ESKRIMOLOGY : A COMPENDIUM OF ARTICLES ON FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS By Jay de Leon

First Printing 2006

FOREWORD
This e-book is a compendium of articles I have written, with an underlying theme of some sort which the title Eskrimology suggests. I do not believe that you will the word eskrimology in the dictionary. If it were a real word, it should mean the study or science of eskrima, another name for Filipino martial arts. I have a suggestion. For us, let us define the word eskrimology as the study and enjoyment of eskrima. For nothing has given me more earthly enjoyment than studying, practicing and even writing about eskrima. Some of the articles have been published previously, mostly in online magazines. Some of them are being published for the first time here. I would like to fancy that Eskrimology is more than just a collection of articles thrown together. I hope to present a literary collage of historical events, engaging personages, current events, anecdotal tidbits, pictorial illustration and some purely subjective views on eskrima. The first part of the book, the bulk of it, is indeed about eskrima or Filipino martial arts (FMA). At first I was tempted to group the articles in categories but eventually decided against it. I decided to let the reader take his own literary journey, either look at the overall fabric and rich tapestry of Filipino martial arts, or store individual articles in the different compartments of his martial arts memory bank if he so chooses. The second part deals mostly about entertainmentmovies, television, and the like. Most of them have a direct or tangential relation with either traditional or Filipino martial arts. I had fun writing those articles, since it blended two arts or disciplines I enjoyed, martial arts and entertainment. I hope you enjoy reading Eskrimology as much as I enjoyed writing the articles. Jay de Leon

ESKRIMOLOGY

Table of Contents Part I: Filipino Martial Arts

ALL THE FAMILY: CURRENT INHERITORS OF THEIR FAMILY SYSTEMS IN FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS BLADEMASTERS OF FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS IN THE U.S. ESKRIDO: GM CACOY CANETES LONG-AWAITED BOOK CONTEMPORARY FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS STYLES FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS MASTERS WHO ARE ALSO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND MILITARY TRAINERS SEEN ANY GOOD FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS MOVIES LATELY? FMA VIDEOS YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR LIBRARY FUSING FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS, FOLKLORE, FANTASY AND STORYTELLING GATPUNO ABON BAET AND GARIMOT ARNIS HARIMAW BUNO (FILIPINO WRESTLING) HILOT: THE HEALING ARTS OF FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS LEGENDARY FOUNDERS OF FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS FERDINAND MAGELLAN, THE BATTLE OF MACTAN AND FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS MODERN ARNIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST MYTHS, MYSTERIES AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT FMA SPOTLIGHT ON JEREMIAH STANELY THE BACKYARD TRAINING IN FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS THE DAY REMY PRESAS DIED THE RENAISSANCE MAN OF MODERN ARNIS: MASTER RENE TONGSON THE TOUGHEST FIGHTERS IN THE HISTORY OF FMA HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN TRAINING EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SPREAD OF FMA IN THE U.S.

MODERN ARNIS TIPUNAN MAKES HISTORICAL DEBUT BOOKS ABOUT FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR LIBRARY TRAINING WITH THE PROFESSOR, THE SECOND TIME AROUND ABANIKO DE TRES PUNTAS ESTILO THE FIGHTING WEAPONS OF FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS

Part II: Entertainment and Martial Arts

MARTIAL ARTS ROLES: BOON OR CURSE? ACTORS WITH BLACK BELTS FILIPINO ACTION STARS IN THE MOVIES ROGUES GALLERY OF MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE VILLAINS STRONG WOMEN ON-SCREEN, PART I: THE PIONEERS STRONG WOMEN ON-SCREEN, PART II: ACTION QUEENS AND LADIES-IN-WAITING THE PIONEERS OF MARTIAL ARTS ON-SCREEN

ALL IN THE FAMILY : CURRENT INHERITORS OF THEIR FAMILY SYSTEMS IN FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS By Jay de Leon The issue of succession in martial arts has always been a sticky wicket. When the head of a martial arts system dies, who succeeds him in the organization? Most of the time, answering this seeming innocuous question becomes a contentious, divisive, untimely, petty, unseemly, and very public affair. It seems that the more famous the deceased Master and the bigger the organization, the more acrimonious the battle of the pretenders, and the more uneasy the ascension of the inheritor. Examples would include the succession to Ed Parker (Parker Kenpo), Gen. Choi (TaeKwonDo) and, ironically, even Bruce Lee (jeet kune do). Why ironic in the case of Bruce Lee? Because Bruce Lee would have said, Do not fight over my classical mess. Make up your own. That is the essence of jeet kune do.

Bruce Lee (left) battles villain Bob Wall In Enter the Dragon

Well, Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) has fared no better. The deaths of several grandmasters in the past decade have produced the same acrimonious struggle, squabbling and bickering over succession. Without going into details, the deaths of the following modern grandmasters have produced succession, schism and secession issues within the system itself Professor Remy Presas, Mangisursuro Mike Inay, Ted Lucaylucay, Edgar Sulite, and Angel Cabales. Instead, we will look at the other side of the coin with this article. These are relatives of grandmasters who have stepped up to the plate, and by dint of hard work, fence-mending, people skills, and media savvy, are carrying on the life work, vision and humanity of the Founder. In this list, we are limiting the scope to actual blood relatives who would have made the old man proud, the so-called chips of the old block. For them, they have managed to keep the system all in the family. So here are the inheritors of family systems, currently making names for themselves. As some of you knowledgeable readers will probably notice, a few are not really direct inheritors, but they have taken the initiative, seized the day, and assumed a leadership role in their family style without a formal coronation, making their efforts even more laudable.

Yuli Romo Philippines Epifanio Yuli Romos great uncle was Wenceslao Eslao Romo, one of the most respected Filipino martial artists of the 1940s who defeated many revered masters in challenge matches, including the famous Felicisimo Dizon.

Master Yuli Romo Punong Guro Yuli is one of the most senior and dynamic students of the late Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimo, and is known for his creative interpretation of the art, as well as his devastating disarming techniques. He now calls his system Zu-Bu.

GM Yuli Romo (left) and Jay de Leon at the Bakbakan Filipino Martial Arts Invitational Tournament in Manila in July 2006.

Jason and Jena Inay U.S. Jason and Jena Inay are the son and daughter, respectively, of Mangisursuro Mike Inay, Founder of the Inayan System of San Jose, California. Mike Inay was a senior student of Angel Cabales, Gilbert Tenio and Dentoy Reventar. From a young age, Jason and Jena have been helping their father perform demos in Northern California, including the annual Kilohana Gasshuku (training camp) in San Jose, CA.

Guro Jason Inay Jason and Jena Inay are exceptional arnisadors, extremely personable and articulate, and are continuing their fathers legacy. There are, however, splinter groups of the Inayan System who are equally active, including one in Europe.

Rodrigo Maranga Philippines Rodrigo Drigo Maranga is the son of the illustrious Grandmaster Timoteo Timor Maranga, founder of Tres Personas Eskrima de Combate Super Kuwentada System. This system is now known as C.E.M or Combat Eskrima Maranga, and this is the system that Drigo Maranga teaches in Cebu City, in the Philippines. Arnis practitioners in the U.S. are hoping he will accept several invitations to do demos in the U.S. in the future.

Rodrigo Drigo Maranga

Chris Sayoc U.S. Christopher Chris Sayoc is the son of Baltazar Bo Sayoc, founder of the Sayoc Kali system and a pioneer of FMA in the U.S. Bo Sayoc has retired to Cavite City, in the Philippines and Chris has been head of this family system in Philadelphia for a while now.

Tuhon Chris Sayoc

This system is authentic, their organization is solid, the upper echelon instructors are top-rate, instruction is first-class and Tuhon Chris is one of the most approachable grandmasters around. Following family tradition, Tuhon Chriss two sons are also senior instructors in his system, Chris Jeff Sayoc, Jr. and Jimmie Sayoc.

Ramon Rubia/Eva Canete Rubia U.S. Eva Canete Rubia is the granddaughter of Eulogio Yuling Canete, first President of the original Doce Pares Club of Cebu, Philippines, and wife of Ramon Rubia, an instructor in Doce Pares out of Orange County, California. Technically, they are not the inheritors of a system, but this husband-wife team has taken on the mantle of leadership in San Miguel Eskrima, the personal style of Filemon Momoy Canete.

They have made several trips to the Philippines to research the history and original techniques of the system from the original practitioners of Momoys San Miguel Eskrima still living in Cebu. Ramon Rubias tournament fighters have begun to make their presence felt in many local FMA tournaments in California.

Vincent Cabales U.S. Vincent Cabales is the son of Angel Cabales, founder of the Cabales Serrada System and a name associated with the spread of FMA in the U.S. Leadership of the famed system, as well as the Cabales Serrada Academy, was passed on to his son Vincent.

Master Vincent Cabales In a recent interview published early this year in 2006, Vincent Cabales admits to numerous rifts with many of Angels former students, but reiterated that his organization was carrying on the work of his father and has numerous projects in the pipeline including more schools, more organizational infrastructure, a training film and a documentary on Serrada, and of course, ongoing classes at the famed Academy in Stockton.

Diana Inosanto and Ron Balicki U.S. Diana Inosanto is the daughter of Dan Inosanto, founder of Inosanto Kali and keeper of the flame for Bruce Lees jeet kune do, and the wife of Ron Balicki, a senior JKD and Lameco instructor, professional shooto fighter, law enforcement trainer and stuntman and fight choreographer.

Diana Inosanto

In addition to teaching FMA, the couple has lately collaborated in producing FMA videos, as well as producing commercial movie and TV projects, both in front and behind the camera.

Ron Balicki

Raffy Pambuan U.S. Raffy Pambuan is a fifth generation inheritor of a family system from Santa Cruz, Laguna, Philippines, now called Pambuan Arnis Tulisan Caballero. Lolo Guro Isidro Pambuan, the grandson of the founder, is considered the developer of the family system.

Lolo Guro Isidro Pambuan Ama Guro Raffy learned the family system in his youth. In 1993, he immigrated to Orlando, Florida, US and continued his training with FMA pioneer Bo Sayoc. In 1996, he was inducted, and is a member of, the World Head of Family Sokeship Council. He continues to teach out of Gotha, Florida and attends many Masters seminars in the US.

Ama Guro Raffy Pambuan

Remy Presas, Jr., Mary Jane Presas, and Demetrio Presas U.S.

Remy, Jr., Mary Jane, and Demetrio are the children of Professor Remy Presas, Founder of Modern Arnis. All of them started their arnis training at an early age, actually helping their father Remy in his early demos of Modern Arnis in the Philippines and Asia. After their fathers death, they formed the organization MARPPIO (Modern Arnis of Remy Presas International Organization) to further their fathers legacy.

Demetrio Presas

Manuel Caballero Philippines Manuel Mawe Caballero is the son of Grandmaster Jose D. Caballero, founder of the style known as De Campo 1-2-3 (Uno, Dos, Tres) Orihinal. He trained in the Philippine Army and garnered extensive combat experience fighting Muslim insurgents in Jolo, Mindanao.

Manuel Mawe Caballero

While he is not the inheritor of his fathers system, he is a strong proponent and champion of the system. He has competed and won in many tournaments representing his fathers system. Today he continues to teach the same curriculum of De Campo 1-2-3 Orihinal in Toledo City, Cebu, Philippines.

Abon Baet U.S. Abundio Garimot Baet is the inheritor of the family system from Paete, Laguna, Philippines called Garimot Arnis. He comes from a long line of arnisadors, tournament champions and buno experts of Laguna. What makes his tenure a little bit different from his forebears is the fact that he now has to promote the family system in the U.S. versus the familiar confines of Laguna and the Philippines.

Gat Puno Abon Baet in full regalia at the Tipunan sa Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 2005. In addition to the hardcore style of Garimot Arnis, Gat Puno (Chieftain) Abon, as he is more popularly known, is also promoting several unique components or subsystems of his style, the grappling (called Harimaw Buno), and the healing arts (called hilot).

Bruce Ricketts Philippines Bruce Ricketts is the sixteen-year old multi-talented son of Bakbakan great Christopher Topher Ricketts. At the recent Tipunan sa Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 2005, he showcased his considerable skills as his fathers demo partner. He was also fresh from his movie with his uncle, action star Ronnie Ricketts, in a movie Mano y Mano : Arnis, the Lost Art the lone action entry in the 2004 Manila Film Festival.

Bruce Ricketts At a recent seminar, he showed me his magic tricks, including biting a quarter in half and restoring it. I told him that if he could substitute a tiger for the quarter, he could have yet another career in Las Vegas more lucrative than martial arts or the movies.

Just like any other martial arts, the Filipino martial arts are a dynamic arts, ever changing and evolving with technology, nutrition, sports medicine and even business techniques to meet the demands of our changing times. It will be these young blood, steeped in tradition but imbued with a fresh outlook and innovative ideas, who will insure the survival, development and improvement of Filipino martial arts. Copyright, Jay de Leon, 2006

THE BLADEMASTERS OF FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS IN THE U.S. by Jay de Leon Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt, 2006 For those of you that have recently seen the blockbuster Bourne Supremacy, you have probably noticed and marveled at Matt Damons new-found martial arts prowess. What you probably do not know is that, for his action scenes in this movie and its prequel, The Bourne Identity, Matt Damon trained extensively in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA). Another major movie, the Hunted starring Tommie Lee Jones and Benecio del Toro, showcased knife-fighting skills and techniques based on FMA. Students of my friend Tuhon Chris Sayoc of Sayoc Kali can claim credit for choreographing the awesome knife-fighting scenes in that movie.

Tommie Lee Jones and Benecio del Toro in the climactic knife fight in The Hunted. It is no secret that FMA has one of the most effective knife-fighting techniques in martial arts, or in life-and-death combat, for that matter. So youre probably wondering, who are the top guros currently teaching knifefighting skills (sometimes called blademasters or edged weapons experts)?

Here then are the top FMA instructors currently teaching edged or bladed weapons skills in the US.

Chris Sayoc Tuhon Chris Sayoc is the inheritor and current head of the family system, Sayoc Kali, based in Philadelphia. His father, Baltazar Bo Sayoc, was one of the pioneers of FMA in the US, and now currently lives in semiretirement in Cavite, Philippines. The Sayoc system is a blade-oriented system, and is characterized by the deployment of multiple knives in an encounter, and the use of templates in their training system.

Tuhon Chris Sayoc Chris Sayoc conducts seminars, tournaments and training camps all over the U.S., and is one of the designated grandmasters teaching the Dog Brothers. His Sayoc instructor team is so deep and talented that his senior instructors rate mention as blademasters themselves, including Rafael Kayanan, Tom Kier, Felix Cortes and Jeff Chung.

Sonny Umpad Santiago Sonny Umpad is probably the most low profile (some describe him as elusive) bladed weapon expert in the group, but one of the most naturally gifted and fluid fighters in FMA. His lethal system is a Visayan style comprised of elements from Moro-Moro, Doce Pares, Villabrille Kali, Serrada, Balintawak and Wing Chun kung fu, which accounts for some of the low stances he sometimes uses.

Sonny Umpad (right) and young protg Chip Ellsworth To date, he has shunned any commercial products showing his art, but teaches individualized instruction and participates in Masters training camps like Dieter Knuttels seminar in Europe. He also co-authored a wellreceived book on the use of the balisong.

From the authors collection. Includes some tactical folders designed for self-defense.

Christopher Ricketts Christopher Topher Ricketts is the founder and chief instructor for Bakbakan International, a designated grandmaster for Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimos Kalis Ilustrisimo, and a grandmaster of Edgar Sulites Lameco Eskrima. He is also a law enforcement and military trainer, a fight choreographer and director in Filipino movies including his brother Ronnie Rickettss movies, and an author of several books and producer of instruction videos.

Grandmaster Christopher Ricketts (right) in a demo segment with actor son Bruce Ricketts at the Tipunan saDisneyland seminar in Anaheim, California recently this year. He has recently relocated to San Diego, California, makes periodic trips to teach at the Bakbakan headquarters in Lodi, New Jersey, and has hit the seminar trail here in the US including the Bakbakan and Tipunan seminars.

Mat Marinas Amante Mat P. Marinas is the founder of the arnis system called Pananandata (literally, the art of weaponry), and one of the most prolific writers on FMA around. He has either written about or produced tapes on a whole array of weapons including blowguns, throwing knives, ropes, nunchuks, bolo, the 14-inch diameter ring, horsewhips, tonfa, chain and, of course, the balisong (Filipino butterfly knife).

Grandmaster Mat Marinas

He is a true master of Filipino weaponry, including bladed weapons, and has been teaching, conducting seminars and writing for several decades now.

Felix Valencia Felix Valencia is a senior instructor for Lameco Eskrima who has fought numerous full-contact fights at the Dog Brothers Gathering using sticks. But his forte is bladed weapons, which has served him well in his early days of bar bouncing and private security work. He is now one of the premier edged weapons training specialists in the country.

Felix Valencia (right) demonstrates a technique at one of his edged weapons seminars He has provided defensive tactics training to numerous law enforcement agencies like the Los Angeles Police Dept. and Arizona Highway Patrol, knife companies like Cold Steel Knives and Trident Knives, and firearm/weapons schools, like Front Sight, Halo, Close Quarters Battle and Gunsite. He has also worked as a fight choreographer for action movies, and produced DVDs of his knife techniques. He was recently featured in the Feb. 2005 issue of Inside Kung-fu magazine along with senior students Allen Bridgeman and Jimmy Liu. .

Ray Dionaldo Ray Dionaldo is the founder of Filipino Combat Systems in Tampa, Florida. He has the rank of Tuhon in Sayoc Kali, as well as instructor rankings in Modern Arnis under Prof. Remy Presas, in Pekiti-Tirsia Kali under Grand Tuhon Leo T. Gaje, and in Arnis Tulisan under Ama Guro Raffy Pambuan. He has over 100 wins in local and international martial arts and weapons competitions.

Master Ray Dionaldo In addition to teaching FMA seminars worldwide, specializing in bladed weapons, he is an actual blade maker. He is the official knifemaker for the Sayoc Kali organization, and has recently designed a new kerambit.

Kerambit designed by Ray Dionaldo Nene Tortal Grandmaster Jerson Nene Tortal, the nephew of the founder of the PekitiTirsia Kali system, now calls his style Dekiti-Tirsia-Siradas. Just like the original style, it is a highly developed close-quarters in-fighting system, made up of complex sectoring tactics and combat elements with intimidating names like contradas, recontras, recontradas, etc. While Grandmaster Nene Tortal lives in the Philippines, he conducts year round training in the US, and also brings students over to the Philippines for training.

Jerson Nene Tortal

Graciella Casillas Graciella Casillas was a pioneer of womens boxing in the early 1980s and held the World Womens Boxing Association bantamweight title, retiring undefeated with a record of 31-0, with 18 KOs. She has black belts in Tae Kwon Do, BKF Kenpo, and Kodenkan jiu-jitsu.

Graciella Casillas In FMA, she trained under Grandmasters Angel Cabales, Dan Inosanto and Bobby Taboada. She has become a widely recognized defensive edgedweapon expert, magazine columnist, and knife designer. She designed the widely-popular Ladyhawk with women in mind, but this Master of Defense knife has become a favorite of men as well.

Masters of Defense knife Ladyhawk designed by Graciella Casillas

Graciella Casillas with other guests at the Gala Night of the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival held at the Heritage Hotel in Manila on July 2006. From left to right, Linda Pulido, Jay de Leon, Graciella Casillas, Paulina de Leon

Raffy Pambuan Ama Guro Raffy Pambuan is the fifth generation inheritor of a family system from Santa Cruz, Laguna, Philippines now called Pambuan Arnis Tulisan Caballero, a traditional and highly effective blade-oriented system. In 1983, Raffy Pambuan moved to Orlando, Florida and continued training with Grandmaster Bo Sayoc.

Raffy Pambuan

In 1996, he was inducted, and is a member of, the World Head of Family Sokeship Council. In addition to a FMA school he maintains in Gotha, Florida, he conducts many seminars all over the US.

Bram Frank Bram Frank is a happy example of a martial artist who has blended wing chun, karate and arnis, stayed with arnis as a first generation student of Prof. Remy Presas (Modern Arnis), and evolved into one of the most respected and decorated blademasters around.

Bram Frank (left) poses with Modern Arnis mentor Grandmaster Roland Dantes during a recent visit to the Philippines. He is known for improving edged weapon tactics, designing innovative tactical folding knives (such as the Gunting) and less-lethal control tools (such as the CRMIPT, or the Close Range Medium Impact Tool), and producing first rate instructional videos on edged weapons. He has trained the U.S., Russian and Israeli security forces, law enforcement and civilians in the use of edged weapons and control tactics and tools, and is in great demand in the seminar circuit.

The Gunting knife designed by Bram Frank

John Jacobo A seasoned competitor in tae kwon do, kickboxing and FMA stickfighting tournaments, John Jacobo is a senior instructor and West Coast representative of Bakbakan International. In addition to countless seminars, his FMA training includes formal training in Grandmaster Mat Marinass Pananandata and Grandmaster Rey Galangs Kalis Ilustrisimo.

Master John Jacobo

He currently teaches for his organization called The School of Weapon Arts and Combatives (SWACOM), which emphasizes practical self-defense. He has just completed two instructional videos titled The Combat Principles of De Cuerdas and Dos Manos Methods and is active in FMA seminars including the Bakbakan and Tipunan seminars.

John Jacobo during his demo at the Tipunan sa Disneyland held at the Hilton Hotel in Anaheim, CA in August 2005. Others teaching FMA blade arts considered for this article include Bill McGrath (Pekiri-Tirsia), James Keating (Comtech), Rey Galang (Bakbakan), Jeff Imada (for his balisong skills), Michael Janich, Steve Tarani, Hoch Hochheim (Modern Arnis and Kombatan), Abon Baet (Garimot Arnis), Ron Balicki (JKD, Lameco), Roger Agbulos (Lameco), Blaise Loong, and Cass Magda. A note on bladed weapons skill. If you ever see any of these ladies or gentlemen perform bladed weapon demos, either solo or with a partner, it is a thing of beauty. It looks graceful, sinuous, deadly, even balletic. But a real-life knife fight is ugly, bloody, chaotic, scary, disgusting, and sometimes lethal. There is nothing beautiful or noble about it, except for the fact that it may have helped save your life, or that of another human being. Remember that it will probably be more your awareness, your wits, your will to survive, your resolve not to be a victim, your heart, than actual blade skills that will make you survive a dangerous situation. Copyright Jay de Leon, 2005

ESKRIDO: GRANDMASTER CACOY CANETES LONG-AWAITED BOOK By Jay de Leon

Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt 2004

In a recent article, I featured Grandmaster Ciriaco Cacoy Canete as one of the living legends of Filipino martial arts (FMA). And indeed he is. He is a second generation grandmaster of the original Doce Pares Club formed in 1932, and is considered one the storied fighters of his time. He was an amateur boxer and wrestler, as well as a master of several traditional martial arts including Kodokan judo, jiu-jitsu, shorin-ryu karate, kung-fu and aikido.

He served in the military, seeing action in World War II as a guerrilla. It is this spectrum of knowledge of several arts coupled with his fighting experience that has made his style a unique and formidable one. Manong Cacoy has called this style, developed over the years, as Eskrido.

A young Cacoy Canete

For years, both his peers and his students have been urging him to publish a book or produce a video of his system. On his trip to the U.S. this year, Manong Cacoy has ensured that this book became available. I have had a chance to review it, and the wait has been worth it. The book is soft cover, with about 170 pages. In addition to the usual short biography, picture gallery and accolades for Manong Cacoy, there is a short history of Eskrido. This section is interesting for two reasons. Manong Cacoy describes a defining fight when Eskrido was born. You will have to buy the book to find out what fight this was. The second interesting item is a personal coincidence for me. Manong Cacoy describes his martial arts journey and the components of his system, in this sequenceKodokan judo, kung-fu, shorin-ryu (Okinawa) karate, shotokan karate and aikido. That is the exact same sequence of my martial arts training, the only difference was, by the time I took up shotokan and aikido, I had immigrated to the US. Okay, Manong Cacoy was much better at them; I was referring to the sequence. In his judo training, he mentions training under Yuichi Hirose (6th Dan), official representative of Kodokan Judo Institute from Tokyo, Japan. I remember sensei Hirose well; he was a distinguished-looking older gentleman who executed throws effortlessly, and was the first martial artist I saw with a red and white belt. What then is Eskrido? In his book, Manong Cacoy explains that, etymologically, there are two derivations for the name. One is the martial arts components of the style, namely eskrima, jiu-jitsu and judo. And the other is from the terms eskrima and Doce Pares. The essence of Eskrido is that, in addition to the normal strikes, blocks and disarms in a single or double stick encounter, Eskrido allows you to execute locks, arm bars, chokes, takedowns, throws, sweeps and come-alongs, just like in unarmed combat, except you do it with your stick or sticks, or in some cases, with your opponents stick.

The key to success in executing Eskrido techniques is to destroy or break your opponents balance, control your opponents stick hand and body, and use and leverage his weight and momentum against him. If you notice, these are the very same principles used in unarmed combat in judo, jiu-jitsu or aikido. All of these techniques, then, will also work in an unarmed or empty hands situation.

Grandmaster Cacoy Canete (right) executes an Eskrido technique. (Picture not from book). This book is meant for at least mid-level practitioners of the art. This is a technical, well-explained, how-to manual to execute specific Eskrido techniques. The techniques are broken down step by step, the instructions are clear and the pictures are extremely helpful. (All the pictures are of Manong Cacoy and his son Master Dennis). Needless to say, these are excellent, necessary skills to know at medium to close-quarters range in stickfighting, regardless of what your FMA style is. For advanced practitioners, here are some sample drill applications I recommend , using these Eskrido techniques. For your single-stick, counter-for-counter drills, when you see an opening, execute an Eskrido technique to its completion, either a disarm, or a lock, or a throw. That should end the counter-for-counter sequence and you start again, either

taking turns or either person initiating the Eskrido technique. You can ratchet this drill up another level, by trying to counter the initial Eskrido technique, possibly seguing into stickgrappling. I highly recommend this book as a must addition to your martial arts library. But for us dojo rats, it will not spend much time in a bookshelf. It will be on the dojo floor with us, as we try to execute the beautiful moves of Manong Cacoys Eskrido. You may purchase this book at selected martial arts schools and at Manong Cacoys seminars. Manong Cacoy is now well into his eighties, yet maintains a daily regimen of arnis workouts and a grueling pace of seminars, training camps, and interviews, both in the Philippines and US. The week he sent me this book in September, 2004, he was scheduled to give a weekend seminar at the House of Champions, in Van Nuys, California. As a parting word, he wishes to thank his students and all his well-wishers for the tremendous support all these years, especially in his efforts to promote Doce Pares Eskrima, Eskrido and Pangamot. When asked about future projects, he mentioned the upcoming publication of a Revised Doce Pares Basic Eskrima, Espada y Daga (Stick and Dagger) and the 2nd edition of the Fastest Olisi Fighter. And as a final scoop for this report, coming soon will be Manong Cacoys biography written by Jun Canizares of Talisay City, Cebu, Philippines. Now that will be a real treat!

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2004

CONTEMPORARY FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS STYLES By Jay de Leon

For most of us who practice Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), we are familiar with the many major FMA styles being taught here in the U.S. I have been featuring many of these styles and their respective founders or current inheritors, including Serrada (Angel Cabales), Modern Arnis (Remy Presas), Lameco (Edgar Sulite), Pekiti Tirsia (Leo T. Gaje) and a few others. Now I would like to focus on some contemporary albeit lesser known styles of Filipino Martial Arts being taught in the U.S, Canada as well as Europe. And right off the bat, I would like to make clear that lesser known does not mean inferior, less complete or less effective than the major styles. This is definitely true of the following FMA styles that I now feature. Most of these styles have deep roots in the Philippines, steeped in the same fighting history and cultural heritage as the other major styles. Just like the other founders of the major systems, their founders were or are hardened fighters, skilled arnisadors and tireless propagators of the art. Where known, I have indicated the current head or inheritor or senior instructors of the system.

TENIO DECUERDAS

The founder of this system was Gilbert Tenio. You may recognize the name as one of the manongs Guro Dan Inosanto mentions and acknowledges in his book. When he died, succession passed on to his son Richard Tenio, who has since retired.

GM Arthur Gonzalez, Sr. left) at the Tipunan sa Disneyland at the Hilton Hotel in Anaheim, California in 2005. The current head of the system is Grandmaster Arthur Gonzalez, Sr., who currently teaches out of Stockton, California. Another Master authorized to teach the system is Ninjitsu master Richard Van Donk of Santa Cruz, CA who calls his system Dynamic DeCuerdas Eskrima.

Master Richard Van Donk of Dynamic DeCuerdas Eskrima KABAROAN

If you want to be technical about it, the full name of the style is the RigonanEstalilla system of kabaroan. This style was founded by Grandmaster Ramiro Estalilla, who is not exactly unknown. He has been featured in Mark V. Wileys Filipino Martial Culture, and is often invited to many major FMA seminars and training camps. In fact, it was at Myrlino Hufanas Expo and Laban Laro 2004 in Las Vegas where I met him.

