Farewell To Dean Stockwell
RIP Dean Stockwell
One of my favourite actors, Dean Stockwell, passed away two days ago. While he was great in several roles, I especially liked him in “Quantum Leap” one of my favourite TV shows ever. This show ran from 1989 to 1993, which was far too short, in my opinion. It was selected as one of the top 20 Cult TV Shows by TV Guide in 2007.
If you are not able to view this video, click here.
Why am I writing about Dean Stockwell in a martial arts blog?
It turns out that he helped Professor Remy Presas introduce Modern Arnis into North America in the mid-1970s. Stockwell first met Professor Presas on the set of “The Pacific Connection,” a 1974 Filipino martial arts movie. The professor helped to train Dean for the stick fighting scenes in this movie, and as a result, Stockwell became a student of Professor Presas. Indeed, the legend is that Dean accidentally invented reverse sinawali based on a drill that the Professor had taught him. I’ve heard other variations of this story.
Anyway, he assisted Professor with public demonstrations of Modern Arnis, including one in California.
He also appeared on the cover of the Fighting Stars magazine:
The above cover can be found on the MA-Mags website. Thanks to Jackie Bradbury for the heads-up on this link.
The Modern Arnis community of North America owes a debt of gratitude to Dean Stockwell for helping Professor Presas into the US and in assisting in the promotion of Modern Arnis.
This Week’s Video
If you are not able to view this video, click here.
This video continues the theme of stick to empty hand translation. As indicated in my last post, my YouTube subscribers have asked for videos on this theme. So I am obliging them!
How likely will we engage in a stick fight on the street?
Close to zero.
Don’t get me wrong, I love training with sticks. But I remind my students that (a) “we don’t live in a stick fighting society”; (b) sticks give us attributes for empty hand self-defence; (c) it’s more productive to focus on the most common scenarios.
That said, the above video illustrates translating stick movement to its empty-hand equivalent. The empty-hand translation can then be applied to defending against punches and grabs. It can be modified in an empty hand vs. knife scenario (avoiding this is preferred).
Admittedly, self-defence is an extremely broad topic, and I can’t cover all the possible scenarios within the scope of this post. But I think it’s safe to say that FMAs like Modern Arnis are a great self-defence platform, provided that you either have a qualified instructor or have enough experience to translate stick movements to empty hands.
Inspiration for the Week
If you are not able to view this video, click here.
Put simply, these athletes are amazing, not only for their abilities but also for their determination to overcome their obstacles. Many of them do not think of themselves as “disabled.” These athletes possess a hell of a lot more mental toughness and resilience than most “non-disabled” folks. If this video doesn’t inspire you to get moving and reach your potential, I don’t know what will!
Additional Reading
[…] was due to his encounters with violence in the Philippines and his decision to teach self-defence. Modern Arnis is not about knife fighting. If you want to learn in-depth fighting skills, there are plenty of […]