A Fantastic Michigan Modern Arnis Camp!

My trip to the Michigan Modern Arnis Camp got off to an inauspicious start due to the worldwide IT outage that occurred earlier that day. I arrived at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor and got stuck in the middle of the bridge. It took 2.5 hours to cross the border from this location. It appears that the outage affected the US Border computer system. I can’t say for sure. Anyway, it was a pain in the ass for what is normally a 15 to 20 minute crossing.

Unfortunately, once I cleared the border crossing, I ran into construction and rush hour traffic on I-75 South. I finally arrived to the camp location two hours late! Man, I was glad to get on the floor and train with many of my friends!

First, I should mention that the camp was held in the memory of Shane Bostwick, one of Professor Chuck’s students. He passed away last August after a battle with cancer. Shane was a fantastic guy and loved training in Modern Arnis. He was way too young. His passing is a sober reminder to always cherish your friendships and never take anything for granted.

While it’s unfortunate that I missed the first two hours of the Modern Arnis camp, I did see fantastic instruction from Professors Chuck Gauss, Ken Smith, Will Higginbotham, GM Earl Tullis, and Masters Jason Gearheart, Terry Hill, Andy Tong, and John Yockey. I taught two sessions as well. In addition, Bob Michaelis taught one session.

Various instructors taught a wide range of material ranging from joint locks, empty hand material (Arnis de Mano), Combat Double Zero, some of Professor Chuck’s Magnificent 7 material, sensitivity drills, tapi tapi, stealing the lead/follow the stick concept, and much more.

During my two sessions, I covered the stealing the lead/follow the stick concept and I had a ball teaching both sessions!

On Saturday night, Professor Chuck and Professor Ken promoted several folks. Among those promoted were:

– Shawn Burkman to Probationary Black Belt.
– Tom Gentile to Lakan Isa/1st Degree Black.
– Bruce Martin to Lakan Dalawa/2nd Degree Black.
– John Yockey to Master Instructor.

Congratulations to all of them! Photos courtesy of Terry Hill.

Lastly, Professor Chuck Gauss and his wife, Barb, did a fantastic job in hosting this year’s Michigan Camp.

Professor Chuck was especially happy that his new DVDs (Double Zero Combat and the Magnificent 7) sold out at the camp!

Interested in getting your hands on one or both? You can contact Professor Chuck at cgstix@aol.com

The far better option is to attend one of his seminars or camps! To keep track of his upcoming schedule, follow the Modern Arnis Pamilya Instagram channel.

Next up is ArnisFest in October! I’m already looking forward to it. What a phenomenal year it has been so far, camp wise, starting with the Houston Camp in February. If you haven’t gone to a Modern Arnis Camp, I highly recommend it. Again, follow the above Instagram channel.

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