News letter - Wing

News letter
May 2007
The last instructor material for the 7th – 9th student grade (Advanced level) is now finished.
The instructors will go through this on the August instructor seminar in WT Center together with
the 4th – 6th student program (Intermediate level).
Work will now proceed on the 1st – 4th technician programs (Senior Instructor level programs)
Summercamp2007
At summer camp both Weapons Combat and Historical Weapons Combat was taught twice a day
(except for Wednesday where there where only one session).
Senior Instructors Chris Williamson and Bengt Abrahamsson did a great job teaching when the
“Chief” was otherwise engaged in the cooking.
WEAPONS
Instructor material for all student grades finished
7/2007
Combat
Systems™
Even though summer camp was announced very late over 90 participated in the camp. Among
those present I think it will be remembered as on of the best (and that is something considering
the weather – see picture).
News letter
May 2007
Under this headline will be some articles on some of the systems, persons and ideas the lie
behind and have influenced the development of Weapons Combat Systems™.
Filipino martial arts
Escrima, Arnis, Kali are just a few name used to describe the martial art brought to the United States by Filipinos.
Whatever name it goes under, the art has had a long and savage history, dating back to 1521 when Spanish rule first
came to the Philippine Islands. Before colonization by Spain, Escrima was taught as a recreational activity, along with
reading, writing, religion and Sanskrit.
The Spaniards had a hard time imposing their rule on the inhabitants, who wielded their bolos, daggers and sticks with
fierce and deadly effectiveness. Not until they brought in reinforcements and firearms could they affect any semblance of
order.
In the seventeen hundreds, when Spanish rule was firmly secured, the teaching and study of Escrima was banned (in the
same way as the Japanese overlords banned the ownership of weapons on Okinawa). The carrying of a bolo (a long
bladed weapon similar to a machete) or dagger was also forbidden. These orders were imposed in an attempt to "civilize"
the spirited Filipinos.
Escrima then became a clandestine art (as did the art of Karate on Okinawa) and was practiced in secret. When it reemerged it went unnoticed by the Spaniards. It had been set to native music and performed as it was, without weapons;
the movements resembled only a harmless dance. This "dancing" even became popular with the rulers and
demonstrations were given in public at fiesta time.
The real Escrima had not died though, as the Spanish soldiers found out every time there was a revolt. From generation
to generation, the many different regional styles, collectively termed Escrima, were kept alive, being handed down from
father to son over the centuries.
When Spanish rule ended and the Americans took over in 1898, the ban on the art was lifted. Friendly competitions were
then conducted in public at fiesta's but the teachers never "opened their doors", so to speak and Escrima remained a
semi-secretive activity.
The country was to see a lot more martial arts action in the ensuing years. When the war came, the Japanese invaded
the Philippines and a lot of Filipinos worked alongside the Americans in guerilla units. Many of these owed their lives, in
countless close-quarter engagements, to their Escrima training--the custom issued machete closely resembled their
native bolo. This is an art that has been well and truly tested, over a long period of time in actual combat.
After the war, many Filipinos had immigrated to the USA--needless to add, Escrima went with them. Most of the
immigrants went to Hawaii and California. Of these that went to California the majority settled in Stockton and it is from
there that Arnis / Escrima have surfaced onto the American martial arts scene.
The "discovery" of Escrima, along with the widespread use of the Nunchaku weapon, must be credited to the late Bruce
Lee. His portrayal of the use of the "double sticks" in the movie "Enter the Dragon" and the unfinished "Game of Death"
brought the art of Filipino Stick fighting out into the open. Bruce Lee was taught Escrima by his student and friend, Danny
Inosanto who had in turn been trained by a distinguished Escrimador (the title given to practitioners of the art) in Stockton,
California.
The Filipino Martial Arts is virtually unknown to the general public because of its late entry into the mainstream martial
arts world. What hasn’t helped the popularity growth of Escrima is the stigma attached to how it is taught. Escrima is
noted for using weapons, usually sticks, as the primary tool to learn the basic concepts of the art, with the secondary
focus being the empty hands. The idea of just picking up a stick or any weapon is a scary thought, and avoiding rather
than exploring the beauty of the art seems safer and is less time consuming.
WEAPONS
The roots of Weapons Combat (Escrima) 1
7/2007
Combat
Systems™
News letter
May 2007
Latosa developed his unique style of Escrima using the fighting concepts from several of his well known instructors and
from his family system taught to him by his Father. He developed a teaching system using concepts instead of
techniques, to ensure a high level of retention among the students.
