# Book Review: Warrior Arts of the Philippines by Reynaldo Galang

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2008/04/07/blog-book-review-warrior-arts-of-the-philippines-by-reynaldo-galang/
- Published: 2008-04-07T12:16:00-04:00
- Author: Brian Johns

## As I have several 󠀁[books](https://brianejohns.com/2008/05/28/blog-book-review-martial-power-by-steven-j-pearlman/)󠁿 on Filipino martial arts, I will regularly review them.

The first is “Warrior Arts of the Philippines” by Reynaldo Galang. One can find 
this book on [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Arts-Philippines-Reynaldo-Galang/dp/0972767916).

![The cover of Mr. Galang's book.](https://i0.wp.com/brianejohns.com//wp-content/
uploads/2020/07/Screen-Shot-2020-07-01-at-12.38.16-PM.png?resize=640%2C914&ssl=1)

The cover of the book.

## This particular book has a great overview of 6 󠀁[Filipino Martial Arts](https://brianejohns.com//2016/09/07/blog-what-are-filipino-martial-arts/)󠁿:

(1) Balintawak Escrima;
(2) Kali Ilustrisimo;(3) Lameco Eskrima;(4) Lightning Scientific
Arnis;(5) Modern Arnis;(6) San Miguel Eskrima;

This book is packed with 1600 photos. First, each chapter opens with a biography
of the founder and prominent students. Secondly, it is usually followed by essays
of prominent students.

For example, the chapter on Modern Arnis opened with a biography of Professor Remy
Presas. Thereafter, the biography was followed by bios on Roland Dantes, Vicente
Sanchez, Jeremias De La Cruz, Rodel Dagooc, and Pepito Robas.

Following these bios are essays by Dan Anderson, Tim Hartman, and Kelly Worden. 
This book is a great resource for those passionate about Filipino Martial Arts.

## Personally, I was fascinated by the chapters on Balintawak, as it was one of the major systems Professor Presas studied before he founded Modern Arnis.

Reading the entire book carefully, one can discern the concepts of the various FMAs.
While reading and absorbing what this book offers, one can think about Filipino 
Martial Arts in different ways, whether from the perspective of being a student 
or a teacher.

Being a Modern Arnis practitioner, I found the chapter on Modern Arnis well done,
especially Kelly Worden’s excellent essay. He reviewed the rich history of Modern
Arnis from its earliest days up to Professor’s untimely death in August of 2001.
Moreover, he covers all the major players in the art of Modern Arnis, both those
in the Philippines and in the US. Kelly manages to cover the major Modern Arnis 
players without being political. Excellent job by Datu Kelly.

As an aside, I have met all three essayists (Dan Anderson, Tim Hartman, and Kelly
Worden). All are outstanding martial artists, particularly Kelly Worden.

I met Dan Anderson at the 2004 ArnisFest in Chicago. At this camp, he taught two
excellent sessions on the dive throw and joint lock reversals.

I last saw Tim Hartman several years ago. However, I remember when Professor Presas
promoted him to Datu after testing at the 2000 Michigan camp. Tim is an excellent
player.

## Suggested Additional Reading

 * [Review of Datu Kelly Worden DVDs](https://brianejohns.com/2012/07/28/blog-review-of-datu-kelly-worden-dvds/)
 * [Warrior Arts of the Philippines Fundraising Event](https://brianejohns.com/2011/12/12/blog-warrior-arts-of-the-philippines-fundraising-event/)
 * [One Way To Be A Warrior](https://brianejohns.com/2023/05/11/one-way-to-be-a-warrior/)
 * [FMA Books](https://brianejohns.com/2008/06/11/blog-fma-books/)
 * [Master Chuck Gauss Seminar Review](https://brianejohns.com/2008/11/12/blog-master-chuck-gauss-seminar-review/)

Datu Kelly Worden is just a phenomenal martial artist. I have met him three times
because Kelly teaches weekend camps at Dan McConnell’s school in Columbus. Kelly
does an excellent job of connecting various martial arts concepts to Modern Arnis’s
art.

## I highly recommend this book as it would be an excellent addition to one’s Filipino Martial Arts library. Kudos to Mr. Galang for an outstanding effort!

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