Kinaadman Kali Holiday Vid

Dulo dulo / Palm Stick Basic

Dancing the Flow: A Mini-Reflection on the Fluidity or “Flow” of Filipino Martial Arts

The line “Be water, my friend” has been an iconic, if not the most famous Martial Arts line that stuck into the minds of Martial Artists. This Bruce Lee one liner packs a mirage of meanings, owing to the man being a Philosophy Major. Aside from talking about combat, the line also talks a lot about being able to adapt in life. Hence, it is not wrong to say that the life of a people in their environment can also influence the kind of martial arts that they possess. In this article, I shall try to reflect on the fluid characteristic of the Filipino Martial Arts and how does this fluidity reflect the life of the people who use and have created it.

The Philippines is primarily a country of coastlines. It is located in the center of great water bodies one of which is the Pacific which is home to storms. Since this is the situation of the Philippines, its people have learned to adapt to changes and have learned to survive the greatest of typhoons. It is safe to say that though the resilience of Filipinos can be likened to the earth or to wood, I say that it is more likely of water. “Water can flow, or it can crash” said Bruce Lee. Water is mutable, adaptable, humble. The Filipinos, with its 333 years under the Spanish, almost 30 years under the American and more then 3 years under Japanese imperialism, have learned to survive by adapting as water have adapted to containers. Filipinos also have a hospitable quality. The culture of hospitality among Filipinos is legendary. Moreover, Filipinos have also been great sailors, as attested by Fransisco Ignacio Alcina (1660s), a Jesuit priest-ethnographer who have described the Visayan Islands thoroughly. This affinity to water is also manifest in the inclination of the Filipinos on traveling to faraway lands, as evidenced by the statistics that Filipinos can be found almost everywhere on the globe, if not as Overseas Filipino Workers – as tourists who love to travel, adapt, and flow. These traits are only some of the “fluid” characteristics of the Filipinos.

Although I admit that these reflections are far from conclusive, and is very much unsupported by data, I would like to imagine because I have felt and experienced this as a Filipino. Our perception of our world is based on the reality that we see. This is my reality that is why I proceed to imagine it this way.

In imagining that the core element of a “Filipino” (Filipino-ness talks about a certain nation, the Philippines, but let us also think that the Philippines, being the most unpredictable country that it is, like water, is home to hundreds of indigenous peoples, all adjusting and negotiating with one another to continue existing) I always imagine a “flow”. The water inside of us, the flowing water, is like the river running through rocks – the river allows the rocks to stand in its way, to counter its flow, but in turn, it engulfs it, it overturns it. In fact, I would imagine the Filipino Martial Artists to be a raging water flow, able to overturn rocks and stones and break trees on its way.

Many techniques in Filipino Martial Arts are like water receiving attacks and hitting the weak points of the enemy, so much like water which unexpectedly uproots stones and breaking wood blocking its way. These techniques are also circular like the drills which is almost the core in the practice of FMA. So fluid are these techniques that sometimes I hate that it resembles Tai Chi Chuan, only deadlier. But most of all, the characteristic of the flow is in the quick reaction and the quick adaptation tactics of the Filipino Martial Arts.

Many months ago, I watched the videos of GM Tatang Ilustrisimo and GM Remy Presas. Their techniques do not stand still – it’s always dynamic. They adapt to the situation. This is opposed to almost all standardized eastern style oriented Martial Arts wherein the gospel of a technique for a technique is almost strictly followed. GM Presas demonstration of trappings and lockings and weapon handlings is one of the best representations of flow – exhibiting the idea that a fighter should not stand still or stop when a technique is executed. He or she must be constantly moving, like rainwater moving to little streams moving out to the rivers. One must also adapt with what is “fed” to you. There is no single standard technique. GM Ilustrisimo is a god in this field. His moves are simple, yet, every time he steps, it is premeditated, in a sense that when you strike him, he already knows your second and third strikes and is able to ward of or to counter you right away. In a sense, his sense, or 6^th sense ability is what is water, it is fluid, it is like an ever-flowing thing which knows the edges of a basin even before it touches its skin. It is also like the sea, which uproots you if you try to fight it. It is a storm surge – you wouldn’t know that you have been struck if you keep on looking at the wind. The only way out of it is to learn how to dance with your opponent, that’s why stepping is also one of the most important skills. One which is manifest and can be trained by practicing the ‘sayaw’ or ‘carenza’ – a shadow practice almost like a dance which is like practicing your ‘flow’.