Grandmaster Ramiro Estalilla

He had that grandfatherly, gentle mien when I chatted with him, but turned into an energetic warrior the moment he had weapons in his hand. While his style may not be a household word in the FMA world, Grandmaster Estalilla always leaves a lasting impression of his Christian goodness and warrior spirit wherever he goes.

From left to right, Gat Puno Abon Baet, Jay de Leon and Grandmaster Ramiro Estalilla at the Tipunan sa Disneyland in Anaheim, CA in Aug. 2005.

SAN MIGUEL ESKRIMA San Miguel Eskrima is the style founded by Filemon Momoy Canete, a founding stalwart of the original Doce Pares Eskrima Club of Cebu City. Ramon Rubia is a Doce Pares Eskrima instructor who has trained with various Grandmasters of different systems including Richard Bustillo, GM Cacoy Canete, Elmer Ybanez and GM Diony Canete among others. In 1995, he studied with GM Momoy Canete shortly before he died, and actively pursued training with the living disciples of GM Momoy.

Master Ramon Rubia With their approval, Ramon Rubia now heads the San Miguel Eskrima Association, USA as the official representative of the San Miguel Eskrima Association of Cebu in the United States, based in Orange County, California. SINKATAN-ARNIS

From the province of Pangasinan, Philippines comes another authentic style called Sinkatan-Arnis whose current inheritor is Ama Guro Bernardo Fabia Salinas. This style is actually the third generation of the estrella system originally founded by the late legendary Estoque Maestro Mauricio Fabia of Manaoag, Pangasinan, and is composed of different fighting styles : ruedo, compass, serrado, estocada and de pasada.

GM Saturnino Quinto Fabia Ama Guro Bernardo Salinas operates out of British Columbia, Canada under his group Society of Federated Martial Arts which also holds a prestigious annual Hall of Fame Awards and Tournament. Until recently, this style was under the supervision of Grandmaster Saturnino Quinto Fabia of the Philippines, who passed away in June 2005.

LEMA SCIENTIFIC KALI ARNIS SYSTEM (LESKAS) This style branched off Lightning Scientific Arnis Intl (LSAI), founded by the late Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema, more popularly known as Mang Ben. His senior student and successor, Master Elmer Ybanez, renamed his own style Lema Scientific Kali Arnis System (LESKAS) in honor of his master. He eventually immigrated to the U.S. and started teaching in Washington state. Unfortunately, he died unexpectedly in 2004, leaving LESKAS without a guro in the U.S.

Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema (left) with Master Elmer Ybanez

There is, however, a core group of advanced students who have decided to stay together and carry on Master Elmers teachings. In honor of Master Ybanez, they were invited to do a demo at Myrlino Hufanas Expo and Laban Laro in Las Vegas in 2004, and did a creditable job. They were Chris Turla, Ryan Greene, Joe Gabriel and Bob Park.

Chris Turla, Joe Gabriel, Ryan Greene and Bob Park after their LESKAS demo in Las Vegas In the Philippines, the senior instructors of LESKAS include Nathan Dominguez, Felipe Bot Jocano, Manolo Luis C. del Rosario, Joshua Medroso and Jon Escudero. Mang Bens original group, Lightning Scientific Arnis Intl, continues to be active in the Philippines with its own set of senior instructors, including Grandmaster Roberto Labaniego.

GM Roberto Bert Labaniego (left) and Jon Escudero perform a lively demonstration at the Gala Night of the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts at the Heritage Hotel in Manila in July 2006.

ASTIG Astig is a Tagalog slang or street word meaning tough or hard, and that exactly describes the hard-hitting style founded by Roger Agbulos. Its main elements consist of techniques from Edgar Sulites Lameco Eskrima and De Campo 1-2-3 (Uno-Dos-Tres) Orihinal.

Gat Puno Abon Baet (left) and Roger Agbulos demonstrate their respective largo mano systems at the Tipunan sa Disneyland at the Hotel Hilton in Anaheim, California in Aug. 2005.

Roger Agbulos teaches out of the San Fernando Valley in California, and is active in the seminar circuit, currently affiliated with Rey Galangs Bakbakan International, Jay de Leons Tipunan International organization and the Lameco and Mandirigma organizations.

At the Tipunan mini-seminar in Dec. 2005 in Toluca Lake, California. From left to right, Roger Agbulos, Jay de Leon, Dino Flores, Topher Ricketts and Bruce Ricketts.

BLACK EAGLE ESKRIMA Black Eagle Eskrima is the system founded by Grandmaster Carlos Navarro of Cebu, Philippines. His first instructors were his half-Portuguese grandfather Mariano Navarro, who taught him his style called Eskrima de Llave and his father Olipio who taught him Eskrima de Abanico. Carlos Navarro eventually became a training partner and friend to Eulogio Yoling Canete (president of Doce Pares at the time of its founding) and Epping Atillo. He founded his school in Cebu City in the 1960s which remains open to this day.

Grandmaster Carlos Navarro (center)

Carlos Navarro is also known for a classic finals face-off with Cacoy Canete in the first national arnis tournament held at the Cebu Coliseum in 1979. Carlos Navarro immigrated to Australia in the late 1980s where he still trains students. Most of his students are in the United Kingdom and Australia (headed by senior instructor Graham Jamieson of Brisbane), as well as the Philippines.

ARNIS BALITE Arnis Balite comes from the province of Zambales, in Luzon, the Philippines, founded by Manuel Aguillon. Aguillon was a champion boxer who integrated that skill with arnis. In his lifetime, he was a guerrilla fighter in World War II, a law enforcement officer, a barangay (town) official and a sports promoter.

Punong Guro Steven Dowd (right) with Jay de Leon at the Tipunan sa Disneyland at the Hotel Hilton in Anaheim, California in 2005. He passed away in 1991 and designated Punong Guro Steven K. Dowd as the inheritor and executor of his Arnis Balite system. Currently, PG Dowd teaches private students, conducts seminars and publishes the widely popular FMA Digest, an online magazine featuring articles and stories about Filipino martial arts and Filipino news and culture.

PANANANDATA Pananandata, literally meaning weaponry, is the style created by Grandmaster Amante Mat Marinas, Sr. True to his styles name, GM Marinas is a master of myriad of Philippine weapons including the balisong (butterfly knife), dikin (ring), hawakan (tonfa), latigo (whip), tabak toyok (nunchaku), and blowguns A native of the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines, he learned FMA as a child from his granduncle Leon Marcelo.

Grandmaster Amante Mat Marinas

He also holds black belts in other traditional martial arts systems like aikido and shorin-ryu. GM Marinas is also one of the most prolific FMA writers, having written hundreds of articles, books and video scripts.

VICAR ARNIS In a published article, I featured the founder of this system, Grandmaster Vicente Inting Carin, an 11th degree black belt in Doce Pares, as one of The Toughest Fighters in the History of Filipino Martial Arts. At the time I wrote the article, he was still alive and teaching. Sadly, this legendary eskrima warrior passed away recently in December of 2004. His legacy lives on in the Philippines with his sons, Fredo and Vicente Jun Carin, Jr., as well as senior students in Europe and the U.S.

Grandmaster Vicente Carin shows his scars from knife wounds.

GARIMOT ARNIS The Garimot system which traces its roots back to the early 17th century comes from the province of Laguna, Philippines. Its current head is Abundio Baet, more popularly known as Gat Puno (Chieftain) Abon Garimot Baet, who comes from a long line of full-contact stick fighters.

Gat Puno Abon Garimot Baet

Immigrating to the U.S. in 1986, he established the Philippine Martial Arts Garimot System USA International in Florida not long afterwards, in 1989. This system is composed of Garimot Arnis, Buno (wrestling) and Hilot (healing arts). Gat Puno Abon is active in the seminar circuit, and has written books on his system. Recently, he demonstrated all aspects of his art including buno, hilot and the lubid at the Tipunan sa Disneyland in August 2005 presented by Tipunan International.

I daresay for supposedly minor FMA systems, these systems have produced quite an impressive array of arnisadors and guros. In FMA, just like in traditional martial arts, there is no superior or best or most complete or most lethal system. In FMA, just like in traditional martial arts, you want authenticity, effectiveness and traditional core values. And that is what you will get with the styles featured here.

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

Filipino Martial Arts Masters Who Are Also Law Enforcement & Military Trainers By Jay de Leon
Originally Published in FMADigest, 2005 Primarily because of their familiarity with weapons, many Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) instructors are much sought after by law enforcement, military and security officers as trainers. Many FMA sub-systems and techniques are geared towards combat on the battlefield; for example, the Pekiti-Tirsia system had bayonet systems, as part of World War II battlefield techniques. Some subsystems or techniques lend themselves to law enforcement or security work, like baton techniques, control and restraint techniques using weapons and empty hands, etc. Many of these FMA trainers are battle-tested, street-wise, and well versed in the total spectrum of weapons, including modern weapons like firearms, tactical folders, and non-lethal weapons. Here then are the elite FMA instructors in the U.S. who are also law enforcement, military or security trainers. You will note that some are in law-enforcement or the military themselves, while some are strictly civilian trainers. Their original FMA styles are also denoted.

Timothy D. Waid Pekiti-Tirsia Kali Timothy D. Waid is a certified Master Instructor of the PekitiTirsia Kali system, and serves as Director of the Pekiti-Tirsia Global Organization -North America. Guro Waid served with distinction Tuhon Leo Gaje, Jr. (left) in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Timothy Waid beginning his study of FMA while stationed with the Marine Corps in the Philippines.

As Director of Survival Edge Systems/Pekiti-Tirsia Tactical Training Institute, Tim Waid instructs military units and law enforcement agencies worldwide in officer survival and tactical training programs. Tim Waid currently serves as a Consultant and Tactical Training Instructor to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, government agencies, and private business. Hock Hochheim Modern Arnis, Kombatan W. Hock Hochheim is the Founder of Scientific Fighting Congress (SFC), which uses a hybrid of military, police and martial arts tactics. He is a 23-year Texas Police and Military Police veteran. In addition to various traditional martial arts, he has instructor ranking in Modern Arnis under Professor Remy Presas and in Kombatan under Grandmaster Ernesto Presas. He has taught weapons and close quarter combat to over fifty military and police units, and has authored several books as well as over forty instructional videos for both law enforcement and civilian use. William McGrath Pekiti-Tirsia International William Bill McGrath carries the rank of Tuhon (Chief Instructor), the first person outside the Tortal family (the founding family) to attain such rank in the Pekiti-Tirsia Kali system. Today, he is president of Pekiti-Tirsia International and lives and works in New York as a New York State Court Officer. He is also the Chief Impact Weapons Instructor for the New York State Court System and author of the New York State Court Officers Defensive Tactics manual. He is certified by the FBI as a Police Defense Tactics Instructor, and by the State of New York as a Police Firearms Instructor.

Bram Frank Modern Arnis Bram Frank is a first generation student of Professor Remy Presas (Modern Arnis) with instructor rankings in the traditional martial arts of wing chun and karate. He is respected as a blade master, and has won awards for improving edged weapon tactics, designing innovative tactical folding knives (such as the Gunting) and lesslethal control tools (such as the CRMIPT, or the Close Range Medium Impact Tool), and producing first rate instructional videos on edged weapons. He has trained the U.S., Russian and Israeli security forces, law enforcement and civilians in the use of edged weapons and control tactics and tools. Erwin Ballarta Pekiti-Tirsia Kali Erwin Ballarta is a master instructor of Pekiti-Tirsia Kali system. He was the first full-contact arnis champion at the Palarong Pilipino Pekiti-Tirsia tournament in 1977 in New York, New York. With over 22 years of law enforcement experience in Texas, he is the defensive tactics coordinator and instructor for state and federal police, FBI, tactical teams, narcotics agents, recruits and many other enforcement agencies nationwide. He has been assigned to very high-level security and protective details, both public (e.g., President Bush Presidential Campaign Protective detail) and personal (e.g., bodyguard for Lance Armstrong during the Tour de France 2002-2004). Phil Rapagna JKD, Lameco Eskrima Phil Rapagna is an eighteen-year veteran police officer in southern California, with a wealth of real-world tactical and instructional experience. He has spent over twenty-five years in the martial arts, with emphasis on FMA, having instructor ranking under Dan Inosanto and Edgar Sulite. Phil is a Post and FBI certified Firearms Instructor, a recognized authority on SWAT, a USMC Urban Warfare instructor, a USMC Primary Marksmanship Instructor, and a USMC Rappel and Fast Rope Master, a Master/Rescue scuba diver, and a nationally certified tactical medic. He is currently a consultant to the U.S. government and military on firearms, tactics and Close Quarter Combat. He has also worked on very high-level security and protective details, in both the public and private arena.

Felix Valencia Lameco Eskrima Felix Valencia is a senior instructor for Lameco Eskrima, a full-contact stickfighter, a blademaster, and one of the premier law enforcement edged weapons training specialists in the country with an elite clientele. He has provided defensive tactics training to numerous law enforcement agencies like the Los Angeles Police Dept, the Toledo, Ohio Police Academy, Arizona Highway Patrol, the U.S. Marshals (Honolulu, Hawaii) and many others, and firearm/weapons schools, like Front Sight, Halo, Close Quarters Battle (CQB) and Gunsite. In addition, he has served as master-atarms and training instructor for knife companies including Cold Steel Knives and Trident Knives.

Rommel Tortal Pekiti-Tirsia Kali Rommel Tortal is the nephew of Grand Tuhon Leo T. Gaje Jr. and a senior instructor in his Pekiti-Tirsia Kali system. He is the chief instructor of the Pekiti-Tirsia Pitbulls of Manila, Philippines, and serves as Grand Tuhon Gajes partner for demonstrations and Marines practice knife training activities. Currently, he drills. leads all ongoing instruction for the Pekiti-Tirsia programs in the military, such as the Philippine Marine Corps, and law enforcement agencies including the Philippine National Police.

Christopher Ricketts Kali Ilustrisimo, Lameco Eskrima Christopher Topher Ricketts is a designated senior instructor of Kali Ilustrisimo, the founder and chief instructor of Bakbakan, International, and a grandmaster of Lameco Eskrima. A tournament competitor and street fighter, he has produced many champions, many of whom have become part of Philippine teams in Asian and international champions. Together with other Bakbakan senior students including his brother, actor Ronnie Ricketts, he has conducted numerous training camps for various branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, such as the Joint Special Operations Group (JSOG). Ron Balicki JKD, Lameco Eskrima Ron Balicki is senior instructor of Lameco Eskrima, a full instructor in jeet kune do (JKD) and Inosanto Kali under Guro Dan Inosanto, and an instructor in Maphilindo Silat, Thai boxing, savate, and wing chun. He was a professional Shoot Wrestler who competed in the U.S. and Japan. His law enforcement training expertise is extensive; starting when he was a Cook County Deputy Sheriff stationed in Chicago, Illinois and helped train officers in riot control. He has trained U.S. military personnel, anti-terrorism enforcement units, the French Presidents Secret Service, and members of SWAT and the DEA. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

Seen Any Good Filipino Martial Arts Movies Lately? By Jay de Leon
Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt Magazine, 2005 The movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a movie sensation, topping $100 million at the U.S. box office, the first foreign-language film to cross that mark. It elevated the martial arts epic to serious cinema, catapulting the genre into the mainstream Western audiences. It also brought me back to a different place and time, back to the Philippines, during my boyhood. I remember going to Chinatown with a bunch of friends to watch Chinese sword fighting movies. Unlike Crouching Tiger, it had no subtitles, but had the same furious clanging of swords, combatants chasing each other through treetops and rooftops, and of course more blood and gore than Crouching Tiger. Who cared about the plot or character development? For us kids, it was the ultimate martial arts fantasy. Just a few months ago, another Mandarin-language saga of ancient China, Hero starring Jet Li, topped the box office again. And now, close on its heels is House of Flying Daggers, starring Zhang Ziyi, which premiered in the Cannes Film Festival. Not unexpectedly, this movie has again captured the same mainstream American audience that flocked to Hero and Crouching Tiger. Which brings us to the eternal question, when will we get to watch an arnis blockbuster? Now, that would be my ultimate cinematic fantasy. Imagine it now - Visayan pinuti (sword) vs. Muslim kris, double stick sinawali vs. tapado strikes, a Yaw-Yan kickboxer vs. a Harimaw buno grapplerthe possibilities are endless. All we need is Ang Lee (director of Crouching Tiger), a young version of Roland Dantes (sorry, Master Roland) as the hero, a Zhang Ziyi young version of Bob Wall as the villain, a few million dollars, a cast of thousand arnisadors and, of course, Zhang Ziyi.

My feeling is that blockbuster will be a while. But did you know that arnis movies have been produced? Thought youd never ask. Here are some arnis movies, running the gamut from major U.S. theatrical releases with a smidgen of FMA, to straight to video movies, to Filipino movies in Tagalog.

Sticks of Death (English) Released 1979, Starring Roland Dantes, Rosemarie Gil Plot: Johnny Guerrero (Roland Dantes), a cop, teams up with an American Interpol agent named Frank Santini to bust an international drug ring. In between ambushes and fights with the bad guys, Johnny and Frank enter a full-contact arnis tournament. FMA Highlights: Lots of Filipino weaponry including slingshot, poison darts, modern weaponry such as collapsible baton, and improvised weapon such as a trash can, arnis training scenes and demos, FMA masters Jose Mena vs. Cacoy Canete in a tournament fight. Review: Thumbs up, way up. Roland Dantes happens to be a ranking grandmaster in my system, Modern Arnis.

The Pacific Connection (English) Starring Roland Dantes, Dean Stockwell, Nancy Kwan, Guy Madison, Alejandro Rey, Gilbert Roland. Plot: Ben (Roland Dantes) avenges the death of his parents at the hands of the evil Portuguese governor and his two sons, after training in arnis with a blind monk. FMA Highlights: The most intimidating FMA action was the poster that showed Roland Dantes Mr. Universe physique and proclaimed Arnis: Deadlier Than Karate! More Brutal Than Kung fu! Swifter Than Any Sword. The movie featured double sticks vs. assorted weapons including sabre, katana, and nunchaku.

Fire in the Night (English) Released 1985 (straight to video), Starring Graciella Casillas, Patrick St. Esprit, Simeon Muni Zano, John Martin. Plot: Terry Collins (Casillas) enlists the aid of FMA master Manolo Calba (Zano) to prepare for a challenge fight with the town bully Mike Swanson (St. Esprit). FMA Highlights: Highlights include Graciella Casillas dancing authentic Filipino dances Graciella Casillas (including the tinikling, the dance that requires dancing between bamboo poles) that Calba required of her as part of her training, and FMA highlights include Graciella performing several sinawali training scenes. Review: Not enough FMA. Since Casillas is a true arnisador, her training scenes were entertaining enough to watch. The climactic fight did not even involve weapons. Movie poster Fire in the Night starring Graciella Casillas.

Kamagong (Tagalog) Plot: Three men fight in full contact double stickfighting matches for different reasons. Kamagong refers to the Philippine ebony wood that their sticks are made of. FMA Highlights: Double stick vs. double balisong fight; climactic duel at high noon witnessed by the whole town. Review: For Tagalog audiences only.

The Hunted (English) Released 2003. Starring Tommie Lee Jones and Benecio del Toro: knife choreography by Rafael Kayanan and Tom Kier Plot: Aaron Hallam, a trained assassin AWOL from the Special Forces (del Toro), goes over the edge and on a killing spree, killing four deer hunters in the area. The FBI, unable to track him down, turns to the only man who can, L. T. Bonham (Jones), the man who trained him. FMA Highlights: The knife fights choreographed by FMA blademasters Rafael Kayanan and Tom Kier. Kayanan was supposed to be an extra in the movie, killed by del Toro. Review: Panned by the critics, but enjoyed by the macho crowd. Go ahead and enjoy the movie, and go back later and slow-mo the fight scenes.

The climactic knife fight between Tommie Lee Jones and Benecio del Toro.

Mano Y Mano 3 (Tagalog) Released 2004, Starring Ronnie Ricketts, Gwen Garcia, Leila Kuzma, Bruce Ricketts, (13 yr old nephew of Ronnie and son of Topher): fight choreography by Christopher Topher Ricketts. Plot: Nato Aragon (Ronnie Ricketts), an arnis champion, avenges the death of his policeman brother murdered by a powerful crime boss. FMA Highlights: Non-stop fights, arnis vs. samurai fight, all choreographed by Topher. Review: This movie was the lone action entry in the 2004 Manila Film Festival. I met Bruce Ricketts at Myrlino Hufanas Expo and Laban Laro 2004, and saw him showcase his superb arnis skills. According to Topher Ricketts, the movie was a blockbuster, and who am I to contradict him?

Game of Death (English) Released 1979. Starring Bruce Lee, Gig Young, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dan Inosanto. Plot: Billy Lo, a martial arts movie star, (Bruce Lee), takes on a crime syndicate of drug dealers who kidnap his girl friend and try to kill him. In the climax, he has to fight his way to the top of the tower or pagoda, however greater and greater masters of different martial arts guard each floor. FMA Highlights: Okay, this is no FMA movie. But of course Dan Inosanto gets to play the Filipino master guarding one of the floors and gets to showcase his eskrima stick skills, culminating in a nunchaku duel with Bruce Lee. Review: This movie was incomplete when Bruce Lee met his untimely death. Since some of the fight scenes had already been shot though (even before Enter The Dragon,), the producers decided to complete the movie,

using a Bruce Lee double, stand-ins, cut-outs and cinematic sleight-of-hand to fill in the missing scenes. The movie is of course a cinematic chop suey, but the martial arts fights are vintage Bruce Lee, with the climax being a brutal mano y mano fight to the death between Lee and his student in real life, basketball star Kareem AbdulJabbar. Basically you pay the price of sitting through an hour of celluloid trash to watch the last half hour, when the real Bruce Lee uses his jeet kune do to battle several real life masters of their arts. You will have to decide if that hour is worth it, unless of course you have a fast-forward feature. Sharkeys Machine (English) Released 1981. Starring Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, Vittorio Gassman, Henry Silva, Brian Keith, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman, Bernie Casey, Dan Inosanto Plot: Tom Sharky, an Atlanta narc demoted to a vice cop (Reynolds), goes against a crime boss (Gassman). Along the way, he falls in love with a stunning prostitute (Ward), gets a finger sliced off by a balisong-wielding Oriental (Inosanto), and, in the climax, has an suspenseful shoot-out with the bosss cocaine-addicted brother and designated hit-man (Silva) that you will not forget. FMA Highlights: Dan Inosanto is one of Henry Silvas hired killers. He gets to flash some fancy balisong moves, and in one of the movies bloodier scenes, slices off Burt Reynolds finger. All right, I agree the scenes cannot even count as depicting FMA. The first time I saw this movie, I was just excited to see Guro Dan, and would always point out to everybody around that his weapon was a balisong. Review: First of all, this movie had a bona fide all-star cast, including one of my all-time villains, Henry Silva, and one of my all-time screen beauties, Rachel Ward. This was a good action movie, and one of the better early Burt Reynolds Rachel Ward action movies. That is probably no

ringing endorsement considering all the trash he has starred in. But he seems to be making up for those with his mature portrayal beginning with Boogie Nights. I know, who appointed me movie critic? Finally, my Modern Arnis instructor, Master Godofredo Fajardo, currently teaching in Saudi Arabia, told me to mention that he was featured showing sword skills in the 1992 Tagalog movie Dugo ng Panday with Bong Revilla (a top action star in the Philippines). Oy vey, everybody wants to be a movie star. If any of you die-hard movie fans that rent Tagalog movies ever run into this one, please shoot me a copy. I need something to watch until that defining FMA movie comes along. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

Filipino Martial Arts Videos You Should Have In Your Library

By Jay de Leon

One of the ways to enhance your skill as a Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) practitioner, (or any other martial arts for that matter), is to watch videotapes or DVDs of Masters in action. I do not recommend learning from videotapes if you are a beginner. Learn the basics from a qualified instructor. There are too many nuances of a fighting system that is difficult to pick up from a video or DVD unless you have a minimum level of expertise. Some of these nuances include footwork, angles, timing and flow. In addition, most of the techniques or sequences presented involve a level of so-called attributes, like speed, power, coordination and balance. It took a lifetime for these Masters to execute at that level. Chances are, you will not even come close after one viewing. I would say, after at least two solid years of training in one particular system, only then would a videotape or a DVD provide you with enough instructions or information to improve your skills. Some videos are enjoyable just as historical documentation of the system of a Master, especially if he has passed away. For example, some of my favorite videos are those of Punong Guro Edgar Sulite. The videos are excellent instructional videos. They also serve as a memorial and remembrance of the superb arnisador and beautiful human being who was Edgar Sulite.

Well, of course, the technical or production aspects of the video or DVD also come into play. I guess it helps if the video has excellent quality, proper lighting, good pacing, professional editing, audible sound, and so on. It goes without saying that DVD generally delivers better viewing than videotape, and the newer videotapes present better quality than the much

older tapes. Some viewers also want to be entertained, so they want the performer to be livelier, with a few jokes thrown in between the techniques. There are literally hundreds of FMA videos out there now. Lately, there has been a slew of videos produced in Europe and now being marketed in the U.S. As a caveat, beware of videos by individuals of dubious credentials and FMA lineage. What to watch? It all depends on what you are looking for. Are you looking for a particular instructor, a particular system, or a particular subsystem (e.g., defense against a blade, baton techniques, etc.)? Or do you just want to be entertained? Finally, I have seen a lot of FMA videos in my time, but of course, I have not watched every FMA video out there. This was a hard list to compile. I have tried to be objective, but of course, I am biased towards certain instructors and certain systems and certain personalities. Also, some of these videos I bought a long time ago, and I have no idea if they are still available on the market. Here then are FMA videos that I recommend for your library: Double Stick Fighting, Part 1 & 2, and Espada y Daga, by Punong Guro Edgar Sulite - Produced by Unique Publications Video, Burbank, CA, USA. Advanced Laban Laro, by Punong Guro Edgar Sulite - Produced by Lameco International. Punong Guro Edgar Sulite is revered as the founder of Lameco Eskrima. Unfortunately, Edgar Sulite died while on a trip to the Philippines, at the young age of 39. I never got to meet Edgar Sulite, but I like his style and I am now a student of Felix Valencia, one of his senior students. These tapes are excellent instructional videos of Lameco, and a poignant reminder of Edgar Sulite. I also get to watch my fellow instructor Phil Rapagna play-fight with Edgar in one of his tapes.

Modern Arnis by Remy Presas Produced by Black Belt Prof. Remy Amador Presas, founder and Father of Modern Arnis, lost his battle to brain cancer in 2001. Undoubtedly, many of his able senior students, including his own children, will carry on to preserve his legacy, including producing videos of his techniques. But nothing will ever replace the original. Here, forever preserved in video, are the techniques of Modern Arnis presented by Prof. Presas himself. If nothing else, for those of us that knew Remy, these techniques serve to remind us of the grace and fluidity of Remys flow, and the joy that radiates from him as he demonstrates his art.

Kali Ilustrisimo Foundation, Kali Ilustrisimo Drills and Blocks, Kali Ilustrisimo Flowing Drills & Fighting Grips, and Kali Ilustrisimo Espada y Daga, by Christopher Ricketts and Rey Galang Produced by Unique Publications Video Kali Ilustrisimo is the highly regarded FMA system founded by Grandmaster Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimo, and both Christopher Ricketts and Rey Galang are first generation senior students of the art, in addition to being top echelon members of Bakbakan International. In these tapes, they Master Christopher reveal for the first time various techniques of Topher Ricketts the art : Bagsak, Lastiko, De Cuerdas, Patapyas, Estrella, Media Fraile, Pluma, Cadena Real, the signature flow drill of Cuatro Cantos, Dos Manos, and the Tulisan knife forms of Alas and Lengua de Fuego.

Professor Florendo Visitacion (right) and Shihan David James

Vee-Arnis-Jitsu: Stick Concepts Part A & B, by Prof. Visitacion & Shihan David James Produced by ESPY-TV Martial Art Video Professor Florendo Visitation, known affectionately as Prof. Vee, is the founder of VeeArnis-Jitsu, the product of many years of training in several martial arts, including FMA from Prof. Remy Presas and Rene Latosa. These tapes reflect the FMA portion of his art. Shihan David James is the current inheritor of his system, teaching out of their New York facilities.

The Art of Filipino WeaponryPananandata: Balisong, The Art of Opening & Closing, and Pananandata : Double Balisong, by Mat P. Marinas Produced by ESPY-TV Martial Art Video Amante Mat P. Marinas is the founder of Pananandata (literally, the art of weaponry), and one of the most prolific writers on FMA around. A true master of Filipino weaponry, he has either written about or produced tapes on a whole array of weapons including blowguns, throwing knives, ropes, nunchuks, bolo, the 14-inch diameter ring, horsewhips, tonfa, chain and, of course, the balisong (Filipino butterfly knife). The other tapes in this series, in addition to the balisong tapes, feature single stick, double sticks, tonfa, and self-defense with common items.

