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SIMON DELUCA OPENS HIS NEW 'ACADEMY'

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UBLIN RECENTLY SAW the opening of the new training

facility called Martial Arts & Boxing Academy (MABA) offering classes for beginners and advanced practitioners in
Kali, Eskrima, Jeet Kune Do (JKD), Pencak Silat, Kickboxing, Wing Chun Kung-fu and grappling. Simon DeLuca, head instructor at the Academy, which is based at the Liffey Trust Dance
Studios on Dublin's Upper Sheriff Street, is a native of Italy and has
over 13 years experience training in a diverse array of martial art
styles.
De Luca is a qualified JKD-Kali instructor and holds a black belt
in Aikido. He is also a brown belt in Judo and has trained in Wing
Chun for five years under Sifu Paolo Travaglini along with extensive
experience of Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). The JKDKali style that DeLuca currently teaches comes from Guro Dan Insonata lineage, through Ron Balicki, Giovanni Candela and De
Luca's own teacher Guro Salvatore Di Sirio.

Various areas of combat

"The system teaches a blend of Kali, JKD, Wing Chun, Kickboxing
and Malphilindo Silat," De Luca explained. "It takes the best of each
of these arts shaping them into a functional, modern multi-purpose
fighting system." De Luca believes that, as Inosanto famously said:
"It's only when a man can go outside the bounds set by his system
that he excels."
The main strength in what De Luca teaches lies in the scope and
the various areas of combat, encompassing stick, knife and empty
hand. "That's all true but more importantly the student is trained to
be proficient in each range of fighting," De Luca said. "Each martial
style complements the other, resulting in a holistic fighting system."
Kali, also known as Eskrima or Arnis de Mana, is the indigenous
martial art of the Philippines. Kali has a long documented history in
the Philippines, where warriors skilled in these fighting arts repelled the early Spanish conquistadores during the 1500s. Kali is
primarily a weapons-based system, as in Filipino society being
armed with a machete or knife was often the norm, therefore even
minor altercations were likely to involve weapons.
'A natural extension'
''This is why, unlike in most martial arts systems, in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) weapons are generally taught first with empty
hands taught later as a natural extension to the weapons-based

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Simon De Luca (left), chief instructor at the Martial Arts & Boxing Academy (MABA)
N based in the Liffey Trust Dance Studios, Upper Sheriff Street, North Wall, Dublin, exe..... cutes a restraint and take down technique with his student Sean Barry.

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Dublin-based Italian native instructor Simon De Luca (left), above executi~g a Kali
'solo baston' (single stick) drill with his student Sean Barry, has opened a new training
facility, the Martial Arts & Boxing Academy (MABA), at the Liffey Trust Dance Studios
on Upper Sheriff Street, North Wall.

training," De Luca said. The primary weapons of Kali are the rattan
stick and the knife, along with other edged weapons such as the
'bolo' (similar to a machete) , 'balisong' (butterfly knife) , the 'kris' (a
waved edge blade), and the 'karamit', a claw shaped blade. Kali also
focuses on improvised weapons, which can include everyday objects
such as pens, mobile phones, keys, etc. all of which can be used to
great effect to subdue an opponent. The empty hand aspect of Kali
includes Boxing, kicking, throwing and restraints.
There are a multitude of Kali styles in the Philippines, many of
which are based on inherited family systems. Until recent times, so
called 'death matches' were relatively common in the Philippines,
where practitioners from the various Kali schools would engage in
full-contact stick fighting in order to prove whose style was superior.
Although fatalities were relatively rare in these contests, severe injuries were common and nowadays public dueling has been outlawed.
Famous Filipino masters
As with all martial arts, Kali has evolved over the years and enjoyed a surge in popularity during the mid-20th Century when several famous Filipino masters, such as Angel Cabales, Leo T. Gaje,
Remey Presas, Leo M. Giron, Edgar Sulite, Juan Lacoste and others,
relocated to the USA. Up until that time, Kali was traditionally
thought by masters to relatively small groups in the Philippines.
However, during the 1970s Kali began to be taught to a wider audience and gained widespread appeal in the West.
Today Kali is considered one of the most effective weapons-based
fighting systems and indeed is used by many security forces
throughout the world. Exponents of Kali are known for their lightning, fast movements and efficient footwork as well as their ability
to transition easily between weapons and empty hands. Kali techniques are short, direct and economical, allowing Kali fighters to
move effortlessly between weapons fighting, striking, grappling and
takedowns. Training in double sticks allows Kali practitioners do develop superb co-ordination and an ability to fight in either lead.
Influences ofWing Chun
The style of kali, which is taught by De Luca, includes the La
Coste-Inosanto blend system, (developed by Inosanto and based on
his many years of study with over 25 different Filipino masters) and
the Lameco style. Classes include the following main areas of combat which encompass a wide range of fighting techniques: 'solo bastan' (single stick), 'sinawali' (double sticks), 'daga' (knife), 'espada y