            With all this, we can say that flow is the characteristic of Filipino Martial Arts and culture but it is not conclusive to say that this trait is ‘owned’ by FMA only. As the famous Philosopher of Martial Arts once said – I don’t believe in styles because unless human beings grow four arms and six legs, we will have a different fighting style – it is only fitting to think that humans, with its infinite capacity to learn, can share truths or similar truths even if they come from different parts of the globe. The ‘flow’ is not a property unique to FMA, it is only that, with the life of the Filipinos, being in constant tug of war with the winds and waters in this ever-dangerous part of the globe, has not been an easy ride but Filipinos have learned to dance with it, like dancing with fire, or waves, or dancing with swords. Because sometimes, there’s no harm in dancing – it may even save your life.


                                                                                                                                  K.A.Cinco

Recent Earthquake in Mindanao October 2019

Recently we have two major earthquakes here in Mindanao and our group are trying to make an outreach to help our fellow Filipino in those place that was greatly affected by the earthquake which is not far from our location, also there are recent studies by our local government concerning this events and that was 5 continuous fault lines near our area which is very alarming. 

If you wish to help us in this effort, your donation will be very much welcome. you can donate by pressing this link below.

Valencia Team

VSU students training under the KINAADMAN KALI Curriculum

The Looming Apocalypse of the Filipino Identity in FMA (PART-3)

If you haven't read the 1st part please click here!

If you haven't read the 2nd part please click here!

The Main Proponents of Chaos – Corruption with its Offspring, Poverty

In the documentary Eskrimadors, one foreign instructor stated that the Filipinos have no time for this kind of thing (FMA). Time, time is the most precious resource. Filipinos who have been living in this country would attest to the truth that a portion of time lost is wealth thrown away (although Filipinos still loose time to other things, but that’s for another article). The instructor who was interviewed in Eskrimadors further mentioned that the youth in the Philippines had to do other things related to ‘more important things in life’ as opposed to foreigners who work eight to five and then be free to do anything after that. So, what is the problem?

I could only point to one of the gravest reasons why Filipinos would not want to invest time in their study of their own arts, or arts in general, let alone their own martial art. The accused is poverty. 

The Philippines is one of the poorest countries in the whole world. Most of the youth of today face a myriad of economic problems ranging from their tuition fees to the food they have to eat. Those who are living below the poverty line could not afford to lose time and instead of investing time for other things, they would rather find to ways to fill their stomachs and survive. This leaves no room for interests let alone pursuing the love of learning. Of course, there are exceptional people who would say that poverty is not a hindrance if you want to learn, but think about this, you have read the previous reasons above that detail why the youth and the Filipino people in general have only a little to no interest or memory on FMA, what makes you think these exceptional people would give their time to FMA then?

So, here comes the mastermind – corruption. The late Great Senator, Iron Lady Miriam Defensor-Santiago famously rhetorically asked his fellow senators in a ballistic manner, ‘if we all are clean, then why is the Philippines most often ranked as the most corrupt country in the whole world?’ that, was my eureka. 

Think about it, promoting a single art form does not require a very very huge amount of taxpayers’ money. And also notice that all the previously mentioned reasons above tie up with this if not describing this (colonial mentality, crab mentality) it is a result of it (lack of academic funding) but most of all, it causes poverty – a great de-motivator in the learning of FMA. 

Corruption in the Government has been rampant in the Philippines since the dawn of the Spanish era. It drained a lot of hopes, divided forces and burned noble causes. Reflecting on the most devastating thing that would cause FMA to lose its youth, I really see it as the bottom-line in this. Even if FMA gets destroyed by the criticism of its techniques, FMA can bounce back if there is ample support from the government. Look at China with its overwhelming government support for its kung fu despite the martial art slowly losing appeal with modern audience and its own critical citizens. They still have it and is still creating a broader impact. 

