Warrior Arts of the Philippines Fundraising Event
On Saturday, December 3rd, I taught at the “The Warrior Arts of the Philippines Fundraising Event” along with Master Rollie Descargar, Master Oliver Garduce, Guro Ramon Villardo, and Grandmaster Marc DeLeon. A very worthy cause was the beneficiary of this event. All proceeds of this…
The Study of Modern Arnis
As has been alluded to before, Modern Arnis has a very broad knowledge base and can be broken down into parts to be studied as follows: In addition to all this, one must not forget “the flow” and the concept of “counter for counter.” Modern…
2nd Annual Toronto Modern Arnis Camp
On the weekend of August 27th-28th, Bamboo Spirit Martial Arts hosted the 2nd Annual Toronto Modern Arnis Camp at A.T. Martial Arts in Whitby. This was the second camp that I attended this year. I look forward to attending the annual ArnisFest, hosted by Master…
The Modern Arnis Reunion Camp
I attended the Modern Arnis Reunion Camp in Buffalo, New York this past weekend. It was billed as a family reunion camp intended to bring together various senior instructors from different Modern Arnis organizations for the first time since Professor Presas’s untimely death of 10…
I Already Know That
Recently, I had a conversation with Master Chuck regarding martial artists who say, “I already know that” when training. Sometimes, it means they don’t want to lose face and not admit they don’t know the material. Often, it means something else. It means that the…
The Check Hand
Professor Presas said, “Do not get hypnotized by the stick.” He meant that people would get too caught up using their canes and forget about their empty hand. Sometimes, it is called the “alive” hand as it keeps you alive. If you are not able…
Workshop at Canada Bakbakan Headquarters
Recently, Guro Ramon Villardo invited me to conduct a two-hour Modern Arnis workshop at the Canada Bakbakan HQ. The workshop took place last Saturday, February 5th. 10 eager students attended the workshop. At the workshop, I focused on single sinawali techniques, a common root between…
Espada Y Daga
I have been pondering the topic of “Espada y Daga” for a while. Why? Professor Presas’ family style included the crossada and palis palis version of Espada y Daga, as demonstrated in his 1980s instructional videos. In addition to his knowledge of his family…
2010 ArnisFest
This past weekend I attended the 2010 ArnisFest in Chicago hosted by Master Ken Smith. This time it was held in Master Ken’s new school, The Modern Arnis Academy, in Homer Glen, IL. Master Chuck Gauss, Master Ken, and GM Will Higginbotham taught at ArnisFest. …
Las Vegas Black Belt Camp
On the weekend of September 18, 2010, I attended a one-day camp in Las Vegas, Nevada, taught by Master Chuck Gauss and Master Ken Smith. This camp was geared for brown belts and black belts. The focus of the day was on the details of…