What is misunderstood most about Escrima is the idea that the stick is only a tool used to learn the art's basic concepts.
Actually, the stick represents using any type of object, as well as the empty hand to protect you. What you have is a truly
unique system which students learn to master weapons while concurrently learning how to use empty hands. In most
other martial arts systems, the line of progression is to master the empty hands before you can go on to learn weapons.
Using a stick to learn the martial arts unearths a visual fear of getting hurt or hurting someone (especially in the hands)
while training. This is especially true when an individual has had no previous martial arts training. There is also that
“mental picture”, or fear of an attacker taking your weapon and using it against you. Nevertheless, weapons seem scary
and rightfully so. There are right and wrong; safe and dangerous; methods of teaching students how to handle and
respect weapons. The same rationale holds true for other day to day type of activities such as learning how to drive,
wiring a lamp, swimming, flying a plane, jogging, weight lifting, cooking and other skills. Doing something in the wrong
way can spell disaster. Learning Escrima is as safe as the instructor who teaches the art.
Everyone is mindful of the fact that very few people walk around with a stick in their hands, so the art doesn’t apply to
them. However, as stated before, the stick only represents forms of weapons such as a set of car keys, a fountain pen, a
newspaper, a water bottle, your cell phone as well as your empty hands. The idea that people can only use their fist or a
kick to effectively fend off your attacker is something you may see on television or in the movies. The truth of the matter
is, knowing how to use these concepts may save your life or the life of your loved ones. The beauty of Escrima is that
there is very little difference when using your empty hand and using a weapon. There is a smooth transition between the
two because the art is taught using concept instead of techniques.
Like in everyday life, we never know what to expect. We never know who we are dealing with that day, what business
deals we have to make, decisions that have to be made, so we have to react with the ability to be flexible and rationale in
what we do. In the basic survival skills the same applies. What are the attributes of an attacker? An attacker comes in
any shape or form. They could be stronger then you, faster then you, have knowledge of the martial arts, and could be a
veteran in street fighting just to name a few attributes. An attacker can attack from the front, but usually it will be from
your blind side. If you hit your attacker with your hands or with a kick, you may end up hurting yourself more then your
opponent, or if you don’t execute the defensive attack with any strength, it wouldn’t stop the person anyway. A weapon
on the other hand has no nerve endings, bones or skin, and unlike your hands and it doesn’t hurt or feel pain. Think of it,
if you don’t have the same strength as your attacker, you might not be able to stop the attack. In the same setting, if you
had used an object like car keys and you hit your attacker in the face, this may allow you the time to run or call for help.
The harder the object, the more damage the weapon will do against your opponent with less applied strength. Hitting an
attacker with a weapon, especially if it will save your life or someone in your family, is warranted. That is the harsh reality.
Training in the Filipino art of Escrima teaches a person to use everyday objects as a weapon or in more civil terms,
“leveling the playing field”.
Escrima teaches the basic and logical concepts in using weapons (focus,
speed/timing/distance, power, balance and transition); these concepts are so logical and pure that a person can
actually use them in living their everyday life. For example, the most important concept is balance. Balance is the
foundation of Escrima as well as most tasks we perform throughout our lives. Knowing how to obtain it, and when you
get off balanced, how to get it back. Balance is a key that opens the other concepts necessary in the martial arts.
Balance is truly multi-dimensional. Think of balance in terms of learning how to ride a bike. There is more then just
getting on, peddling and keeping the bike upright. The bike has two wheels, and the main objective is to keep it going
forward by balancing the front wheels against the stationary back wheels while moving forward. If there is too much
weight to the left or to the right, the bike will tip over. The rider must be able to balance their focus to make sure they
don’t ride into a ditch or a tree, and also looking ahead at the cars on the road, people walking, plus being aware of what
is coming up from behind. So far that seems pretty easy but now there is an issue of speed and controlling speed so that
the fast approaching tree won’t be the collision point. And what about those traffic lights? Eventually there has to be a
time to stop. This is the braking point, which also has to be balanced. When there is sudden braking applied to the front
of the bike, there is a chance the rear of the bike could easily become the front of the bike, or even flip over. If there is
too much brake in the rear and not any pressure on the front, this may not be enough to stop. All these tasks have to be
balanced or it becomes unsafe to ride a bike for both rider and everyone else who occupies the road. If you look closely
to this objective of riding a bike, the Escrima concepts are exactly the same. There is the balance which becomes the
foundation of the system. Speed (timing, distance) is the element of execution as to when you can hit your attacker.
