The End of My Break Fall Career
One of the things that I enjoyed over the years was taking break falls. Unfortunately, my break fall career has come to an end. I first started learning serious break falls as a freshman at Notre Dame, specifically as a member of the Notre Dame…
It’s Real and It’s Spectacular
“It’s real and it’s spectacular” is, of a course, a slight riff of a famous line in the 1990s comedy series “Seinfeld.” In this post, I discuss a recent remark by a martial artist about me teaching a children’s Modern Arnis class that involved some questionable logic. Essentially, he…
7 Killer Reasons To Take Private Lessons
For many students, group classes are the optimal option for various reasons. These reasons range from socializing to the opportunity to train with different partners, decompressing from work, forgetting about distractions, and having get-togethers after class. On the other hand, there are 7 killer reasons to…
Six Ways To Practice Your Cane Anyos
I’ll discuss six ways to practice your cane anyos in this post. Or is it just six? Martial arts schools vary widely in the number of required forms, ranging from fewer than 5 to 30. Invariably, these schools have different philosophies concerning the practice of…
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…
Women Warriors of FMAs: Karen Callahan (Part 2)
To see part 1 of this article about this warrior, click here. If you are not able to see this video tribute to a great warrior, click here. John Doreck’s Memories of Karen The first story to come to mind was the first time I…
Women Warriors of FMAs: Karen Callahan (Part 1)
When looking at YouTube videos of Filipino Martial Arts or a cursory look at Filipino Martial Arts events, it is evident, like many martial arts, that males far outnumber females. This is unfortunate, as I have seen a number of incredible female FMA players, both known and…
Filipino Martial Arts on a Mook Jong
I have previously written about some of the drills in the below video that I practice on the Mook Jong in the basement. If you are not able to view this video, click here. Those drills are designed to develop the check hand for stick…
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…
Meeting GM Bobby Taboada
On Sunday, April 26, 2009, after I arrived at Ike Sepulveda’s house, along with Terence, I was introduced by Ike to GM Bobby Taboada, who received my handshake warmly and with a friendly smile. I said, “it’s an honor to meet you.” We all sat…
