness. This same sharpness
causes injury and damage to the
opponent by cutting through skin
to the deeper parts of the body
we can also live the bladed life by
cutting away what is not good in
our being. We have to be shred of
whatever is not contributing to
the improvement as an individual
as well as development of our life
and the lives of others. We have to
demonstrate sharpness in making
decisions to make sure we do what
is right. But if we just let loose of
our life, like the blade, we can also
become dull and rusty. For us to
stay sharp, we must put into practice doing what is right, and think
what is right.
The stick is the most basic
weapon in the art of Arnis. It is medium in length and made of hard
wood. It is a very simple but effective weapon that can be used by
almost everybody. We can live our
life like the stick, living in humility
and simplicity; however, it is too
able to make a difference. But like
the stick, doing this without rest
would also cause us physical, emotional, mental and spiritual stress.
If we become aware of, continuous
usage of the stick damages it plus
later on becomes unusable.
To avoid this we must take
care of the stick so we can use it for
a longer time. In comparison to our
life, we must not abuse our physical
and spiritual body for the reason
that if we do, we are like throwing our life away. The stick does it
damage by hitting it on the essential parts of the body thus causing
internal as well as external damage.
The same goes with our physical
being because we can hurt others
physically and emotionally.
The mano y mano is asset of
techniques that utilizes bare hands.
The hands can be used in different forms to create a lot of striking
variations. It can be open or close
fist, long or short range, and soft
or hard strike. Bottom line is we
can do a lot of things by means of
our empty hands. If we are holding
something, there is no way for us to
perform the various mano y mano
techniques since we are bound by
the weapon we are holding. The
same goes with our life wherein
if we are not focus in what we are
supposed to do and turn out to be
preoccupied by other things, we
accomplish nothing. If we want our
dreams to come a reality, we must
make sure that our actions contribute to the vision that we have.
Otherwise we are just wasting time.
Philippine Hero Rev. Fr. Gregorio Aglipay, the source of Yambao & Mirafuente’s “Kali”…
Rev. Fr. Gregorio Agilipay, 1860-1940 (center), the first Supreme
Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church (Wikipedia photo)...Rev.
Fr. Aglipay was the source of the information that the original name
of the Filipino Martial Arts is Kali in the book “Mga Karunungan sa Larong Arnis” authored by Placido Yambao and Buenaventura Mirafuente
(University of the Philippines Press, 1957):’Ang Kali na Dinatnan ng mga
Kastila ay Hindi pa Arnis ang Tawag nuong 1610.... Noong unang panahon ang larong ito’y kilala sa tawag na “Kali” ng ating mga ninuno,
nguni’t sa hindi maiwasang pagbabago ng panahon at pangyayari
(underscoring mine) ay pinamagatan nila ng “Panandata” sa Tagalog,
“Pagkalikali” sa kapatagan ng Kagayan ng mga Ibanag, “Kalirongan” sa
Pangasinan, “Kaliradman” sa Bisaya at “Pagaradman” sa Ilongo nuong
1860, at “Didya” sa Ilokos at muling naging “Kabaroan,” ayon kay Rev. Fr.
Gregorio Aglipay na bantog din sa arnis nuong 1872.’
Translation: ‘The indigenous martial art that the Spanish encountered
in 1610 was not yet called Arnis at that time. During those times, this
martial art was known as “KALI” to our ancestors. Due to theunavoidable changing of the times and circumstances (underscoring mine),
this martial art became known as “Panandata” to the Tagalogs, “Pagkalikali” to the Ibanags of the plains of Cagayan, “Kalirongan” to the
people of Pangasinan, “Kaliradman” to the Visayans, “Pagaradman” to the Ilonggos in 1860, and “Didya” to the
Ilocanos (but later on changed to “Kabaroan”). This is according to Rev. Fr. Gregorio Aglipay, who himself was
a famous Arnis practitioner in 1872.’ …
For all Fma practitioners
By Romeo Macapagal
“KALI means a HOLE in the ground”
Here you find a clarification about it.
Not to rain on this parade but the word kali was first mentioned in the introduction to this book written by an anthropology professor now
deceased.
There is a gross mis-presentation of fact as the chronicler of Legazpi states that the indios or local native Filipinos did not show up at the
appointed time and place to meet with Legazpi nor was there any presentation of kali or any martial art.
In all the languages of the Philippines, the word kali only exists in Visayan and Ilocano and it means a hole in the ground.
In Ilocano it also means a hawk. In none of the investigations of the word kali has it ever been connected with indigenous martial art. The
speculation is a connection was made between the deadliness of Filipino indigenous martial arts and the goddess of death, Kali, in the Hindu
pantheon. The foregoing is corroborated in independent research by the authors Celestino Macachor and Dr Ned Racaza Nepangue in their book
“Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth”.
For this reason, Antonio “Tony” Diego and I decided to rename Kali Ilustrisimo, which was suggested and adapted at a previous time, to Kalis
Ilustrisimo. The word kalis means a sword or more directly a straight long-bladed weapon similar to a keris or kris. This would now have the meaning
of “The Sword of Ilustrismo” instead of “a hole in the ground Ilustrisimo”.
The Magic of the ‘Yagabulag’
By Perry Gil S. Mallari - Fight Times Editor
Manila Times - November 29, 2014
The power to be invisible was
among the magical powers or
galing used by Filipino fighting
men of the olden days. Among
the Tagalogs of Luzon, it was
known as tagabulag. The root
word of tagabulag is “bulag,” which
means “blind” because the magic
supposedly will make other people
blind to the presence of the owner
of the galing.
The existence of the
power to become invisible was
mentioned in credible writings on
Philippine history among them
William Henry Scott’s Barangay:
Sixteenth-Century Philippine
Culture and Society.
“Tagosilangan were persons
with a charm which enabled them
to see hidden things and tagarlum
was a charmed herb that rendered
its owner invisible,” Scott wrote.
Perhaps the most popular
character in Philippine history
that was said to have wielded the
power of the tagabulag is Gregorio
Aglipay. Aglipay participated
in the revolution against Spain
and consecutively against the
Americans. He was also the founder
of the Aglipayan or the Philippine
Independent Church. What Martin
Luther is to England, Aglipay is to
the Philippines.
Hartzell Spence in For Every
Tear A Victory (Biography of former
Philippine President Ferdinand
Marcos) wrote of Aglipay’s war
exploits using the supposed
power of the tagabulag, “There
was just enough documentation
of the talisman’s existence to give
it credence even among some of
the sophisticated. Aglipay himself
admitted his possession of it. A
dozen live men who, at one time
or another, have vouched to
newspapermen and even to serious
scholars that they have seen the
fetish, and have witnessed its
powers to work. They had known
General Aglipay, on a great white
Arab horse, to disappear from
their camp, to reappear a moment
later a half mile away at the critical
section of battle. The priest had
even used the charm to provide
amusement. Several times he
descended from his mountain lair
on a Sunday afternoon to mingle
with the American soldiers at a
village cockfight, knowing that
the Americans had a price on his
head. When he was recognized
and the soldiers rushed at him, he
Father Gregorio Aglipay
vanished.”
A more recent mention of (Photo from Project Gutenberg)
this magical power was published
in TIME Magazine May 11, 1987
headbands and bolos stuck in
issue. A part of an article titled The their belts. The more bizarre group
Philippines: Rise of the Vigilantes
are called Tadtad, or Chop-Chop,
by M.S. Serill reads, “Some of their
because they ritually slash their
members are menacing-looking
bodies during initiation. They
young men and women with
believe in potions and amulets
they say make them invisible to
their enemies.”
There is an elaborate
process in the acquisition of the
tagabulag or any other galing or
anting-anting. Anthropologist
Robert S. Love, in his book The
Samahan of Papa God: Tradition
and Conversion in a Tagalog
Peasant Religious Movement,
described this in details: “The
way galing are obtained and
made useful, therefore, is through
a) traveling to the old folks b)
ingratiating oneself—initiating,
that is to say, a situation wherein
one will contract an utang na
loob debt—so that the older
and more magaling man will be
unable to refuse one’s request, c)
learning as much as one can about
the amulet, including its history
(kasaysayan) and the prayers
and wika or words that are used
to feed it, and, d) enduring the
subok or tests of the benefactor,
thereby proving to the old man’s
satisfaction that one is worthy to
be granted the galing. Worthiness
takes the form of showing that one
has the firmness of will or strength
of will (tibay or lakas ng loob) to
be able to handle such powerful
object.”
While I have not witnessed
the actual power of the tagabulag
first hand, I have seen for real the
accompanying danger of pursuing
the power of a galing or antinganting. In the Philippines, it was
believed that such powers could
backfire to the owner if he misused
it or if his constitution is not strong
enough to wield its influence. The
most common consequence of the
aforementioned is that the owner
could turn mentally ill—this I have
witnessed on two occasions.
Team Goat Locker Banners 10 Bouts at UGB 8
The 10-bout card was headlined by former professional boxer Jun Paderna locking horns with Jessie Salvador in a scheduled 3-round featherweight tussle
Underground Battle. Team Goat Locker staged the 8th installment of its
amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) competition on Sunday, November
30. Photo by Nissi Icasiano/Rappler
Manila, Philippines – With the
drive to develop young talents
from the grassroots level before
heading them to the big leagues,
Team Goat Locker staged the 8th
installment of its amateur mixed
martial arts (MMA) competition
dubbed “Underground Battle” on
Sunday, November 30 at the SM
Mall of Asia concert grounds in
Pasay City, Metro Manila.
The promotion was
conceptualized by Goat Locker
Gym owner Ferdie Munsayac in
2013 through a desire to spread
the sport’s awareness to a wider
audience and catapult local
combatants into the mainstream
MMA scene.
The 10-bout card was
headlined by former professional
boxer Jun Paderna locking horns
with Jessie Salvador in a scheduled
3-round featherweight tussle.
Salvador, who had two
unsuccessful outings under
the Universal Reality Combat
Championship (URCC) banner as
a pro before relegating himself
back in the amateur ranks, pulled
off an upset against Paderna as
he submitted the 32-year-old
Cebuano in the first round.
Paderna, who had a
two-year run in URCC while
simultaneously competing as a
boxer, was taken down by Salvador
in the opening proceedings of the
contest and never got out of his
opponent’s mount.
Battling for leverage on the
mat, Salvador secured a rear view
of Paderna and wasted no time
latching on a body triangle.
The defenseless Paderna
gave Salvador an opportunity to
fasten a rear-naked choke, but he
tried to defend and remove the
dangerous submission hold.
With 6 seconds left in
round one, Salvador tightly
gripped the neck to give Paderna
no alternative but to call the
attention of referee Arnel Lomibao
to halt the action.
“This win serves as a
confidence booster on my part
as a fighter. Jun Paderna is an
experienced fighter as he had
professional fights in both boxing
and MMA. I really hope someday
that I will have the chance to
showcase my talent on a bigger
MMA stage,” Salvador told Rappler.
In other matches, Arvin
Chan knocked out Team Elorde
Gilmore’s Don Socratis with
ground and pound in the first
frame.
Jaypee Espinosa of Team
Goat Locker bowed down to Henry
Yap Kobayashi’s Hybrid Yaw-Yan
student John Vincent Miraflor via
split decision.
Despite Espinosa’s
disappointing setback, 3 of his
colleagues were able to score
submission victories at the
aforementioned event.
Dan Doma forced Team
Camba MMA’s Dhaner Palmario to
wave the white flag with a rearnaked choke in the first round,
while Dindo Camansa compelled
17-year-old Ezekiel Sanchez of
Team Titans MMA to tap with an
armbar in the last 10 seconds of
round two.