Balintawak Eskrima by Bobby Taboada Guillermo Bobby Taboada is the foremost authority on the Balintawak style here in the U.S. Balintawak is a hard-hitting, dynamic and efficient system, with plenty of feints, ruses, and combination blows with stick, fist, elbow, knee and foot. Bobby Taboadas tapes have an eight-volume set from the basics of the system, to footwork drills, equipment drills, and power drills, and a seven level instructor set including a course examination that prepares and tests you to be a full qualified instructor. These tapes are as definite as you can get with the Balintawak system.

Lightning Scientific Arnis by Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema Produced by Mandirigma Productions Lightning Scientific Arnis by Master Elmer Ybanez Produced by LionHeart, 75 min. Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema was the founder of Lightning Scientific Arnis, while Master Elmer Ybanez was his most senior student. Sadly, Master Ybanez died in 2001 at the young age of 49, soon after the passing of the Founder himself, Mang Ben. I believe that these are the only two tapes produced by these two masters. I have never formally trained in this style, yet this is one of my favorite styles just from watching these particular tapes as well as other practitioners. I would love to train with my friend and now one of the senior instructors of this system in the Philippines, Bot Jocano, who is actually in the tape as one of Master Ybanezs demo partners.

Pekiti-Tirsia Solo Baston Part 1 &2, and Pekiti-Tirsia Abcedario, by Master Instructor William McGrath Produced by LionHeart Tuhon William Bill McGrath was at one time, the heir apparent to the Pekiti-Tirsia organization in the United States under Grand Tuhon Leo T. Gaje. He now heads his independent organization Pekiti-Tirsia International. I do not believe Grand Tuhon Gaje himself has produced any tapes of his own system. So the material in these tapes is as authentic Pekiti-Tirsia Kali as you can get.

Knife Fights by Felix Valencia Felix Valencia is a senior instructor of Lameco Eskrima and one of the premier martial arts and law enforcement edged weapons training specialists in the US. He has provided defensive tactics training to numerous law enforcement agencies, knife companies and firearm/weapons schools, including the Los Angeles Police Dept., Trident Knives, Gunsite and Close Quarter Battle. He has also worked as a fight choreographer for martial arts and action movies. This set of six DVDs gives you the bladed techniques Felix teaches to his elite clientele.

Real Contact Stickfighting: Volume 3 Sinawali, Featuring Eric Knaus with Marc Denny and Arlin Sanford Produced by Panther Productions Eric Top Dog Knaus and Marc Crafty Dog Denny are, of course, the founding members of the Dog Brothers. The Dog Brothers Eric Knauss, Top Dog( left), on are known for, and sell tapes of their the cover of Gathering of the Pack, which is Real Contact Stickfighting : Vol. 3 their annual or semi-annual fullSinawali. contact tournament wherein participants fight with live sticks or other impact weapons, wearing minimal padding or protection. This particular tape is one of a six-volume set. In this tape, the emphasis is on using double sticks and applying sinawali patterns in combat, as well as in transitioning from sinawali to empty hand fighting. As in all their tapes, the material taught is illustrated throughout with fights. Other videos out in the market include those of Rene Latosa (Latosa Escrima), Dan Inosanto (Inosanto Kali), Arsenio Advincula, Richard Bustillo (Doce Pares) , Kelly Worden, Ernesto Presas (Kombatan), Dominador D. Ferrer (Kalantiaw Arnis), Nes Fernandez (Pangasinan kali/eskrima/arnis), Blaise Loong, Hock Hochheim (Modern Arnis and Kombatan), James Keating (Comtech), Mike Inay (Inayan Eskrima), Ron Balicki and Diana Inosanto (JKD, Inosanto Kali), and Graciella Casillas. Again, depending on what you are looking for, you probably can not go wrong buying videos of these real-deal arnisadors. Anything else outside this list, youre on your own. And if you do find a good one, please let me know. So start building your video library. And if you yourself have a new video up for release soon, let me know if you would want a review of it. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

FUSING FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS, FOLKLORE, FANTASY AND STORYTELLING

By Jay de Leon

Welcome sign and accommodations at White Beach, Puerto Galera, Philippines.

On October 28-29, 2005, several up-and-coming comic book artists met on the shores of White Beach, Puerto Galera in the Philippines in a competition to create a 24-page comic book in twenty-four (24) straight hours. But not just any comic book. The comic book had to revolve around arnis or Filipino martial arts (FMA) and Philippine folklore and history.

Just another day in paradise at White Beach, Puerto Galera, Philippines.

This event, called the 1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge, was the brainchild of Jean-Paul Zialcita, an arnis practitioner, musician and comic book enthusiast. Together with his beautiful wife Nina Terol, Paul is the founder of Likha Communications Consulting, which hosted the event.

To keep the energy level and creative juices pumped out to the max, Zialcita, with the wild abandon of an orchestra conductor and the aplomb of a circus ringmaster, kept the show going at a frenetic pace with a myriad of performers.

Jean-Paul Zialcita performs on his kali drum. Several local arnisadors led by respected community elder Gerbacio Ka Gerbin Manongsong performed beachside demonstrations. Zialcita himself performed on his kali drum, a large percussive instrument similar to a Japanese taiko drum played using arnis strikes and techniques. Artists of a different sort painted henna tattoo in alibata (ancient Filipino script) and in cool indigenous patterns. Noted Puerto Galera musicians entertained both participants and spectators with a live jam session. Throughout the night, several anime and comic book-based films such as Batman Begins and Final Fantasy VII were shown on a wide screen propped up on the beach.

Beach arnis

A local arnisador gives a demo by the light of a campfire.

A local band entertains everybody till the wee hours of the morning.

At the end of the event, comic books were displayed, artists were declared winners, and the event was pronounced a success. Many trudged home or caught flights home for much-needed sleep, well-deserved rest and longdelayed baths.

The artists start competing in earnest.

All the artists declare victory after twenty-four (24) hours.

The fruits of their labor.

Coming soon to your local comic book store? Stay tuned. But for Zialcita, the end of the competition was just the beginning of more work as well as more opportunities. With Filipino martial arts as the rallying point, Zialcita hopes to push for a major Filipino cultural renaissance in music, literature, and pop art to the global arena. His own efforts include comic books and telenovelas, as well as public performances and CDs featuring his percussive music on his kali drum. He is scheduled to perform at the martial arts events at the SEA (South East Asian) games in the Philippines in November through December of 2005.

The new Philippine comic books. For those interested in knowing more about the 1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge or Jean-Paul Zialcita, or are interested in purchasing comic books or Jean-Paul Zialcitas CDs, please contact the author of this article, Jay de Leon.

All pictures in this article courtesy of Nina Terol of Likha Communications Consulting.

Copyright, Jay de Leon, 2005

GAT PUNO ABON BAET AND GARIMOT ARNIS By Jay de Leon Originally Published in FMADigest 2005

Gat Puno (Chieftain) Abon Baet is the fifth generation grandmaster of the Garimot Arnis System, a family system more than 150 years old from the province of Laguna, in the Philippines. He is the fourth son of the legendary arnisador and buno master, Grandmaster Felipe Garimot Baet. When his father passed away, Abon took on the fighting name of Garimot to honor his father, hence his fighting name of Gat Puno Abon Garimot Baet.

Felipe Baet and the former Marcelina Villegas Salazar, parents of Abon Baet.

Abon began his arnis training under the tutelage of his father at the tender age of seven. In addition to arnis stick techniques, his training included the bladed arts, mano-mano (empty hands) and sikaran (kicking techniques.) His martial arts education was rounded out by intensive training in Harimaw Buno (King Tiger Wrestling). A unique aspect of the Garimot system is its practice of Moro-Moro training. The Moro-Moro is a socio-religious stylized play that dramatizes the armed conflict between Christians and Moors (Moro). When the Spaniards banned the practice of arnis in the late 1600s, Filipino arnisadors created these dances to preserve their martial arts knowledge and, in the modern era, to demonstrate their cultural past and heritage. This carries over even to religious observances, as in during Holy Week, when Laguna arnisadors dressed as Roman centurions roam the streets and, upon encountering one another, spar lightly to demonstrate their skill.

Arnisadors from Paete, Laguna, Philippines dressed as Roman centurions spar in the streets as part of Holy Week celebration.

Abon began active competition at the age of sixteen. He competed in live stick competition (no padding) in several towns in his province of Laguna, the Philippines. This led to his reign as an undefeated arnis champion for seven years from 1978 to 1985.

Gat Puno Abon Baet He started teaching the family system under the banner of the Paete Arnis Club in Laguna, Philippines. For a brief time also, Abon taught Modern Arnis in Laguna at the behest and under the authority of Prof. Remy Presas, founder of Modern Arnis. The two would eventually reunite many years later in the United States.

Gat Puno Abon Baet with Prof. Remy Presas (right), Father of Modern Arnis.

In 1986, Abon accepted an opportunity to work in the United States, and in a few years began to teach arnis in the United States. By 1989, he had founded his organization Philippine Martial Arts, Garimot System International, U.S.A. which taught a total system that encompassed the complete range of Philippine fighting and healing arts of arnis, buno and hilot. The Garimot System now has chapters all over the United States, as well as in Sweden, Germany and Venezuela. In addition to his full-time job as a chef, Gat Puno Abon is busy with the seminar circuit, including prestigious senior masters training camps. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

HARIMAW BUNO (FILIPINO WRESTLING) By Jay de Leon

Originally Published in FMADigest, 2005

By now, most Filipino martial arts (FMA) practitioners are familiar with the term dumog. Dumog is the Visayan word for wrestling. It is also called buno which is the Tagalog word for wrestling. It is rare for a Filipino martial arts system to have a separate subsystem of dumog or buno in addition to its weapons arts. For some FMA systems, it is another component of their empty hands system, together with punches, kicks or other striking techniques. For most systems, it is simply an integral part of their overall weapons system, used in conjunction with their weapons, or used by itself (that is, empty hands) against an armed or unarmed opponent.

In some FMA systems, either term is now used loosely to mean any type of throwing, wrestling, locking or control technique, regardless of origin. For some, the origin of the technique might really be judo, jiu-jitsu, aikido or some form of wrestling, and therefore, might be Japanese or even Greek in origin. Technically, it is not dumog or buno since real dumog or buno is Filipino in origin.

Gat Puno Abon Garimot Baet (left) play-fights with double sticks.

And that is what makes Gat Puno Abon Baets system unique. Gat Puno (Chieftain) Abon is the inheritor of his family system from Laguna province, Philippines, called Garimot arnis. In addition to his weapons system, he has two other subsystems. One is Harimaw Buno, and the other is the healing arts called Hilot. Harimaw means tiger in Indonesian. Just like karate and arnis, there are hundreds of styles of buno or dumog practiced by native Filipinos. Harimaw Buno or King Tiger Wrestling refers to the kind of wrestling practiced by the indigenous tribes of Luzon, specifically the Mangyan and Aeta tribes of Mindoro province.

For the indigenous people, buno is both a sport as well as a warrior art. Buno is claimed as the oldest Filipino form of sport entertainment, as it was often performed during large gatherings and fiestas, much the same way sumo wrestlers, Roman gladiators, Greek wrestlers and Muay Thai boxers entertained royalty and their guests in olden times. As a warrior art, it permeated the tribesmans daily life, including hunting, rites of passage and warfare. It had the same goals and utilized the same weaponsdisarm, subdue and control humans as well as animals, barehanded as well as with bladed weapons, sticks and specialty weapons such as the lubid or rope, spear and bow and arrow.

A Northern tribesman on the hunt.

Gat Puno Abon has written a book about buno entitled Harimaw Buno : The Art of Filipino Wrestling. In the book, he traces how his forbears learned the art from Aeta and Mangyan tribesmen. His grandfather Jose lived among the Aetas for many years, learning their system of ground combat and becoming the top native wrestler of his time. Abons father Felipe learned from his own father, and trained in a neighboring province with two Mangyan buno masters. At the same time, Felipe became an active stick fighter, undefeated in full contact matches in his province as well as the neighboring provinces, earning the title King of the Seven Mountains.

A Southern tribesman practices his barong warriorcraft.

A very interesting section of the book is the description of the conditioning methods employed by the tribesmen, who were a hardy lot to begin with. The drills are extremely demanding and strenuous. Just the names will make you pass out from fatiguewater training, mud training, canoe training, tamaraw (pygmy carabao or water buffalo) wrestling, log rolling, bamboo training, and tree climbing. You will need to buy the book to find out what these unique conditioning drills are. And you thought your wrestling coach was tough on you.

A Philippine tamaraw, up close and personal. How would you like to wrestle a few rounds with this guy?

What then constitutes buno? From the description of types of competition and techniques allowed or utilized, it appears buno is judo, jiu-jitsu, Graeco-Roman wrestling and shoot-fighting rolled into one. Its techniques include hand and elbow strikes, knee and low kicks, throws, sweeps, limb locks, joint locks, choke holds, head cranks, pressure-point tactics and comealong techniques.

Gat Puno Abon Baet (left), with a come-along technique and a strike at the ready

Will reading this book, and trying to learn and apply the techniques shown, make you a buno expert? Hardly, even if you get past that part about wrestling a pygmy water buffalo. Just wrestling or ground-fighting with an instructor barking at you is hard enough as it is, much less learning groundwork from a book. But I strongly recommend this book to all FMA instructors, and serious, advanced students of FMA for a different reason. Read it so you can have guidelines for the smell test for dumog or buno. Before you go around advertising you are an expert on dumog or buno, or that your FMA includes the deadly techniques of dumog or buno, at least have an idea what real dumog or buno looks like.

Some groundwork with a neck and shoulder crank and possible strike I agree with the saying that a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. I agree that a well-executed major outer reaping should bring an opponent down, whether you call it osotogari in Japanese in judo, or talapid labasin Tagalog in Harimaw Buno. Sure, if it works, use it. But it would be disingenuous to teach the Japanese throws you learned in judo or jiu-jitsu with your FMA techniques and proclaim it dumog. So at least learn on paper what constitutes dumog or buno. Better still, learn Harimaw Buno from Gat Puno Abon or from another buno or dumog expert. Just pray that neither tamaraw nor river nor bamboo are to be found in your area. You may purchase Gat Puno Abons book at his website at http://www.garimot.com. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

HILOT: THE HEALING ARTS OF FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS By Jay de Leon

I was writing to my friend Jake about Gat Puno (Chieftain) Abon Baets prowess as a hilot master, and wrote facetiously, He is the only guy I know who can beat a guy to an inch of his life, and then restore him back to health.

Gat Puno Abon Baet practicing hilot. I hasten to explain that my good friend and brother-in-arms Abon does not go around beating up people, except in full-contact stickfighting competition. But he does restore people back to health using hilot, the healing arts of the Philippines. And Jake was indeed looking for a hilot who could cure some recurring knee, shoulder and elbow problems. Just what is hilot and what is its connection with Filipino martial arts (FMA)?

First of all, the term hilot refers both to the art and the practitioner of the art. The term itself is Tagalog, and for those of you fond of terminology, it has its equivalent in many of the dialects, including ablon in Ilocano, ilot or ilut in Zambal or Pampango, and agod in Maguindanao or Maranao. My late father was originally from the province of Pangasinan, and he had a ritual for my newborn siblings, massaging and gently pulling at their legs, saying that it helped strengthen and straighten their legs more quickly. He called it kemkem, and it is only recently that I have come to find out that he was referring to the art of hilot, not his particular ritual.

A Filipino hilot at work.

Hilot is part of the Philippine traditional folk medicine that has survived the ages despite the omnipresence of modern technology. The hilot is just one of the various folk doctors (arbolario) in the community which include the herbalist, the bonesetter, the obstetrician , the snake- or animal-bite curers and shamans or spiritual healers. All of these practices have common roots with other healing arts in southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and other outlying islands.

On a metaphysical level, illness may be caused by spiritual and moral imbalances. Certain persons with extraordinary powers are thought to be able to cast spells which cause sickness. A person may become ill if someone, like a witch sorcerer, casts the evil eye upon them. Sickness may also be caused by several factors including bad spirits which may dwell in animate or inanimate objects. For example, you may offend a spirit dweller by cutting down a tree without asking permission and get sick. In this case, a hilot uses three forms of treatment: faith healing through prayer, herbal medicines, and massage and body manipulation to drive away the bad spirit that has lodged itself in the victim. Religion and prayer also play an important role in Filipino folk medicine. When we lived in the Philippines, my son Mitch, about three years old then, was diagnosed with an unknown stomach illness. Mitch could not hold down his food and was rapidly losing weight. I took him to a spiritual healer after going to several doctors who were unable to figure out what ailed him. The healer said Mitch had offended a spirit dweller in a tree by striking the tree with his (arnis) stick. She learned this by reading lighted candle droppings in a bowl of water. She instructed us to take the candle droppings, lay it by the tree that was struck, and offer prayers and apologies to the spirit dweller, which we did. Mitch was back to normal the following day. On a physical level, hilot is governed by the belief in spiritual energetic channels. These channels affect nerves, veins, tendons, arteries, sinews, ligaments, muscles, intestines, windpipes, and many others organs. This concept is reflected in many native scientific theories of neighboring countries. In the Ayurvedic and yogic traditions of India and in Thai massage, the channels carry prana or life force energy, as well as blood, air, food, water, plasma, sweat, lymph, etc. The concept of these physical and spiritual channels is also acknowledged in many outlying islands, such as Bali, Guam, Micronesia and the Polynesian islands.

Ayurveda massage

Now, as I have alluded to initially, many hilot experts are also experts in native martial arts. My arnis instructor, Master Godofredo Fajardo, a practicing hilot, learned both arnis and hilot from his father. Much folklore attests to these hilot masters who can cause attackers to fall unconscious, collapse with temporary paralyses, or become disoriented, and cause internal hemorrhage or bleeding among other things. In the light of what we know now about channels and life force energy, we are simply looking at two arts which are two sides of the same coin. If you know which points to attack, you also know which body parts to heal.

Grandmaster Filemon Momoy Canete, known equally well for his healing powers and medical skills as well as his eskrima prowess. In the Philippines today, in the rural areas as well as in some populated cities, traditional healing methods are still sought despite the presence of doctors, hospitals, and medical clinics. People seek hilots and other folk doctors not only because they are less expensive, but also because they get desired results. Some visit a folk doctor for certain ailments (such as sprains, dislocations, etc.) before going to a medical doctor, or vice versa, when one would go to a folk doctor after finding no relief from a medical doctor (like Mitchs case.) Some are able to enjoy the best of both worlds. My former classmate and high school judo sparring partner, Dr. Juan Nanagas, at one time Undersecretary of Health in the Philippines, recently informed me that the Department of Health is initiating steps to institutionalize and recognize hilot as a medical science, on the same level as Ayurveda, Thai massage and Shiatsu, among others. Ayurveda which means the science of life offers rejuvenating, preventive and curative treatments through herbal oils, massages, diet plans and other ethnic health care techniques. Thai massage is a unique blend of deep tissue massage using pressure point and stretching techniques to reduce stress and muscle soreness.

Thai massage An article in the March 14, 2005 issue of Time Magazine claims that massage therapy is on a roll and that 12% of adult Americans got a massage last year, a number predicted to increase as the population gets increasingly bone-weary. In the Philippines, in a district called Malate in the heart of Manila, an upscale spa opened last year that caters to women as well as what we now call the metrosexual men, or men who love to pamper themselves with beauty and fitness regimens. Named Sanctuario, it offers massages, body wraps, body scrubs, bath treatments, facials, hair and scalp treatments and fitness regimens like yoga, tai chi, Pilates and aqua aerobics. The massages include the traditional hilot with coconut oil treatment, as well as a coffee body scrub using Batangas coffee, the carabao milk bath, believed to make the skin baby-soft smooth, and a Turkish bath which includes a full body coco butter massage. The concept of mind-body medicine may be new to many in the Western world, but not to the folk doctors of the Philippines who were naturally holistic in their approach to life and healingphysically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Hilot, or the healing arts of the Philippines, is a testimony to the total wellness that many seek to achieve.

Copyright Jay de Leon, 2005.

The Legendary Founders of Filipino Martial Arts By Jay de Leon

Just like the other martial arts, Filipino martial arts (FMA) owes its success to many warriors, who while mere mortals have taken on epic proportions, from historical heroes (like Lapu-lapu, slayer of Ferdinand Magellan) to legendary fighters (like the death-match fighters) to founders of FMA systems. These founders created not just styles but systems, with a cohesive body of techniques, terminology, concepts and fighting philosophy, forged in the crucible of combat. The true test of its enduring value would surface at the death or passing of its founder, whether its efficacy, usefulness or popularity would survive the test of strife, time and vagaries of fortune. While some of these systems may be described as eclectic, its original body of knowledge remains mostly intact and identifiable, albeit modified, personalized, or indigenized by generations of inheritors and successors. In this article, we will meet the FMA legends who have passed on and left their legacv with the FMA world. These are the grandmasters who have pioneered the formation of FMA systems, and by their blood, sweat, cuts, and bruises have tested their systems in the tournament ring, battlefields and mean streets, and passed them on to willing and able successors. I will also try to identify the current inheritors or senior practitioners of the system. The parenthesis indicates where the system was originally founded. Leo Giron - Bahala Na Eskrima (USA) Leovigildo Leo Giron is one of three grandmasters credited with bringing FMA to the fore in the United States (the other two being Angel Cabales and Ben Largusa). His FMA training started with his relatives in Pangasinan, Philippines, continued with the manongs of California after he immigrated to the U.S., and was put to the test in hand-to-hand, bladed combat with the Japanese in World War II after he was shipped back to the Philippines by the U.S. Army.

Grandmaster Leo Giron The name of his school Bahala Na (a fatalistic Filipino expression meaning come what may) was derived from the slogan of his signal battalion. His students include Dan Inosanto, Richard Bustillo and Ted LucayLucay, founders of their own styles. Upon his death, succession passed to his senior student and designated inheritor, Master Antonio Tony Somera.

Prof. Remy Amador Presas - Modern Arnis (Philippines) Known as the Founding Father of Modern Arnis both in the Philippines and U.S., Prof. Presas spent most of his adult life promoting an art he loved, the last three decades in the U.S. His eclectic system, which included elements from major systems by Grandmasters Rodolfo Moncal, Venancio Anciong Bacon and others, was meant to make the brutal yet effective art more systematized and palatable to the practitioner.

Prof. Remy Presas Current senior masters in Modern Arnis include Rene Tongson, Roberto Berting Presas (Remys brother), and Cristino Vasquez in the Philippines; Godofredo Godo Fajardo in Saudi Arabia; Dan Anderson, Myrlino Hufana and the children of Prof. Presas in the US; Jeff Delaney in Canada, Edessa Ramos in Switzerland, and Dieter Knuttel in Germany.

Masters Rodel Dagooc, Samuel Dulay, Rene Tongson and Cristino Vasquez (left to right) are but a few Modern Arnis stalwarts carrying on Prof. Presass work in the Philippines and other parts of the globe. (Photo courtesy of Edessa Ramos)

Angel Cabales - Cabales Serrada Eskrima (USA) While Angel Cabaless name will forever be identified with the spread of FMA in the US, he learned his FMA in the Philippines as a student and fighter for Felicisimo Dizon, one of the most feared fighters of his times. In 1966, Cabales opened the Cabales Escrima Academy in Stockton, California.

Grandmaster Angel Cabales From that school, he taught numerous students, some of whom have gone on to found their own styles, like Mike Inay, Rene Latosa and Graciella Casillas. Since his death, his designated successor, son Vincent Cabales, has ably continued to teach at the Cabales Escrima Academy.

Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimo - Kali Ilustrisimo (Philippines) Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimo, founder of the system that bears his name, Kali Ilustrisimo, also correctly called Kalis Ilustrisimo, is one of the more colorful figures in the annals of FMA. He has been the protagonist in numerous death-matches, lethal street confrontations and serious brushes with the law.

Grandmaster Antonio Ilustrisimo His fame as well as his system has now spread far and wide over the globe. Current grandmasters in the system include Reynaldo S. Galang and John Jacobo in the U.S., and Christopher Topher Ricketts, Antonio Tony Diego, and Yuli Romo in the Philippines.

Masters Antonio Tony Diego (left) and Christopher Topher Ricketts, current masters of Kali Ilustrisimo. (Photo courtesy of Bakbakan International)

Conrado Tortal - Pekiti-Tirsia Kali (Philippines) While Conrado B. Tay Dadoy Tortal of Negros Occidental is considered the founder of the Pekiti-Tirsia Kali system, oral history indicates four generations practiced the family system of Pekiti-Tirsia before him. His grandson, Grand Tuhon Leo T. Gaje, is the current inheritor of the system and is credited with the phenomenal spread of this system in the U.S. as well as Europe. There are other groups derived from the original system that operate independently on their own. This includes Tuhon Jerson Nene Tortal, nephew of the founder, who calls his style Dekiti Tirsi Siradas and Tuhon William Bill McGrath of New York who calls his organization Pekiti Tirsia International. There are many young Turks waiting in the wings who are presumably being groomed for stewardship of their styles, including Jerson Tortal, Jr.and Rommel Tortal.

Edgar Sulite Lameco Eskrima (Philippines) Edgar Sulite started his FMA training with the family style rather reluctantly, but eventually managed to train with the best of the FMA grandmasters around at that time, both in the Visayas and later on in Manila. He classified the styles he learned into their respective ranges, from long (largo) to medium (medio) to short (corto), and came up with the name of his system, an acronym of the ranges.

Edgar Sulite, Founder of Lameco Eskrima Edgars life after immigrating to the U.S. was like a shooting star, meteoric but short-lived. In April of 1997, Edgar Sulite was felled by a stroke while on a trip to the Philippines, at the young age of thirty-nine. The keepers of the flame are his Bakbakan brothers Reynaldo S. Galang and Christopher Ricketts. Current senior instructors include Dino Flores, Hospecio Bud Balani, Jr., Leonard Trigg, Felix Valencia, Roger Agbulos, Ron Balicki, Steve Grody and Phil Rapagna in the U.S.

Reynaldo S. Galang, Edgar Sulites brother-in-arms in Bakbakan and current grandmaster of Lameco. (Photo courtesy of Bakbakan International)

Floro Villabrille - Villabrille Kali System (USA) This system was forged in the crucible of numerous death matches fought and won in the Philippines and Hawaii by its founder, Grandmaster Floro Villabrille. Shortly after his last match in Hawaii in 1948, Villabrille started teaching his system.

Grandmaster Ben Largusa (left)

His long-time student and designated successor, Ben Largusa, systematized Villabrilles techniques. This system is now known as the VillabrilleLargusa Kali System. Ben Largusa is now in semi-retirement in Hawaii, but trains occasionally with his own designated successor, Tuhan Mel Lopez in the U.S.

Venancio Anciong Bacon - Balintawak Eskrima (Philippines) Venancio Anciong Bacon organized the Labangon Fencing Club in Cebu, Philippines, later changed the name to the Doce Pares Club, then left the organization to form yet another school, the Balintawak Self-Defense Club. The Balintawak style developed into a formidable, close-fighting combat system. The foremost Grandmaster in Balintawak today is Guillermo Bobby Taboada, , who was a direct student of Anciong Bacon as well as Balintawak senior instructors Teofilo Velez, Attorney Jose V. Villasin and Tinong Ibanez . Bobby Taboada currently lives and teaches in North Carolina, USA, and his style enjoys a huge popularity in the U.S.

Grandmaster Bobby Taboada

Teodoro Saavedra, Lorenzo Saavedra, Eulogio Canete, et. al., - Doce Pares (Philippines) The history of the Doce Pares Club is replete with many colorful founders, fighters, heroes, innovators and visionaries. The founders of the Doce Pares Club include Lorenzo Tatay Ensong Saavedra who helped organize the Labangon Fencing Club, progenitor of the Doce Pares Club, Eulogio Yuling Canete, and Teodoro Doring Saavedra who died a heros death, executed by the Japanese kempetai (military police) during the occupation of the Philippines during World War II.

Doce Pares Grandmaster Richard Bustillo Current grandmasters in the system include Ciriaco Cacoy Canete and Dionisio Diony Canete in the Philippines, and Richard Bustillo, Arnulfo Dong Cuesta and Alfredo Bandalan, Jr. in the U.S.

Benjamin Luna Lema - Lightning Scientific Arnis (Philippines) This is an excellent, hard-hitting system founded by fighter, body-builder and arnisador, Benjamin Luna Lema, affectionately called Mang Ben. Unfortunately, the founder as well as the senior instructor of this system, Master Elmer Ybanez who had immigrated and was teaching in the U.S., passed away recently within a year of each other, Mang Ben in 2003 and Elmer Ybanez in March, 2004.

. Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema (left), and Master Elmer Ybanez

The known senior practitioners in the Philippines include Robert Bert Labaniego, Nathan Dominguez, Felipe Bot Jocano, Manolo Luis C. del Rosario and Joshua Medroso, who now call their style Lema Scientific Kali Arnis System (LESKAS). Just recently at Myrlino Hufanas Expo and Laban Laro at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, the senior students of Master Elmer Ybanez out of Seattle, WA gave an impressive team demonstration in honor of Master Elmer. They were Ryan Greene, Chris Turla, Joe Gabriel and Bob Park.