This is the sad reality that the Filipino Martial Arts Teachers should face in time. In line with our identity is the hope of the youth that there is a brighter tomorrow which can give them the freedoms to pursue their passion for I believe that there is a large crowd of young ones out there who are interested but who could not practice because they have to attend to their own needs. There are also teachers who are willing to sacrifice and to teach but could not make both ends meet for them and their families therefore making them do hard decisions to sacrifice one for the other – a trade off of interest over need. 

If this problem could be addressed, and if funding could be taken back from unworthy hands, then a just amount of funding could be channeled into the propagation of FMA and of making it sustainable for generations to come: Masters could be recognized and Institutions could be built for them instead of them individually bracing the odds, funding in research and extension could be mandated so that the focus could be in FMA and the promotion of historically and culturally as well as aesthetically pleasing movies or cultural products, the problem of dividedness could be leveled because those in power have been justly stripped off of there unexplained wealth and therefore competing groups could have fair contests and most of all, colonial mentality could be hopefully be lessened since the youth have now been shown a bright future where the stars are their very own Filipinos.

Note:

These reflections may hopefully serve as a reminder that the crises that the FMA Community is facing can be investigated, reflected and discussed. This does not serve as a thorough scientific paper but is only akin to an elaborate educated guess. And if we think about it, the problems run deep and encompassing almost every aspect of the constructed world, so we should look upon at its every part. It also gives us hope that the future is not that dim because we have been directed and the only thing to do is act. May this article shed some light on the complex problems that relate to Filipino identity and FMA and may this show us something about ourselves.

© K.A.L.Cinco

The Looming Apocalypse of the Filipino Identity in FMA (PART-2)

if you haven't read the 1st part yet please click here!

Divided we Fall

The Americans have given the Filipino Revolutionaries a taste of Caesar’s divide et impera, or the divide and rule strategy. Although the Philippines have won its battle against America, what this strategy have left us and made us realize was truly devastating. But it has its roots long before the colonizers.

The Philippines is an Archipelago composed of more than seven-thousand islands and is home to more than a hundred indigenous and ethno-linguistic groups. Before the Spaniards came, Muslim raiders called Moros were raiding the Visayan as well islands. Visayans have also been raiding other barangays and have extended their reach up to China where Fukien’s people have told stories of tattooed raiders who were fierce and horrible. The Philippines was not yet a Nation-State instead, the Philippines was divided into factions which center on families and alliances with trading partners and neighbors. Given this set up, it is not impossible to successfully tear the islands apart from the inside.

When the Spaniards came, they gifted the Islands its name, its central government and its faith (at least half of the Islands) still the colonizer faced a strong and unyielding enemy and that was the Moros. The Muslim raiders of the South who remained unconquered and were bravely steadfast with their faith. For three centuries, this has been the scourge of Spain in these Islands. But it was not all for in the conquered regions of Luzon and the Visayas, the ethno-linguistic groups who had converted to Catholicism saw the irony of the Spanish Rule – that they preached God, but have brought the devil of the friars with them to torment the natives. Thus, the struggle against Spain ensued. Perhaps there was a weakening of the Spanish rule (which can be traced on the History books) that the rule to the Philippines was ceded to America. Perhaps the Spaniards saw the division of the Filipinos as potential and have also utilized it in some way leading to results (which can be traced on History books) in order to restore their power but have instead chosen the other way around since the Philippines was a growing imp that burdened Spain. Then the Americans came.

When the Americans came, they saw through this. They saw through the division and they banked on the divide and conquer strategy. Since there were factions among the revolutionaries, they pitted them at each other and defeated them with cunning and fuming the hatred they have against ‘other’ Revolutionaries who were not part of their ‘ethno-linguistic group’. And there remained hatreds up until now.

In the Philippines, there has been an ethnic prejudice among the Filipinos. Nation itself is being debated with some arguing that the Archipelago of the Philippines is one country. However, some say no because the definition of a nation is that it must be ‘of one common language, culture and heritage’ and that because the Philippines is composed of people with different languages, it should be branded as a country with many nations. And why insist on this? Because these people who advocate a country of many nations have experienced oppression both in politics and culture. Some highest leaders of the country still come from a single island and there is no equal representation. This is what aches some of those coming from the regions. So, what is its relation to the Apocalypse FMA and Identity?