In addition, Efren
Benavidez submitted Team
Yawsa MMA’s Diover Mangayaay
with a first-round rear-naked
choke in their planned 3-round
bantamweight scuffle.
Meanwhile, Jovanie Bualan
of Yaw-Yan Fervilleon thumped
URCC veteran Janito Bayot with a
guillotine choke in the first stanza.
Criz Aplicador, the
teammate of Pacific Xtreme
Combat fighter Rolando Gabriel
Dy, thwarted Jaro Boxing Stable’s
Marvin Dela Cruz by second-round
technical knockout (TKO).
Underground Battle 8 also
featured two Juego Todo matches,
an armed Filipino combat practice
that was incorporated with MMA
rules and style of fighting.
Eman Sapaga defeated
John Rio Ampo by second-round
TKO, while Jessdan Dela Pena
came out on top of Jesus Barcelo
via doctor’s stoppage in round
two. – Rappler.com
Inayan System of Eskrima Flexible Weapons
By Jason Inay
In the Inayan System of Eskrima Flexible Weapons proficiency is a requirement to advance in the system.
This DVD is a presentation of skills and drills to enhance one’s familiarity and skill in the use of a flexible
weapon. Though this DVD specifically presents the use of the bandanna the principles can be adapted
to nearly any flexible weapon. Suro Jason Inay, the head of the Inayan System of Eskrima (I.S.E.), also
illustrates how training the use of flexible weapons is a metaphor for approaching martial arts with a
flexible and adaptable mind
Enjoy learning the use of the bandanna with drills and techniques adapted from the Inayan
Kadena De Mano styles of Eskrima. Inayan Kadena De Mano is one of the core styles within the I.S.E.
that emphasizes empty hand and knife skills. The I.S.E. DVD covers basic defenses to strikes, locks, and
entanglements.
Visit: www.Inayan-Eskrima.com to find out more about the I.S.E. a complete system of Filipino martial arts
founded by Mangisursuro Mike Inay.
This DVD may be purchased via PayPal: [email protected] $37 including ground USPS shipping in
the USA
Women Warriors of Filipino Martial Arts: Guro Peachie Baron Saguin
By Brian Johns - Bamboo Spirit - bamboospiritmartialarts.com
Guro Peachie Baron Saguin
is one of the foremost practitioners
and teachers of Kalis Illustrisimo,
having recently done a seminar
tour with Guro Arnold Narzo in
the United States. Both were long
time students of Grandmaster Tony
Diego. Grandmaster Diego Grandmaster Tony Diego was a student
of Grandmaster Antonio ‘Tatang’
Ilustrisimo, a legendary eskrimador.
Guro Peachie kindly answered questions via email for this
blog post. Thank you, Guro, for taking the time to answer the questions.
Prior martial arts background
I don’t have a lot of martial arts
background because when I found
the group Bakbakan International, I
stayed there. I joined first Hwarang
do, saw a JKD group in the Philippines and tried it for a month, then
I found Bakbakan. And here’s how I
met Master Tony.
Meeting and Training
Under Master Tony Diego
I first met Master Tony Diego when
I joined Bakbakan International in
1989. He was a friend of the Master
of Bakbakan Christopher Ricketts,
and was invited frequently in our
practice sessions, to share with the
students of Bakbakan his style in
sword and knife fighting.
When my Master in Bakbakan left for the States for good,
Video: Click Here
I started training with Master Tony
on a regular basis with his Binondo
group, the Kalis Ilustrisimo. My
training then took on a leap. I was
showed the proper way to hold
the blade, not to grip the handle
too tight, to prevent it from being
disarmed when struck heavily with
another sword. I was then taught
the different kinds and forms of
striking and blocking, and the
footwork and stances that goes for
each attack and counter attack. I
was asked to repeatedly execute a
particular strike before moving on
to the next. Master Tony has always
reiterated the importance of a
repetitive exercise for one to gain
mastery of the form.
Soon enough Master Tony
taught me how to use the stick and
knife at the same time. This style
Video: Click Here
times in a week. Monday, Thursday,
Saturday and Sunday and then
when my husband died in December 2009, I got too busy with work
that I get to train with him only
every Sunday.
Master Tony passed away
two weeks after he stopped going
to the park. He was already on and
off in the hospital. In fact he had
difficulty standing but called me
on a Saturday and said, “tomorrow
at the park, feed me and I will do all
the counters” So I feed him while
he was sitting down, because he
was having a hard time standing
up.
What inspired you
to pursue training?
It’s my passion. I feel alive when I’m
crossing swords.
Training with a Sword
After considerable drills with a
wooden sword, Master Tony gave
me as a gift, a real sword to practice on. Again my strikes and counter strikes were checked. Using the
real sword, Master Tony would ask
me to execute the different strikes
and counter strikes. The purpose
of this exercise, he said, is to gain
better control of the blade and to
prevent improper techniques from
developing, and thus trains the
How many years did you train with student to hit at the right angle. My
Master Tony? How often did you
first swordplay using a real sword
train with him?
with Master Tony was really scary,
I trained with him from 1989 but then I passed with flying colors.
up to the last Sunday that he was
Suffice it to say, I was taught
at the park.. I used to train with 4
not only to defend and attack on a
is called Punta y Daga. From this
style, my interest grew more and
more and I always look forward
to a sword play with Master Tony,
where my speed and accuracy to
block and strike are put to test, my
distance and movements, checked
and corrected. There are moments
when Master Tony would attack
me when my guard is down to find
out how I would react. If I stopped,
he would tell me not to think but
just to react, otherwise I get hit.
The word “sorry” is never use in the
gym. If you get hit, it’s your fault.
standing position, but on a sitting
and lying down position as well.
The exercise of ascending and descending the stairs during a duel is
so difficult and tiring. Disarming is
also part of the drills.
Training with Master Tony
was not easy. I often found myself
catching my breath during the
swordplay, while Master Tony was
laughing and comfortably attacking and parrying my strikes. At the
end of each session, I am totally
exhausted. My shoulders ache and
I could hardly lift my arms. At home
before going to bed, I would take a
muscle relaxant to relieve the pain
so I could train again in the next
session.
How often do you train with real
swords vs. wooden swords?
I only train with blunt swords.
Do you consider the sword to be
an extension of your arm?
Absolutely.
As I continued my training
with Master Tony, I learned not only
the art of bladed weapons but also,
the essence of a good swordsman,
the discipline and the commitment
that one must have to the art.
Christened as Antonio Ramoneda
Diego Maestro, Mang Tony, as he
prefers to be called, truly lived up
to his name, a “Maestro” in bladed
weapons… a Master by name and
by heart. Mang Tony Diego passed
away on August 25, 2014.
Applied Eskrima Balintawak (Saavedra System)
Module 1: Lessons A - N
Module 1: Lessons O - Z
By Master Virgil Orlanes Cavada
The Applied Eskrima System is part if the larger family of arts that developed
in the Balintawak club in Cebu City during the 1950’s. The Founder of the
Balintawak club Venancio Bacon sought to create better fighters than anywhere
else in Cebu and focused his training and teaching on perfection of the single
weapon fighting methods, (stick, sword and knife) in close quarters.
The Applied Eskrima – Saavedra System is a highly sophisticated, close combat
art which implements impact weapons.
Master Virgil Orlanes Cavada, explains and demonstrates in these DVD’s
starting with the most basic and working up. In learning from these DVD’s one
will overall most definitely improve reflexes, coordination of hand/eye abilities.
Both Modules available in NTSC and PAL formats.
DVD’s can be purchased through the Official Applied Eskrima Global website
store: Click Here
The Triple F (FFF) Principle for Becoming a Distinguished Martial Artist
By: Marcus Schüssler
The FMA Informative in the FMA Informative newspaper Vol3 NO12 - TidBits section had a piece on JuJeath “Bad Girl” Nagaowa that Sponsors were
needed “Helping: JuJeath “Bad Girl” Nagaowa.” Here is a follow up on JuJeath “Bad Girl” Nagaowa.
How architectural principles transition to excellence in martial arts
From Wikipedia: [The term form
follows function (function follows
form, or FFF, lit.)] (The) Form follows
(from the) function) is a design principle of design, especially product design and architecture. The form, the
design of things is said to derive it
from its function, the purpose of their
use. Conversely, one can then derive
a function out of shape.
The term is part of a famous
saying of the American architect and
main representative of the Chicago
school, Louis Sullivan. From Sullivan’s
essay: “The tall office building artistically considered”, published 1896 [2],
in which he cited said of his partner
Dankmar Adler, who had taken
him in turn mutatis mutandis by
Henri Labrouste: “it is the law of all
organic and inorganic of all physical and metaphysical, of all human
and superhuman things, of all true
manifestations of the head, the heart
and soul, that life in his expression is
recognizable[“, that the form follows
the function always.”]
with which the combative function
should be put best possible into effect. This phenomenon took place
in all geographical areas of Asia,
where significantly the current
main stream martial arts originated
to the Western world. In Europe,
there were similar developments
being indicated through the various fencing schools.
In addition to that, we
have the personal and individual
interpretations of the experience
values, which were accumulated
and passed on by previous generations. Especially the personal
and individual interpretations are
an expression of the respective
personal and individual perception and implemental capability of
one’s own experiences, learnings
and information. If these personal
experiences are not reflected on a
factual level and, where appropriate, not objectively compared with
other people, it will be difficult to
formulate a universally valid function core and a design for its impleHow is this leitmotif transferable mentation.
into the martial arts?
In music, you will find a
The description of the
simple analogy: those who only adterm function for a martial art is
opted arrangements and melodies
relatively easy done: if you have to for their personal understanding of
fight, the objective is physical and their transition, can only apply to a
personal integrity. This objective is limited range of musical form, reonly to achieve, if all own actions
spectively remain reduced to that.
are being executed according to a Those who first learn the function
100% security and 0% risk strategy. core of music notes, design of melThis encompassing strategy or
odies, etc. and have processed and
function can then be broken down transitioned all this for themselves,
to every aspect.
can merge into every style of
When dealing with the
music. From there to move on and
aspect of form in martial arts, the
realizing the personal preference of
history of Chinese martial arts illus- expression through a certain music
trate this aspect well. The diversity style is merely a formality.
of the so-called ‘styles’ is particular- This is also valid in martial
ly striking. The imitation of animal arts: if there are logical principles as
behavior (snake style, Eagle style,
leitmotifs, it is apparent that every
monkey style, etc.), the orientation movement and action must follow
on philosophical symbols, or the
these leitmotifs. That way, each
influence of geographical condiaction by the change of its core
tions have had the greatest impact settings such as timing, distance,
in this cultural area. It is to be seen, etc. can look differently and thus
that there is consistently no comcan slip into any form. The funcmon factor, that lets a universal
tionality is similar to a chameleon:
function or functionality be conit takes on each shape or form if
cluded.
the need arises or it wants to, with
The respective human
out infringing on the functionality.
perception established a form,
Only the parameter change in their
interaction – similar to a matrix in
mathematics.
Another aspect of this
topic is, that if the functionality in
a martial art due to the elimination
of one of its parameter is no longer available, the remaining part
takes on a certain fixed form, which
can then be classified as style X.
This style of X is then not universal
anymore, because it can no longer
serve the fallen-away parameter.
Similar to the function of a machine – it has a logical structure for
the purpose X. Taking one component from this machine away
results in a change in regard to
the purpose and perhaps has only
use for the purpose Y left. If the
purpose of X covers the purpose
of Y completely but not vice versa,
then the decision must be made
to reinstate the component or no
longer to being able to fulfil the
purpose of X and to continue with
that status.