GM Roberto Labaniego (left) and Jay de Leon at the Gala Night of the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival held at the Heritage Hotel in Manila in July 2006

This is by no means a complete list of all the founders and systems created in FMA. Some of them go back beyond recorded history. Some of them preferred the comfort of obscurity and anonymity. Some of them are still being discovered. Other founders include Grandmasters Timoteo Maranga, Jose D. Caballero, Florendo Visitacion, Filemon Caburnay and many others who have passed on. But not to worry. Chances are, they will be featured soon in articles to come. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2004

FERDINAND MAGELLAN, THE BATTLE OF MACTAN AND FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS By Jay de Leon

This event is probably one of the most bruited and bandied historical topics in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA). It is the death of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan at the hands of Lapu-Lapu in the islands of Cebu, in the Philippines.

Ferdinand Magellan To refresh your historical memory, Ferdinand Magellan was the Portuguese soldier of fortune and explorer who was able to wrangle five ships from King Charles of Spain in search of the fabled spices and new route to the New World. On Aug. 10, 1519, he set sail from Seville, Spain with a flotilla of five ships, (Trinidad as flagship, Victoria, San Antonio, Santiago and Concepcion), two hundred fifty men including his bastard son Cristobal Rebolo, his Malayan slave Enrique, and a paying passenger, a Venetian nobleman named Antonio Pigafetta, and armaments of harquebuses, crossbows, suits of armors, halberds and pikes.

Portrait of Ferdinand Magellan hanging in a museum in Lisbon, Portugal. The First Circumnavigation of the World On March 16, 1521, Magellan reached the Philippines, claiming the islands for His Majesty, King Charles of Spain. He quickly made a few alliances with local datus and even baptized a few hundred converts to the Catholic faith. On that fateful day in April 27, 1521, Magellan took a landing party and tried to bring Toledo steel and Spanish armor to the shores of Mactan in Cebu to wage war on a recalcitrant datu named Lapu-Lapu, Instead, Magellan fell to hardened stakes, spears and kampilan steel of Lapu-Lapus warriors.

Monument to Lapu-Lapu in the Mactan Shrine, in Cebu, the Philippines. . After Magellan's death, the survivors, in two ships, sailed on to the Moluccas and loaded the hulls with spice. One ship attempted, unsuccessfully, to return across the Pacific. The other ship, the Victoria, continued west under the command of the Basque navigator Juan Sebastin de Elcano. The vessel sailed across the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived at Seville on September 9,1522, almost exactly three years after leaving, becoming the first ship to circumnavigate the globe. Only eighteen men including Pigafetta survived the voyage but the voyage was deemed a huge financial success.

Juan Sebastian de Elcano

The Battle of Mactan Going back to the Battle of Mactan, much of this event would be subject to pure speculation but for an eyewitness account. Remember the paying passenger Antonio Pigafetta? Somehow he became the expeditions historian and chronicler. Pigafetta survived the Battle of Mactan and the voyage, and his accounts memorialized the first circumnavigation of the world, including the death of Ferdinand Magellan in the Philippines.

Painting depicting the historic meeting between Magellan and Humabon.

Pigafetta provides some specific and interesting details. To impress his allies, including Rajah Humabon, Magellan sailed to Mactan to punish the rebellious and defiant datu Lapu-Lapu. On that fateful day, Humabon was part of the expedition, with about six hundred warriors. However, Magellan instructed him not to join the fray, but instead watch how the Spanish practiced the art of war. Magellan landed with sixty men, which included and his son Cristobal Rebolo and Pigafetta. Arriving at low tide, the boats stayed out in the water because of the rocks, and 49 men including Magellan waded to shore, leaving 11 men to guard the boats. By Pigafettas account, one thousand five hundred of Lapu-Lapus warriors showed and attacked ferociously with hardened lances, arrows and cutlasses. The 11 men on the boats fired harquebuses (muskets) and crossbows, but were well out of range. The Spaniards were able to burn a few houses but eventually had to retreat.

Harquebus Pigafetta vividly describes Magellans death. Magellan fought valiantly to protect his retreating men. Already wounded in the arm with a bamboo spear and shot in the right leg with a poisoned arrow, he then killed a warrior with his lance, leaving his lance in the Mactan warrior and tried to draw his sword.

The Battle of Mactan He was set upon by many other warriors, one of whom struck him in the left leg with a cutlass resembling a scimitar (generally believed to be a kampilan), causing him to fall face downward. Whereupon the other warriors finished him off with iron and bamboo spears and kampilan swords. Thus fell Magellan, whom Pigafetta calls our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide.

. Magellans rear-guard action must have been effective, since there were only eight reported European casualties. Unfortunately, this also included Magellans son, Cristobal Rebolo. To compound the expeditions woes, Rajah Humabon, Magellans erst-while ally, shortly turned on the Spaniards and massacred about 27 of them, further depleting their numbers. He had become unimpressed with the Spaniards and became angered over a dispute over women. Filipino Martial Arts versus Spanish Fighting Arts? Now, all of that seems pretty straightforward using Pigafettas account. It would appear therefore that Magellan lost the battle to an overwhelming force, a fact exacerbated by a few tactical errors, the weather, the tide and maybe a dash of European arrogance. Some historical pundits however caution against taking Pigafettas account literally, and pose some interesting questions. Could the one thousand five hundred warriors been a gross exaggeration? Did the Filipinos use trickery and somehow suckered the battle-hardened Magellan, hero of several Portuguese battles, into thinking this would be a stroll down the beach? Why didnt Magellan bring Humabons six hundred warriors with him as insurance just in case the battle went against him? Could it be possible that eskrima techniques and ancient weapons really prevailed against Spanish steel and warfare experience?

Monument to Ferdinand Magellan at the Mactan Shrine in Cebu, the Philippines. The truth of the matter is that no living person really knows what happened that day. Be that as it may, some writers have now romanticized Lapu-Lapu as the first national hero who repelled an alien invader, even though it is inaccurate to say that there was a Filipino nation then. Others have identified Lapu-Lapu as the first eskrima warrior to use his art in defense of his kingdom, even though it is unclear his martial arts gave birth to the vaunted Cebuano eskrima as we now know it. All these writers may be forgiven for exercising their poetic licenses.

Grandmaster Ciriaco Cacoy Canete of Doce Pares of Cebu, the Philippines. How much of his eskrima came from Lapu-Lapus art? That shield seems to have the same configuration that a Mactan warrior would have carried during the Battle of Mactan.

For us martial artists, an interesting lesson from all this would be to internalize the combat realities learned from this fateful and fatal encounter. Let us assume Magellan knew how to wield his weapons and was appropriately armored. Let us assume his men were adequately trained.

So what went wrong? Was his intel deficient? Were his tactics flawed? Was he simply overconfident, arrogant or dismissive of half-naked warriors with primitive weapons? So the lesson learned may be that, while it is essential to know your FMA techniques and weapons well, tactics and strategy in combat are just as important. And do think twice about crossing cutlasses with those Cebuano arnisadors. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2006

MODERN ARNIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST By Jay de Leon Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt 2006

Master Godofredo Fajardo (second from left) leads his Modern Arnis class amidst the date trees in Saudi Arabia.

It is hard to imagine that an Asian martial arts would take root and find acceptance in the Middle East, itself steeped in its own martial arts and currently embroiled in several regional warfare involving modern armament. But that is exactly what Master Godofredo Fajardo is trying to do--propagate arnis or Filipino martial arts (FMA) in the Middle East, hoping that the seeds of this ancient martial arts take root and spread just like the date trees that dot the landscape there since the time of Abraham and antiquity.

Master Godofredo Fajardo, Modern Arnis Lakan Antas Pito (Blackbelt 7th Degree).

Godofredo Fajardo is a master of Modern Arnis, a direct student and friend of Professor Remy Presas, Founder of Modern Arnis. In 2001, he was appointed Commissioner for the Middle East by his mother organization, the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP), an appointment sanctioned by Arnis Philippines, the governing body for arnis in the Philippines, including the Olympics. Godo set up headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and proceeded to teach arnis under the aegis of his own school, Filipino Fighting Arts International (FFAI).

Filipino Fighting Arts KSA in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Since arriving in Saudi Arabia, he has established several chapters and promoted several dozen lakans (black belts) as well as one dayang (female blackbelt), in arnis. He now has a thriving independent organization in Saudi Arabia called Filipino Fighting Arts-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or FFA-KSA. Ghazi M. Al-Turaifi, a Saudi national, is currently president and a guro (instructor) of FFA-KSA. In addition to Guro Al-Turaifi, there are four other guros in the organizationManuel Maer, Noel Dayawon, Nathan Walker and Wail Irshaid. FFA-KSA regularly conducts seminars, tournaments and workshops all year round. On November 17, 2005, for example, FFA-KSA conducted a Modern Arnis workshop for Practical Self-Defense with Guro Nathan Walker, an American, as instructor and coordinator. On September 25, 2005, FFA-KSA participated in an open martial arts tournament, the Second Invitational Tournament hosted by the Philippine International Martial Arts Association (PIMAA) held at the Riyadh International School (RIS) in Riyadh. Master Fajardo acted as chief judge and referee, and an FFA-KSA blackbelt, Nelson Selso, garnered first place in his division, the lightweight division.

Guro Manuel Maer, Master Fajardo, and Guro Wail Irshaid, from left to right, pose with award plaques from Jordan carved from camel bones.

This year, through personal travels and utilizing local FFA-KSA lakans, he has made serious inroads in establishing Modern Arnis in other Middle East countries. In 2005, for example, arnis was officially accepted as a martial art sport in Jordan by the Jordan Arnis Committee composed of Messrs. Sulaiman Qablan Al Shawarbi, Dr. Basil Yusif Al Shair, Wael I. M. Yahya and Mohammad Issa Yousef Kawash. In September of 2005, IMAFP hosted a Modern Arnis basic and advanced seminar headed by Guro Wail Irshaid, an FFA-KSA instructor and a Jordanian national. This seminar was held at Sports City, a sports stadium in Amman, Jordan. A total of five (5) countries (Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Palestine) and more than a hundred practitioners participated.

Modern Arnis seminar held at Sports City stadium in Amman, Jordan, on September 2005 headed by Guro Wail Irshaid, an instructor under Master Godofredo Fajardo of Filipino Fighting Arts (FFA).

If his Modern Arnis is as hardy and life-giving as the date trees in his surroundings, Master Godofredo Fajardo has no cause to worry. Just like the date trees, his art and their practitioners will indeed grow and multiply, and be part of the Middle East landscape for years to come. .

Master Fajardo (third from left) and students proudly display their twin banners of Filipino Fighting Arts-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (FFA-KSA) and International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP) among the date trees and sands of Saudi Arabia. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2006

Myths, Mysteries and Misconceptions About the Filipino Martial Arts By Jay de Leon
Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt Magazine, 2004

To test your knowledge of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), answer true or false to these widely-circulated myths and misinformation about FMA. If you have been reading the articles in this column assiduously, or you have actually been listening to the ranting, musings and reminisces of your guro, (teacher), then this test should be a breeze for you. Here then are the common myths, mysteries and misconceptions about FMA. The terms arnis, kali and escrima have different meanings depending on their geographical origin and types of weapons. FALSE. All three terms refer to the same art, and there is no correlation between these term and the systems geographical origin, the founders tribal affiliation, or types of weapons used. The use of one term over the other does not make it any better, older, more blade-oriented, more authentic, more complete, more Asian or more lethal than the other. If, for example, your FMA system is called Pilantik, you may call it Pilantik Arnis, Pilantik Kali, or Pilantik Eskrima. Even if your grandmaster in the Philippines calls it Pilantik Arnis, you may change it to Pilantik Kali here in the States if you wish, assuming of course your grandmasters virtues include leeway for your pigheadedness.

The terms arnis, kali and escrima are not the only terms or names you may give to a FMA. TRUE. These are the three terms generally used for an FMA. But the individual Filipino Martial Arts historically have used many other names, mostly regional or ethnic names, like estocada, kabaroan, etc. Dont sweat the ethnic names. At this point in time, most major FMAs have

converted to the traditional arnis, kali or eskrima terminology. Again, using an ethnic term over another will not supersize your system. By the way, escrima and eskrima are the same. Again, one is not older or more authentic than the other. If you want a technical explanation, there is no C in the Filipino alphabet, only a K. So you can argue that escrima is the Spanish derivative, and eskrima the Filipino derivative, and please dont debate which one is older.

FMA is a weapons-based system, and is strictly stickfighting. FALSE. Okay, this is the give-away question. Depending on the particular FMA system, and at what level you are in your training, most FMA systems teach the use of many kinds of weapons, including impact, bladed, flexible and projectile weapons, both traditional and modern. So why the misconception? One, almost all FMA systems start your training with the sticks, either single or double, since the stick is considered the primary tool of training. Second, most tournaments and many demonstrations showcase skills with the sticks, and this is what the public sees.

FMA training usually starts out with the single stick

but may eventually or a bolo include other weapons such as espada y daga (sword and knife)

or a Bowie knife.

FMA is a weapons-based system, but also has empty hands techniques. TRUE. Again, depending on the particular FMA, most FMA systems have excellent empty hands techniques, ranging from a separate subsystem (like dumog or wrestling) to fully integrated in the weapons system. As part of In the 50s and early 60s, their training and conditioning, Yaw-yan senior judo was the premiere practitioners, for example, fight full-contact sport in the Philippines kickboxing bouts in the ring. Many FMA grandmasters are also high-ranking practitioners of karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, aikido, boxing or dumog and seamlessly incorporate these techniques in their FMA, whether in weapons or empty hands applications. And finally, weapons are extensions of the body, and advanced practitioners of FMA use this concept to translate weapon techniques into empty hands techniques.

followed by karate

then kung-fu

FMA is the most popular martial arts in the Philippines. FALSE.; If we believe all the historical lore, FMA is probably the oldest martial arts in the Philippines. Sadly, it was never, and still is not, the most popular martial arts in the Philippines. The Filipinos have been accused of having a "colonial mentality, meaning, things imported from foreign countries are to be desired, and things indigenous are to be avoided. This also applies to martial arts.

In the 1950s, the premier martial art was judo. I remember being in awe of the Japanese Kodokan instructors teaching in Manila. This was followed by karate

and Muay Thai kickboxing.

(mostly shorin-ryu as introduced by Grandmaster Latino Gonzales, and later tae-kwon-do,) then kung-fu during the Bruce Lee craze, Muay Thai kickboxing, and even aikido because of the Steven Seagal movies. During my time and through today, practicing FMA in the Philippines was considered bakya, meaning pedestrian or proletariat, and therefore uncool. Many cool Filipinos today are trying to change this, though.

FMA systems have a standardized ranking, terminology and curriculum, determined by the founding grandmasters in the Philippines. FALSE. Not by a long shot. Sometimes, there is not even standardized ranking, terminology and curriculum within the same system itself. The reasons for this include lack of historical or technical documentation, linguistic (or dialect) differences, interfamily squabbles, and plain ego. Most of the time, the founder and eventually his inheritors determine their own rules of the game. My friend Marc Dennys (Crafty Dog of the Dog Brothers) canine hackles come up every time the issue of terminology rears its ugly head, exclaiming How do you expect us gringos to learn proper terminology, when you Filipinos cannot even agree among yourselves? To which I always reply, How did you think all these ferocious fighting systems came about in the first place? As a final word on this issue, do not worry too much about the belt ranking, terminology and lineage of your style, as being really good and effective with your art.

The Philippines must be such a dangerous and lawless place, and the Filipinos such dangerous people, to produce such a violent martial arts founded by violent grandmasters. FALSE, only because of the way the statement is phrased. In an earlier piece, I wrote that the Philippines has dangerous places, and even more dangerous men. From my point of view, the Philippines itself is no more dangerous or safer than any other country in the world. There are some extremely dangerous areas in certain provinces of Mindanao, in some mountainous regions of Luzon close to Pampanga and Nueva Ecija, and

even in the urban jungles of Manila. And these dangerous places produce dangerous men. However, the Philippines is still a land of laws. True, the wheels of justice over there grind exceedingly slow, sometimes to a stop, and the scales of justice are often tipped in favor of the rich and powerful, but, on the whole, if you commit a crime, you will be punished. The so-called violent founders were the products of their times, environment, and personal situations. True, a couple of them were arrested for violent crimes. I do not need to point out that there have been many parallel cases in other martial arts.

What is there not to like about the Philippines? It has paradise

flora

fauna--lechon at inihaw na bangus (roasted pig and milkfish)

..and some fine local beverages.

All that metaphysical stuff about anting-anting (amulets) and orasyones (prayers) have to be bunk. TRUE, BUTI had a friend in the Philippines who used to say, Let me see how his anting-anting stands up to my .45 (Colt 1911). First of all, not all antinganting and orasyones were meant to make the wearer invincible. Some had specific purposes, like to confuse the enemy, to make the wearer safe from sickness, from death by a blade, etc. Remember that these inanimate objects by themselves have no power, but derive their efficacy from the giver, from faith, from rituals that empower.

A collection of anting-anting (amulets). If you have lived in the Philippines especially in the Photo courtesy of provinces as I have, it is hard to totally discount the Bakbakan, Intl. praeternatural, the paranormal, or the spiritual forces the rural folk believe in. It is hard to explain, and I am as skeptical as the next person, but I have had enough personal experiences with this issue to keep an open mind. Besides, this is the mystery question.

As a final point, most people forget that there is an opposite side to these dark metaphysical arts called hilot or the healing arts. It is no mumbojumbo laying of the hands, but a true chiropractic-like art that really works and has benefited many, and only a few masters know. Examples of hilot masters include Grandmaster Sam Tendencia and Gat Puno Abon Baet.

Grandmaster Sam Tendencia (left)

Since it involves the use of weapons, FMA must not be taught to children. FALSE. I concede that swinging a stick is probably a little bit more dangerous that throwing a Would you trust these children with roundhouse kick, but for that FMA weapons? original statement to make sense, it I did. My sons Michael (left) and should say something like, FMA Mitchell have been as taught to adults, must not be doing FMA since they could walk. They taught to children. are now teenagers with extensive martial arts experience. In other words, the FMA that will be taught to children will be at an age-appropriate level, with the usual caveat about the use of force in a physical confrontation, just like in a traditional martial arts school. There are so many FMA drills that can be taught to children without the violent implication, such as stick-pattern drills (sinawali drills), footwork and zoning drills, basic releases and disarms, and breakfalls and groundwork (yes, preparation for dumog and stickgrappling). Then as their maturity and martial arts skills grow, they can be eased into the weapons course. I started teaching FMA to my boys, Michael and Mitchell, as soon as they could walk, and I did such a good job that I lost them to wrestling in high school.

Only a person of Filipino descent can found a FMA system. FALSE. On one extreme, anybody can start any martial arts system or style. For the sake of discussion, lets say we are talking about a legitimate, hardcore FMA with the proper curriculum and system lineage. Can a nonFilipino be the founder of his own FMA system? Definitely. In fact, this phenomenon has already started in the U.S. and Canada

My friend from the Philippines named Bot Jocano, a university professor who is also a high-ranking Lightning Scientific Arnis instructor, calls this phenomenon the indigenization of a martial arts. Here in the U.S., you have seen it happen with tae-kwon do, kung-fu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and others. When a couple of such founders asked my opinion about founding their own FMA systems, my answer was, As long as your FMA rocks, and your heart is in the right place, go for it.

I hope you found this little test informative and entertaining. I encourage feedback and suggestions. Now that I have set you on the straight and narrow, try not to take these issues (or nonissues) too seriously, spend less time debating and flaming on the chat rooms and internet, and instead, get up, go out, and swing those sticks. Badger Jones, founder of Siling Labuyo Arnis. Does his FMA measure up?

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2004

SPOTLIGHT ONGURO JEREMIAH STANLEY (Or Around the World in 300 Days) By Jay de Leon Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt, 2005
I met Jeremiah Stanley back in 1995, in the Almaden district of south San Jose, California. At that time, Jeremiah was already a kempo black belt and instructor and an advanced jiu-jitsu student studying with Hans Ingebretsen. He came with his pretty Filipina girl friend, Grace, to my school called Filipino Fighting Arts USA to check it out. At that time, San Jose was also home to two other FMA brothers-in-arms the late Mangisursuro Mike Inay (Inayan Eskrima) and Master Alfredo Bandalan, Jr.(Doce Pares). Jeremiah must have liked what he saw, for not only did he come back but he brought several of his fellow kempo black belt instructors. He has been my student ever since. And like most of my senior students, he has also become a close friend. And for the record, Grace trained with us for many years, earning a green belt.

Filipino Fighting Arts (FFA) Reunion with Sifu Steve Aron in Glendora, CA.Seated from left to right, Jeremiah Stanley (FFA San Jose,CA), Jay de Leon,Ruben Torres (FFA San Jose, CA), Steve Aron (Academy of Fighting Arts,Glendora, CA). Standing, Ben Tryon (FFA Laguna Hills, CA) and Matt Tryon (FFA San Jose, CA).

So why is the spotlight on Jeremiah? Well, all he did was travel around the world in 300 days, visited 17 countries, sampled about 36 brands of beer and local brew, and trained in 15 different martial arts. At least one of those accomplishments should impress you. He left Jan.20, 2003 for Thailand and flew back home on Nov. 15, 2003 from his last destination, Spain. Home is Truckee, in Northern California, where Jeremiah works as an emergency nurse.

Jeremiah paddling up the Mekong in Laos...

Here in the order he visited them are the 17 countries that he savored : Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Nepal, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Spain.

fording a river in Thailand atop an elephant

For the record, and because this is after all a martial arts forum, here is a list of the countries and the martial arts he trained in, and the main instructor, if there was one, in parenthesis. I will gloss over the fact that he was also

probably racking up his beer brand count together with his martial arts training. Thailand Muay-Thai (Tewa Ratchmanee) Malaysia Silambam (Guru Alba), Phoenix Eye Fist Kung-fu, Jodo (Mr. Karuna) Vietnam Shaolin Kung-fu Cambodia - Khmer Boxing Philippines Arnis de mano (GM Ernesto Presas, son JanJan Presas, senior instructor Oliver) Poland Boxing (in Krakow gym) Hungary Nihon Tai-Jitsu (Budapest Police Instructor Roland Fontanbleu) Romania Aikido Turkey Gyresh (wrestling) Spain Eskrima, Jujitsu, Silat

and visiting the Golden Buddha in Thailand

In Thailand, Jeremiah actually joined a Muay Thai camp in Phetchuburi for five days, training side by side with both novice and professional muay thai fighters. In the Philippines, he was fortunate enough to train with Grandmaster Ernesto Presas (brother of Modern Arnis.Founder Remy Presas) and his son Jan-Jan Presas.

at the ruins of the Library in Ephesus, Turkey

Jeremiah did admit to having some fun in the course of his travels snorkeling in Thailand, trekking in the Himalayas, eating lechon (roast pig) and drinking San Miguel and Red Horse beer in fiestas and exploring caves in the Mountain Province in the Philippines, and touring castles in eastern Europe. He also celebrated his birthday with a big party thrown by friends in the Netherlands.

This door at the Museum of Gladiators in Turkey contains paintings depicting gladiatorial combat in Turkey during the glory days of the Roman Empire.

As a side bar, Jeremiah will provide a full listing of the beer brand tally if you email me privately. But just to give you a taste (no pun intended), he mentioned that the tastiest beer he had on the trip was La Chouffe in the Netherlands, and the cheapest beer was called Bia Hoi and cost only five (5) cents a cup in VietNam.

Cheapest beer in the world? Only five cents a cup, in VietNam.

Other memorable experiences include discovering some unique local beliefs, like killing a goat and spraying its blood on the bus for good luck is a good thing (Turkey) and eating a live cobra heart will make you feel like a real man (Thailand). He said he enjoyed discussing and seeing the vestiges of the great religions of the world, including Buddhism, animism, Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity.

Eastern Orthodox priest officiates at a funeral ceremony in a cemetery in Romania When pressed for the highlight of his travel, Jeremiah said, Of course, the most unforgettable aspect of the whole trip was the wonderful people I met, especially the martial arts people I trained with. I will definitely always cherish the memories of all those training sessions and the camaraderie and friendship and drinking and singing that came with it. He went around the world to discover what we all do in dojos right here in the U.S.-- beat the living daylights out of each other and then go out for a beer? But I guess you had to be there.

Most potent drink in the world? These jars contain fermented cobra blood, believed to increase virility, in Laos. Now excuse us, while Jeremiah shows me that neat counter he learned from Grandmaster Ernesto Presas. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

BACKYARD TRAINING IN FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS By Jay de Leon

One of the factors that contributed to the spread of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) in the U.S. was the proliferation of the so-called backyard schools teaching arnis, kali and eskrima. To be technical about it, the guros involved in this activity did not utilize just their backyard. For purposes of this discussion, we will define backyard to include home gyms, garages, driveways, patios, parks, and open basketball and tennis courts. In my case, in one instance, I also utilized an alley (near-deserted most of the time) adjoining my garage dojo. In the olden times, in the Philippines, teaching FMA was literally a backyard affair anyway, and in some cases you would have to include the beaches, rice fields and paddies, mango grove, etc.

In the U.S., the advantages of this kind of operation are obvious. It is rentfree, convenient and lends itself to a feeling of rugged individuality and

freedom. It is a quick way to start teaching FMA. And on the whole, the student probably got a little bit more attention than he normally would in a regular dojo. The disadvantages were limited space, the loss of privacy and the lack of cachet of not having a regular dojo. As you will read later on, weather can also wreak havoc on your backyard training. This type of operation was of course not unique to FMA in the U.S. Probably the most famous backyard sifu (teacher) was none other than Bruce Lee himself, who used to work out and teach celebrities in his backyard.

Bruce Lee training in a backyard This article will not list the most famous FMA guros who offered backyard training, although you will recognize most of the featured guros anyway. Rather, I will feature experiences of several FMA guros in the USA and

Canada who at one time or another, taught or are still teaching backyard FMA. The idea is to give you an idea and feel for the type of training, as well as the different backyards that these FMA guros provided.

EDGAR SULITE

Edgar Sulite is the revered founder of Lameco Eskrima who unfortunately died at the young age of 39. For many years he conducted backyard training for many students at his house in Glendale, California. Many of these students progressed to become the senior instructors of his style, including Felix Valencia, Roger Agbulos, Steve Grody, Arnold Noche and others.

JOHN JACOBO

Guro John Jacobo

John Jacobo of Maryland is a senior instructor of Lameco Eskrima and of Bakbakan, Intl. He owns and runs a combative school, SWACOM (School for the Warrior Arts & Combatives, www.swacom.com ), is active in the national seminar circuit and has his own weapons tournament.

John Jacobos full line of equipment for his backyard training.

In 2005, he was a featured instructor in the prestigious Tipunan sa Disneyland, a national seminar hosted by the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Phil. (IMAFP). In addition to all this, he conducts backyard training. His backyard training is reserved for special classes and private students, mostly in the bladed combatives.

BADGER JONES

Guro Badger Jones (left) training a student indoors. Careful with Mrs. Joness china cabinet, boys.

Badger Jones is a Modern Arnis guro and kung-fu sifu who teaches in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Aye, theres the rub. For several months of the year, Badger Jones has a backyard dojo. When the weather turns to freezing and the snow blankets his backyard dojo, Badger and his students move into the house itself. Badger claims that all he needs is a little rearranging of the furniture, and he has an indoor dojo for a few months until it gets warm enough to work out in the backyard again.

STEVE ARON

Steve Aron (right) teaches at his demo segment at Tipunan sa Disneylandseminar held at the Hilton Hotel in front of Disneyland in Anaheim, CA in 2005. For most guros involved in backyard teaching, they started out in a garage dojo, then when they outgrew it, graduated to a regular dojo. Steve Aron was the opposite, and went from regular dojo to backyard operations. Steve Aron is a senior Parker kenpo, Inosanto Kali, jeet kune do and jun fan instructor, and in the 70s and 80s, owned a huge and successful dojo in Glendale and later Burbank, California.

As it happens to the best of us, Steve got married, decided to raise a family, closed his dojo and sold out to corporate life. As a concession to his martial arts life, he converted his garage into a fully-equipped dojo he refers to as the Temple of the Garage in Glendora, CA, which remains a beehive of FMA and JKD activities to this day. Some of his students included Phil Rapagna (senior Lameco instructor, police officer and law enforcement trainer), Rev. Sherman Rourman (national weapons champion), guro Steve Przybyla (his training partner) and Jay de Leon.

SHERMAN ROURMAN

Sherman Rourman is a national weapons champion, an arnis guro and kenpo sifu, and a successful businessman. He also happens to be an ordained pastor with a predominantly Cambodian congregation. As part of his ministry, he runs a lively youth program. For this purpose, he built a two-story clubhouse at the back of his house, which doubles as a clubhouse and a dojo. In this clubhouse, many disadvantaged youths learned martial arts including FMA and boxing, as well as played many indoor and board games or just spent time together in pure fellowship. NES FERNANDEZ

Grandmaster Nes Fernandez received his backyard training in arnis from arnis masters from Binmaley, Malasiqui, San Carlos, Calasiao and Bayambang, known hotbeds of arnis training in the province of Pangasinan, in the Philippines. He also happens to be my cousin who I jokingly refer to as a serial backyard trainer. After moving to the U.S., Nes Fernandez started teaching arnis from a small gym inside his garage in Daly City, California. He then moved operations to a small gym called What a Racquet in 1977 where I trained for a brief time in the early 90s, actually inside a racquetball court. In 1995, he graduated to a bigger gym called San Francisco Bay Club. He retired to the Philippines a few years ago and, true to form, now teaches arnis classes at the YMCA gym in Baguio City, where the Police Superintendent is one of his strongest supporters.

