Wow, what can I say about the 25th ArnisFest, which occurred this past weekend in Mooresville, Indiana? It was a phenomenal event filled with great instruction, training, friendships, and making new friends. In short, I’ve been blessed to have attended two great camps this year.

The camp was presented by Professor of Tapi Tapi Ken Smith and Professor of Tapi Tapi Chuck Gauss. Special Guest Instructors included the Grandmaster of Small Circle Jiu Jitsu, Professor Leon Jay and Grandmaster Will Higginbotham.

From left to right: GM Will Higginbotham, Professor Ken Smith, me, Professor Chuck Gauss and GM Earl Tullis. Not pictured: Professor Leon Jay. Photograph courtesy of Thomas Gentile.

I’ve been to every ArnisFest except for three (2017, when my Dad passed away several days before the camp and due to the closure of the US/Canada border in 2020 and 2021.)

In terms of attendance, this was easily the biggest one I’ve attended. And it was the best ArnisFest I’ve been to.

The teaching and training was off the charts. The instructors taught the following: palis palis with abanico double action, Espada y Daga, left vs. right tapi tapi with double zeroes, a ton of joint locks, the 1, 2, 5, 12 drill and a session on proper structure. I have probably omitted a few things from the list. There was enough material for most folks to train on for several months.

No, nobody dragged my face through asphalt! I’m currently undergoing treatment to burn off actinic keratosis (areas of sun-damaged skin). This is a very common skin condition. Sometimes, it can turn into squamous cell skin cancer. This is standard treatment to prevent skin cancer. I tell you, Efudex is one hell of a skin cream. In any case, my face will once again be pretty in no time! Anyway, just in case you were wondering about my ugly mug. LOL.

Back to the camp: To enliven the atmosphere, Professor Ken held a raffle draw to award door prizes. Swords, knives, assorted weaponry, and an axe were awarded. There were lots of happy folks. I didn’t win anything. Oh well.

The best thing, besides training, is socializing with many during the camp.

It was great to see old friends and make new ones. For example, I had phenomenal conversations with Stanley Archacki about martial arts and world events. I traded stories with Dugan Hoffman about our hip replacement experiences. I chatted about college football with several folks who are passionate about their teams. Umm, we were all polite during those football conversations.

Watching Professor Chuck demonstrate a technique.

The highlight of ArnisFest involved the promotion of several folks.

First, Professor Ken Smith promoted Dugan Hoffmann to 2nd-degree black belt. A well-deserved promotion for a great guy!

Terry Hill, Andy Tong and Karl Belt were all promoted to Master Instructor. I can’t tell you how happy I am for these gentlemen. They have put in a lot of hard work to achieve the level they are at now. Master Terry’s and Master Andy’s growth in the art has exploded over the past few years due to diligent training with Professor Chuck. Both are world-class gentlemen! I’m happy for Master Karl since he’s been a long-time student of Professor Ken and is an excellent martial artist.

Next, Professor Chuck promoted Jason Gearheart to 6th degree black belt in Modern Arnis. A quick comment about Jason. His structure is among the best that I’ve seen out there and is one that I would like to emulate. So should everyone else.

GM Will Higginbotham and GM Chris Thomas promoted Todd Fortman to 6th degree black belt in Ryukyu Kempo.

GM Will Higginbotham and GM Chris Thomas also promoted Christ Martingilio to an 8th-degree black belt in Ryukyu Kempo.

However, the event’s highlight was Chuck Gauss and Ken Smith’s promotion to “Professor of Tapi Tapi.” This promotion is well deserved as both put in much blood, sweat and hard work to achieve their insanely high teaching and skill levels. Professor Leon Jay pointed out that both had grown immensely as martial artists and teachers since Professor Remy Presas’ passing in 2001. I concur with this observation. Just compare the videos of them from 2001 to now. Their skill level exploded during the 23 years after Professor’s passing.

The scary thing is that they have many years ahead of them. It will be fun watching them expand their knowledge base and skills!

Photographs courtesy of Master Terry Hill.

Take a look at the signatures on the bottom of the certificates. Pretty elite company if you ask me!

Kudos to Grandmaster Earl Tullis for initiating this process, contacting the eight Grandmasters and Professors, and to Josh Moree for the beautiful certificates.

After the Sunday review, it was time to say goodbye and head home. Before we left, Masters Andy, Terry, Jason, and I shot a few videos for our Instagram account. Please follow us to see new videos! Go to this link.

It was a long trip home for me. I first rode with Thomas and Master Andy back to Detroit. I napped the whole way to ensure my freshness for the 4.5 hour drive from Detroit to Toronto. That strategy worked but not without a considerable delay at the border crossing. You win some, you lose some!

You know what? I don’t care about the border crossing. It gave me extra time to think about the camp and everything I learned!

What a phenomenal ArnisFest!

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