Through the increasing
quality of violence in physical
confrontations in recent decades,
the demand towards various
disciplines and offers in the area
of self-defense have more and
more converged back to the original purpose again: to provide a
developmental tool in the mental
and physical domain, which will
program one’s own actions by the
leitmotif of 100% security and 0%
risk.
By the fact that over a long
period of time physical violence
was very highly codified (with socially moral rules), new styles could
form, which through new human
interpretations adapted their focus
to the respective trend. No one had
to serve everything and aspects
moved in, which did not have to
comply with an universally functional leitmotif. Here, the creativity knew no bounds – similar to a
cocktail bar, where new cocktails
are created regularly, to give the
customers the inimitable taste, that
distinguishes from other competitors and is only here to find.
Important in this regard: the
decision, whether to prefer following a form as to function or vice
versa, remains a personal decision,
which is not to be criticized! But
to be criticized is, that if the form
is followed, there is no declaring
a claim for 100% function! If the
claim is still maintained, then this
becomes not only self-fraudulent
but also a risk through psychological side effects, because the mental
attitude taken is not in synch with
the physical and mental necessary
real basics.
International Union For Escrima & Wing Tsun (IUEWT)
www.wt-velbert.de
This is the Filipino Martial Arts Database service, provided to the
FMA community in support of its growth and advancement.
www.fmadatabase.com
www.pmasupplies.com
Jujeath Nagaowa: Bad Girl with Bad Intentions
By Micah Fajardo
Dojo Drifter - December 3, 2014
side the ONE FC cage, where she
eventually won via a 2nd round
TKO against 7-time kickboxing Indian titlist, Jeet Toshi. On
Friday, Jujeath aims to duplicate
this feat and earn back-to-back
wins.
“I have never sweated like
this in my life,” she says about
her preparations. “Lahat ng kailangan kong gawin sa training,
natapos ko kaya may kumpyansa ako.” [I finished all that is
required of me during training
so I am confident.]
Her opponent has a 2-0
record and has scored both wins
Jujeath Nagaowa looked ev- via armbar submissions within
ery bit like a regular girl the night
the first round. But Jujeath says
I personally met her at the Mall of
she is ready. “Pinanood ko talaga
Asia Concert Grounds, Pasay City,
yung mga fights ni Tharoth Sam.
Philippines during a recent UGB
Muay Thai ang style nya. Ayokong
event. At a glance, there was noth- maover-confident ako pero gagaing particularly curious about her; lingan ko sa striking at grappling.
just a simple woman in shirt and
Basta ibibigay ko ang best ko. Kung
jeans, with a rather shy smile and
may pagkakataon na tapusin ng
unassuming countenance.
maaga ang laban, kukunin ko, pero
We sat together in these
kung humaba, handa naman ako.”
plastic chairs, just a couple of ladies [I watched the previous fights of
Tharoth Sam. Her
fighting style is
Muay Thai. I don’t
want to be over
confident but I will
do my best with my
striking and grappling. If I find the
chance to finish the
fight early, I will take
it, but if it goes all
the way, I am ready.]
The 27-yearold trains 6 days
a week in The
Goat Locker Gym
in Marikina City.
Jujeath Nagaowa’s first ONE FC fight in Manila
Her training ususquaring off against Jeet Toshi
ally begins with a 5
AM uphill run and
speaking, and occasionally crackcontinued throughout the day with
ing up. In every way, the scene
gym work in various disciplines.
was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Ang pangarap ko makalaban sa
Well, except the fact that there was championship pero sa ngayon wala
a crowd around us and we had a
pa kasi konti pa lang ang fighters.
cage in front with two half-naked
Pero hindi ko iniisip ang kalaban
guys beating the hell out of each
ko. Kung sino pa man, paghahanother.
daan ko” [My dream is to fight in a
And oh, have I mentioned
championship but this is not posJujeath is the atomweight star of
sible now because there are only
Philippine MMA?
a few women fighters. But I don’t
think of my opponent. Whoever I
Ready for Battle
come up against, I will prepare for
Do not let the average girl
it.]
appeal fool you. Her modest de
Jujeath’s dedication is remeanor belies her strength and
markable and her focus completely
skill that is feared inside the cage;
cuts across. It is hardly any joke,
these armaments to be tested once only getting a day off from training
more as she faces Tharoth Sam of
the entire week and for 8 hours a
Cambodia on ONE FC 23: Warrior’s day at that. “Lagi lang ako nagtaWay this December 5 at the MOA
training. Kahit ngayon, nandito
Arena.
ako, pakiramdam ko dapat nagta
Let’s just say she is nicktraining ako kahit pag Sunday wala
named Bad Girl for a good reason. naman talagang training. Addict na
She made history when she beako sa training” [I am always traincame the first Filipina to fight ining and I feel like I should always
train, even now I want to do it despite Sunday being a rest day. I am
addicted to training], she says with
a laugh.
because it dealt with that kind of
combat].
Similarly, she plans to go
back home once she finishes and
reaches the top of her career to put
Born to Fight
up a Bad Girl’s Gym to teach other
Originally from Baguio, she women how to fight, which is only
moved to Manila to train, and not
appropriate. This belief is the same
only does she work out in the gym with 2-time Jiu-jitsu World Champibut she also lives there. Jujeath is
on Rana Qubbaj of UAE who stressthe former WBC Asia atomweight
es, “I don’t know why, but people
champion with a total of 26 fights
think that girls should be delicate
and a 12-13-1 record before turnand they should not be strong. But I
ing into a pro MMA fighter and
have never been able to follow that
winning her debut match.
concept because everybody should
She said her interest in com- be strong, not necessarily aggresbat sports has always been present sive, but every person should be
since even as a young girl. “Bata
able to stand up on their own.”
Stand on her
own is indeed
what Jujeath does,
among many other things that she
can convincingly
do with her limbs.
Without a doubt,
Jujeath is a force
wrapped in a small
and neat package.
It may be inconspicuous at first,
but for certain, the
power she holds
can easily knock
out even the biggest of opponents.
“Bad Girl” throws a looping right to her opponent. | The same
Photo: cordillerasun.com
night we spoke,
I watch her take
pa lang ako, mahilig na talaga ako
photos with some of her fans in the
sa mga sipa-sipa. Dati kumuha
crowd, and the moment she lowers
ako ng Criminology kasi naisip ko
her chin and makes a fist with her
ganoon ang combat na ginagawa
hand, the regular girl image lifts
nila.” [I have always been interested from my eyes and standing before
in kicking beginning from childme in every way is a lady warrior of
hood. I studied Criminology before the best possible sort.
Jujeath aims to get another thrilling victory in ONE FC in Manila |
Photo: wazzuppilipinas.com
About Author Micah Fajardo
A fan of MMA and food, Micah has set out on a quest to find the perfect
balance between the two. Her days usually entail of eating, training
Muay Thai, and eating. Enjoy her no-holds-barred articles with a cup of
coffee.
11 Filipino Slang Words with Surprising Origins
Just like humans, our language also has its own evolutionary process. Although there is a thing we call standard usage, there are certain
group of people who create language variations to be used within their exclusive circle. Some of these words eventually make it to the mainstream,
and people start using them as part of their daily vocabulary.
Here in the Philippines, we are aware that young Pinoys were the ones who coined informal terms such as yosi (cigarette), syota (girlfriend),
and sosi (social). The gay community is also proud of its own contributions to the Pinoy slang dictionary: Words such as bagets (young), chika (chat),
tsimay (housemaid), and jowa (partner) among others.
Pinoy slang is also formed by giving new meaning to already existing Filipino words. Examples of these include ahas (snake, for traitor) and
ube (color violet, to mean 100 pesos).
The list of Pinoy slang words is almost endless, but have you ever wondered how some of these words were coined? Here are some of the
most popular Filipino slang words and their surprisingly badass origins:
1. Jeproks
Meaning: An urban slang term
used to describe a cool, somewhat
smart but easy-going young man.
Origin: Popular during the 1970’s,
the term was brought into the
mainstream by rock singer Mike
Hanopol via the song “Laki sa
Layaw (Jeproks).” It is actually the
reversed form of the word “project.” When it was first used in the
1960’s, “jeproks” was synonymous
to young people who came from
the housing projects of the government (e.g., Project 2, Project 4).
2. Praning
Meaning: Paranoid; haywire.
Origin: The exact origin of this
urban slang term hasn’t been determined yet. However, some say it
came from the drug subculture. It
is said that praning was first used
to describe someone who is “hallucinating” or “under the influence of
drugs” during the same era when
lasing became the slang term for
“drunk.”
Praning became even more
popular in the 90’s after Filipino
rapper Francis Magalona released
his second album in 1992. Entitled
Rap is FrancisM, it features the hit
song “Mga Praning” which is about
people whose lives are destroyed
by drug addiction.
3. Bagets
Meaning: Teenager; opposite of
“forgets” which is a term for the
oldies.
Origin: The word came from the
1984 Filipino youth-oriented comedy movie of the same name. In an
interview with The Philippine Star,
actor William Martinez, one of the
film’s lead stars, revealed that the
word was coined by Alona Alegre.
The latter derived it from the slang
term bagito which means new or
inexperienced (greenhorn).
poeic words “tsuk,” tsak,” and “chug,”
which imitate the sound of knife
being embedded into someone’s
body and were commonly used in
Filipino komiks before.
another term of onomatopoeic
origins. It imitates the sound of a
buzzer in a quiz show which indicates that the player’s answer is
wrong.
6. Churva
9. Senglot
4. Japayuki
Meaning: A slang term or expression used by the speaker as a filler
Meaning: Several years ago–spefor something that cannot be adcifically during the 1980’s–the
equately expressed or explained.
term “japayuki” was used to refer
Origin: Another word coined by
to young women, mostly Filipinas, the gay community, “churva” is said
who came to Japan to work as ento be derived from the Greek word
tertainers or cultural dancers. Since “cheorvamus” which is defined as
the early 90’s however, the word
“a word used in place of something
has earned a negative connotation: you want to express but you canIt now refers to Filipinas who came not verbalize.”
to Japan to work as entertainers
but ended up working as prosti7. Gin-Bulag
tutes.
Origin: Since the mid-nineteenth
century, Japanese peasant girls
had been trafficked from Japan to
other Southeast Asian countries–
including the Philippines–for the
Meaning: A slang word for nonsole purpose of prostitution. Most
branded gin made from lowof these Japanese girls arrived in
quality ingredients; opposite of the
China, hence they were called “ka- popular brand of gin with “marka
rayuki-san” or “Ms. Gone to China.”
demonyo.”
By mid-twentieth century,
Origin: The term “gin bulag” refers
Japan started to take a turn for the to a gin of unknown sources that–
better. At that point, they’re no
as some people believe–may make
longer a “sending country”; women one go blind, hence the name. The
from other countries are now com- word gin, on the other hand, came
ing to Japan to work as prostitutes. from “genver,” the Dutch word for
These young foreign girls were
juniper which is the plant whose
called “japayuki-san” or “Ms. Gone
berries give the drink its unique
to Japan,” a term which later gave
taste.
birth to the Filipino slang word of
today.
8. Ngek! (or Ngeeek!)
5. Chugi
Meaning: Killed; cancelled; fired; or
deleted.
Origin: This is one of the slang
words we borrowed from the
“swardspeak,” also known as gay
lingo. It is said that “chugi” was
loosely based on the onomato-
Meaning: A Pinoy slang word or
expression that can be equivalent
to “Oh” (but in a surprised way) or
“Yikes!”