Jay de Leon (left) spars with senior student John Dill in a driveway just outside the garage dojo of Filipino Fighting Arts USA in Burbank, CA in the late 1980s. This was an actual Muay Thai bout, no protective gear, full speed, hard contact, on rough asphalt, no quarter asked or given. The FMA weapons curriculum was just as hardcore.

Finally, I would like to mention that for many years, I had several garage dojos. Since then I have had regular dojos and somehow gotten involved in the seminar circuit. Those years when I had my garage dojos were probably the happiest years I had teaching FMA to students. The training was hardcore, sometimes even brutal, and the camaraderie was heartfelt.

Backyard training can be satisfying, highly effective, even fun. Do not discount it. Evaluate it as you would a regular school. Critically examine the instructors credentials, skills, experience, business history, lineage and values. Whether you go to a regular dojo or a backyard school, train hard, have fun, respect others and grow spiritually. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

THE DAY REMY PRESAS DIED By Jay de Leon

Just like many Americans, I learned of Remys passing in an internet posting. For one thing, I was shocked. I knew he had had surgery, and was having complications during recovery, but I did not know he was at deaths door. I was deeply saddened. I could not help shedding tears as I read the rest of the news. Professor Remy Amador Presas was no abstraction to me. I was not at his bedside when he died. I was not a ranking student who was part of the Modern Arnis inner circle in the United States. I did not even deem myself worthy of calling myself a student of Remy Presas. But Remy and I had a connection. Maybe it was because I met him when he was new to the States, and not too many people knew who he was. I met him via correspondence while he was still in San Francisco, and I did not personally get to meet him until he started teaching and giving seminars at Dan Di Vitos taekwondo academy in Los Angeles, California in the mid-seventies. Maybe it was because we were both middle-aged immigrants from the Philippines trying to make a successful life here in the States, who also happened to have a common passion for arnis.

I remember buying that same anniversary t-shirt at Remys seminar. I still have and wear this t-shirt. Maybe it was because we would chat together in Tagalog during those seminars I attended over a span of three decades. One time we were eating seminar lunches. I was eating teriyaki chicken with rice and he was chowing down on several hotdogs. I kidded him that the hot dogs were bad for him. He looked at my food and said. Sawa na ako diyan. (I am tired of that kind of food.) Maybe it was because we had a common friend, Master Godofredo Godo Fajardo, in the Philippines. Godo was my Modern Arnis instructor in the Philippines. Godo was a direct student of Remy in the Philippines, and together with many other Modern Arnis stalwarts in the Philippines, became caretaker of the style when Remy left for the United States, and would carry on the Modern Arnis torch after Remys passing.

Master Godofredo Fajardo (right) and Jay de Leon do sinawali drills in Binmaley, Pangasinan in the late 80s.

It was probably all of the above, that gave me such a pang of sadness knowing there would be no more Modern Arnis seminars and friendly banter with the charismatic yet friendly Father of Modern Arnis. That night, I had to teach my regular arnis class in Laguna Hills, California. I decided to do something a little bit different. I wore my official Modern Arnis uniform to class, when normally we just wore our Filipino Fighting Arts T-shirts. At the start of the class, I announced Remys untimely death. I asked the students present that night to offer a silent prayer, and dedicate the nights workout in his memory. At that time, I thought that that was my symbolic final goodbye to Remy and Modern Arnis. Other than regular correspondence with Godo, I had no official standing or connection with the Modern Arnis hierarchy. Little did I know that Remy was not done with me yet. This must be the circle of life that Mufasa talks about in The Lion King. Godo and I are involved again with Remys organization as Commissioners at both ends of the world, with Godo in Saudi Arabia and me in California.

GM Roland Dantes (right) and Jay de Leon at the Gala Night of the 3rd FMA World Festival at the Heritage Hotel in Manila in July 2006.

So far it has been gratifying working with the likes of Masters Rene Tongson, Cristino Vasquez, Rodel Dagooc and Roland Dantes in promoting Modern Arnis. It will be a long road ahead, it will be a challenge, and the obstacles will not be minor, but I am happy to be a utility player in a starstudded team that will ensure that Professor Remy Presass beloved style and his memory will live on forever.

GrandMaster Rodel Dagooc (left) and Jay de Leon at the Remy Presas Memorial Camp of the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival held in Cavite, Philippines in July 2006. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2006

THE RENAISSANCE MAN OF MODERN ARNIS: MASTER RENE TONGSON By Jay de Leon Originally Published in a Special Edition of FMA Digest 2006

Modern Arnis Master Rene Tongson

Philippine Modern Arnis Master Rene R.Tongson is the embodiment of the martial arts warrior, businessman and scholar of the twenty first century. His initial experience in Filipino martial arts (FMA) consisted of intense, extensive training from the whole Presas clan, progenitors of Modern Arnis and other arnis styles. His formal training started with Grandmaster Roberto Presas. Grandmaster Remy taught him the classical arnis techniques and forms that would eventually be the basis of Modern Arnis. Grandmaster Ernesto rounded off his training with weaponry. Master Rene also credits a young Cristino Vasquez, cousin to the Presas and now another prominent Modern Arnis

grandmaster, for developing his stances and postures. Master Rene would also later earn high ranking black belt dans in karate and kendo. Eventually, he founded his system known as Tres Puntas as inheritor of Grandmaster Mateo D. Estollosos Abaniko de Tres Puntas Estilo. As a traditionalist, Master Rene is known for his fluidity and grace in classical arnis. His students include Master Bambit Dulay, datu Dieter Knuttel, dayang Edessa Ramos and many other arnis guros in the Philippines and other parts of the world. Presently, Master Rene is one of the highest ranking Modern Arnis masters with the rank of Lakan Antas Walo (Blackbelt 8th Degree) and titular head of International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP). He also presides over the international chapters of the IMAFP in the Middle East headed by Godofredo Fajardo, North America headed by Jay de Leon and Europe headed by Edessa Ramos. Together with about a dozen like-minded, stout-hearted men, Master Rene also belongs to a council of Modern Arnis grandmasters that is trying to keep the legacy of founder Remy Presas alive. Some of these venerable masters include many personal students, longtime friends and blood relatives of Prof. Remy Presas including Roland Dantes, Rodel Dagooc, Vic Sanchez, Cristino Vasquez, Godofredo Fajardo and Roberto Presas. This year 2006, Master Rene is the point man in the formidable task of organizing the 3rd Filipino FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) Festival, an international gathering of Filipino martial arts practitioners (www.fmafestival2006.com).

Official Logo of FMA Festival 2006

At least one hundred fifty masters of Filipino martial arts from different styles and from different parts of the globe and several hundred more local eskrimadors are expected to participate in several venues in the Philippines over a period of ten days. Fortunately, Master Renes extensive business background, organizing experience and diplomacy skills should serve him in good stead in orchestrating and managing this logistic nightmare. He graduated from college with a degree of Bachelor in Science in Industrial Engineering and a Degree of Master in Business Administration (MBA). He is used to the political arena, holding incumbent positions in the Philippine government as an elected local legislator. He is comfortable in the executive board room, as he is presently a Director of the National Coffee Board and consultant to various Philippine business companies.

In addition to his technical skills in arnis and the other martial arts, his administrative abilities were tested when he spearheaded the formation and development of Arnis Philippines, now the governing body for arnis under the Philippine Olympic Committee. In 1987, he authored the original version of the Philippine National Standard for the conduct and practice of competitive arnis, the basis of standard rules now being followed in local and international padded arnis competitions.

Master Rene Tongson

A recent widower, having lost his wife to cancer in 2005, he is now faced with raising four wonderful children on his own. He claims this personal aspect of his life together with his faith give him balance and perspective in addition to his responsibilities in the martial arts, business and political world.

For this Renaissance man of arnis, the challenges ahead, both personal and professional, are daunting and numerous. But like the Renaissance men of Europe centuries ago, he is fortified by his scholarly acumen, his quiet diplomacy, his indefatigable leadership and the legacy of Prof. Remy Presas who told him in January 6, 1999, Go and spread the word, Arnis is Filipino, Arnis is for the world. Copyright, Jay de Leon, 2006

The Toughest Fighters in the History of Filipino Martial Arts By Jay de Leon
Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt Magazine, 2004 Just like any ancient martial arts, the history of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) has its share of legends, myths, epic fighters and heroes. In FMA forums and chat rooms, you have probably witnessed heated debates about the truth, existence or validity of many FMA events or items. They range from the historical (Did Lapu-Lapu use FMA to slay Ferdinand Magellan?) to mythical (the blind Princess who taught a famous grandmaster, or the deadly caves of death used to test another famous grandmaster), to its supernatural aspect (Do anting-antings (amulets) and orasyones (prayers) protect you from serious injury?), to tales of combat (challenge and death matches). There is no question such death matches existed until they were banned by General MacArthur in 1945. Who actually won, or whether such matches ended in death or serious injury is, of course, the fodder for chatroom discussions. In this article, we define combat as using FMA in a ring match (sanctioned or otherwise), or in a real life situation, as in a self-defense situation, in battle (war), or in the performance of sworn law enforcement or security duties. For purposes of this discussion, we will have to rely on recorded history, since without it, obviously we are left to conjecture and speculation. We leave that to the chatrooms. Understandably, most of these fighters are either founders of FMA systems, or stalwarts or the designated fighter of their systems. Half of them served in the conflict that was known as World War II. With the exception of Vicente Carin, Emiliano Zapata, and Abon Baet, these warriors have answered the final bell and fought the last round of Life. And so, in no particular order, here are my toughest fighters in the history of Filipino Martial Arts

Jose D. Caballero (1907-1987) Grandmaster Jose D. Caballero of Toledo City, Cebu, Philippines was the founder of a devastating style known as De Campo Uno-Dos-Tres Orihinal. In his prime, he was the vaunted Juego Todo (All Out, no holds barred) champion and beat many well-known eskrimadors of his time. He also served with the Philippine Constabulary in the hostile Moro province of Lanao in Mindanao, Philippines. His most illustrious students include Punong Guro Edgar Sulite, founder of Lameco Eskrima, and Irineo L Olavides, current inheritor of Caballeros system. Angel Cabales (1917- 1991) Angel Cabales is one of several grandmasters credited with the emergence of FMA in the US. But Angel Cabales was first and foremost, a fighter. Originally a boxer and a wrestler while growing up in the Philippines, Angel became a student of renowned fighter and FMA Grandmaster Felicisimo Dizon at 15 years old. Eventually he became Dizons designated fighter, answering any challenges from other styles, always confident of victory relying on Dizons vaunted serrada (close-range) techniques. Cabales continued to fight many challenge matches in the U.S. as well, after he emigrated in 1939. In 1966, Cabales opened the Cabales Escrima Academy in Stockton, California. Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimo (1904-1997) Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimo has fought in more death matches than perhaps any other FMA master, and has had his share of real life violent encounters. He killed his first man in self-defense at the age of fifteen while living in Jolo, a Muslim city in Mindanao, Philippines. During World War II, Ilustrisimo was a guerrilla fighter in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Luzon, and used his knife and bolo techniques in many close-quarter encounters with Japanese soldiers. Much later in civilian life, Ilustrisimo was arrested seventeen times for violent incidents in the mean streets of Manila. As a side note, Tatang was one of a few Grandmasters who carried an anting-anting" (amulet) and had an orasyon (prayer) tattooed across his chest, and used these to invoke divine intervention in whatever life-and-death situation he was facing.

Conrado Tortal (1897 - ?) Conrado B. Tay Dadoy Tortal of Negros Occidental, Philippines is considered the founder of the Pekiti-Tirsia Kali system. He lived during dangerous times, and his art served him well. Balbino Tortal, his oldest brother and principal training partner, was shot and killed by Japanese solders in 1945 after he disarmed a Japanese soldier of his samurai sword and killed two other soldiers attempting to bayonet him. Tay Dadoys own violent encounters were also duly recorded, including his fight against the Lizares brothers, a prominent political ruling family from Talisay, Negros Occidental, wherein he fought with hardwood espada y daga against their bolos, and a much publicized duel against Tansiong Padilla, designated fighter for the Aldobon style from Panay. Tortal also served as the first Chief of Police of Victorias, home of the largest sugar mill in Negros Occidental.

Benjamin Luna Lema (1919-2003) Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema, affectionately called Mang Ben, is known as the founder of Lightning Scientific Arnis, and passed away not too long ago. As a young man, he had numerous arnis challenge encounters in Iloilo, Philippines and was purported to be undefeated in both tournament competition and street encounters.

He had occasion to use, hone and teach his FMA as a guerrilla fighter against the Japanese in Panay during World War II. As late as 1979, Lema competed in the now infamous challenge of the Grandmasters in Manila, together with other champion fighters like Cacoy Canete and Timoteo Maranga, among others.

Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema (left), works out with Master Elmer Ybanez.

Timoteo Maranga ( ? - 1988) Grandmaster Timoteo Timor Maranga of Cebu, Philippines is the founder of the system Tres Personas Eskrima de Combate Super Kuwentada System. Starting his eskrima education at the age of seven from his father Gregorio Godoy Maranga, he had hands-on training repulsing intermittent Moro raids on their island. During World War II, as a member of the legendary Bolo Battalion, he had numerous hand-to-hand encounters with the Japanese, making him one of the most battle-tested eskrimadors of World War II. Later, he had occasion to train with the best eskrimadors in Cebu Eslao Romo, Doring Saavedra, Lorenzo Enciong Saavedra and Venancio Anciong Bacon. As late as 1979, he competed in the Masters tournament in Manila, along with Cacoy Canete, Benjamin Luna Lema, and others.

Floro Villabrille (1912-1992) Grandmaster Floro Villabrille was the undefeated champion of countless so-called stickfighting death-matches in the Philippines, Australia and Hawaii in the 1930s. Although such matches rarely resulted in death, many matches resulted in serious injuries, since these matches were full-contact bouts without the use of any armor, and punches, kicks, sweeps and throws were allowed. Villabrille started fighting in death matches at the age of 17, and his last recorded match was in Hawaii in 1948 (around age 36 yrs. old), shortly after which the death matches were banned. His knowledge of various styles in the Philippines coupled with his combat experience in the ring led to the development of his own FMA system known as the Villabrille System of Kali.

Grandmaster Vicente Carin shows his scars from knife His real-life violent confrontations are legendary wounds. and well-known. In one incident, he fought off at least ten armed attackers, killing one and sending several to the hospital. Carin himself sustained no less than 10 knife wounds serious enough to kill a man, was given up for dead, but miraculously survived. Inting Carin is well into his 80s as of this writing (2004), still alive and teaching in the Philippines, a living legendary eskrima warrior.

Vicente Carin This list would not be complete without Grandmaster Vicente Inting Carin, who himself claims to have fought the most life-anddeath matches, and nobody disagrees. During World War II, he fought against the Japanese, where he had occasion to use his skills in manto-man combat. After the war, he became one of the most popular grandmasters in Doce Pares under Grandmaster Filemon Momoy Canete.

Emiliano Zapata Emiliano Zapata is the full-contact champion of Yaw-Yan, a Filipino martial art developed by Grandmaster Napoleon Fernandez, himself an undefeated kickboxing champion. Yaw-Yan, from the two last syllables of Sayaw ng Kamatayan or Dance of Death, is a deadly amalgam of Muay Thai, TaeKwonDo, western boxing, and FMA. Active from the 1970s to the early 2000s, Zapata Emiliano Zapata amassed an astounding record of 105 undefeated full undefeated contact ring fights. Yaw-Yan practitioners stress that champion their art is not purely a full-contact sport martial arts, of Yaw-Yan. but a complete martial art with high emphasis on practicality and effectiveness in street confrontations.

Abon Baet (1963 - ) Just to prove to you that this list is not limited to ancient warriors shrouded in the mists of time and myths of invincibility, I am including a modern day warrior and authentic, old-style FMA master, Abundio (Abon) Garimot Baet, inheritor of his family system from Paete, Laguna, Gat Puno Abon Baet (left), Philippines called Garimot Arnis. play-fights with double sticks More popularly known as Gat Puno Abon, he was a full contact champion of his province, Laguna, for several years. By his own admission, he has had an extremely violent pastnumerous street fights including one when at least a dozen ganged up on him, violent encounters while working as security for the mayor of his city, and involvement in a bar brawl in Cozumel, Mexico between two groups which resulted in two knife fatalities on the other side. He has since immigrated to Pembroke Pines, Florida, where he teaches FMA, and his fighting is now limited to full-contact stickfighting. He has a standing challenge to any comer who wants to test his skill, or just playfight, Filipino-style.

Gat Puno Abon Baet (left), play-fights with bolo.

Other FMA fighters considered for this article include Felicisimo Dizon, Cacoy Canete, Santiago Toledo, Jose Mena, Carlos Navarro, Filemon Momoy Canete, Meliton Geronimo, Leo Giron, Wenceslao Eslao Romo, Napoleon Fernandez, Delfin Lopez, Anciong Bacon, Urbano Banoy Borja, Teofilo Velez, and Lorenzo Saavedra.

Every one of these fighters fought in many a life-and-death situation or fullcontact fight, and could have been featured as well. As you can see, there is no dearth of fighters in the history of FMA. Dont worry, I am sure there will be occasion to feature these greats in a future article.

I would like to leave you with two thoughts regarding this article. One, I have no intentions of glorifying violence or condoning any lawlessness these men may have committed. Then and now, the Philippines has dangerous places, and even more dangerous men. I know, I lived there the first twentyseven years of my life. This is simply a reiteration that FMA was born out of the crucible of combat, and a reminder why we take up martial artsto be able to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Two, what made these men tough was not FMA but their own will to survive, their intestinal fortitude, as we say, or their heart. FMA simply provided the tool for their survival. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2004

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN TRAINING EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS By Jay de Leon
Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt, 2005

The last decade has seen an explosion of training equipment in every kind of sports, especially high-tech gadgetry calculated to increase performance levels. You see them in fitness centers, professional team training rooms, schools and even home gyms.

Martial arts is no exception. While the progression might not be that dramatic or high-tech, still I have seen the changes from makiwaras and regular heavy bags to training mannequins like Bob and fancy heavy bags, filled with everything from water to sand to cotton.

One of the oldest training equipment in martial arts the makiwara.

Meet Bob, the realistic makiwara/punching bag.

A fancy heavy bag.

Utilizing training equipment in Filipino martial arts (FMA) has many advantages, just like in traditional martial arts. It is a good way to develop attributes (power, speed, stamina, etc.). It is a relatively safe way to train, considering the inherent dangers associated with weapons. It is a fun way to train, especially when a training partner is not available or you simply want to work solo drills. In my case, most of the training equipment I have employed can probably be described as homemade, crude, cheap yet unbelievable effective and loads of fun to use. A couple of them were the result of my fertile imagination. Most of them, though, are versions of equipment the old time practitioners used. For purposes of this article, we will not include protective armor and training weapons; thats an entirely separate discussion and article. Here then, are some effective yet fun, and very cheap training equipment you can build to supplement your training in FMA.

Rubber tires This item is the cheapest training equipment in all sports, and it has become associated with FMA. Yes, we are talking about discarded auto rubber tires, so the cost to you is zero. The simplest use is to tie one and hang it from a tree or a strong beam, and you whack away with your sticks to your hearts content. You can hang two or three of them upright, one on top of another, freely hanging, and now you can practice your power drills, hitting high, medium and low. One instructor I knew must have had an abundant supply of them, so he stacked them flat, one on top of another, up to a mans height, with a thick heavy pole in the middle anchored to the ground to hold them together. One bit of adviceuse your old sticks, because your sticks will get black streaks from the tires.

See the tires hanging in the background.

Wooden dummy An indispensable training equipment for kung fu practitioners is the mook jong or wooden dummya wooden representation of a man with arms and legs. Kung fu practitioners practice empty hand blocks and strikes as well as kicks on the wood, developing amazing strength and power in their techniques. Well, I devised my own mook jong for my FMA, except of course it was no wooden dummy. It was a wooden and steel dummy.

Mitch de Leon trains single stick drills on my homemade arnis wooden and steel dummy. The dark sections of the wood are padded and double as makiwaras.

The body was wooden, just a normal square beam, but the arms and legs were made of steel pipes, covered with industrial foam and duct tape. I am the most unhandy man around, yet I was able to build this dummy by myself over a weeks time, with a cost of about $100.00.

A kung-fu mook jong or wooden dummy.

My students and I have used this dummy for single stick, double stick, espada y daga, live blade drills, live hand drills and many other drills. My dummy is about 12 years old now, still has a lot of mileage left in it, and in spite of the beatings and death blows I have dealt it, will no doubt outlive me.

Bladed weapons posts These are literally wooden posts or beams, anchored to the ground and sometimes atop as well. At one school, I had four of these posts, of different sizes and thickness, because they were leftover material. One post was bare, except for the painting of a face at the appropriate level. The other three had varying amounts of padding and duct tape. We used these posts for live blade training.

Bladed weapons post We practiced back cuts (we broke Ka-Bars, Bowie knives and assorted knives on them), knife throwing, (be ready to have your walls, floor and other weapons gouged by errant missiles), testing how deep our folder carries could slice through thick padding of different materials, how quickly and how much distance we could cover and deliver a slash or a thrust, and other drills. We found out that, contrary to what Bruce Lee said in one of his movies, boards sometimes hit backyour bladed weapon could turn against you and cut you.

Bladed weapons posts with targets. Knife-throwing Target I mentioned knife-throwing in the previous section. For you serious knifethrowers, you need a serious target. Buy or get a wooden pallet. I have actually seen an ad wherein somebody was giving pallets away. Reinforce and cover the target side fully with wooden blocks, planks or leftover wood. Paint your target on the wood (bulls eye, human silhouette). Make sure you have a good backstop. Let her rip.

Target

True confessions : A long time ago, I bought shurikens from a mail order company which came unsharpened. We sharpened them and had a blast throwing them at such a target. Our backstop was one side of a detached garage, which eventually became pockmarked from errant shurikens launched by wanna-be ninjas that could not throw straight.

From the authors armory; these throwing knives have been thrown hundreds of times by students.

Shurikens

Swinging rattan sticks This is again another simple training device. Simply tie two rattan sticks together at their center, so that they form an X. Just like the tire, hang from the branch of a tree or a beam in your dojo or garage, at around eye or head level. Perform sinawali drills or similar drills. Depending how much space you have, or how much challenge you want out of the drill, you can hang two or three of these around you, forcing you to pivot or close the distance. Again, you can make this drill as simple or as challenging as you want.

Swinging tennis ball All you need is a tennis ball, a metal or aluminum pipe about a foot long, and some rope. Just draw the ball through the rope at one end, draw the rope through the metal pipe and hang the contraption from a branch of a tree or a beam. The object is to hit the tennis ball with your single stick. The trick is to adjust the timing of the return of the ball such that the interval is not too long and you have too much time to hit the ball, or the interval is so short that you cannot hit the ball. Once you get the right timing and the hang of it, it is really fun. At the very least, it is an excellent hand-eye coordination drill and you can make the drill more complex by doing witiks (snaps or flicks), thrusts, twirls, etc.

Dead trees The cost of this equipment is zero, because the equipment is a dead tree. You can do this drill only if you live in the Philippines or a tropical country, or you live in a plantation here in the U.S. First of all, you practice on a dead tree or one that is not expected to bear any more fruit. Please do not hurt a living tree. Second, it has to be a soft wood or pulp tree. Example of trees I have slashed to ribbons include banana trees and papaya trees. Again, depending on the weapon you have and the thickness of the tree, it can be a fun drill in how to slash and thrust. How did you think those Filipino farmers with bolos around their waist get to be so good slashing and thrusting?

Banana trees (left) and papaya trees with fruit still hanging (right). These trees are grown in plantations and farms, or simply grow in the wild in the Philippines.

A note on training equipment. The drills described in this article are for illustration purposes only, to give you an idea how the equipment may be used. This is not a training manual. Some of these drills can be dangerous. Do not perform these drills without the supervision of a professional, namely your FMA guro (teacher). Use safety equipment (like protective eye goggles) or padding where necessary. Working drills on training equipment like the ones described above can be a fun way to supplement your training. Just remember to execute proper techniques using correct form, and not develop bad habits. Again, consult your instructor. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

Those Responsible for the Spread of Filipino Martial Arts in the U.S. by Jay de Leon Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt Magazine, 2004 It is probably safe to say that, at this point in martial arts historythe dawn of the twenty first century, that Filipino Martial Arts has taken its place as a major style in the United States. While it may not be as popular or as well-known as the other Oriental martial arts, such as kung-fu, karate or jiu-jitsu, its effectiveness combined with its ability to be integrated with other styles, has made it popular with knowledgeable martial artists. Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) is a weapons-based system originally from the Philippines, usually known as arnis, kali or eskrima. While it is a popular subject of debate as to the distinction between the three styles, knowledgeable FMA grandmasters and historians grudgingly agree that the three terms basically refer to the same art. In the Philippines, the art is also known by other indigenous terms, but by and large, FMA in the United States is known by either of the three terms. Lately, the choice of term by a Founder has been politicized. For example, practitioners that downplay Spanish influence or avoid Spanish terms will therefore eschew the term eskrima , from the Spanish word esgrima meaning fencing. Especially in the US, the term kali is favored because it connotes a mother earth style whence it sprang from. Users of the word arnis want to show their connection with their homeland style, roots and teachers. Below are the top contributors I feel most responsible for the spread of Filipino Martial Arts in the United States. In no particular order, only three are individuals, three are groups with finite, identifiable members, and the rest are groups, members of which are open for your nomination. Their influence and contribution range from international and legendary, to limited and local, but taken together, they have been responsible for whatever popularity Filipino Martial Arts now enjoy in the U.S.

Professor Remy Amador Presas Prof. Presas is known as the Founding Father of Modern Arnis, both in the Philippines and the U.S. An extremely engaging and charismatic figure, Remy started giving private classes and seminars in southern California when he first came to the U.S. in the early 70s, eventually developing scores of Modern Arnis masters as he crisscrossed the whole of the United States, as well as Canada and Europe. Although widely criticized after his recent death for the loose structure and eventual succession turmoil of his organization, Remys legacy to the world of martial arts is undeniable and far-reaching. He will be remembered by the hundreds of thousands who, in just one class or seminar whether in Manila or Ohio or Stockholm, learned to love him, his humor, his humanity, and his art.

Dan Inosanto While Inosantos worldwide fame is due mostly to his direct connection with Bruce Lee, he stands on his own merit in his own development of FMA and interpretation of jeet kune do (JKD). Probably one of the most revered living instructors today, Guro Dan remains a humble man, an eternal student, an indefatigable teacher and a professor emeritus of martial arts. True to the spirit of JKD, he is both student and master of the major martial arts styleskenpo, arnis, silat, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and others. It is probably because of this fact, that he is a citizen of the martial arts world, that Inosanto is not without his detractors, mostly the so-called purists for JKD and some Filipino Martial Arts.

Bruce Lee On a very basic level, we can say all martial arts hung on to Bruce Lees coattails as he blasted his art, screen persona and personal charisma onto the silver screen as well as the martial arts landscape. But his contribution to FMA was more subtle and constructive than that. His style (or philosophy) of jeet kune do (JKD) espoused completeness of fighting ability, including the use of weapons. Partly because of this philosophy, partly because of Dan Inosantos influence, most of a JKD schools curriculum would include FMA. And who of us, after watching a Bruce Lee movie, was not tempted to swing a nunchaku, double sticks or a staff (bo)?

Representatives from established RP schools Eventually, most of the established FMA schools in the Philippines (RP) had instructors setting up satellite schools in the U.S. Foremost among these were PekitiTirsia (Leo Gaje/BillMcGrath)), Doce Pares (Cacoy and Diony Canete), Lightning Scientific Arnis (the late GM Elmer Ybanez), and Kombatan (GM Ernesto Presas, brother of Remy). This group of grandmasters as well the next group set the initial tone for FMA instruction in the U.S. Grandmaster While the majority of them were past their fighting Ciriaco Cacoy prime, they were all battle-hardened and technically Canete competent, steeped in Filipino tradition, quick to accept or issue a challenge, and in general sought to keep a middle ground between teaching a no-nonsense style and surviving financially.

Founders of FMA Styles in U.S. This is the other elite group of guros in the U.S. These are mostly transplanted Filipinos skilled and articulate enough to set up their own FMA styles and schools in the U.S. Most of them retained their allegiances to their homeland style, acknowledged their former guros but mostly operated as independent guros in the U.S. This group would include late grandmasters like Angel Cabales, Floro Villabrille, Edgar Sulite, Leo Giron, Florendo Visitacion and Lucky LucayLucay, and living grandmasters Grandmaster like Bobby Taboada, Mat Marinas, Ramiro Estalilla, Bo and Ramiro Chris Sayoc, Max Pallen and Gat Puno Abon Garimot Baet. Estalilla Most of the current crop of FMA grandmasters are either successors or descendants of the two previous groups.