Power is driven by the foundation of balance, dictated by the distance and the speed of the attack or offense movement.
Your focus is expanded to look at the person as a whole rather then just focusing on the on coming attack. In other
words if you look too much at one hand, you may never see the other hand. Transition is the ability to use a comb, brush
or keys without radically changing any physical movements you already know.
The objective is to neutralize the
situation, not focus upon whether the attacker throws a right hands or a left hand, the main objective is to nullify the
attacker.
Escrima makes use of concepts as the main catalyst of learning and increasing the rate of information retention. In
Escrima, techniques are used as a device to practice concepts. Techniques teach a person how to apply the concepts in
a practice setting. Concepts are applied as needed, in various circumstances and this provides more flexibility and
adaptation in the execution. This is Latosa Escrima.
Extract from Grandmaster Rene Latosa’s homepage. GM Rene was the first to introduce Filipino martial arts to Europe in the beginning of the seventies. GM
Rene was Chief Instructor Lars Lind’s first teacher and Grand Master and founder of Latosa Escrima.
WEAPONS
Learning Escrima as taught by Rene Latosa
7/2007
Combat
Systems™
News letter
May 2007
In the short period Weapons Combat has existed, many have asked if it is Escrima or what has happened
with Escrima?
Weapons Combat is Escrima, or more precisely, Chief Instructor Sifu Lars Lind’s personal interpretation of
PMAS Escrima/Combat Escrima/Latosa Escrima/Escrima Concept (the names have changed several times,
but Escrima was always there)). This interpretation has a heavy (and healthy) influence from WingTsun,
which Sifu Lars has practiced for more than 30 years.
So to counter any confusion, it has been decided to modify the name Weapons Combat to Weapons
Combat Escrima.
Weapons Combat Systems™ will now consist of: Weapons Combat Escrima™ and Historical Weapons
Combat™.
I’m sure that many practitioners have missed the name Escrima, but now its back!
Weapons Combat Systems™ weekend in Hammenhög in Sweden
Last year we spend a lovely weekend in Hammenhög in Sweden doing Historical Weapons. This year we
have decided to extent this to the whole system, so both Historical and Weapons Combat will be taught
simultaneously.
The price will be SEK 1.000, included in price are: all training, Breakfast, lunch and dinner in Tai restaurant,
stay in shared double room.
Schedule
Saturday September 22nd
00.80 – 09.00 - Breakfast
10.00 – 12.00 – Weapons Combat Escrima/Historical Weapons Combat
12.00 – 13.00 – Lunch
13.00 – 15.00 - Weapons Combat Escrima/Historical Weapons Combat
After training, we will visit some of the historical sights in the area.
Sunday September 23rd
00.80 – 09.00 - Breakfast
09.00 – 12.00 – Weapons Combat Escrima /Historical Weapons Combat
12.00 – 13.00 – Lunch
Use this unique opportunity to meet with good friends and get a lot of training. It will be possible to be tested
for grades, this time in both Historical Weapons Combat and Weapons Combat.
st
If you want to participate I need an e-mail from you before September 1 2007, as we need to book in
advance.
Pleas e-mail: [email protected]
WEAPONS
New name for Weapons Combat
7/2007
Combat
Systems™
News letter
May 2007
August 4th – Malmo – Weapons Combat grading seminar
August 5th – Malmo – Weapons Combat knife seminar
August 12th – WT Center – Weapons Combat grading seminar
All the above with Sifu Lars
I will be on summer holiday August 18th – September 3rd; there will be normal classes in the HQ.
In my absence Senior Instructor Chris Williamson and Instructors Kim Hansen and Peter Tønder
will teach my classes.
In September
September 2nd – WT Center – Historic Weapons Combat seminar – Medieval Dagger seminar
This seminar will explore unarmoured dagger fighting and defenses shown in the German fight
books from Liegnitzer to Meyer
with Senior Instructor Bengt Abrahamsson
September 22nd – 23rd – Hammenhög – Weapons Combat Systems weekend
See announcement of Hammenhög Weapons Combat System weekend in this Newsletter
Seminars
We have now almost finished the seminar plan for fall 2007, if any schools want to host seminars
in Weapons Combat Escrima or Historic Weapons Combat it’s now you should contact me!
You should also start thinking about seminars in first half of 2008 – planning is half the job.
Questions on this letter, seminars or Weapons Combat Systems™ can be put to me personally on telephone 40 30 48 39
or by mail to [email protected].
Sifu Lars, Chief instructor Weapons Combat Systems
WEAPONS
In August we have the following arrangements
7/2007
Combat
Systems™