When someone utters this
word, it’s either the speaker made
a mistake or someone else did/said
something ridiculous or crappy.
Origin: It is said that “ngek!” is yet
mandirigma.org
Meaning: Drunk or tipsy.
Origin: This slang term is the reversed form of the word “laseng” or
“drunk” in English.
“But why the change in
spelling?” you may ask. Well, it actually came from the word “lasing,”
which most Filipinos pronounce
as “laseng.” They then reversed the
syllables so now it became “sengla.”
The “lot probably came from “kelot,”
a slang term for a guy or man.
Either they thought “sengla” was
too feminine or they’re aware that
tomadors (i.e. alcoholics) are mostly
men. The slang word was coined
in the mid-fifties but is still widely
used today.
References:
- Almario, V. (2010). UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino. 2nd ed. Pasig City: Anvil
Publishing, Inc., p.1283.
- Fenix, M. (2013). Filipinos are the world’s biggest consumers of gin,
but…. [online] INQUIRER.net. Available at: Click Here [Accessed 12 Sep.
2014].
- Himig – The Filipino Music Collection of FHL, (n.d.). Filipino Music Trivia.
[online] Available at: Click Here [Accessed 11 Sep. 2014].
- Lo, R. (2006). Bagets Forever. [online] philSTAR.com. Available at: Click
Here [Accessed 11 Sep. 2014].
- Okubo, S. and Shelley, L. (2011). Human Security, Transnational
Crime and Human Trafficking: Asian and Western Perspectives. 1st ed.
Routledge, pp.216-217.
- Rubrico, J. (2013). Sociolinguistics: Society and Language. 1st ed.
[ebook] pp.1-2. Available at: Click Here [Accessed 11 Sep. 2014].
- Zarafte, E. (2007). Malictionary 2. 1st ed. Mandaluyong City: National
Book Store.
- Zarate, E. (2009). Malictionary 3. 1st ed. Mandaluyong City: National
Book Store.
About the Author: Luisito E. Batongbakal Jr. is the founder, author and
editor-in-chief of FilipiKnow. He has a fetish for local trivia, unsolved
mysteries, and all things creepy.
Filipi Know
www.filipiknow.net
Books by Mark V. Wiley
Do you have these publications? Do you even know about them?
Well here is a chance, you can get them. Visit: Amazon.com - Click Here
DTE at VFW Post
Mustang Young Marines
December 3, 2014
FW Post 7401, 751 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler, AZ.
DTE Chief Instructor Martin Torres and Assistant Coach Jeff
Latorre, Assistant Boxing Coach (and daughter) Liana Torres and
Christina Horn, training the Mustang Young Marines at the Chandler,
AZ., VFW. Everyone had a great time! And DTE looks forward to the next
training session.
The kids are from ages 11 to 17 that belong to the Mustang
Young Marines Organization and they come from all across the state of
Arizona.
Visit: dtemma.com
www.stickman-escrima.com
10. Toka
Meaning: A slang term for “duty
assignment.”
Origin: This word probably came
from “tocar,” a Spanish term which
means “turn.”
11. Tukmol
Meaning: An ugly person; stupid or
dumb ass.
Origin: The U.P. Diksiyonaryong
Filipino defines “tukmol” as “isang
uri ng ilahas na kalapati; pagaw o
turtledove.” But due to its onomatopoeic quality, some people probably adopted it and turned it into
a slang term for someone or something “that is overly ugly.”
Senkotiros Arnis Videos
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Pinay Fighters Shine In One FC Warrior’s Way
By Josef T. Ramos - Reporter
Manila Times - December 6, 2014
Filipina mixed martial arts (MMA)
fighters Ana “The Hurricane”
Julaton and Jujeath “Bad Girl”
Nagaowa crushed their respective
rivals on Friday in One Fighting
Championship Warrior’s Way at the
Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Filipino-American
Julaton rebounded from her
previous split decision loss against
Malaysian Ann Osman in August in
Dubai by defeating Egyptian Walaa
Abbas (2-2 record) via unanimous
decision. Julaton improved her
MMA record to 2-1.
“She [Abbas] is too messy
and she keeps running
away,” the 34-year-old
Julaton told The Manila
Times after her bout. “I am
still learning. as an MMA
fighter, I am still trying to
put everything together. I
like to be a cohesive fighter.
I have to focus more on the Ana Julaton (left) delivers rapid punches against Egyptian Walaa Abbas while
Jujeath Nagaowa (right) dominates Tharoth Sam of Thailand via ground and
ground game aside from
pound. Contributed Photos
my boxing.”
Julaton also
challenged Osman to a rematch.
I would think it would be a more
of Thailand (2-1) via technical
“I would love that rematch and
mature fight.”
knockout at 3:34 minutes in round
I know the Philippines and the
Unbeaten Filipina boxer
two using her superior striking
entire Asia would love to see that.
Nagaowa thumped Tharoth Sam
techniques. She improved her
MMA fight record to 2-0. Nagaowa,
27, defeated Jeet Toshi in the May
edition of One FC.
“She fought pretty well but
I couldn’t afford to lose in front
of many Filipinos. I would like to
thank my trainers for this win,” said
Nagaowa, a former boxer from
Baguio City.
Filipino-American Brandon “The
Truth” Vera, an MMA veteran, had
a memorable debut in One FC.
Heavyweight Vera, 37, who left the
Ultimate Fighting Championship
(UFC) in July for One FC, delivered
a powerful knockout punch to the
jaws of Ukrainian Igor Subora to
pull-off a first round knockout win
to the delight of his Filipino fans.
“I really like my entrance
music,” Vera told reporters during
post-fight interview, referring
to the song “I’m coming home”
popularized by singer Skylar Grey.
“It was really nice to fight in front
of your countrymen. I felt really
good especially when Igor gave
me a good fight.”
Igor, the reigning Universal
Reality Combat Championship
heavyweight champion tried to
dominate Vera in stand up fighting
after failing in several takedown
attempts. But Vera’s punch blasted
through an opening ending the
fight at 3:54 of the opening round.
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Martial Arts Expo Brings Youth Closer to Friendly Combative Sports
By Mark Victor Pasagoy
Sun.Star Baguio - December 7, 2014
The first YMCA Baguio Martial
Arts Expo held recently brought
in a total of 157 combative sports
enthusiasts in a friendly rivalry
to pioneer their own martial arts
discipline in the birthplace of
combat sports in the Summer
Capital.
MCA Baguio served as the
origin of Karate and Judo which
has been sending elite Karatekas
and Judokas into the international
competition with its numerous
athletes who trained and gained
their knowledge of their sports in
this institution.
“This will be the start
of an annual series as we try to
promote the vision and mission
of the YMCA towards achieving
a better avenue for the young
generations to develop their
physical capabilities as they
strengthen their body, mind and
spirit through Christian values with
their chosen field of sports,” YMCA
president Engr. Rex Ludaes said.
Taekwondo drew the
highest participants in the
sports with 74 individuals
joining in Poomsae and sparring
competitions, followed by Judo
with 63 individuals participating
in their weight categories, while
Karate flagged 20 participants in
the individual Kata and Kumite
competitions.
The one day competition is
aimed to open up promotions for
its member clubs to promote their
discipline as well as show their
competitive spirit under pressure
in the mats, explained Judo Sensei
Engr, Ferdinand Cudao.
“It all boils down in the
competition proper, where each
competitor will be able to deliver
his best against the pressure of
competition itself,” he added.
The Baguio YMCA was first
conceptualized and built in the
mining town of Balatoc, but was
transferred to its present location
at the Post Office Loop after World
War II when the building was
damaged by the Japanese forces
during the era of strife and forlorn
in the forties.
At present, the Baguio
YMCA offers other sports such
as its own invention, Basketball,
Arnis, Karate, Judo, Taekwondo,
Bodybuilding and other member
activities for elementary, high
school and college, which holds
an annual Academic Olympics,
strengthening a competitive
educational competition between
school members.
Conceptual Modern Arnis
By Bram Frank
A seldom seen view of Arnis/Modern Arnis the Filipino fighting art of Professor Remy Pesas as seen by
1st Generation student...
Bram Frank. Modern Arnis is
seen through the perspective of the family art of the
Bolo and knife,(edged tools)
rather than a stick. Some history of Modern Arnis in the
USA is told.
File Download: $40.00
Paperback: $69.00
Further information and
to Order:Click Here
Talim Trainers
Made from one solid piece of wood, these trainers can be
used for everything from demonstrations and solo practice to
contact training. Each trainer has the shape of an indigenous blade
without any unnecessary details. Talim Trainers are approximately
3/4” thick. Made from one solid piece of wood, these trainers are
suitable for contact training but are also great for demonstrations,
solo practice and no-touch training. Each trainer is crafted in the
shape of an indigenous blade without any unnecessary details,
sharp edges, inlays or glued and pinned pieces.
Talim Trainers is the result of years of trial and error.
Last but not least, they are affordable. Good quality and longevity
doesn’t have to put a strain on the wallet.
Website: www.talimtrainers.com
Knife Tactical Response
DVD by Bram Frank
Bram Frank, recognized as
the father of the methods of
combat with knife Israelis, is the
founder of System CSSD / SC,
an art tactical combat based on
the Modern Arnis Remy Presas,
which was the direct student.
In this DVD, Bram, practical
and direct in his teachings, we
unveiled the concepts of the
tactical response knife. Explore
the training system, the Contras
using our most instinctive basic
motor skills “raw” ways to cut
and stop the opponent from the
point of view bio-mechanics, the
proper use of weapons of edge
and based movements “Sombrada” and “Sinawali” of martial arts
philippines.
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Larga Mano
By Guro Lawrence Motta
Some thoughts on Larga Mano:
There is a difference
between Larga Mano and using
a long weapon. Just using a
long weapon does not mean you
are playing Larga Mano. Often I
see long weapons used in close
quarters or Medio range; even
as close a Corto. But this is not
Larga Mano. There are principles
to Larga Mano that include range,
footwork, timing and tactics.
Larga Mano principles can even
be applied to empty hands if
you think about it. The choice
of weapon is not all we should
consider when evaluating Larga
Mano theory and application.
GME Leo used to be adamant
about staying out of range if
at all possible. Why fight close
when you can stay away from
the opponents weapon while
still delivering killing blows? This
was the Larga Mano principle at
it’s best; utilizing reach, weapon
length, environment and tactics to
stay out of range while delivering
strikes. The student of Larga Mano
should always stop to check range
while doing drills and exercises. If
you can check with the off hand,
you are in De Fondo range, not
Larga Mano. If your opponent can
still reach you with his weapon,
you are still in De Fondo range. If
your footwork is short and choppy,
you are not in Larga Mano range.
Most importantly, if you have to
shorten your strikes to bring the
last three inches of the blade onto
target, you are not playing Larga
Mano. One more key element,
the student of Larga Mano should
never bend at the waist to get
out of or into range. This upsets
the balance and makes the
practitioner vulnerable to counter
attack or being pulled off balance.
This means you have to work
those quads, everyone. Get down
there and do your elastico drills!