The Dog Brothers Neither dogs nor brothers, the Founders of this muttley group are Eric Top Dog Knaus and Marc Crafty Dog Denny. Acceptance by the tribal council included the honor of choosing a Dog name for yourself. For all their accomplishments, the Dog Brothers will forever be synonymous with full-contact stickfighting. For the genesis of their group, Marc Denny said they always wondered how their training in the U.S. stacked up with the old style brutal, realistic training in the Philippines. So was born the Dog Brothers philosophy and organization, with its Gathering of the Pack (its annual or sometimes semi-annual full contact fights), its slogan Higher Consciousness through Harder Contact and evergrowing lore and myth. The Dog Brothers have generated tremendous interest in FMA walking a tightrope between gladiatorial spectacle, laboratory of FMA techniques, a warrior rite of passage, and true martial arts brotherhood.

Guros teaching out of garages, community centers, parks, etc. Not everybody who taught FMA was an icon and did the national circuit. There were hundreds of guros (teachers) teaching independently out of their houses, community centers, parks, etc., anywhere where there was enough elbow room to swing a stick, or a pair of them. Their sphere of influence was probably limited to their town and student participation was limited, but the level of instruction was authentic and first-rate, oftentimes innovative and unique. Most of these instructors were transplanted Filipinos who held full-time jobs and taught FMA as a hobby or passion, or to supplement their income. Some well-known FMA grandmasters who taught this way at one time or another include Nes Fernandez, Eddie Lastra, and, of course, the manongs.. The manongs of Stockton Manong is an Ilokano (a dialect of a Philippine province) term of respect, equivalent to Uncle. Among many, Dan Inosanto has acknowledged learning the early core of his arnis from the manongs of Stockton, CA. Some of the manongs that Dan Inosanto specifically mention in his book include Juanito John LaCoste, Braulio Pedoy, Gilbert Tenio and Max Sarmiento. From a historical perspective, the manongs of Stockton can almost be symbolic. There were manongs in Hawaii, in San Jose, CA, in New York, etc. The manongs have come to symbolize the first wave of Filipino immigrants-eskrimadors who brought their FMA skills with them to the U.S., and by necessity, design or happenstance, passed these skills on to the next generation of FMA grandmasters as we know them.

These manongs were oftentimes immigrant or blue-collar workers, did not have dojos or formal classes, and did not realize the commercial value of their knowledge and therefore did not get much remuneration for it. It is only at this time in history that the FMA community is beginning to realize the extent of their contribution.

The traditional martial arts connection While FMA is a complete martial arts system, for purposes of commercial expediency , it was oftentimes marketed as an adjunct or complement to a traditional martial arts system. This resulted in alliances of varying degrees with traditional martial arts schools and styles. This connection ranged from curriculum integration, to formal affiliations, to informal alliances, to special classes in dojos. For example, JKD practitioners easily transition from trapping hands to double stick sinawali within the same class. An example of formal affiliation would that of GM Rene Latosa with Emin Boztepes Wing Tsun organization. Remy Presas toured for many years with Wally Jay (small circle jiu-jitsu) and George Dillman (pressure points). In San Jose, CA, the Inayan system (founded by the late Suro Mike Inay) was favored by the Kilohana group, a confederation of jiu-jitsu schools with ties to Hawaii. My own personal experience was, the quickest way to increase pure headcount was to get a school owner as a student. When taekwondo GM and dojang owner Jeff King of Morgan Hill, CA became my student, in no time at all, all three of his schools offered arnis lessons as part of their curriculum.

Mike Inay Founder of Inayan Eskrima

Indigenized FMA schools

There is a theory in martial arts styles development that postulates that all foreign styles are eventually indigenized. For example, is the current kungfu being taught now, generations removed from its original kwoon in China and its Chinese sifus, still Chinese, or is it now Chinese-American or Americanized? As for FMA, there are those indigenized by utility, and those indigenized by personality. There are some styles or schools that do not teach FMA per se but do incorporate the effective techniques of FMA in their curriculum. Many of these are self-defense schools or reality-based styles that utilize FMA as its core style. Examples of these would include James Keatings Comtech or Hock Hochheims Archipelago and Bladed Combatives. Its a dead giveaway when you go to their training sessions and are required to bring two rattan sticks and a training knife. In fairness to the aforementioned gentlemen, though, both are high-level, certified instructors in their respective FMA styles. Other self-defense schools, like Front Sight (a large gun training institute in the deserts of Pahrump, Nevada, close to Las Vegas) offer generic self defense courses in impact and bladed weapons combatives. These courses, however, were created and taught by FMA grandmasters. And finally, one can say that a style has arrived when it has been indigenized, and Americans can now found their own FMA systems. Because they have added their own techniques into the original body of knowledge, (and also presumably discarded some?), and have obviously injected their own personality and nuances into the new style, a new style has to be born again unto their spirit and baptized a new name. These names need to sound Filipino, and have ranged from the lethalsounding to the light-hearted. Examples include Blaise Loongs Patayin Estilo (Death Style) to Rocky Pasiwks Cuentada de Mano to my friend Badger Joness Siling Labuyo Arnis (er, something like Red Hot Chili Pepper Arnis).

Badger Jones, Founder of Siling Labuyo Arnis

Badger explained to me that his arnis is just like the siling labuyofiery, deadly, lively and Filipino to the core. Again, to set the record straight, these three gentlemen are expert arnisadors in their own right, among other things. And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the top contributors to the spread of FMA in the United States. The idea was to recognize a few people, not to slight any individual. If you feel an individual or a group has been grossly overlooked, please let me know.

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2004

MODERN ARNIS TIPUNAN SEMINAR MAKES HISTORICAL DEBUT Tipunan is a Filipino word meaning gathering. And it was indeed a star-studded gathering of Filipino martial arts (FMA) masters, Hollywood luminaries, Filipino celebrities and martial arts vendors at the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP) symposium at the Anaheim Hilton in front of Disneyland on Aug. 12-14, 2005. Dubbed as Tipunan sa Disneyland (Gathering at Disneyland) and hosted by IMAFP Commissioner Jay de Leon, the gathering featured instruction by a dozen masters in the art of arnis, buno (wrestling) and hilot (indigenous healing arts). These illustrious masters of arnis represented different styles of the art, including Modern Arnis, Lameco, Garimot Arnis, Ilustrisimo Kali and others. It was truly an international and national event, as several instructors and students traveled from other countries as well as other states. In his opening remarks, Jay de Leon dedicated Tipunan sa Disneyland to Modern Arnis Founder and Father Remy Presas, who was teacher, friend and inspiration to many of the Modern Arnis instructors in the seminar.

Prof. Remy Presas, Founder of Modern Arnis

The following is a complete list of instructors who participated in Tipunan sa Disneyland : (1) Dayang Edessa Ramos Modern Arnis, Zurich, Switzerland (2) Master Bram Frank Modern Arnis, Florida, USA (3) Master Jerome Barber Modern Arnis, Orchard Park, NY, USA (4) Gat Puno Abon Baet Garimot Arnis, Pembroke Pines, FL, USA (5) Master Roger Agbulos Lameco, North Hills, CA, USA (6) Grandmaster Rey Galang Bakbakan Kali, NJ, USA (7) Master Arthur Gonzalez Sr. Tenio Decuerdas Arnis, Stockton, CA, USA (8) Master John Jacobo Bakbakan Kali, MD, USA (9) Grandmaster Christopher Ricketts Kali Ilustrisimo, San Diego, CA, USA (10) Master Stephen Aron - Inosanto Kali, Glendora, CA, USA (11) Master Jay de Leon Modern Arnis, Murrieta, CA, USA (12) Guro Bruce Ricketts Kali Ilustrisimo, San Diego, CA. USA

Featured instructor Steve Aron, Tipunan host Jay de Leon and co-host Edessa Ramos from Zurich, Switzerland, from left to right.

Three scheduled instructors were unable to make it to the event. Master Godofredo Fajardo, current IMAFP Commissioner for the Middle East, was unable to break contractual obligations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he is based. Master Tom Bolden suffered an unexpected setback to a recent shoulder surgery, and Master Samuel Dulay ran into visa problems. The event highlighted some scintillating performances, including a highly entertaining instruction in buno (Filipino grappling) and lubid (rope weapon use) by the energetic Gat Puno Abon Baet of Garimot arnis from Florida, the now patented Kalis Ilustrisimo stick demo by father-son team of Christopher and Bruce Ricketts, and a larga mano (long-range) demo by leading exponents Gat Puno Abon Baet and Roger Agbulos.

Gat Puno Abon Baet (left) and Roger Agbulos demonstrate their respective larga mano or long-range techniques.

As an added attraction to the FMA instruction, both the event instructors and participants were treated to a special performance by Lua Olohe (Grand Master) Solomon Kaihewalu of Orange, California, who gave two separate performances, one on his systems weapons, the other on empty hands. Lua is the ancient martial arts system from the island of Hawaii, at one time a secretive art reserved for Hawaiian royalty. It is known for its unique weapons including paddles, war clubs and rope weapons. The effectiveness of the techniques was evidenced by the bruising punishment taken by senior Lua instructor David Krapes who assisted in the demonstration.

Solomon Kaihewalu (left), Grandmaster of Lua, demonstrates the use of the paddle against a staff wielded by Lua senior instructor David Krapes.

Another featured performer, Xin Wuku, a Muay Thai ring fighter and budding actor, gave a spectacular demo of his art. His repertoire included many high, aerial flips, jumping knees and elbows and Muay Thai cut kicks.

Featured performer Xin Wuku with buddy Mitch de Leon. The students were a diverse lot, from beginners to black belt instructors, including Guro Jeremiah Stanley of Reno, NV and local Guro Damian Romero. The oldest participant included martial artist and dancer Sid Hallburn, who is in his eighties. Corporate vendors included Winston Tamisins SmakStiks (padded sticks and knives) all the way from Atlanta, GA, Morgan Thomass Sharkee Knives (training knives), David Shulmans Virtual Blade (Sharkee knives with a patented marking delivery system) from Maryland, and Bob Walls WorldBlackbelt headed by Marketing Director Adam James.

Bakbakan chief Rey Galang (second from the right) entertains the SmakStiks crew from Atlanta, GA headed by Winston Tamisin (extreme right). Many FMA notables dropped by simply to say hello, take pictures or just soak in the atmosphere, including Modern Arnis datu Tim Hartman, Inosanto Kali guro Victor Gendrano, Master Ramon Rubia of San Miguel Eskrima who had just arrived from an extended trip to the Philipppines, FMA Digest publisher Steven Dowd and Mandirigma guros Arnold Noche, Dino Flores and Bud Balani. Hollywood celebrities were out in force including actor and producer Leo Fong who was representing Bob Walls WorldBlackBelt, entertainment producer David Krapes, creator of the TV reality series The Next Martial Arts Superstar, entertainment executive Amy Shomer of TerraNova Entertainment Inc. who helped supervised the professional filming of the event, and others.

Former basketball great, actor and Senator Robert Bobby Jaworski of the Philippines addresses Tipunan participants. Filipino celebrities included Robert Bobby Jaworski, a popular basketball legend, actor and former Senator of the Philippines who addressed the assembly, and Bruce Ricketts, a teen action star in the Philippines who has recently immigrated to the United States. Bruce is the nephew of Philippine action star Ronnie Ricketts and the son of Kali Ilustrisimo Grandmaster Christopher Ricketts, who was also a featured instructor at the seminar.

Christopher Ricketts (right) gives pointers as son Bruce gets ready to assist him. Because of the gorgeous California weather, the Friday morning session was held on the pool deck of the Hilton. The event was held at the plush Hilton Hotel right in front of Disneyland. The Hilton Hotel was a beehive of activity, full of revelers going to and from Disneyland, which was enjoying its 50th anniversary, as well as conventioneers. Much to the delight of the male participants at Tipunan, several thousand pretty ladies were having their conventions from companies such as Body Shop (ladies cosmetics and fragrance) and Cookie Lee. There were many extracurricular activities before and after the seminar itself, including many impromptu dinners and cocktails, cooling dips in the Hilton pool, and private tete-a-tetes at Starbucks at the Hilton. Host Jay de Leon treated several instructors to a welcome dinner at a Chinese restaurant nearby on Thursday evening. On Saturday, the Bakbakan contingent headed by GM Rey Galang was treated to a barbecue by Roger Agbulos at his residence in the San Fernando Valley.

Several families including Steve Arons brood took advantage of the occasion to watch dad Steve Aron teach at the event and later enjoy an outing to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland. Bram Frank, Edessa Ramos and Tipunan photographer Mitch de Leon were spotted having private arnis and kickboxing workouts at the Hilton Fitness Center. Host Jay de Leon even managed an impromptu mini-reunion with former classmates visiting from Georgia and Maryland.

After watching dad Steve Aron demo at Tipunan, daughters Kristen, Andrea and Kim headed to Disneyland and the California Adventure Park (above).

All in all, a good time was had by all. Tipunan host Jay de Leon promised that next years event will boast of an even broader and diverse line up of FMA instructors . Already, preparations are underway for yet another historic bash. See you there for another fun, star-studded event. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

BOOKS ABOUT FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR LIBRARY By Jay de Leon
Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt, 2005

Remarkably, at this point in its history, the definitive book about Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) has yet to be written. What we have is a smattering of books that fall into two categories, books written by founders or inheritors of FMA systems about their system, or a compendium of existing systems and their grandmasters.

Historical meeting between Spanish conquistadores and Filipino warriors

While these books are great historical and technical references, they give us no insight as to the cultural nuances, social values and historical background behind the formation of the FMA systems and the character and pathos of their founders. The history of FMA cannot be told without the rich panoply of Philippine history and the struggles and suffering, as well as the redemption and triumphs, of the Filipino people. It cannot be told without

the backdrop of the Spanish colonization, World War II, the Japanese invasion and the American occupation, as well as the birth of Andres Bonifacios Katipunan, nascent nationalism, and the painful steps leading to national independence.

Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio, founder of the Katipunan, leads revolutionaries against Spain.

Ideally, writing such a tome would require the combined talents of noted Filipino authors like Quijano de Manila or Nick Joaquin, historians like Dr. Reynaldo Ileto and Dr. Marcelino Foronda, and FMA writers like Halford Jones, Reynaldo S. Galang, Steven Dowd or Amante Mat Marinas. Lets hope somebody takes up the challenge. While we are waiting for this masterpiece, I suggest building up your FMA library. Here is a list of books I recommend, including their authors, a brief description of the contents of the book, and the historical or technical relevance of the book. They range from rare, out of print books originally printed in the Philippines, to recent releases available at your local bookstore or online.

Mga Karunungan sa Larong Arnis, by Placido Yambao Copyright 1957, University of the Philippines Translated as A Body of Knowledge in the Sport of Arnis, it was written in archaic Tagalog, and was the first widely released documentation on FMA. It was also the first publication to mention the word kali.

Mga Karunungan Sa Larong Arnis

My friend Felipe Bot Jocano pointed out to me that it was not even Placido Yambao, but his editor, Buenaventura Mirafuente, who wrote the short section on the history of arnis, who actually made the controversial assertion that kali was the original name of arnis at the time the Spaniards came. Unless you are a Tagalog scholar and historian, do not bother to get a copy; instead, go to the next book by Reynaldo S. Galang.

Classic Arnis : The Legacy of Placido Yambao by Reynaldo S. Galang Copyright 1992, Published by Arjee Enterprises, New Jersey, USA Reynaldo S. Galang is a senior instructor of Kali Ilustrisimo by Grandmaster Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimo, and is co-founder of Bakbakan International and its International Director based in New Jersey, USA.

On a basic level, you can look at this book as a literal translation of Yambaos book. For the benefit of Tagalogspeaking historians or practitioners, Rey retains the original name of the technique as a reference point. This book has over 500 pictures, many exclusive supplementary materials, and does deliver on its promises to unveil the secrets of Placido Yambaos legacy.

The Filipino Martial Arts as taught by Dan Inosanto, compiled by Dan Inosanto, Gilbert L. Johnson and George Foon Copyright 1980, Published by Know How Publishing Company, Los Angeles, CA, USA In addition to being a superb all-around martial artist, Dan Inosanto is also acknowledged as one of the leading authorities, a professor emeritus so to speak, of FMA history. This book, published in 1980, is considered the first book to give Americans a glimpse of the FMA, containing a biography of Dan Inosanto, a history of the Philippines, a list of FMA styles, pictures and short biographical sketches of FMA masters and other martial arts celebrities Dan trained, and an exposition of the Inosanto system.

This book also contained controversial comments that have been the fodder of much discussion and debate among FMA practitioners in the U.S. and the Philippines, in print and in chat rooms.

Masters of Arnis, Kali & Eskrima and The Secrets of Arnis by Edgar Sulite Copyright 1994, Socorro Publications, San Juan, Philippines Edgar Sulite founded Lameco Eskrima and was a well-liked and talented eskrimador who unfortunately died too soon at the young age of thirty-nine. The first book was one of the ways he acknowledged the many masters of FMA who helped him become the superb eskrimador that he was.

The Secrets of Arnis Some find his other book, The Secrets of Arnis, an even more interesting read than the Masters book. The Secrets of Arnis includes sections on improvised weapons (umbrella, key holder, tennis racquet), and on the use of the balisong. His instructor in the balisong was Master Nilo Limpin of Modern Arnis.

Modern Arnis: Philippine Martial Art, Stick Fighting by Remy Amador Presas, Founder of Modern Arnis Copyright 1974, Published by Modern Arnis Publishing Co., Quiapo, Manila, Philippines This is the original publication of Prof. Presass first book printed in the Philippines, considered the first English language arnis book, sometimes referred to as the pink book because of the background color of its cover. My copy, (serial #367) autographed by Remy during one of his seminars years after I bought it, is starting to get unglued.

From the authors collection. This is a photograph of the authors actual book, autographed inside by Prof. Remy Presas.

Eventually, Remy produced a U.S. version (Copyright 1983, Ohara Publications, Santa Clarita, CA, USA), with the Los Angeles crew that I trained with in the late 70sMichael Replogle and Dan DiVito of Choi Martial Arts Institute. Yes, I have an autographed copy of this version as well.

U.S. version of the Modern Arnis book by Prof. Remy Presas.

Filipino Martial Culture and Filipino Fighting Arts by Mark V. Wiley Copyright 1997, Published by Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland, Vermont, USA. Mark V. Wiley was a senior student of the late Angel Cabales, and has written several well-received books in FMA in addition to the aforementioned books, including Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts : Cabales Serrada Escrima,

Filipino Martial Culture represents a serious scholarly attempt to examine FMA in the context of Philippine history and culture, including the Filipino warrior ideology, tribal lore, spiritual beliefs and unique weaponry. Filipino Fighting Arts picks up where Filipino Martial Culture left off and examines twenty five different fighting systems in the Philippines, examining their diversity as well as common bonds against the backdrop of Philippine history.

Pananandata Arnis : Dalawang Yantok (Double Sticks Fighting) by Amante P. Marinas Copyright 1987, Published by Socorro Publications, San Juan, Philippines Amante Mat P. Marinas, Sr. is the founder of the Pananandata system, one of the most well-respected senior FMA masters in the U.S., and one of the most prolific writers in FMA. The aforementioned book is part of a series of books printed in the Philippines, including Yantok at Daga, ( Stick and Knife), Knife Fighting, and Rope Fighting; Filipino Choking and Binding Techniques. Paladin Press publishes a similar series in the U.S. In addition to this series, Mat Marinas has more recent books on sport blowguns and knife throwing.

From the authors library. This book is the Philippine edition, bought during a trip to the Philippines.

Harimaw Buno by Gat Puno Abon Baet Gat Puno Abon Garimot Baet is the inheritor of his family system called Garimot Arnis from the province of Laguna, in Luzon, Philippines. In addition to the regular curriculum of FMA, he also teaches the rare art of Filipino wrestling called Harimaw Buno, as well as the healing arts, called Hilot.

Harimaw Buno The book Harimaw Buno is the first book to document this art as learned and experienced by the author. Harimaw Buno employs standing throws, control locks, joint manipulation, striking and ground wrestling techniques. An interesting section includes some extremely strenuous training methods including mud training, canoe training, tamaraw (water buffalo) wrestling, log training and tree climbing. You have to read the book to learn what these unique drills are.

Arnis: Filipino Art of Self Defense, by Benjamin Luna Lema Copyright 1989, Published by Integrated Publishing House, Metro Manila, Philippines This is one of the FMA books I bought during one of my trips to the Philippines, and I do not know if there is a U.S. version. Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema was the founder of Lightning Scientific Arnis, as the name implies, a fast, hard-hitting, effective system. This is one of my favorite systems.

From the authors library. This book ishe Philippine edition, bought during a trip to the Philippines. Unfortunately, both Mang Ben and his senior student, Master Elmer Ybanez, passed away recently a year from each other. It will be a while before we hear from any inheritor of this system, so this book has a historical and sentimental value to me.

The Secrets of Kalis Ilustrisimo by Antonio Diego & Christopher Ricketts Published by Tuttle Martial Arts Antonio Tony Diego and Christopher Topher Ricketts are senior master students of Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimo, founder of Kalis Ilustrisimo. This book covers the history, structure, practice fundamentals, movements and applications, and training techniques of the system, with hundreds of photographs.

Eskrido by Ciriaco Cacoy Canete Published by Doce Pares Publication Ciriaco Cacoy Canete is one of the living legends of FMA, a second generation grandmaster from the historical Doce Pares Eskrima Club of Cebu, Philippines. Recently I published a review of this book. It is a great technical, how-to book for anybody that wants to learn this art and incorporate it in their system.

From the authors collection.

Honorable mentions include three books for you balisong enthusiasts, The Balisong Manual and The Advanced Balisong Manual by Jeff Imada, and Balisong The Lethal Art of Filipino Knife Fighting by Sid Campbell, Gary Cagaanan, & Sonny Umpad. There are numerous books out there that are basically manuals for a specific FMA system or style, written by the founder or inheritor, such as Ernesto Presas, Steven Dowd, and others . By all means, these are great references if you are a student or admirer of their style.

So whether you are an aspiring writer, martial arts historian, a serious student of the Filipino martial arts or just a book lover, consider this your starter list of books to include in your library. Copyright Jay de Leon 2005

Master Godofredo Fajardo is the current Commissioner for the Middle East for International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP), stationed in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is also my Modern Arnis guro and co-founder of our organization, Filipino Fighting Arts, Intl. But more than that, Master Fajardo enjoys a unique position in the history of Remy Presas Modern Arnis. He was a personal student and protg of Remy Presas, and was an active instructor, officer and tournament official for the various Modern Arnis organizations during and after Remys time (including NARAPHIL, Arnis Philippines, MAACOP, and others). In addition, he was able to train with Remy even after Remy emigrated to the United States. He was also instrumental in helping form IMAFP, Inc. and continues to serve as a Commissioner and a member of its Council of Masters. Here, in his own words, he describes that training with Remy and his role in the formation of IMAFP, Inc. At my request, Godo wrote the original piece below in Tagalog, and I took the liberty of translating it. I also left it without any annotations (describing the persons and places mentioned here), and any future historian can have the pleasure of quoting this piece and supplying their own annotations, with the proper acknowledgement, of course. Jay de Leon

TRAINING WITH THE PROFESSOR, THE SECOND TIME AROUND By Godofredo Fajardo Published Originally in FMADigest Special Edition May 2006

Remy went back to the Philippines after a long absence either in 1986 or 1988. At that time, I was teaching Modern Arnis in a gym for Raymond Velayo, on E. Rodriguez Ave in Quezon City. I was overjoyed to be able to train with Remy again. On that first visit, I trained together with Rodel Dagooc at the hotel where Remy was staying, the Silahis Hotel on Roxas Blvd. in Manila.

On his next visit in 1997, we continued our training, both at the hotel where he was staying in Binondo, Manila, and subsequently, at his house in Marikina. I believe that they have sold this house since.

Back in the days of Camelot the Professor (right) with an even younger Godo Fajardo. The Professor made several more visits after this. The training got a little bit more intense and more advance. In addition to the advance Modern Arnis techniques, he introduced tapi-tapi, which was new material for most. He stayed in a house which they had converted into a gym. Located near Taft Avenue behind De La Salle University, the house was owned by Shishir Inocalla. By this time, we were also joined in our training by Bambit Dulay. On one of these visits around the year 2000, Remy also gave a seminar for the Department of Tourism (DOT) which I attended.

It was also during this time that Remy formed the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP). Bambit Dulay and I were entrusted with getting Modern Arnis masters to meet with Remy, as well as the actual legal formation of IMAFP. Remy, Bambit and I met with these masters wherever we couldduring training, in beerhouses, in the office of Atty. Salvador Demaisip, at the Pamantasang Lunsod ng Maynila (PLM) and anywhere else we could find them. The meetings could be contentious at times, with so many masters and so many personalities and egos to contend with. But eventually IMAFP, Inc. took shape and was registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at EDSA Greenhills in Mandaluyong with Atty. Demaisip as the first president. Other Board members included Roberto Presas, Cristino Vasquez, Rene Tongson, Bambit Dulay, Noel Penaredondo and myself. In addition to being PRO, I was also designated the International and National Training Officer for IMAFP, and Remy entrusted me with various VHS tapes of his seminars in the U.S. On August 1, 2001, I left for Saudi Arabia, not knowing that my last training session with Remy was the final time I would see him alive. Within the month, Remy was dead. When I learned of his passing, I felt a great sense of loss, just like when I lost my first Modern Arnis teacher, Willy Annang. Farewell, teacher and father. Till our next training. Godofredo Fajardo Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 19, 2006 www.filipinofightingartsintl.com Copyright, Jay de Leon, 2006

ABANIKO DE TRES PUNTAS ESTILO By Jay de Leon

The abaniko de tres puntas estilo is an arnis style founded by GrandMaster Mateo D. Estolloso from Antique, Panay Island in the Philippines. Literally meaning the fan style of three points, it is a classical arnis style of sanggapatama orblock and hit or give and take style at its best. It is characterized by abaniko strikes, thrusts and punyos, (butts), martial arts stances similar to horse and cat stances, and graceful footwork and angling that covers both largo, medio and corto (long, medium and short) distances. As with most Filipino martial arts (FMA) systems, this deadly weapons-oriented system can be transformed into close-quarter empty hand techniques for combat.

Rene R. Tongson, Grandmaster of Abaniko de Tres Puntas Estilo

The sole and current inheritor is GrandMaster Rene R. Tongson of Amadeo City, Cavite, Philippines, appointed by Grandmaster Estolloso himself. GM Tongson is also a Senior Master of the Remy Presas Modern Arnis system with the rank of Lakan Walo or Eighth Degree, the interim chairman of its

council of masters, and the guiding spirit behind the recently concluded and successful 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival held this July 2006 in the Philippines. He also holds high ranking dans in Japanese kendo and shotokan.

GM Rene Tongson addresses the assembly at the Gala Night of the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival 2006 at the Heritage Hotel in Manila, Philippines in July 2006.

The bladed weapons of this system have a unique three finger grooves in the handle. Normally, if grooves are present in a bladed weapon, most have four finger grooves for the four fingers of the hand, except the thumb.

Tres Puntas training blade, courtesy of GM Rene Tongson In the case of the tres puntas system, the forefinger is not used to grip the weapon, but rather is extended straight against the weapon during combat, to help guide the weapon especially during parries and redirects.

Grip for Tres Puntas training blade. I have seen GM Tongson perform several demonstrations of this system, both solo and with partners, using single stick, daga, sword, and espada y daga. GM Tongson is probably one of the most technical yet graceful performers of arnis I have ever seen. He flows flawlessly from one stance

and from one distance to another, changing direction and timing as he delivers unerring and deadly strikes, counters, parries and redirects at his opponent.

GM Rene Tongson performing Tres Puntas demo I highly recommend this style of arnis if you ever get a chance to learn this particular style from GrandMaster Rene R. Tongson or any of his designated instructors of abaniko de tres puntas estilo or tres puntas for short. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2006

THE FIGHTING WEAPONS OF FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS By Jay de Leon

Originally Published by WorldBlackBelt, 2005 Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) is a primarily a weapons-based system. While the uninitiated may equate FMA with stickfighting, that is, of course, a misconception, as FMA teaches many weapon systems. An advanced FMA practitioner is very knowledgeable in the use of almost any weapon (for some including firearms, but for purposes of this article, we will exclude firearms). Depending on the FMA system, most will involve training in the following types of weaponsbladed, impact, flexible, and projectiles. There are, however, a few specific weapons that have come to be associated with FMA, in addition to the obvious stick. Just as there are weapons associated with kung-fu fighters, samurai warriors or ninja assassins, so too are there weapons associated with Filipino martial arts. Here then are the weapons associated with FMA. Some are obvious, some may surprise you. And even for the obvious ones, here are some factoids and trivia about the weapon, as well as famous users of the weapon. Stick Even the art of arnis itself has been conveniently (and erroneously) called stickfighting, so it is only natural that the stick (yantok, baston, garote, or olisi) itself is identified as the main weapon of FMA. Most of us are familiar with the rattan stick, around 28 long, varnished or plain, sometimes with some fancy design burnt or etched into the wood. By the way, the etchings have a purpose other than decoration-- they serve as a tactile marker to the user where he is holding the stick.

