The Importance of the #5 Poke in Modern Arnis
The #5 poke is a tremendous way to move your opponent. Why? You are attacking your opponent’s centreline; frankly, folks don’t like their center being attacked. They either get hit or move out of the way. Either way, it’s a winner for the driver. If…
GM Bobby Taboada/Master Chuck Gauss Seminar
On Saturday, April 26th, Bamboo Spirit and Pugad Lawin Martial Arts hosted a successful joint seminar between Balintawak GM Bobby Taboada and Master of Tapi Tapi Chuck Gauss. This seminar was months in the making and involved much outreach. I’ve had Master Chuck in the…
3rd Annual Toronto Modern Arnis Camp
This weekend, Bamboo Spirit Martial Arts Centre hosted the 3rd Annual Toronto Modern Arnis Camp in Pickering, Ontario. Darkhorse TKD was the site of the camp. This year’s camp was proof of this annual event’s growing size, with 30 attendees in total. As a result,…
Review of Master Chuck’s “Combat 2 vs. 1 ” DVD
Master Chuck Gauss recently released a new 2 vs 1 DVD, entitled “Combat 2 vs 1.” This is the sequel to an earlier DVD that covered the basics of the two sticks vs. one drill. Disclosure: I was the training partner/uke in both videos. Two…
The Modern Arnis 2 vs 1 Drill
My favourite developmental drill is the Modern Arnis 2 vs 1 drill I learned from Master Chuck Gauss. Through this drill, one can develop tremendous skills needed for single-stick fighting. At a basic level, a practitioner will learn how to develop ambidexterity. Major concepts of…
The Dance of Pain!
In this video, I demonstrate the dance of pain, showcasing another area of Modern Arnis. As alluded to in this previous post, Modern Arnis is more than stick fighting. We cover stick fighting, empty hands against a cane, joint locks, takedowns, ground controls, trapping hands, knife…
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…
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…