MyFMA.Net: Click Here
Location: Transera Grand Kancana Resort Village. Gunung Jayawijaya 494, Kerobokan, Sminyak, Bali
Contact: Guro Lila Evrard
Filipino Dirty Boxing
Suntukan Street Self-Defense with Tony Torre
In Filipino Dirty Boxing, Guro Tony Torre blends the traditional with the modern to form a
comprehensive fighting system designed to enhance any fighter’s training regimen. Steeped in the
Filipino martial arts of arnis and suntukan, Torre draws on his extensive knowledge to give you a whole
new sense of street fighting and self-defense under extreme circumstances. After acquiring a solid
foundation in positioning, natural combinations, targeting, disruptions and striking, you’ll move on to
mechanics, joint integrity and minimization of energy leaks. The extensive partner training exercises
included in the video provide you with the skills and confidence that can only be developed with hard
work in the gym. Whether your fighting is on the mat or in the streets, Torre’s training methods provide
the explosive offensive and defensive tactics needed to overwhelm your opponent and come out
victorious. For information purposes only.
170 minutes $29.95
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Defending Against a Rapist From a Supine Position
By Maestro Fernando Abenir - Contributor
The Struggle for FMA Purity
By Perry Gil S. Mallari - Fight Times Editor
The preservation of the purity of
a style or system has been the
subject of many heated debates
within Filipino martial arts (FMA)
circles.
But really, is there such
a thing as pure unadulterated
Filipino martial art?
I will tackle in this article
three reasons why the FMA will
continue to evolve while basically
remaining the same.
The first reason is the
conceptual nature of the FMA.
In one of my previous
articles, I mentioned that change
is inevitable to something
as conceptual as the FMA. In
my humble opinion, the true
foundation of the FMA is its
concepts not its techniques.
Concepts encourage
experimentation hence a
practitioner of a conceptual
system like the FMA must be open
to change.
Concepts transcend
restrictions, which is evident
when the early Filipinos added
the Spanish espada y daga (sword
and dagger) technique into their
fighting repertoire. They can
freely pick up useful stuff from
their enemies and use it against
them because of the conceptual
nature of their martial arts. Take
for example the principle of angles
of attacks, which is a foundational
training concept of the FMA. It
states that regardless of weapon,
whether stick, knife or empty
hands, the angles of attacks
remain the same. This core training
principle is so universal, you can
apply it to any martial art. And
when you do that, you realize that
you can borrow elements from
other arts without altering the
heart and soul of your system.
Looking at its past and
No. 1, 1999), wrote
on how the FMA
tradition differs from
other Asian martial
arts, it reads, “Kung
fu students avidly
seek genealogical
charts of their styles
because that is
how they establish
their legitimacy. But
classical arnisadores
pay only scant
attention to charts
like this. For the
classical arnis master
stands on his own
abilities. He is not
a master because
he has received a
certificate from a
A plate from Camillo Agrippa’s Treatise on the
school, or because he
Science of Arms and Philosophy (1553). Escrima’s
has been appointed
espada y daga (sword and dagger) technique
successor by a
was borrowed from Spanish swordplay.
grandmaster. He is sui
generis. Arnisadores
present, I believe that the FMA will prefer teachers who shine by their
own light, like the sun, rather than
undergo more transformations as
planets that shine by the reflected
it further spread across the world
light of their school or teacher.
but its core concepts will remain
That is why arnisadores like Jose
the same.
Caballero, Remy Presas and Edgar
The second reason is the
Sulite claim to have created their
original tradition of the FMA that
own styles, rather than to have
encourages practitioners to shine
inherited them.”
by their own lights.
The third reason is the
In the Philippines, there
individuality of every man.
are literally hundreds of styles
It is impossible to
of arnis, escrima and kali, and
preserve the original purity of
many of them were named after
any martial art as it passes on
their founders. These styles share
from one individual to another.
a common story: the founder
This is because each individual
learned the art from one teacher
is unique and will learn, adopt
or numerous teachers, and after
and teach the art according to his
years of practicing incorporated
mental and emotional makeup,
his innovations with the materials
physique and character. Each of
he learned ending up with a new
these components will serve as
style.
The late FMA scholar Pedro filters that would alter the original
Reyes, in his article Filipino Martial characteristic of a martial art as it
passes on from one generation to
Tradition (RAPID Journal, Vol. 4
another.
To put it in a more
scientific manner, each individual
would interpret any art form he
embraced (martial arts included)
according to his representation
of the world and this will make
change inevitable. Richard Bandler
and John Grinder put it eloquently
with the following words: “By
individual constraints we refer to
all the representations we create
as human beings based upon
our unique personal history.
Every human being has a set of
experiences which constitute
his own personal history and
are as unique to him as are his
fingerprints. Just as every person
has a set of distinct fingerprints,
so, too, does each person have
novel experiences of growing up
and living, and no two life histories
will ever be identical. Again,
though they may have similarities,
at least some aspects are different
and unique to each person. The
models or maps that we create
in the process of living are based
upon our individual experiences,
and, since some aspects of our
experiences will be unique to us as
a person, some parts of our model
of the world will be singular to
each of us. These uncommon ways
each of us represents the world
will constitute a set of interests,
habits, likes, dislikes, and rules
for behavior which are distinctly
our own. These differences in our
experiences will guarantee that
each of us has a model of the
world which in some way will be
different from any other person’s
model of the world,” (The Structure
of Magic Vol. 1 1975).
The Challenge Fights of Grandmaster Ciriaco “Cacoy” Canete: The Greatest Living Eskrimador
By TomMeadows
Grandmaster Tom Meadows, author and longtime student of Supreme Grandmaster Cacoy Canete proudly
announces the release of the book he wrote entitled “The Challenge Fights of Grandmaster Ciriaco “Cacoy”
Canete”.
History is written by the victors”. This timeless quote is clearly an appropriate one for the biography of a
man never beaten in over 100 challenge fights. This book documents the fights exactly as Grandmaster
Cacoy Canete related them to the author. The risk of death or serious injury was ever present in these type
of matches, which became known as the legendary “Death matches of the Philippines”. It was common
practice for the opponents to exchange waivers that asked their family and friends not to take revenge
on the victor’s family, eskrima club or friends. Both players assumed full responsibility for the outcome of
their challenge. To be the victor of more than 100 challenge fights one must have a technical base that can
deal with any empty hand style and all known weapons systems. Many of the fighters that Cacoy Canete
fought relied heavily upon the anting-anting mystical arts, orascion prayers and religious mantra chants
to guarantee their success in fighting. These methods had no part in how Grandmaster Canete won his
fights against these men. In his own words: “I do not use anting-anting, I rely on my technique”. Always
challenged, never beaten, this is the fighting history of Grandmaster Cacoy Canete, the greatest living
fighter in the history of Doce Pares.
Paperback $14.40
Also in the book are stories of near-death experience of my father Supreme Grandmaster Cacoy Canete as
a guerrilla fighter during World War II. Unfortunately since Amazon only accepts High-Resolution pictures
many of my father’s relevant historical black and white pictures are not in the book such as in military
uniform, champion in the 1st National Eskrima Tournament in Cebu on 3/24/79 and also in the 1st Invitational Eskrima Tournament in Manila on
8/19/79 just to name a few. Hope we can convert them to High-Res for the next edition of the book.
Thank you for your support.
Grandmaster Kitty Canete-Knight
To Order Visit Amazon.com: Click Here
Most rape attempts were initiated with the victim in a supine position. The
following techniques teach how to prevent the rapist from mounting you as well as how
to inflict debilitating injury on your attacker and get back on your feet to continue to
fight or to flee.
Photos 1 and 2 show an assailant approaching his target. The defender in a supine
position uses the natural instinct of raising the hands as a barrier against a forthcoming
danger. Photos 3 and 4 show the defender using her thumb to attack the assailant’s eye.
The thrusting motion was applied violently to push the assailant backwards. Photos 5
and 6 show the defender freeing her leg and placing it against the assailant’s groin. She
then converted the motion into a violent kick to inflict damage and to create space in
between them. Photos 7 and 8 show the defender getting back on her feet and fleeing.
It is highly recommended for the defender to scream for help and draw attention to her
self. Contributed photos
Disclaimer: Fight Times disclaims any liability for untoward results including (but not limited)
any injuries or damages arising out of any person’s attempt to rely upon any information
presented in this page. The reader should consult a physician before starting any exercise
program.
Modern Practice of the Filipino Martial Arts
By Master Jose Isidro
The Book contains technical pictures on the
Filipino martial arts of striking, blocking, Sinawali,
Redonda, locking, trapping, Empty hand, knife disarm, Bangkaw, Tying, Espada Y Daga, Drills such as
Give-n-Take and Block/Check/Counter, Transition of
Stick to Stick, Empty Hand to Stick, and Empty hand
to Empty hand. Local People living in the Philippines.
292 pages with many photos.
The book is published and distributed by Central
Books Supply - Website: central.com.ph
In the Philippines contact Jem of Centralbook, Contact: 372-3550
Or for International or USA orders, please contact
Master Jose Isidro at: [email protected] for pricing.
Felipe P. Jocano Jr. invited Sonny Sison Serrada/Largo Mano/Decuerdas (SLD) Session.
December 17, 2014
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Felipe P. Jocano Jr. invited Sonny Sison, one of the driving forces behind the
documentary The Bladed Hand, to share with his arnis students some of the movements
of his system of Filipino martial arts (FMA).All had a great time learning how another
system moves and why its practitioners do what they do. Everyone broke barriers and
came together as friends and brothers.
For those who don’t
know him yet, Sonny is a very
skilled martial artist, being
ranked in SLD Eskrima and in
Won Hop Kuen Do/Kajukenbo,
a stuntman (among his many
credits is being one of the
Power Rangers) and a fight
choreographer. He choreographed the fight scenes for the upcoming movie Bonifacio: Ang
Unang Pangulo.
It was fascinating for all participants to compare and contrast the similarities and
differences between the styles.
After training, Sonny shared many stories about his experiences in the martial arts,
including the time he spent training under his teachers. - Felipe P. Jocano Jr.
Still Champions!
By Jayson Vicente - The Path
Sun.Star Baguio - December 18, 2014
Alternative Home Defence Weapons
By Joel Huncar
About ten years ago I
wrote an article on home defence
weapons alternate to firearms
that got a lot of attention and
helped get me into writing
articles for Black Belt Magazine
and in FMAdigest. However I just
heard that there have been a
few burglaries in my home town
lately and one while the family
still was home. Because of these
rumoured incidents I think it is
time to revisit the ideals of home
defence weapons and tactics
and for people to really consider
use of force options to protect
themselves and their families.
Again this article will be
on weapons other than fire arms.
Don’t get me wrong, if I lived in
a culture where fire arms were
an alternative for a law abiding
citizen, I would be an advocate
for the shot gun or a large bore
handgun as a weapon for home
defence. However I live in a culture
where because of the fire arms
laws that option is not viable for
a law abiding citizen. So I have to
look for alternatives. My personal
choices are varied but mainly
large bladed weapons are my
first choice, heavy blunt impact
weapons as a secondary choice,
small bladed weapons would be
next, light impact weapons would
follow and empty hands would be
my last choice in home defence
weapons.
There is an important
caveat that you should
understand. If you are going to
have any kind of tool for selfprotection make sure you train
in its proper use. All Napoleon
Dynamite jokes aside, I am
considered an expert in fighting
with blunt impact weapons,
edged weapons and empty hand
combatives. Believe me if I was
making the handgun, or any fire
arm my main choice in personal
protection I would get some top
force on force firearm training. It
is not enough to have a tool for
personal–protection; you better
know how to use it well enough
that it will serve you in the chaos
of real fighting.
You may ask why large
bladed weapons are my first
choice; I will tell you. Small knives
just don’t do enough trauma
to quickly dispatch an attacker.