Depending on the style and the practitioners preference, the sticks used in FMA have varying lengths, material, heft, diameter, and finish. They may be anywhere from 18 to 44 in length, .5 to 1.5 in diameter, usually made of rattan, but may be made from bamboo or any durable wood as well as the beautiful hardwoods of the Philippineskamagong (ebony, a naturally black wood), bahi (palm, a rich, reddish brown wood with black streaks), etc. They may be flat (to simulate a sword), or whippy (called patpat, like the very thin stick Bruce Lee used against Dan Inosanto in The Game of Death). Also, bear in mind that the rattan stick is simply a training tool. Some FMA systems actually teach stick techniques using law enforcement and security weapons like the baton, nightstick, and the ASP (expandable metal or aluminum baton).

From the authors collection. From top to bottom: wooden sword bahi, flat; pair of sticks rattan, varnished with design; pair of sticks bahi, with etchings; pair of sticks kamagong, with etchings.

Balisong Some claim that the origin of the balisong knife, a three-piece gravity operated folding knife, is not even Filipino, but nowadays, the weapon is identified as and called Filipino butterfly knife, not to be confused with the kung-fu butterfly swords. It is the opening, closing, deployment and manipulation of the knife, and the hand dexterity that goes with it, that makes its use fascinating to watch.

A few balisong experts include Grandmaster Amante Mat Marinas of Pananandata in Philadelphia, Jeff Imada, Sonny Umpad, and my Grandmaster Godofredo Fajardo and his senior student, Master Nilo Limpin. They know a hundred fancy ways of opening and closing a balisong knife, manipulating double balisongs at the same time, including aerial tricks. As far as I know, these gentlemen still have all their extremities. Whip Some FMA systems include training in the whip as part of their curriculum. For example, Sayoc Kali does not only teach the use of the whip, they make and sell their own whips, and really nice ones at that. There are many kinds of whips, ranging from the 60-footer bullwhips to the fairly innocuous horsewhips or calesa (horse-drawn buggy) whips.

I have ridden calesas a few times in the Philippines and not once did I see the driver whip the horse with the calesa whip. Instead, they used to it to bang against the buggy, make an infernal racket, and wake up the horse to go faster.

From the authors collection. From top to bottom : chain, weighted chain, whip, nunchaku, combat tomahawk, push dagger. The late Mangisursuro Mike Inay of San Jose, CA had a wicked version of the whip. He took a regular baston (stick) and tied about half a foot of wire with barbed metal tip at the end. At one of the Gasshuku (training camp) annual seminars, I witnessed Mike Inay and son, Jason, give a thrilling full-speed demo of these whips, going at each other. Other styles use a chain (cadena or tanikala) or the dried tail of a stingray (buntot pagi). Any of these whips become even more dangerous when used in tandem with a knife, as in latigo y daga, a variation of espada y daga, or sword and knife.

Palm stick The palm stick (maliit na kahoy, pakal) is similar to the modern day kubotan you see people have attached to their keyrings. It is not uniquely Filipino. The Japanese also have this weapon, called yawara. I saw this weapon first in the Philippines training in jiu-jitsu (we knew it as combat judo then), as part of our yawara training. I then had it in arnis, where it had some nasty variations. Instead of the usual wooden, diamond-shaped protrusion at the end, sometimes razor-sharp blades or metals were inserted.

From the authors collection. From left to right : wooden training knife kamagong; wooden training knife bahi; wooden training knife from Pangasinan; wooden pakal kamagong; wooden pakal with pointed edges; wooden pakal rattan; wooden pakal bahi, flat; wooden pakal with pointed edges; kubotan metal, commercial keyring. Or it could be made up of carabao (Philippine water buffalo) horn, with points at the end, hence the name dos puntas or dulo-dulo (two points). As a final note, in addition to this being a very effective weapon, it is also one of the best training tools, with applications in knife as well as empty hands fighting, to improvised weapons application.

Nunchuku Any Bruce Lee fan knows what a nunchuku or nunchuks (also spelled nunchaku or nunchucks) are. Bruce Lee learned the nunchuks from Dan Inosanto. The weapon itself is a farm implement (a rice flail). Just like the palm stick, this weapon is not uniquely Filipino, but has now been identified with FMA. I will give you my personal experience with the nunchuks (tabak toyok) in the Philippines. In my travels in the Philippines, I never saw a farmer flail away at rice with a tabak toyok. Either its use was before my time, or I saw modern farms only.

But I saw many a mean hombre flail away at an opponent with a tabak toyok. The weapon was not identified specifically with FMA but with martial arts in general. I remember going to a shorin-ryu school and learning nunchuks from students who learned it not from the school but from other advanced students. Somehow, every black belt seemed to know how to use one by the time he got to that level, not sure if it was thanks to FMA.

Bolo The Philippine bolo can be described as either a long knife or a short sword. There are many types of bolo, with different configurations, length, use, and even namesbolo, itak, gulok, tabak, barong. Normally a farm implement, it can also be an awesome weapon, used historically by farmers to settle disputes, by the katipuneros (revolutionaries) against the Spaniards, and by the Bolo Battalion, a famed military and guerrilla unit, against the Japanese In World War II.

Barong

I remember growing up in a suburb of the city of Manila, and every household had several bolosprobably at least one in the kitchen, and another one with the garden tools. In case of a fight, I would probably have grabbed the latter one, and the assailant would probably have died of tetanus from the rust and dirt, rather than fatal wounds. I should point out that the Muslim blades, though, were far more serious affairsmany of them designated for the art of war (see next two weapons).

From the authors collection. From top to bottom : Visayan sword, bolo with horsehoof pommel, bolo with flared pommel, kris knife, kris training blade, punyal (thrusting knife), and balisong.

Kampilan Unlike the bolo, the kampilan, the weapon most favored by the Moros (Muslims) of Mindanao, Philippines is solely meant for battle, the equivalent of the Japanese samurais katana. It is a two-handed, single-edged sword, about 42 inches long, noted for its fearsome look. The hilt is quite long to counterbalance the weight and length of the blade. Most hilts are made of various native hardwood, invariably with a pommel shaped in an animal's wide-open mouth, like a crocodile, or the tail of a bird.

Some kampilans sport a spikelet at the tip, and feature engraved blades (from late 1800s to early 1900s). Just like the Saracen blade of the Moors in Europe, the kampilans cut a wide swath of death and destruction in many raids and battles waged by the Moros of Mindanao. Kris Originally associated with Indonesian culture and its martial art, pencak silat, the highly mystical kris quickly became another favorite of the Moros of the Philippines. The kris is readily recognizable by the wavy shape of its blade, which according to animistic lore, is indicative of either a lightningbolt strike to earth from the heavens or a snake.

In fact, the kris was developed as a quick strike (thrust) weapon that was patterned from nature, keeping in mind that in combat, a thrust is considered to be the final or killing blow of bladed combat. As for the combat application of the wave blade, it allows for easier body penetration, makes a nastier wound than a straight blade as it slips easily between bones and through joints, and facilitates retraction for more attacks. For most warriors, the kris was a prized possession, a symbol of nobility, often given a name and passed on from father to son. For FMA practitioners, the kris has become a symbol of mysticism and warrior nobility, as well as a lethal weapon of combat. Metaphysics or Enchantment This is a much discussed and debated topic of FMA. Technically, they are not weapons, but to the extent they can protect the owner from harm or wounds, or confuse or incapacitate the enemy, then they become accoutrements or instruments of war or combat. We are talking about amulets or charms (anting-anting) and prayers (orasyones).

Anting-anting. Courtesy of Bakbakan International.

The most notable Grandmaster who believed in this was Antonio Tatang Ilustrisimo, who carried an amulet and had an orasyon tattooed across his chest. It must have worked for him, since he survived a lifetime of death matches and violent street encounters to live to a ripe old age of ninetythree. Projectiles From the ancient times to the present, projectiles are one of the most feared weapons, whether in jungle skirmishes, guerrilla ambushes, or in urban warfare. The fear is understandable, for this particular weapon can be launched safely from a distance, from cover or concealment, usually with deadly effect. For purposes of this list, we are excluding hollow points and surface-to-air missiles. This list includes wooden torpedo-shaped darts (bagakays, which you throw by the handful), blowguns (sometimes with poisoned projectiles), bows and arrows (pana), slingshot (tirador), and the modern day dart, favored by urban hoodlums. The latter weapon was made up of less than a foot-long steel shaft, razor sharp at the business end and with a feather at the other end, just like an arrow, launched from a slingshot. While still living in the Philippines, I saw many pictures of victims of this projectile, either lifeless or awaiting surgery, with the projectile embedded halfway in their skulls, the feather sticking out. As a final note on weapons, the question always arises, what good is it learning some ancient weapon I will not be carrying with me in a fight, anyway. The answer, little grasshopper, lies in the two stones you have to snatch from my palmimprovised weapons and empty hands translation. Got them? Now go to your nearest FMA master for a lifetime of training to learn the meaning of the two stones. Good luck with your training. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

MARTIAL ARTS ROLES: BOON OR CURSE ?

By Jay de Leon

In this article, I am featuring actors who are not primarily martial artists but have now come to be identified with their roles in martial arts movies or TV series. In other words, they are actors first and foremost, and by some twist of fate or fortuitous event or casting, have come to be identified with a particular role in a martial arts movie or TV series. They may or may not know some martial arts in real life, but that is not germane to their roles, since after all, they are simply acting a part. And if you review the resumes of most of these actors, you will find that they have acted in comedies, straight drama, theatre and even musicals. That simply attests to their versatility as performers. For some, their martial arts roles were simply part of an impressive resume. For others, their martial arts role might even be considered a curse, typecasting them. Judge for yourself who benefited, or who eventually regretted, their martial arts stardom. PAT MORITA

Pat Morita (left) and Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid. For the record, there was a total of four Karate Kid movies, and in each one of them, Noriyuki Pat Morita played Miyagi-san, the old but wily

Okinawan sensei who guides the Karate Kid in his or her quest for martial arts knowledge and personal maturity. This role made Morita the most recognized sensei in the whole world. Not bad for a man who has never formally trained in martial arts and in fact, was stricken with spinal tuberculosis as a child.

Pat Morita (right) and Ralph Macchio in the movie poster for The Karate Kid Part II. Not bad for an actor who, just a few years earlier, was the zany Arnold in Happy Days. In fact, he had to fight for the Miyagi part, as backers for the project opposed casting a comedian in such a dramatic role. Maybe Morita was just being Miyagi, overcoming physical, racial and social obstacles to find meaning and dignity in his calling. This gentle, funny man passed away in 2005, in Las Vegas at the age of 73 years old.

RALPH MACCHIO

Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid

Ralph Macchio played Daniel LaRusso or Daniel-san, The Karate Kid, in three of the four Karate Kid movies. The fourth movie, The Next Karate Kid (1994) featured a then-unknown actress named Hillary Swank. Ralph Macchio has never starred in a high-profile movie since his Karate Kid days. In a recent interview, Ralph Macchio, now in his mid-40s, claims he is now at peace with that reality and even watches his movies with his kids. He says he now realizes how fortunate he was to have that opportunity. Does this mean he learned his lessons well from Miyagi-san?

JAMES HONG

James Hong

James Hong in Big Trouble in Little China

James Hong has been acting since 1947. His first real TV role was the No. 1 Son in The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (1957) Since then he has acted in over five hundred movies and TV shows. Invariably, he has portrayed countless martial arts characters in movies like Ninja III: The Domination, Big Trouble in Little China, and Bloodsport 2. You might remember him in more conventional action flicks like Missing in Action (1984), Tango and Cash (1989), and The Art of War (2000). Hong is one of the founders of the East-West Players, the oldest Asian-American theatre in Los Angeles.

VAN WILLIAMS

Van Williams as The Green Hornet in the TV series of the same name. Of course you know Van Williams. He was the Green Hornet, aka Britt Reid, crime-fighter and publisher of The Daily Sentinel. But what you probably do not know is that Van Williams was at one time one of those Hollywood hunks under contract with Warner Bros. He starred in films as well as TV series such as Bourbon Street Beat and Surfside 6 with Troy Donahue and Diane McBain. Knowledgeable movie buffs would also know that, paying homage to his Green Hornet past, Van Williams played the part of the director of the Green Hornet segment in the movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993) with Jason Scott Lee.

LUCY LIU

Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu in the movie Kill Bill Vol. 1

After watching Quentin Tarantinos Kill Bill Vol. 1, I will never be able to shake the image of Lucy Liu as O-Ren-Ishii, the kimono-clad, katanawielding killer who duels Uma Thurman to the death in the snow. Initially, it was her role as Ling Woo in the TV series Ally McBeal (1998) that brought her recognition. She also made a strong impression on the big screen with unforgettable roles in Payback (1999) with Mel Gibson, Charlies Angel (2000) with Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz and Shanghai Noon (2000) with Jackie Chan. You would think that she has been doing martial arts all her life, but she did not start until her twenties, studying Inosanto Kali and jeet kune do at the Inosanto Academy.

JAMES COBURN

James Coburn as Flint in the movie Our Man Flint.

Tough guy actor James Coburn died in 2002, after a long career in films culminating in an Oscar award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998 for the movie Affliction. A graduate of the seminal movie Magnificent Seven (1960) with other tough guy actors Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and others, his tough guy image was bolstered by his role as super-agent Flint in a series of movie spoofs of the secret agent genre.

James Coburn accepts his Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for the movie Affliction in 1998. Just like James Bond, Flint was a master of the martial arts, and utilized martial arts techniques in his escapades. In real life, James Coburn was one of the many celebrity students of Bruce Lee. His last major film was Payback with Mel Gibson in 1999.

DAVID CARRADINE

David Carradine as Kwai Chang in the TV series Kung Fu

David Carradine was of course the star of the hit TV series Kung Fu, playing the role of Kwai Chang Caine, a man of peace in a violent landschooled in the spirit-mind-body ways of the Shaolin priesthood. David Carradine is also the reason why Bruce Lee became a big star.

David Carradine as Bill in Quentin Tarantinos movie Kill Bill

In explaining why David Carradine got the part of Kwai Chang Caine in the TV series Kung Fu, an executive explained that none of the Asian American actors tested would be able to carry the scene. So Bruce Lee packed his bags, made a movie or two in Hong Kong, and showed the world what star power was. Kung Fu got David Carradine, and we got Bruce Lee.

KEYE LUKE

Keye Luke

Luke as the blind Master Po in the TV series Kung Fu

The Kung Fu saga continues. Most of you will recognize Keye Luke as the blind Shaolin abbott Master Po who teaches young Kwai Chang the ways of the Shaolin temple. It was also he who popularized the name Little Grasshopper for young David Carradines character in the series. In his acting lifetime, he appeared in over one hundred films and over thirty television shows. Among Keye Luke's final film assignments were the two Gremlins (1984 and 1990) and a marvelous supporting part as a philosophical herb merchant in Woody Allens Alice (1989). He died on January 12, 1991 in Whittier, California.

MAKO

Mako as Po-Han in the movie Sand Pebbles (1966)

Mako as Admiral Yamamoto in Pearl Harbor (2001)

I get to see and chat with Mako at martial arts conventions, and I cannot get over the fact that this unassuming, always smiling man who calls many martial artists his friend has starred in legitimate blockbusters for over four decades now. His credits include The Sand Pebbles (1966), Tucker, the Man and His Dream (1988), Seven Years in Tibet (1997), and Pearl Harbor (2001). He has portrayed many martial arts-related roles in TV series and movies, including The Killer Elite (1975), The Perfect Weapon (1991), and Bulletproof Monk (2003).

JASON SCOTT LEE

Jason Scott Lee starred as Bruce Lee (no relation) in the biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993). Although he was not a martial artist before the film, he trained in jeet kune do with former Bruce Lee student Jerry Poteet for the role. While he has acted to mixed reviews after this film, such as in The Jungle Book (1994), Rapa Nui (1994), Arabian Nights (1999) and Timecop 2 (2003), his identification with his Bruce Lee character might have prevented him from getting roles of wider range. And so for these actors, were their martial arts roles a blessing or a curse in their cinematic careers? Either way, we will always have fond memories of them, and their spectacular sword fights, thunderous kicks, lightning-quick punches as well as philosophical insights and wise lessons forever immortalized on film. Copyright Jay de Leon, 2005

ACTORS WITH BLACK BELTS By Jay de Leon

In the action genre, there are many stars who have used martial arts expertise as their springboard to action stardom. These would include luminaries like Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Don The Dragon Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and the list goes on. In this article, I will feature the opposite of this, namely, actors who act in straight drama or action pictures who have trained extensively or actually have a black belt in the martial arts. Naturally, if their role calls for some physical action, their martial arts expertise then really comes in handy.

LORENZO LAMAS

Lorenzo Lamas

Lorenzo Lamas and I used to go to different dojos in Burbank, California about the same time in the early1980s. We both got our black belts and he went on to star in TV series like Falcon Crest and Renegade, and I am here writing about him. Lorenzo Lamas is the son of actor Fernando Lamas and actress Arlene Dahl. You will probably remember him for his work in the TV series Falcon Crest (1981), Renegade (1992) and The Immortal (2000). He continues to work in films and TV appearances. For the record, I enjoy writing about Lorenzo, as he and I have worked together for WorldBlackBelt.

JAMES CAAN Every time I see James Caan onscreen, I always have two images in my mindSonny Corleone being riddled with tommy gun bullets in the causeway, and James Caan as Tak Kubotas black belt. I used to chat with Tak Kubota in his dojo in Glendale, CA in the 1980s, and one cannot help but notice James Caans almost lifesize photos on his walls.

James Caan as Sonny Corleone in the movie The Godfather (extreme left) with Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and John Cazale.

James Caan is a long-time black belt in Tak Kubotas gosoku-ryu system. In fact, he was featured in the January 2005 issue of Inside Kung-fu Magazine. You can also watch James Caan on TV right now in his exciting series Las Vegas, shot on location in Las Vegass Mandalay Bay Casino.

BRANDON LEE

Brandon Lee True, his father Bruce Lee had him doing jeet kune do as soon as he could toddle, but Brandon Lee decided to break into movies as an actor, not as a martial artist. He had worked diligently at his acting craft, appearing in several bit parts and movies until his big break in a starring role in The Crow (1994). He was killed accidentally during the filming of this movie when the prop gun that was supposed to fire a blank instead launched a projectile inadvertently left in the gun that tore into his abdomen. His body of work includes Kung Fu: The Movie (1986), Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) and Rapid Fire (1992). His accidental death made it to Es 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment.

MICKEY ROURKE

Mickey Rourke Okay, Mickey Rourke does not have a black belt in martial arts, but I suggest that you do not object too strenuously about throwing him in the mix. You see, Mickey Rourke happens to be an amateur boxer, with a record of 20-4 with 17 knockouts, and a professional boxer, with an undefeated record of 6-0-2. In fact, he actually interrupted his respectable movie career to climb in the ring professionally and seek a world title shot. His movies include Body Heat (1981), Diner (1981), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Year of the Dragon (1985), 9 1/2 Weeks (1986) and Barfly (1987). Unfortunately, his foray into professional boxing and his increasingly erratic behavior temporarily derailed his movie career. He is currently making a strong comeback in his movie career.

ADRIAN PAUL

Adrian Paul

Born in London of an Italian mother and a British father, Adrian Paul was a model, a dancer and a choreographer in Europe before coming to the United States to pursue a dance and modeling career. Instead, after several film and TV appearances, he was cast in his signature role, that of Duncan MacLeod in The Highlander in 1992. He is an advanced student in choy li fut, hung gar, taekwondo and boxing, and has trained extensively with the Japanese katana. He continues to work steadily in films and television, including the movie Highlander: Endgame (2000).

RUSSELL WONG

Russell Wong I first saw Russell Wong in the TV series Vanishing Son (1995) and I thought then that he had the complete packagelooks, physique, acting ability and unbelievable martial arts skills. Born to a Chinese father and a Caucasian mother, he first broke into television with a guest appearance on 21 Jump Street (1989).

Russell Wong

He then starred in films such as The New Jack City (1991), The Joy Luck Club (1993), and Romeo Must Die (2000). He continues to be busy with TV series and guest appearances (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 2004) and films (Twisted, 2004 and Honor, 2005).

WESLEY SNIPES

Movie poster for Passenger 57 starring Wesley Snipes. Wesley Snipes is currently one of the top action and martial arts stars in the business. My understanding is that he does not mind being known as a martial arts star, but he did not start out to become one. In fact, he did not introduce martial arts in his characters until he was already a major actor, starting with the movie Passenger 57. From this point on, he has progressively showcased his martial arts expertise in his movies, notably The Art of War and his Blade movies. He is an advanced practitioner of traditional martial arts as well as eskrima or Filipino martial arts.

ERIC ROBERTS

Movie poster for Best of the Best starring Eric Roberts (top, right). Eric Roberts is the brother of film star Julia Roberts and is probably known to many martial artists because of his Best of the Best movies. But Eric Roberts is also a working actor, with numerous film and TV appearances to his credit. His best work include Star 80 (1983) as the psychotic husband of Playmate Dorothy Stratten who eventually kills her, The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) as Mickey Rourkes cousin, and Runaway Train (1985) with Jon Voight which earned him an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. Eric Roberts continues to work steadily in films, TV series and movies.

DUSTIN NGUYEN

Dustin Nguyen As an actor, Dustin Nguyen hid his martial arts prowess, as he did not want to be typecast as an Asian martial arts actor. His acting career took off when he landed a starring role on 21 Jump Street, which took a number of young unknown young actors including Johnny Depp and cast them as undercover cops. A Vietnamese refugee who came to the U.S. as a child, Dustin turned to martial arts for solace and protection, becoming quite adept at kickboxing, taekwondo, eskrima and jeet kune do. Recently cast in the syndicated series VIP with Pamela Lee Anderson, Dustin enjoyed the change of pace, portraying an action character with a dash of comedy. He continues to work in movies, commercials and TV roles.

ELVIS PRESLEY

Elvis Presley (right) spars with Kenpo master Ed Parker

Although most of Elvis Presleys movies were simply vehicles for him to showcase his singing talents, he did make at least one action movie, a Western called Flaming Arrow (1960). Predictably, this movie was one of the least successful at the box office but his most critically acclaimed work.

He did show off some martial arts moves in his movie G.I Blues, made after his release from the U.S. army and Roustabout, as well as in some of his concerts.

Elvis Presley as we want to remember him. Note the Parker kenpo logo on his guitar. Initially, he learned karate while in the military in Germany, and continued with private instruction in the U.S., notably from kenpo great Ed Parker, who also doubled as his bodyguard. I know it is hard now to picture Elvis, with his subsequent weight and drug problems, as a hardcore black belt, but he was one. He is also reputed to have promoted kenpo extensively, including financing a dojo in Memphis called The Tennessee Karate Institute, emblazoning the IKKA Parker kenpo crest in his black Gibson guitar, and often mentioning kenpo in radio broadcasts.

JOHN SAXON

John Saxon (right) with Bruce Lee in the movie Enter the Dragon.

Most of us martial artists know John Saxon because of his Bruce Lee connection, particularly his role as Roper in the movie Enter the Dragon. But John Saxon was a legitimate movie star way before his martial arts fame with Enter the Dragon, starring in a number of youth-oriented dramas in the late 1950s.

John Saxon in the movie Rock, Pretty Baby in 1956.

His early movies included The Restless Years (1958) with Sandra Dee, Summer Love (1958) with Troy Donahue, The Reluctant Debutante (1958) with Sandra Dee and Portrait in Black (1960) with Sandra Dee. John Saxon and Sandra Dee were Universals last contract players. John Saxons career is still going strong; his latest film, The Road Home, was released in 2003. Sadly, Sandra Dee passed away on Feb. 20, 2005 at the age of 62 years old of kidney disease.

Interesting lot, wouldnt you say? As a final comment, it takes a lot of discipline, courage, sacrifice and hard work to become a black belt or an amateur or professional fighter, in real life. It is no small accomplishment. Just on that level, it is a reflection of the character of the people featured above. And for that, big movie star, working actor or bit player, we applaud them. Copyright, Jay de Leon, 2005.

Filipino Action Stars in the U.S. By Jay de Leon

Originally Published in FMADigest, 2005 Judging from the title, you are probably thinking, this should be a short list. Okay, so what we will do is play loose with definitions a little bit. Some will not be full-blooded Filipinos, but as long as they have one drop of adobo in their blood, they qualify. Some will not be exactly household names, but as long as they have enough credits for a filmology, to me they are stars. Predictably, most of them have appeared in the martial arts genre. A few are legitimate Hollywood action stars. Either way, lets have fun looking at this list of Filipino action stars who have graced either the big screen or your television screen.

Mark Dacascos Hawaiian Mark Dacascos is a worldrenowned martial artist, winning countless kung fu and karate championships in the early 1980s. His father, Al Dacascos, is a martial arts instructor of Filipino, Spanish and Chinese ancestry, while his mother Moriko McVey is of Irish and Japanese ancestry. Being a poi-dog (Hawaiian for mixed mutt) with ambiguous good looks has allowed him to play characters of different nationalities. He first got noticed with the television series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven (1998) and has now appeared in numerous movies including Only the Strong (1993), Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) and Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) where he fought Jet Li. He has just finished filming The Nomad (2004) where he plays Sharish, a leader of a large warrior tribe. And to further demonstrate his versatility, Mark makes his Mark Dacascos debut in 2005 as the host of Iron Chef America, The Crow: Stairway to a cooking show on the Food Network Heaven

Dan Inosanto in the movie Game of Death Out for Justice (1991).

Dan Inosanto Dan Inosanto is the keeper of the flame for Bruce Lees jeet kune do and a FMA living legend, known as the founder of Inosanto Kali. As for his cinematic accomplishments, Guro Dan, as he is informally called, is most known for his on-screen duel with Bruce Lee in Game of Death. In most of his other films, Dan plays the menacing Oriental heavy, for example, as a balisong wielder in Sharkys Machine (1981), as Hatchet Man in Big Trouble in Little China (1986), and as Sticks in

Tia Carrere Born Althea Janairo in Honolulu, Hawaii, exoticlooking Tia Carrere (also spelled Carrera) is part Filipino, part Chinese, and part Spanish. She has starred in both action movies as well as blockbuster comedies. Her action movies include Showdown in Little Tokyo with Brandon Lee, True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Rising Sun with Sean Connery, and her comedies include the cult classic Waynes World 1 and 2 with Mike Myers. She has appeared in Playboy magazine and is also a singer. Tia Carrere You might recognize her from her TV series, Relic TV series Relic Hunter (1999). Hunter.

Diana Inosanto

Diana Inosanto is the daughter of Guro Dan Inosanto. Understandably, she was born into the martial arts and quickly learned her fathers martial arts systems. With her dark good looks and lithe, athletic figure, she has had a flourishing acting career, starting with the hit TV series Moonlighting with Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. Now married to Ron Balicki who also works in the The Vault Starring Diana entertainment field as a stunt and fight Inosanto choreographer, they have teamed up together to include the production side of entertainment as well as martial arts. She has also worked as a stuntwoman in a number of action movies and martial arts films. Her latest movie is The Vault (2004).

Lou Diamond Philips Lou Diamond Philips is a recognized name in Hollywood, and has been in several blockbusters, including La Bamba and Young Guns I and II. He is half-Filipino and was actually born in the Philippines. He owes his good looks to the Cherokee Indian, Hispanic, Hawaiian and Scottish-Irish as well as Lou Diamond Phillips Filipino blood that run in his veins. He Richie Valens in La Bamba. is loved by the Filipino community, as he is a staunch supporter of Filipino World War II veterans, appearing before the Veterans Affairs Committee of the U.S. Congress asking for the passage of the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, which would restore the benefits taken away from them in 1946. His father, stepfather and five uncles served in the U.S. Navy.

Lexa Doig Alexandra Lexa Doig was born in Toronto, Canada to Filipino mother Gloria and English-Scottish father David. Her first significant role was in William Shatners series TekWar. She then appeared in many projects in both the big and small screen before landing a lead role in the movie Jason X (2001), which was the 10th installment in the Friday the 13th series. Not long afterwards, she captured the title role in Gene Roddenberrys Andromeda. Lexa Doig in the TV series Andromeda

Von Flores Von Flores is now in his fifth season playing FBI agent Ronald Sandoval in Gene Roddenberrys Earth: Final Conflict. He was born and raised in the Philippines and went to school and started acting in Canada. Flores has enjoyed leading roles in a number of television productions, including TV movies. He has also appeared in feature films. Von Flores (extreme left) in the TV series Earth: Final Conflict.

Ernie Reyes, Sr. and Ernie Reyes, Jr. Most of you probably remember Ernie Reyes, Jr. as a young martial arts child actor in such movies as Red Sonja, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Surf Ninjas. Well, Ernie Reyes, Jr. is grown up nowas a martial artist and as a serious actor. I saw his first full-contact muay-thai fight in San Jose, which he won. He continues to work in movies, and his latest cinematic works include roles in Rush Hour 2 (2001) and The Rundown (2003) where he provides the exciting, bruising fight scenes with The Rock. The Ultimate Fight Starring Ernie Reyes, Sr. Ernie Reyes, Jr. Most of you probably know Ernie Reyes, Sr. as the father of Ernie Reyes, Jr. Out of paternal pride, he might admit that that is his greatest achievement but his other accomplishments are impressive as well. He is a leading Taekwondo exponent in the United States, Ernie Reyes, Sr. Ernie Reyes, credited with the formation of the Jr. West Coast demo team and the Next Generation demo team and revolutionizing the whole demo scene nationwide. He began work in the movie industry as a fight choreographer, eventually working both as an actor, stuntman and action choreographer for many of Ernie Jr. films.