A large sharp weapon can do
grievous harm, severing limbs,
cutting and stabbing deep enough
to cut through large muscle
groups and cutting deep enough
to reach major blood vessels. If
it is a hatchet or heavy knife like
a machete or Kukri you will also
do heavy impact trauma as well,
this is especially important when
you are attacking the skull of an
opponent.
One thing to remember
though is with pole arms
(weapons attached to sticks such
as hatchets spears and axes) the
longer the handle, the easier it
is for an opponent to grab and
control or disarm. Also if you swing
a heavy weapon it takes longer to
recover so you may leave yourself
open to counter attacks with
heavier weapons.
Heavy blunt impact
weapons are my next choice with
a heavy hardwood arnis stick at
the top of my list. The main reason
being is that I am very adept at
using an arnis stick, but there are
other reasons. One is that a heavy
arnis stick, such as a bahi stick or
kamagong stick still allows me to
have one hand on the weapon
and one hand free to parry, block,
control and attack. Remember
that your weapon is not the only
thing you are fighting with, you
are still fighting with every one
of your empty hand weapons as
well, your tool is there to give you
an advantage, but it is you who is
fighting not your weapon. There
are no knife fights, gun fights, stick
fights; just fights where weapons
are involved.
One thing to remember
is don’t follow the police model
of striking large muscle groups
with blunt impact weapons, hit
things you can break. The skull, the
collarbone, wrists, knees, elbows
and hands are all good targets,
but the skull is primary in a real
assault. You are not out to keep
your opponent safe you are out
to stop him as quickly as possible
and move on to the next assailant
or get on with your post incident
after care if there are no other
attackers. There is a time and place
to be noble, when you are all that
stands between a home invader
and your loved ones nobility
should be replaced with feral
savagery. If you have a heavy stick
use it to break bones and destroy
what you put it to.
Small knives are my next
choice simply because they can
be very effective but many times
people who are literally mortally
wounded or bleeding out still
fight. People fight with dozens
of stab wounds and cuts and
continue being a threat. Small
knives are lethal but do not
dispatch an attacker quick enough
to be used as your main tool for
personal protection. However
they are easy to carry and can be
with us at all times. Because of
this a small knife may not be your
first choice but it may be exactly
what you have with you when
something bad happens. Small
knives are notoriously hard to
disarm. They are easy to conceal,
so easy to surprise a home invader
with. So they have some merit
and for many of us are what we
are likely to have near at hand if
someone decides to enter our
home with ill intent.
Small sticks such as a
typical rattan arnis stick or the
cold steel slim stick is my next
choice because they just do not do
enough blunt trauma damage to
quickly disable an attacker quickly.
They still offer reach advantage
and one of the great things about
a light stick is they can hit an
opponent many times quickly. Like
using a buggy whip or sjambok
you can slash the face hand and
upper torso of an attacker in an
overwhelming flurry of strikes
that can drive him running. Or it
can drive him to try to close the
distance and grapple you; it really
depends on the opponent.
Empty hand fighting
would be the last thing I would
want to do if I had to deal with a
home invader. If I had to I would,
but there is a great likelihood that
I would be facing more than one
attacker and it is very likely that
my attacker would be armed. I am
going to use whatever advantage
in reach, trauma, leverage,
psychological threat, strength and
lethality I can possibly have if I
have to face a home invader.
There is another amazing
thing about understanding
these different kinds of weapons;
with this knowledge it is easy to
improvise common household
items into makeshift weapons. We
are natural tool users, so why deal
with violence in a way that goes
against the very nature of being
a human being. Embrace your
humanity and fill your hands if
danger comes looking for you!
So I would only fight a
home invader with no tool if I was
forced to, if I wake up and hear
someone breaking into my home
I will have a tool in my hand and a
willingness to use it. I would also
try to ambush the home invader
because I already know that he
or she has no regard for the law,
so there is a chance that they are
armed as well, and fighting is
not my goal. Keeping my family
and myself safe from violence
if it is forced on us is my goal
not fighting some bad guy. I am
willing to kill, maim and cripple
someone if I have to if that is what
it takes to achieve this goal. I will
do whatever it takes to dispatch
or repel someone quickly and
efficiently if they come through
my door to do ill.
It is my opinion that
anyone who breaks down your
door, or breaks into your home
while you are there has already
stated that they are willing to use
lethal force to keep them safe if
they have to. They know they are
committing a crime and will be
willing to do whatever it takes to
keep themselves safe; your safety
is not their concern. They are
concerned with doing wrong and
not getting hurt or incarcerated
by doing it. They are likely armed
and ready to use violence to
achieve those goals, so meeting
them with violence is arguably
not only reasonable but also the
right action to choose. Make sure
if you make that choice you do it
efficiently, quickly, decisively and
with as little risk to yourself as
possible.
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“We are not quitters, our athletes
are determined to fight to what
is left in the battle” this are the
words of City Sports Coordinator
Gaudencio Gonzales following the
delay of the ship that will bring
the Baguio delegation to Bacolod
City for the 2014 National Batang
Pinoy.
As the Baguio delegation
stayed anxious waiting for the
Maritime Industry Authority
(MARINA) and Philippine Coast
Guard to give the go signal for
the ship to set sail knowing that
they could get defaulted in their
respective games, the athletes
remained hopeful their respective
tournament managers would
reconsider and wait for the
stranded team.
“No one wants this, nobody
wanted to be stranded due to
the typhoon so we must be given
consideration for the delay in our
trip” this are the comments of the
respective coaches.
“Our athletes are ready for
any match and performance. They
are just worried they would not
have the chance to showcase their
skills, because our TM adjusted
the start of our games for just one
day which would not let us join
the anyo (forms) events where we
have a big chance to win medals”
said Coach Alfred Tolentino of
Arnis and true enough, the Arnis
team arrived with just one match
to play for team Baguio in the
labanan (full contact sparring),
even with the appeal made when
the team was still in the ship to
delay the games at least until
the Baguio Team arrived. The TM
did not respond to any efforts of
communications made by the
coach and the ARPI representative
of Baguio and later on reasoned
that there would not be enough
time to finish the tournament if
the games will start on the 12th of
The Kalari - Another Big Piece in the FMA Puzzle?
ASEAN History Revisited - (aseanhistoryrevisited.blogspot.com)
December 20, 2014
December, which the team found
absurd and even felt betrayed.
The first day of the Arnis
event where anyo were played
were rushed (as the other coaches
who sympathized with Baguio
team stated). Anyo performances
were played with no lunch break
until it was finished at around
3 in the afternoon where they
had a short break and resumed
the event proceeding with the
labanan with an overtime until 9
p.m.
This was rather unusual
because as far as Arnis is
concerned, first day is always
played until 5pmonly due to
constraint in transportation
provided by the PSC which only
services the teams until 5 – 6 p.m.
and considering that billeting
areas are far from the venue.
On the second day, the
tournament was finished at
around 2 p.m. which nullifies
the conclusion of the TM that
the event would not be finished
on time if it was delayed to start
on the 12th of December. That
broke the spirit of the athletes
and were almost in tears when
they were seeing the awardees
accepting their medals knowing
that in several of the medals being
awarded it should have been
them.
Athletes have prepared
for it, they have set and sacrificed
time and effort but because of
mismanagement and lack of
consideration from other people.
Other sports teams of
Baguio suffered the same fate but
the whole delegation could still
have the last laugh as it awaits the
final tally of all the medals and is
seeing a minimum finish of third
place overall or is on its way to
capture the Overall crown despite
the mishaps.
www.abanico.de
The word Kalari
(pronounced “ke-le-ri”) means
“threshing floor” or “battlefield”
in Malayalam. Training for
Kalaripayattu, a martial art of
Kerala is traditionally done inside
the Kalari. Also, the past village
schools (underscoring mine)
of Kerala, run by the traditional
astrologer families were known by
the name Kalari or Ezhuthu Kalari.
Every Kalari has a Puttara
(meaning “platform where flowers
are kept” in Malayalam). The
Puttara is a seven-tiered platform
placed in the south-west corner
and houses the guardian deities
of the Kalari. The seven (7) tiers
symbolise the seven (7) abilities
that each person must possess:
Vignesva (strength), Channiga
(patience), Vishnu (power to
command), Vadugashcha (the
posture), Tadaguru (training), Kali
(the expression) (underscoring
mine), and Vakasta - purushu
(sound). Other deities, most
of them incarnations of the
Bhagavathi or Shiva, are installed
in the corners. Flowers, incense
and water are offered to the
deities every day. Before starting
the day’s practice, it is the norm for
practitioners to pray to the deities.
Not only is the Kalari a temple of
learning, but it is also a temple of
religious worship with a cult and
ritual of its own.
There is also a Guruthara
inside all Kalaris. Guruthara means
“the place where a lamp is kept
burning in reverence to all the
Gurus (masters) of the Kalari”.
Traditionally, the Kalari is
constructed by digging a hollow
in the ground forming a sunken
area four feet in depth, forty-two
feet in length and twenty-one feet
in breadth. This is usually called
KuzhiKalari. Kuzhi means “portions
formed by caving in the earth” in
Malayalam.
The entrance to the
Kalari is in the east, to let in the
morning sunlight, and leads into
the forty-two foot leg running
East-West while the twentyone foot leg runs North-South.
Another consideration taken when
constructing the Kalari is that it
is built in the south-west side of
the main plot, just like the Puttara
which is kept in the South-West
corner of the Kalari itself. The floor
of the Kalari is leveled using mud...
(source: Wikipedia)
In summary:
“Kele-ri” refers to the training pit
where Kalaripayattu training is
conducted.
“Kali” or expression is one of
the seven (7) abilities that a
Kalaripayattu practitioner must
possess.
The “Kele-ri” is both a place
for martial arts learning and
religious worship.
The masters that teach in
the Kalari are called “Gurus”.
Is it a coincidence that in Bahasa
Melayu (the core language of
present-day Bahasa Malaysia and
Bahasa Indonesia), “Kali” refers to a
shallow ditch, such as that used for
drainage?
Is it a coincidence that
in the Hiligaynon Language (a
Visayan Language), “Kali” means
“to dig”?
Is it a coincidence that
in Bahasa Melayu and most
Philippine languages, a teacher is
also referred to as “Guro”?
This is a 4 foot long staff constructed of dense rattan with skin.
Hand-burned in the traditional manner and finished with a clear coat
for added durability. Used by Arnis Tapado and Doce Pares for long stick
fighting but suitable for many martial arts styles. Extremely lightweight and flexible,
yet very durable. Perfect for practice or demonstration. Ideal for women and youth. 7/8in - 1in
thick. Weight approx. 12 - 18 oz. Burn pattern may vary slightly from picture. # WF0148A
Click Here
Chapter 3 (Pages 17 - 20)
Eskrima for the Street
By Bong Abenir
Practical Techniques for Dangerous Situations
Eskrima for the Street is a compilation of techniques strictly based on the practical application
of the Filipino martial arts within the concept of a street fight. Although there have been many books
about self-protection and also the art of Eskrima, but only a few featuring the practicality of Eskrima for
unpredictable street fighting scenarios. This book will deal with different scenarios that may happen
outside the safety walls of your training hall and definitely beyond the realm of Eskrima as a sport. It will
provide the readers with the different strategies, techniques and street-smart moves that may help them
get out of a bad situation and may even save you and others from seriously getting hurt or from death at
the hands of an attacker.
In this book, Maestro Bong Abenir addresses how to translate Eskrima weapons fighting to empty-hand
skills against dangerous knife threats, against difficult situations which include third-party protection,
threats against a bolo attack, against improvised weapons such as broken bottles, steel pipes, an ice pick,
etc. It will also show Eskrima techniques used in special situations such as knife against knife encounters,
bolo against bolo situation, blunt weapons against edged weapons and vise-versa, even scarf against
edged weapons, and situations against multiple attackers and other possible street scenarios. Although
no book can replace an actual training program, it will be a great tool for any individual who wants
to learn a technique or two that might help him or her against special situations where one’s life is at
stake. It will also serve as an added resource of training material, for advanced practitioners as well as
instructors in any martial arts.
The FMA Informative with the permission of Tambuli Media brings you just a little look at the publication of Fernando “Bong” Abenir’s book “Eskrima Street
Defense - Practical Techniques for Dangerous Situation”
Author’s Preface
Eskrima Street Defense is a compilation of techniques
strictly based on the practical application of the
Filipino martial arts within the context of a street
fight. Now what I mean by a “street fight” is when
someone finds themselves in a situation wherein
they must defend themselves or help another person
against an attack on the street. It has nothing to do
with the art or the sport of Eskrima; but rather its
application in what are potentially life and death
situations. Although there have been many books
written about martial arts and self-protection, only a
few of them feature the practicality of Eskrima when
facing single and multiple attackers, both armed and
unarmed.
In response to that need, Eskrima Street Defense
focuses on different scenarios that may happen outside the safety walls of the martial arts
training hall and definitely beyond the realm of sport competition. It provides the reader
with different strategies, techniques and street smart moves that may help them out of a
bad situation—and may even save them and others from serious injury or even death at
the hands of a ruthless attacker. This book addresses how to translate the art of Eskrima to
street-ready empty-hand skills against dangerous knife threats, against difficult situations
which include third-party protection, against a bolo or machete attack, against improvised
weapons such as broken bottles, steel pipes, an ice pick, and more.
Eskrima Street Defense also shows Eskrima techniques used in special armed situations, such
as knife against knife encounters, bolo against bolo situations, blunt weapons against edged
weapons and vise-versa, scarf against edged weapons, situations against multiple attackers
and other possible street scenarios. Although no book can replace an actual training
program taught by a qualified Filipino martial arts instructor, it is still a great guide for any
individual who wants to learn a technique or two that might help them against situations
where one’s life is at stake. This book also serves as an added training resource for advanced
FMA practitioners and instructors in any martial art.
I do, however, strongly advise those who are just starting their quest or pursuit in learning
self-protection or in studying the Filipino martial arts that they look for a qualified instructor in order to deepen their understanding of the
principles, concepts and techniques described and shown in this book.
This book was not created alone. I would like to thank my student Mr. Adrian Manangan for shooting all of the technique sequence photographs.
Thanks to Abenir Kalis instructors Richard Grimaldo, Jong Rivero, Michael Cruz, Norman Manalili, and Leo Beltran; to Abenir Kalis Mandaluyong
students Angel Fajutagana, Jay Habuhab, John Mark Marcelo, Bhon Corpuz, and Ms. Jam Chari Nuñez. Special thanks to Abenir Kalis Pinaglabanan
Brotherhood for their support: Bryan Dy, Marc Tiong, Audey Joves, Dennis Eala, Thirdy Nabon,g Jonna Bee; and Abenir Kalis Philippines headed by
the following Instructors: Herbert Panganiban, Luis Beltran, Chris Dalida, Marvin Mendoza, Abel Diaz, and Ronel Viñas. Last but not least, I offer a very
special thank you to Guro Rommel Ramirez who has been my long time training partner who endured a lot of bruises and pain with me during our
live sparring sessions and demos. Pugay. Thank you Master Mark Wiley for encouraging me to write this book. Pugay po.
Fernando “Bong” Abenir
Manila, Philippines, 2014
Preliminaries
Directly Simple and Simply Direct
f the objective is to learn the true art of Filipino Eskrima then everything should be done in a simple and direct manner in order to be truly
combative and become very efficient in doing it. But the thing is, most people would rather study a system that has a lot of flowery and complicated
movements. It’s embedded in the human psyche to be drawn and be attracted to things that are seemingly magical rather than what is supposed
to be real and natural. I sometimes also tend to do that but before I get lost in this state I would somehow awaken myself in order to get back to our
system’s true principle and philosophy. That is to approach combat the way we should. DIRECTLY SIMPLE and SIMPLY DIRECT.
Aliveness and Sparring
An old martial arts teacher told me that sparring is of no real value in actual combat because it has nothing much to do with what a thug or criminal
would do in a real situation, and on and on he went trying to convince me of his
views. Well I never believed him and continued to be an advocate of what I refer to
as “aliveness,” which means that you
go duke it out with your sparring
partner and see what works and
what fails during a quasi-combat
encounter. That means that you
get hit and he gets hit and both
suddenly realize that you sometimes
go home with a bruise here and
there and it feels good. Although I
believe that sparring is not the only
tool you could use for practicing
your skills, I really do believe it to
be an essential part of martial arts training. Sparring teaches you a lot about timing, being able to
read your opponent’s mind and countering his attack, when and how to attack effectively, knowing and exploiting your opponent’s strength and
weaknesses and knowing yours as well. It also helps you to understand and feel pain when you get hit and what it means to fight under pressure.
I was once in U.P. Diliman with one of the instructors of AK Mr. Rommel Ramirez and we were there to demonstrate what our system was all about.
Of course there were other groups too who were invited to demonstrate. I got so tired of seeing techniques being done over and over in a prearranged setting while everybody was intently watching these people. I really had nothing against them and I do respect their arts but when it
comes to demonstrating what my system is all about then I would have to really show it. So after a few words of introduction I then instructed my
friend to go live! Well we did stick sparring, knife sparring and hand to hand without any armor or protective gear and I got hit, my student got hit
we were both getting black and blue lumps all over...... everybody was silent. We ended up laughing. That’s ALIVENESS folks!
Stick and Knife Fighting are Different Things
I have heard a lot of old-timers in Filipino martial art circle says that learning how to use the stick will automatically give you the ability to translate
it’s techniques into knife work or whatever impact or edged weapon you are using. I do believe that there are similarities with the movements being
used for each weapon but then again they also have their differences. And knowing this simple fact will give you an understanding of up to what
point a certain weapon is effective and where its limitations lie. (Such knowledge could even save your life.)
Knowing how to wield a stick does not mean that you know how to wield a knife effectively. First of all a stick is an impact weapon, and the way you
generate force in order to use it effectively as a weapon is very much different from a knife, which is designed to cut, thrust or hack. No amount of
stick fighting would prepare a student for knife work. So the assumption that learning how to use a stick could be easily translated into knife work or
vice versa is not true. Although the angles are the same and movement are similar, the law of physics when it comes to the use of different kinds of
weapons says they are different. Try wielding a stick and a bolo or machete and you’ll see what I mean.
A Place for Locks and Holds
There are many reasons for learning joint manipulation techniques and strangle holds. They can be used as an effective self-defense method in
some situations. They can be applied as restraints or arrest techniques when necessary. They can be useful in controlling or injuring a person to a
certain degree and most of all they can serve as a bargaining position through which you could talk some sense to the other guy to stop whatever
foolish thing he is attempting to do.
In my opinion, these techniques are actually incidental in nature which means they can only be applied when the opportunity presents itself. Never
engage on a street fight looking for a lock or a strangle hold. What I mean is that they should not
be used as your primary tool for self-defense. Hitting with a barrage of elbows, knees, eye jabs and
kicks will serve you better when it comes to a street fight, especially when dealing with multiple
attackers. It would even be better to grab a
hold onto something which could be used as a
weapon or as an effective equalizer should the
assailants be armed with knives or other things.
Most real fights last less than 10 seconds. There
is seldom an exchange of technique between
combatants or what we refer to as fakes, feinting,
trappings and other maneuvers that are only
used as drills or those that are executed in study,
sparring and tournaments.
As in almost all fights, the guy who lands the first telling blow is usually the one who wins. Against
someone who is potentially dangerous and who constantly engages himself in trouble or does
criminal acts as his way of living, it would be very risky to depend on locks and holds as your first
line of defense. This is especially true if you are just a beginner in the martial arts because even for
those who have achieved a high skill in the application of these techniques in the dojo it very difficult to apply these skills against a very aggressive
opponent who happens to be punching, kicking, elbowing or even biting, simultaneously. It becomes even more difficult if you were up against two
or more attackers. It would be like trying to catch three soccer balls in order to protect your goal. Forget what you see in the movies or even in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship for that matter because we are talking about the real thing where everything is unrehearsed, goes without rules,
no referees, no audience, no tap outs and no time limits. This is the world where guns, knives, broken bottles, tires and even trash cans can be used.
The best equation would be to hit-hit-hit then lock, if necessary, and not lock-lock-lock, then hit. Always remember that in most instances in street
attacks, the prudent behavior is to escape as quickly as possible. If strikes such as head butts, knees and elbows are to be used, there is often no
need to apply restraining techniques or strangle holds.
Filipino Martial Arts: A Return to Being Maharlika
Text By Flordeliz Samonte, Photo Courtesy of Lester Ledesma
Awed by the moves of
Matt Damon in Bourne Identity?
Lapu Lapu, the Datu of Mactan
and the First Filipino Hero and
his stronghold of Kali warriors,
defeated Ferdinand Magellan in
1521 with the same fighting skills
which have worked their way
into Hollywood movies today.
The story has been heard several
times but the role of the Filipino
martial arts (FMA) has been kept in
the sidelines waiting for another
warrior to take up the art once
again.
The Filipino martial arts
is known to many in various
names like Arnis, Escrima or Kali
is a warrior art which is now
being rediscovered by Filipinos.
Known by different systems as
varied as the 7,107 islands of the
Philippines, Filipino martial arts
is a complete package. Before
Spanish conquerors came to the
archipelago, Filipinos already had
their own fighting system used
as defense during tribal wars.
During the Spanish regime, it
was banned, giving rise to the
popular use of the rattan stick as a
weapon. Driven to secrecy, Filipino
martial arts was secretly passed
down from father to son and
Kali movements were disguised
as folk dances such as tinikling,
maglalatik and sakuting.
Bridging the Gap
In Singapore, I was one
of those who gathered for
the Philippine Independence
Day 2009 celebrations where
a demonstration of our native
martial arts was held. Guro Fred
Evrard, a Frenchman, awed and
inspired the Filipino crowd with
the Filipino martial arts fighting
skills which he touted as “the best.”
Guro Fred and his wife
Katulong Guro Lila, founded
Kali Majapahit, a school focused
on teaching the Filipino martial
arts and “Hilot.” They have
traveled the world for four years
learning different martial arts
before settling in Singapore to
establish their third school; the
first being in Tahiti and another
in the Philippines. The school’s
curriculum is influenced by Kali
Sikaran founded by Punong
Guro Jeff Espinos and the Inayan
Eskrima founded by Mangisursuro
Mike Inay. The two Masters who
have mentored Guro Fred.
Kali is practical and
efficient, and this is the main
reason why people are attracted
to the art explains Kadua Guro Ben
Boeglin of Kali Majapahit. From
a technical point of view, FMA
is a complete martial art which
uses sticks, punches, knives, or
other weapons. Kali Majapahit
is significant in promoting
Philippine culture through the
Filipino martial arts. “Four years
ago, there was no Filipino martial
arts in Singapore and people
were looking for something more.
Today, we have 150 students and
there are now three clubs doing
Filipino martial arts in Singapore,”
he added.
Twenty percent of their
students are Filipinos. “We tell
them Hilot the healing system is
very powerful and your [Filipino]
martial art is very good. They
realize other people are interested
so they get interested. Even
though it’s not ours, we promote it
because we believe in it. It has to
continue being taught because it
would be sad if it is lost. We have
to spread it so people will know
how rich it is.”