From bit players to martial arts heavies to Hollywood stars, Filipinos have added to the ethnic landscape of mainstream television and movieland. I hope you enjoyed meeting or knowing a little bit more about a few of them. If you or anybody you know is poised or on the threshold of Hollywood stardom, please let me know. Copyright, Jay de Leon 2005

ROGUES GALLERY OF MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE VILLAINS By Jay de Leon

Originally Published In WorldBlackBelt Magazine, 2006

There is an axiom in action movies that without dastardly villains, there can be no great heroes. In fact, in some movies, the villain gets even more top billing and attention than the hero. These villains we are featuring have the following things in common : a huge physical presence, a natural menacing look, tremendous martial arts powers, and on-screen credibility. And sometimes, they actually steal the thunder from their adversaries, at least in the beginning. Of course, in the end, they get their comeuppance, but not before they have menaced, bloodied and sometimes battered the hero. Please enter and view the rogues gallery of cinematic villains whose knowledge of martial arts have made them some of the most formidable foes and recognizable villains in cinematic history.

Bolo Yeung

Bolo Yeung in Enter the Dragon. Bolo Yeung was a competitive bodybuilding champion and shotokan karate expert in Hong Kong. After over a decade in working in Chinese films, he shot to fame in the 1973 Bruce Lee classic, Enter the Dragon. His other notable U.S. films include Bloodsport (1987) and Double Impact (1991) with Jean-Claude Van Damme. His filmology lists almost fifty films, most of them Chinese films. With his unique massive appearance, he has made his mark as one of the strongest and most imposing martial arts villains in film.

Al Leong

Al Leong is a stuntman and actor who has acted in more than twenty films as an Asian heavy. He has squared off with the best of them, including Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon (1987), Brandon Lee in Rapid Fire (1992) and Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1998). His other film credits include Big Trouble in Little China (1986), The Perfect Weapon (1991), The Replacement Killers (1998) and the Scorpion King (2002). Al continues his villainous work in films and television, and had his directorial debut in the year 2000.

Bob Wall

Bob Wall (left) with Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.

Bob Walls place in the rogues gallery of cinematic villains is secure with his role as OHara, the bearded villain in Enter the Dragon who meets an ignominious death at the hands (and feet) of Bruce Lee. He was in three of Bruce Lees movies, cast as a villain, including the Game of Death. When I asked him why he made such a good villain in those films, Bob Wall answered I let Bruce really hit me. Bob Wall continues to act in films, notably with friend Chuck Norris in movies like Hero and the Terror (1988) and Sidekicks (1991), and episodes of the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has one of the most recognizable faces among the current crop of Asian actors, which is not surprising considering he specializes in playing the vilest of dastardly villains. His film credits include blockbuster hits such as Licence to Kill (1989), Rising Sun (1993), Mortal Kombat (1995), The Art of War (2000) and Elektra (2005). His TV appearances have included starring roles in Space Rangers (1993), Nash Bridges (1996) and Hawaii (2004), as well as numerous guest appearances in other series. In real life, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is the antithesis of the villains he portrays, displaying a calm demeanor, spirituality, wisdom, courtesy and willingness to help others.

Harold Sakata (1920-1982)

You might not recognize the name, but you will surely recognize his screen character and name, Oddjob, one of James Bonds most famous and formidable adversaries. Oddjob was Goldfingers golf caddy, chauffeur, bodyguard and killer, using a metal-tipped hat and karate skills to dispose of opponents. Trivia quiz: How did James Bond finish off this almost invulnerable adversary? A stocky muscle man, Hawaiian-born Harold Sakata was a martial artist and professional wrestler before he became an actor. He capitalized on his screen role by appearing in a number of programs and shows in his Oddjob character.

Soon-Tek Oh

Soon-Tek Oh

Born in Japan but raised in Korea, Soon-Tek Oh came to the United States as a teen-ager. After performing on stage on Broadway and guest starring in TV shows like M*A*S*H, he got his big break in movies in the James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun. Since then, he has had good guy roles as well as villainous roles in movies like Good Guys Wear Black, Missing in Action 2, Death Wish 4 and others. He continues to work in theatre and TV, and is known for his efforts to present more accurate portrayals of Asian-American culture on stage.

Bill Wallace

Bill Wallace Bill Superfoot Wallace was both a champion karate point-fighter and a professional kickboxing champion. He captured the World Middleweight Championship and retired undefeated with a record of 23-0. With the help and encouragement of his friend Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace appeared in his first movie with Chuck Norris as the villain Sparks in A Force of One. Since then, he has compiled a modest filmolography playing the heavy in martial arts films, displaying his trademark high kicks.

Khigh Dhiegh (1910-1991)

Again, you might not recognize the name but you will probably recognize the face if you are a Hawaii Five-O fan. For several seasons and in eleven episodes, Khigh Dhiegh played the recurring role of Wo Fat, Steve McGarretts wily arch-enemy, initially the top espionage agent for the Peoples Republic of China and later an independent operator. Khigh Dhiegh spent his career playing Asians but was not even Asian, but actually of Anglo-Egyptian-Sudanese descent. Khigh Dhiegh made Wo Fat into an exciting villain and a world-class adversary for the no-nonsense, relentless McGarrett. He also played the brain-washing Chinese Agent Yen Lo in the original film Manchurian Candidate starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey.

Tak Kubota

Tak Kubota (left) with action star Charles Bronson in The Mechanic. Tak Kubota is one of the true grandmasters and living legend in karate. Born in Japan, he has spent his entire life teaching karate in both Japan and the United States, including law enforcement academies all over the world. He is also an actor who has appeared in over 300 movies, television shows and commercials. His movies include The Mechanic, Killer Elite, Black Rain, Rising Sun and The Hunted. In the 1980s when I lived in Glendale, California, I used to drop by and talk shop with him in his dojo. He seemed to enjoy my visits in spite of the fact I was training in a shotokan dojo near-by. This villainous killer on the screen turned out to be one of the most pleasant, friendly, humble and interesting karate masters I have ever met.

James Lew

In the 1970s, James Lew held sway in the martial arts tournament world as a kata champion. In the 1980s, James Lew entered a different arena and established himself as one of Hollywoods top stuntmen and villain actors. He has acted in more than forty movies since appearing in Going Berserk as a kung fu fighter in 1983. Since then, he has appeared in numerous major films such as Action Jackson (1988), Timecop (1994), The Replacement Killers (1998), Traffic (2000) and Rush Hour 2 (2001). He is also considered one of the foremost experts in the world on stretching and kicking techniques.

Professor Toru Tanaka (1930-2000)

Charles Kalani, better known as Professor Toru Tanaka. Born Charles Kalani in Honolulu, Hawaii, he was a Danzan Ryu blackbelt and later became known to wrestling fans as World Wide Wrestling Federation world tag-team champion Professor Toru Tanaka. An imposing physical specimen with a menacing glower probably developed from his wrestling days, he later appeared in more than 20 films. He has battled and battered the best of them, from Chuck Norris in An Eye for An Eye (1981), to Jeff Speakman in The Perfect Weapon (1991) and to Arnold Schwarzenegger in Running Man (1987) and The Last Action Hero (1993).

So there you have it, my rogues gallery of the most unsavory and despicable villains on film. Undoubtedly, their martial arts expertise added

to the realism of their cinematic persona. But it is also probably safe to assume that, in real life, they were nothing like the rogues they portrayed. On the contrary, I happen to have the pleasure of meeting a few of these gentlemen (Kubota, Wallace, Tagawa, Lew, Leong and Wall) and they represent a true fraternity of hardworking actors, superb martial artists and all-around nice guys. Copyright, Jay de Leon, 2005.

Strong Women On-Screen Part I The Pioneers By Jay de Leon

Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt, 2005 When I was a youngster in the Philippines, I watched my usual share of martial arts movies, especially those made in Hong Kong, sometimes called the chop fuey or kung-phooey movies. I remember watching the very first Bruce Lee movie, called The Big Boss in Asia, on the big screen. I knew Bruce Lee would be a big star then.

Bruce Lee in a fight scene in The Big Boss

But it might interest you to know that Bruce Lee was not my favorite martial arts actor then. It was an actor named Meng Fei, another kung-fu practitioner. Close on his heels as a favorite was a Japanese stylist named Shoji Karada aka Shoji Kurata, probably because at that time I was training in shorin-ryu karate, a hard Okinawan style.

Kung-fu action star Meng Fei

Japanese action star Shoji Kurata

I also knew that the martial arts genre would eventually make it big in Hollywood and attract mainstream audiences. But what I did not foresee was the phenomenon of women in martial arts making it just as big in the big screen, as well as the small screen (TV series). Of course the phenomenon did not happen overnight. As early as the 60s, there were strong women in both the big and small screen that laid the ground work for the success of female action figures today. Here are some of the female action stars I remember and enjoyed watching in the early 60s through the 90s. Of course they were attractive and strong, with that happy balance of brains and beauty, and of course, very strong sex appeal. While some of you may be too young to remember most of these ladies, you may still catch reruns of their movies or shows on cable, on video or DVD or just some late night classic hour on TV.

DIANA RIGG

Diana Rigg

This was one of my favorite shows in the late 60s for two reasonsDiana Rigg as the redoubtable Emma Peel, and martial arts, or the miniscule glimmer of it. The show was campy, Diana Rigg could be vampy, and the martial arts miserably skimpy, usually taking place towards the end of the show as Diana Rigg polished off the bad guys.

Diana Rigg (right) with Patrick MacNee in The Avengers But the combination of Diana Riggs angelic face, British accent, high fashion and martial arts skill ensured I would be back for the next weekly show. After quitting the show, Diana Rigg has had an illustrious stage, film and TV career, culminating in the title of Dame Commander of the British Empire conferred by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998.

NORA MIAO

Nora Miao

If you are a Bruce Lee fan or a Hong Kong kung-fu movies aficionado, you would know Nora Miao, or at least recognize her. Nora Miao was in three of the Bruce Lee movies, including the first one, The Big Boss as it was called in Asia, Fist of Fury, and Way of the Dragon. She also starred in numerous Hong Kong kung-fu movies.

Nora Miao (left) with Bruce Lee

During the 70s, she was one of the decades Asian leading actresses, filming Taiwanese dramas back to back with Hong Kong swordplay and martial arts films. Current stars like Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh who are riding the crest of success of the now respectable kung-fu movies have Nora Miao and the other early stars of Hong Kong movies to thank for blazing the way in this genre.

PAM GRIER

Pam Grier Quentin Tarantino was not alone growing up with, uh, fantasies about Pam Grier. In the 70s, Pam Grier shot to stardom as the gorgeous but hard-asnails heroine of blaxploitation classics like Foxy Brown and Coffy.

Movie poster for Foxy Brown starring Pam Grier

Twenty years later, after his directorial triumph in Pulp Fiction, Tarantino cast her in the title role of his film Jackie Brown. She was not idle during the interlude, however, with occasional work in theater and screen roles in movies like Fort Apache the Bronx with Paul Newman, Escape from L.A. with Kurt Russell, and Above the Law with Steven Seagal.

PETA WILSON

Peta Wilson

Okay, the premise is a wee bit over the top. In the TV series La Femme Nikita, Peta Wilson plays Nikita, a cold blooded operative blackmailed by a clandestine anti-terrorist organization to work for them.

Peta Wilson in the title role of the TV series La Femme Nikita. Peta Wilson was formerly an athlete and a model born in Australia who had lived all over the world before moving to Los Angeles to seek cinematic fame and fortune. She trained for a couple of months learning shooting, karate, tai chi and close quarter combat for this series. You probably saw her last in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Sean Connery.

URSULA ANDRESS

Ursula Andress

This scene from the first James Bond film Dr. No (1962) features Ursula Andress emerging from the sea as Honey Ryder in a white swimsuit with a knife at her waist, dripping tantalizingly wet. This iconic image has been often been mentioned as the sexiest screen moment of all time, insuring Andresss place in cinematic history.

Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film Dr. No.

Not bad for a Swiss actress whose accent then was so thick her voice was dubbed over, and whose character was supposed to have a broken nose. Either way, Andress set the bar for generations of Bond girls to follow gorgeous yet slightly wounded, strong yet extremely vulnerable, but always alluring and irresistible.

CYNTHIA ROTHROCK

Cynthia Rothrock

Cynthia Rothrock was an incredibly accomplished martial artist who eventually became one of the greatest martial arts and action stars in the world, earning her such titles as Queen of Martial Arts Films, Kung-fu Video Queen, and the like. She spent many years in Hong Kong starring in Asian produced motion pictures for Golden Harvest and other Asian film companies, eventually starring in domestic action films as well.

Cynthia Rothrock in one of her movies, Rage and Honor.

Currently, she has teamed up with my friend and kung-fu legend Eric Lee, the King of Kata, to form an organization helping others break into the action-adventure martial arts film industry. I often see this duo at WorldBlackBelt events, as they are Founding Members of the organization.

ANGIE DICKINSON

Angie Dickinson

During the 60s and 70s, there was a glut of cop showsStarsky and Hutch, Mannix, The Mod Squad, SWAT, The Rookies, etc. But my favorite cop shows were Police Story and its spin-off Police Woman starring Angie Dickinson as Sgt. Suzanne Pepper Anderson. Her co-stars included veteran actors Earl Holliman and Charles Dierkop. The running joke was that Earl Holliman was hired to say the same line every episode, Be careful, Pepper.

Angie Dickinson in Police Woman with co-star Earl Holliman.

To me, Angie Dickinson has always had that smoldering sex appeal. Her movies include the original Oceans Eleven with Frank Sinatra, Rio Bravo with John Wayne, and Cast a Giant Shadow with Kirk Douglas.

LINDA HAMILTON

Linda Hamilton

Linda Hamilton will of course be forever identified with Sarah Connor, who gets to battle Arnold Schwarzenegger in the first Terminator as well as Terminator 2: Judgment Day. When she realized that the tough, ferocious and buffed character she had developed in the Terminator movies was getting her typecast, she turned down the recurring role in Terminator 3.

Linda Hamilton in the first Terminator movie

She also won another battle of sorts divorcing her third husband, director James Cameron, whom she caught having an affair during the filming of the epic Titanic. Her divorce from him is considered one the costliest Hollywood divorces, amounting to close to $50 million.

JULIE NEWMAR

Julie Newmar as she should be viewed, in all her 5 11 glory. I remember Julie Newmar for her Playboy spread and for being Catwoman in the original Batman TV series starring Adam West. But of course she was more than that. She was the epitome of brains and beauty, and was a dancer, model, and stage, TV and movie star.

Julie Newmar as Catwoman in the TV series Batman. As Catwoman, she established the stereotype of the female super-villain with her lithe 5 11 curvy body radiating sexuality in a black vinyl catsuit (a look imitated by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns in 1992). While none of her movies were blockbusters, she achieved cult immortality with the film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar in 1995, where she made a brief appearance. To be continued in Part II. Copyright Jay de Leon, 2004

Strong Women On-Screen Part II : Action Queens and Ladies-in-Waiting By Jay de Leon
Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt Magazine, 2005 As we saw in the previous article, three decades of strong female actresses have paved the way for the current crop of hot action stars. Like their predecessors, they are gorgeous, smart, fearless, as knowledgeable in the art of war as in the wiles of women. Here then is the current bevy of hot action stars lighting up the big and small screen. ZHANG ZIYI

Zhang Ziyi Riding the wave of the new genre of martial arts films in Hollywood (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers), Zhang Ziyi is the current darling of martial arts films, both in Asia and the U.S., and it is obvious why. Onscreen she is childlike yet capable, poised yet naughty and charming, smart yet impulsive.

Zhang Ziyi in House of Flying Daggers Zhang Yimou, one of Chinas most renowned directors, gave Zhang Ziyi her first break by casting her in the lead role of The Road Home (1999). You might also remember her in the film Rush Hour with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, where she speaks strictly Chinese in the film. But moviegoers will definitely never forget her frenetic fight scenes with Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat, or her torrid love scenes in the Gobi Desert in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

JENNIFER GARNER

Jennifer Garner

We know by now that Jennifer Garner is back in the spy business in Alias on TV this year, 2005. This was the TV series that catapulted her into action stardom. She is also reprising her role as Elektra in a movie sequel to Daredevil, appropriately titled Elektra.

Jennifer Garner as Elektra

In addition to numerous other television productions, she has appeared in major motion pictures as 13 Going On 30 (2004), Pearl Harbor (2001) and Dude, Wheres My Car? (2000). She is trained ballerina , a college graduate with a Theatre degree, and now a serious kickboxer.

KRISTANNA LOKEN

Kristanna Loken

From Part I, we learned that Linda Hamilton turned down the recurring role of Sarah Connor for Terminator 3 : The Rise of the Machines. Taking her place was Kristanna Loken, a former 5 11 supermodel of Norwegian descent who was born and grew up in New York.

Kristanna Loken (left) with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 3 : The Rise of the Machines

She made numerous television appearances before her breakthrough film role in Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines (2003) opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger. She has just finished filming a movie based on a popular video game, BloodRayne where she stars as the title character.

LUCY LOVELESS

Lucy Loveless

I must confess I did not what a chakram was until I started watching Xena, Warrior Princess. (It is that circular weapon she carries around her waist, from the Sanskrit word meaning circle.) Then I found myself attracted more to the character Gabrielle (played by Renee OConnor), until I found out she was Xenas love interest in the series.

Lucy Loveless as Xena, Warrior Princess

The critics consensus seems to be that Lucy Lawless endowed her character with charisma, strength and sex appeal, and thus gave Xena enough credibility to rise above the fantasy world and campy scripts. Isnt that the same thing I said, that I watched the show for the martial arts and the sexual tension between Xena and Gabrielle?

UMA THURMAN

Uma Thurman Kill Bill is of course the extreme martial arts anime from Quentin Tarantino in the old tradition of Hong Kong kung-fu movies, Japanese sword play movies and spaghetti Westerns, with the level of screen violence, gore and even music ratcheted up to stratospheric proportions. This classic story of betrayal and revenge is told in two movies, Kill Bill Volume 1 and Kill Bill Volume 2, but the fights are mostly in Volume 1 and the denouement is in Volume 2.

Poster for Kill Bill Volume 1

Uma Thurman delectably serves up the fight and denouement in both movies, more with animal ferocity than anime. After these movies, she will almost surely be remembered as an action hero than just being part of the Quentin Tarantino ensemble.

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY

Keira Knightley

In yeoman fashion, British actress Keira Knightley has been racking up the action roles, including leading roles in Pirates of the Caribbean and King Arthur, where she plays Guinevere as a warrior-queen. A child star, her first high-profile role came as Sabe, the Decoy Queen to Queen Amidala, played by Natalie Portman in Star Wars : The Phantom Menace in 1999.

Keira Knightley plays Guinevere in the movie King Arthur.

She has become a womens magazine favorite, earning titles in 2004 such as the most glamorous film actress, the sexiest film star of all time, and the most desirable single woman in UK.

JESSICA ALBA

Jessica Alba Her TV series lasted only two seasons, but that was probably enough to get her noticed as an up-and-coming young action star. For two years Jessica Alba played Max, a genetically enhanced soldier on the run from her own creators in the TV series Dark Angel. There was much expectation from this series because it was produced and directed by James Cameron, he of Aliens and Titanic fame.

Jessica Alba as Max in the TV series Dark Angel.

HILLARY SWANK

Hillary Swank

Poster for the movie The Next Karate Kid starring Hillary Swank and Pat Morita.

I toyed with the idea of featuring Hillary Swank in both Part I and II of this article. In the 1994 movie The Next Karate Kid, Hillary Swank played Juliesan, the female Karate Kid, actually the fourth Karate Kid, originally played by Ralph Macchio. In 1999, she won an Oscar for Best Actress in the movie Boys Dont Cry where she played a real life person, Brandon Teena, a woman who secretly lived as a man and was raped and murdered for her deception.

A scene from Million Dollar Baby starring Hillary Swank and Clint Eastwood. Now, Hillary Swank is in a movie being touted as an Oscar contender, Million Dollar Baby, directed by the ageless Clint Eastwood. She plays a thirty-something waitress who convinces Eastwood to train her to become a boxer in spite of her age and utter lack of experience. Is this just another Rocky movie, or will Clint surprise and disturb us again, just as he did in Mystic River last year? Either way, Hillary Swank will be the beneficiary of Clints gender-twisting, genre-bending (Oscar) contender.

JESSICA BIEL

Jessica Biel Okay, I confess to the guilty pleasure of watching the TV series Seventh Heaven, but only to listen to the Rev. Camden (Stephen Collins) counsel his rebellious teen-aged daughter Mary Camden (Jessica Biel). Well, Jessica Biel is all grown up now and has graduated to action pictures.

Jessica Biel (extreme right) with Wesley Snipes (center) in the movie Blade : Trinity. She recently co-starred with Wesley Snipes in the film Blade : Trinity where she gets to shoot a bow and arrow, kill vampires and kick ass. Her previous film was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. If only the Rev. Camden could see her now. Well, those are my choices of current hot action stars. And of course you are entitled to your own list. You are even entitled to like Xena over Gabrielle. Come to think of it, keep me posted as to your favorite up and coming action star, so I can feature them in Part III. Copyright Jay de Leon, 2004

The Pioneers of Martial Arts On-Screen By Jay de Leon Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt, 2005

The two people generally credited with legitimizing and popularizing martial arts movies on-screen in the U.S. are Bruce Lee and James Bondone a real-life martial arts legend and the other a fictional character. Bruce Lees final movie, Enter the Dragon (1974), elevated the genre from the chopfooey back lots of Hong Kong to the klieg lights of Hollywood. After the phenomenal success of their first James Bond movie, Dr. No (1962), producers Saltzman and Broccoli continued their formula for success of gadgetry, Bond girls, exotic locales, and of course, despicable villains and suspenseful action helped along with heavy doses of martial arts. This movie inspired a whole genre of super spies, secret agents as well as spoofs for generations to come, to the present day. But way before Messrs. Lee and Bond came to the public eye, several actors and their screen persona gave us a glimmer of martial arts in their work, either on the big screen or the small screen (TV). I remember how excited I would get seeing judo or karate techniques on screen. Here are some actors and shows I personally remember.

Rick Jason (1960)

Rick Jason

Rick Jason is unofficially credited with being the first to use martial arts (karate) on TV with the series The Case of the Dangerous Robin (1960), where he portrayed an insurance investigator. I remember at least one scene where they showed him in a karate workout, complete with a gi and a white belt. Of course, the climax of each episode was him subduing the miscreants with karate.

Rick Jason as Lt. Gil Hanley (left) and Vic Morrow as Sgt. Chip Saunders in the TV series Combat. Rick Jason studied kenpo with founder Ed Parker, earning a brown belt after three years. A few years later, he hit prime time and became a household name as Lt. Gil Hanley in the hit series Combat along with the late actor Vic Morrow.

James Cagney (1945)

James Cagney

This movie starring James Cagney, Blood on the Sun (1945), is generally acknowledged to be the first American film to show martial arts, in this case, judo. In this movie, James Cagney is shown wearing a judo gi and black belt and effortlessly executing his judo throws (seoinage or shoulder throw).

Movie poster for Blood On The Sun starring James Cagney

In this movie, he plays Nick Condon, American journalist and newspaper editor living in Japan who uncovers a Japanese militarist plot to take over the world .And of course, he gets to use his judo as he battles for his life in the climactic end.

TOSHIRO MIFUNE (1961)

Toshiro Mifune as Yojimbo

During the 60s and 70s, the so-called Japanese sword-play or samurai movies became almost as popular as the Hong Kong movies. The most famous of these movies were the result of collaboration between the acclaimed director Akiro Kurosawa and his favorite leading man, Toshiro Mifune, including The Seven Samurai, Rashomon, and Yojimbo.

Movie poster of Yojimbo starring ToshiroMifune.

You can still catch reruns of these classic movies nowadays on Saturday screenings. You may also remember Toshiro Mifune in the TV mini-series Shogun with Richard Chamberlain.

Frank Sinatra (1962)

For those of you too young to remember, Frank Sinatra was also a bona fide action star. His action film credits include From Here to Eternity, Seventh Dawn and Tony Rome, all very watchable movies even today.

Frank Sinatra

The original Manchurian Candidate (1962) was one of the first Hollywood films to use martial arts in a major fight sequence, with Frank Sinatra going mano y mano with Henry Silva, one of my favorite all-time villains. In the protracted fight, Frank uses patently karate techniques, actually breaking part of a table, and his little finger, in the process. Just lately, there was a remake of this movie with Denzel Washington.

A poster for the original Manchurian Candidate starring, from left to right, Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Harvey and Angela Lansbury.

SEAN CONNERY (1962)

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No.

The dossier on James Bond reveals him to be a hand-to-hand combat expert, with training in judo, among other skills. James Bond is of course Agent 007, an operative of the British secret service, member of an elite Double O club with license to kill. In Dr. No, the first movie, James Bond, portrayed by Sean Connery, shows his judo expertise executing a throw on a would-be assassin masquerading as his driver.

Sean Connery (right) as James Bond welcomes Robert Shaw, SPECTRE killer Red Grant masquerading as a British agent before their brutal fight aboard the Orient Express in the movie From Russia, With Love.

My favorite James Bond movie is From Russia, With Love, whose opening scene includes SPECTRE agents training in martial arts. The climactic fight scene in the train compartment of the Orient Express between Sean Connery and Robert Shaw as the SPECTRE killer Red Grant ranks as one of the best cinematic fights ever. For me, Sean Connery will always be the definitive James Bond as Ian Fleming described himsuave, hard-living, tough, coldblooded and resourceful.

BRUCE LEE (1966)

Actors Van Williams (left) and Bruce Lee of theTV series The Green Hornet.

The TV series The Green Hornet is memorable to Bruce Lee fans as giving him his first public exposure in U.S. television. In the series, Van Williams starred as Britt Reid, the editor and publisher of The Daily Sentinel newspaper.

The Green Hornet and Kato in the TV series The Green Hornet.

As the Green Hornet, Reid fought crime with the help of his faithful manservant, Kato (Bruce Lee). This series never got off the ground and was cancelled after one season, but not before propelling Bruce Lee and his kung-fu into the public eye.

PETER SELLERS / BURT KWOUK (1964) In his Pink Panther movies, Peter Sellers plays Inspector Clouseau, the most bumbling detective on planet Earth. Inspector Clouseau purports to be a deadly karate expert, and orders his Oriental man-servant Kato (Burt Kwouk) to attack him unexpectedly at any time as part of his training.

Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau.

Burt Kwouk as Kato

This of course leads to many hilarious scenes of Burt Kwouk attacking Peter Sellers in the shower, in bed in a pleasurable encounter, etc. From A Shot in the Dark (1964) on, both men kept this running gag for years, keeping karate in the public mind, albeit subliminally and comedically.

Kato unexpectedly attacks Inspector Clouseau, who readies a karate chop.

ROBERT CONRAD (1965)

Robert Conrad

The TV series Wild Wild West was definitely one of my favorite Western TV series. The plots were imaginative, the villains were unforgettable and Robert Conrad as James West provided a lot of action and gadgetry. James West and his sidekick Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) portray agents in the service of President Grant, investigating mayhem in the West.

Robert Conrad (right) as James West with Ross Martin as sidekick Artemus Gordon in the TV series Wild Wild West.

Unforgettable villains include the notorious Dr. Miguelito Loveless (played by Michael Dunn, a little man) and giant actor Richard Kiel. The icing on the cake was of course the karate moves that Robert Conrad incorporated in his fight scenes. The recent movie version Wild Wild West starring Will Smith was a sad parody of this TV series.

MICKEY SPILLANE (1953)

Mickey Spillane

If I were to mention the fictional character Mike Hammer, you will probably remember actor Stacy Keach, who portrayed the hard-boiled private eye on television from 1984-1987. But the original Mike Hammer who first appeared on the big screen was none other than its bigger-than-life creator, best-selling author Mickey Spillane, who started out as a comic-book writer.

Mickey Spillanes book I, The Jury. Note the price of the book.

Published in 1947, I, the Jury was Mickey Spillanes first Mike Hammer book and Spillane himself starred in its movie version in 1953. Mike Hammer was the epitome of the hard-living, heavy-drinking, chain-smoking private eye, quick with his fists as well as his trigger finger, and even quicker with his charm with the ladies. He was judge and executioner as well as jury, and enforced martial law more than practiced martial arts. But his legacy to the genre in print as well as on screen is indelible. You may also remember Mickey Spillane portraying himself in beer commercials.

I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane with me. From dapper secret agents to high-kicking kung fu fighters to hard-boiled private eyes, these characters ushered in the current spate of martial arts and action movies. Just like today, they thrilled many audiences with their spectacular fights, physical feats, unbelievable gadgetry and seductive women. Today, we can only say, Awesome and thank you. Copyright, Jay de Leon, 2005.