The US Army, Police Force
as well as the Philippine Military
and Police are well trained in the
art. Some learn it for self defense,
others for personal growth and
coordination but to Filipinos like
Kathleen Hazel Lacsina and her
daughters, Isabelle (12) and Aira
(11) it is to stay connected to their
country while in Singapore.
Kathleen, a Landscape
Architect, was surprised there
is an Filipino martial arts. They
enrolled in the school which offers
the first Filipino martial arts for
kids program. “Parang natutuwa
ka na maging Pinoy kasi sikat
tayo. My kids are more disciplined
and inspired to do better in their
schooling. It’s an opportunity for
them to be conscious about their
culture. They see that Filipinos are
something special,” says Kathleen.
In Singapore, the school
serves as a welcome connection
to Filipinos and their country
with the school teaching much
the same styles as the masters in
order to continue the tradition.
“The only thing that changed
is the structure because there
are different systems, tools and
weapons. So Guro Fred organized
it in a curriculum that makes
sense, which is easy to learn and
has structure. So people can come
in at any point in time without
being lost and the martial art is
efficient and easy to learn. It’s
always evolving.” As Guro Fred has
stated once, the role of foreign
instructors is to remind the
Masters of the Filipino martial arts
that the world is interested in the
Filipino martial arts and that its
time for them to open up.
Awakening
the Filipino Martial Arts
“The Filipino martial arts
is more than just a sport and a
combat skill, the Filipino martial
arts has been an arena of learning
and understanding of the bravery
of our ancestors, their ingenuity
and unyielding spirit to protect
their family, community and their
motherland. An important part
of our history and a very part of
me,” sums up John Leyson, a 37
year-old Magtuturo of the Filipino
martial arts at the Filipino martial
arts School Dugong Maharlika
(noble descent) in Manila. They
practice the Kapampangan system
of Grandmaster Bart Figueroa
and the Otsotiros System of
Grandmaster Pepito Robas and
the Sikaran system of Grandmaster
Melliton Geronimo.
His Master, Oscar Raymond
T. Molina, a 32 year-old has been
skilled in the art since childhood.
At the age of 13, he turned to the
Filipino martial arts for a higher
purpose “I wanted to learn about
a great nation which forgot that
it was great. I wanted to learn the
Filipino martial arts, because I
wanted to be part of a legacy of
nobility, of honor, of sacrifice and
love of country.” Unfortunately,
he shares the same discontent
that there is a need to bring FMA
to Filipinos, “I believe Brazilian
Ju-jitsu is popular in the country
today. But the Filipino martial arts
is slowly experiencing an increase
of followers, because of the
Hollywood films today which are
the Filipino martial arts.”
“The Chinese have their
Win Chun, the West has boxing
and the Indonesians have Silat,
FMA has Panuntukan-Filipino
Boxing. Koreans have Taekwondo,
the Japanese their Karate, and
the Chinese their Wushu, FMA has
Sikaran- Filipino Foot Fighting.
If the Greeks have Greco-Roman
Wrestling, the Brazilians their
Gracie Ju-jitsu, Filipino martial arts
has its Dumog- Filipino Wrestling.
Aside from the popular stick
fighting,” explained Master Oscar.
As the journey of our
nation has not yet ended, there
are still lessons to be learned, “It is
important to learn about Martial
Arts especially our own because
it will teach us that it is not about
killing but about living. We should
learn the Filipino martial arts in the
right perspective that this deadly
martial art was practiced by noble
Filipinos in defending the honor
of a nation. It was used by warriors
who would die to protect the
banks of an archipelago. We are
all Maharlikas, wherever we go in
the world, we as a people should
carry ourselves in a noble manner.”
Master Oscar is one in propagating
he Filipino martial arts sending out
his students as ambassadors of the
Filipino martial arts.
It is true, that discovering
the Filipino martial arts is
discovering yourself as a Filipino.
It is a journey back to our roots,
a long history of a proud nation
and its people. It is time to make
the Filipino martial arts global and
the Arnis Law declaring Arnis as
the national sport is a start. After
all, we are of warrior blood and its
something we should be proud of.
As John says, “Filipino martial arts
is part of my being. It is there, it
just has to be “awakened.”
Eskrima-Arnis Techniques
By: Grandmaster Ciriaco “Cacoy” Cañete
The “Eskrima-Arnis Techniques” is the fourth installment of Cañete’s series of books on Eskrima that
commenced with the publication of Doce Pares Eskrima in 1988. In 2001, he authored Pangamot (Barehand
Techniques), before penning down Eskribo (a combination of Eskrima, Jujitsu, Judo, and Aikido) in 2004.
This book contains instructions that are very easy to understand especially to the students. Eskrima
doesn’t only cover physical and mental aspect, it also helps maintain a Filipino culture.
The book Eskrima-Arnis Techniques contains 128 pages complete with illustrations so the readers and
aspiring martial artists could better understand all the components of Eskrima and the foundation by which it
is being founded. It takes up a brief history of Eskrima, its fundamentals going into the different kinds of attacks
and defenses, sparring ranges (close, medium and long), strikes and targets as well as form movements.
Those who are willing to buy a copy of Eskrima-Arnis Techniques may call Cacoy Doce Pares
Headquarters Chief Instructor Master Chuck Anthony Cañete at: 011 (6332) 261-1352
Coming Soon
“Olisi-Baraw” (Stick & Dagger)
Supreme Grandmaster Cacoy Cañete
To all Eskrimadors and Stick-fighters,
At last! The Cacoy Doce Pares Headquarters in Cebu City, Philippines is very happy to announce the
release of my father Supreme Grandmaster Cacoy Cañete’s long-awaited 5th Book, “Olisi-Baraw” (Stick &
Dagger), a combative form of the old Doce Pares classic form “Espada y Daga”.
The 95 year-old Supreme Grandmaster Cacoy Cañete, President and Founder of Cacoy Doce Pares
Eskrima-Eskrido-Pangamot is the last surviving founder of the oldest Eskrima organization “Doce Pares”
founded by his late brothers in Cebu, Philippines in1932.
Furthermore Supreme Grandmaster Cacoy Cañete was the first mixed-martial artist in his time since his
training at age 6 under the tutelage of his older brother Supreme Grandmaster Momoy Canete who trained
him in the classic form of Doce Pares Eskrima, Espada y Daga and San Miguel. He became an amateur boxer
in his teens who then pursued further training in various Japanese Martial Arts such as: Jui-Jitsu, Kodokan
Judo, Aikido, Wrestling, Shotokan Karate, Shorin Ryu Karate and lastly the Chinese Kung Fu.
As a result of his training in various martial arts since age 6 he invented “Eskrido” a combination of
Eskrima, Jui Jitsu and Kodokan Judo among others.
Thank you for your continued support of Supreme Grandmaster Cacoy Cañete and his Cacoy Doce Pares
Eskrima-Eskrido-Pangamot system.
Very respectfully yours,
Grandmaster Catherine-Kitty Cañete-Knight
Vice-President for International Affairs
Cacoy Doce Pares World Federation
The FAM Informative hopes to have the contact information to be able to purchase this book by the next FMA Informative newspaper Volume 4 No 2.
The Liar The Cheat and The Thief: Deception and the Art of Sword Play
By Maija Soderholm
You don’t fight bodies you fight minds.
In this slender volume, Maija Soderholm of Sonny Umpad’s Visayan Style Corto Kadena and Larga Mano
system presents the details of one of the most important and least understood aspects of personal combat.
How to control the opponent’s mind.
The Liar, The Cheat, and The Thief explores the drills and the mindset of one of the last modern duelists.
As Sun Tzu said “All warfare is deception”.
Amazon.com: Click Here
Illustrado Life - www.illustradolife.com
Mandirigma.org now offering Sponsor Membership
Dedicated to promoting the Warrior Arts and Culture of the
Philippines, Mandirigma.org has been online with this mission since
1998.
Recently there have been numerous request for membership
or ways that can help contribute to the site. To answer these requests,
Mandirigma.org now has a donate button and additionally offers the
opportunity to be a “Sponsor Member”. Every dollar helps with the
monthly expenses required to maintain the website and hopefully even
expand capabilities.
For more information on how to be a “Sponsor Member” or donate to
the cause, please go to the following link.: Click Here
Please contact us for any further questions.
Thank you for your interest and support!
Maraming Salamat Po!
Kuntaw - Personal Training and Experiences in the Art of Kuntaw
By Steven Dowd
The author is not affiliated with Maharlika Kuntaw,
Kuntaw ng Pilipinas, International Kuntaw Federation, or
NATO all under the guidance of Grandmaster Carlito A.
Lanada Sr. since 1996.
The author is also not affiliate with the American
Maharlika Kuntaw Association or Kuntaw Legacy.
What this book offers is the authors training and
experiences, and the requirements of Kuntaw from his
time in training with Grandmaster Lanada from 1972 until
1995 and what has been told to him since commencing
Kuntaw in 1972.
The author does not wish to dispute any facts on
Kuntaw, for there are so many at the time of this writing
it is like it changes with the weather. And this is just his
experiences and thoughts.
To Order: Click Here
Fighting Patterns of Kuntao and Silat: Chinese Indonesian Combat Arts (Paperback)
By Chris Derbaum and Justin Miller
Fighting Patterns of Kuntao and Silat (Authored by Chris Derbaum, Justin Miller) Brutal and
Devastating Art of Kuntao and Silat. Fighting Patterns of Kuntao and Silat is a book based on a diagram
which is sometimes referred to as Chinese hands and Indonesian feet. The footwork diagrams are a
guide to numerous footwork patterns to put you in the right place at the right time for devastating leg
strikes and takedowns which can also be used against multiple attackers. There are over 140 pages of
footwork patterns alone in the book that serve as a “how to” guide so you can follow along and practice
on your own. The book also includes the most basic footwork stances to more complicated takedowns
in this devastating system. When the same diagram is turned upright all the explosive handwork and
brutal knifework is also followed from this diagram. There is also a short history of Kuntao-Silat from
China-Indonesia and some of the first teachers that brought these arts to the United States. Authors Chris
Derbaum and Justin Miller both worked in the law enforcement field for over 35 years and have applied
the arts of Kuntao-Silat to numerous real life situations. - 208 pages
Paperback $33.75
Amazon.com: Click Here
Fighting Staff
Warrior Weapons of the Filipino Martial Arts
This exceptional video production is a
collaboration between Grandmaster Rene Latosa
and the International Union For Escrima & Wing
Tsun (IUEWT). The contents of this production has
never been covered indepth like this before in any
production worldwide and sets a new benchmark.
The four part production is about the Fighting
Staff. It leads the viewer through the basics such
as foundations, grips, balance, hits and types of
weapons. Everything on the DVD’s is meant to inspire
the viewer’s own innovations and creativity as how
to practice the use of the Fighting Staff. As in any
educational environment understanding what needs
to be done is as important as how it is done – so
listening and learning how to develop the use of the
Fighting Staff will become valuable. The job of this
video production is to guide, help discover potential
and to provide the tools to become the best that there
can be.
Trailer: Click Here
Order at: www.wt-velbert.de
School Submission
The schools listed teach Filipino martial arts, either as the main curriculum or an added curriculum.
If you have a school that teaches Filipino martial arts, or you are an instructor that teaches, but does not have a school, list the school or style
so individuals who wish to experience, learn and gain knowledge have the opportunity.
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FMA Informative Newspaper Vol4 No.1

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