A lot of stories were told about the Old Filipino Masters teaching only friends and family and not other people. Perhaps there were insecurities which were related to the ‘tribalism’ of the natives which they have inherited through time. Why then were the foreigners allowed then? Because the foreigners where viewed as the powerful, in case of the Americans, they were the ones who won the war, therefore, they were friends. However, because of the centuries suppressed thought that there are other ethno-linguistic groups looming and that they can be potential threats, teaching the art to others should then be prohibited. Therefore, if this mentality is reinforced and strengthened, it could be detrimental to the survival of the Filipino identity in FMA because we refuse to share within our fellow Filipinos regardless of their origins.

Does this mean that we should eradicate these groups? What should be eradicated is the backward mentality. The ethnic and ethno-linguistic groups are there and it is a crime to eradicate their culture, because, in the spirit of learning, these groups like the Warays, Cebuanos, Manobos, Panay-Bukidnon and Mamanwas have their own Martial Culture and are potential wells of knowledge waiting to be discovered. We should own it, clinging to the notion that, respect should be paid back appropriately.

If I fall, Others will go with me

I have discussed the culture of Crab Mentality in another post but I will re-discuss it here. Filipinos have this dangerous practice of being jealous of successful neighbors or acquaintances. It is an attitude of some Filipinos wherein if their neighbor, or fellow, succeeds in something, they get an itch to grab this fellow down - no matter what that means, usually through gossip. This is why in the not so long ago, some old masters refused or were reluctant to show the world their skills or to teach, because, somebody might be plotting behind their backs and could escalate from teases, tests, until the result is death and it was dangerous.

This mentality also is evident in some communities and have produced hostilities. This kind of mentality I think is also tied to the culture of dividedness which was discussed above because, as you will notice, those who are not really competent will stick their butts into powerful institutions in order to gain better grounding and will push others down just so they could be the ones to rule. In some Filipino Martial Arts practitioners this manifest through giving samples to students with the practices of other groups and coupling it with derogatory remarks stating that the other groups’ techniques are not as effective as theirs. This is also a way to gain more practitioners. With the indoctrination in place, hate then comes as a side effect.

When this is the atmosphere that the FMA Community cultivates, what then could become of the future? Will the youth be interested with these squabbles? If they did grow interest is it a good example to emulate? And if they continue with this, will the Filipino in the FMA survive, or will it be up to the more diplomatic foreigners?

Crab Mentality seeps into the whole of Filipino Culture. Let the FMA be an aegis of honor which would drive this menace away.

How We Package our Martial Art

In the US the FMA has been shown as a nitty gritty martial art only fit for shaky cams. It has been a martial art utilized in stylized action choreographies which sometimes package the techniques used and transform it to signify ‘Chinese’ or ‘Japanese’ style of fighting. Some clips now are using techniques and deliberately branding it as ‘Filipino Martial Arts’ and that’s a development! But what is lacking?

In the Philippines, only a handful of movies showcase FMA and these movies do not reach a high grade of likability, among the Filipinos and abroad. This could be in part because there is a lack of education on the topic, the quality of the movies is not good enough, there are no stories which highlight the ‘Filipinoness’ of the martial art, and there are no relatable heroes which push forward the image of FMA.

With regard to education, the government, although it has made Arnis as National Sport, still lacks the projects supporting the training of new teachers or the establishment of infrastructure dedicated to the study of FMA. Programs which promote the Art is only limited to the sport. In class, it is only studied once in all the four years of junior high school. While in other countries, it is being used as a supplement course in other sports such as rugby or football.

With the advent of the social media, it should be an easy task to push the promotion of FMA, the only problem is, what is worth promoting? Our Filmmakers are not daring enough to produce movies with stories tackling the FMA. Hongkong have made a great deal with their ‘kung fu’ stories and what did that bring them? Opportunity to sell merchandise with recognizable brands and with it, the pride not just of Hongkong but all of China. The local movies related to FMA only detail training, which for me is not enough. The quality should be high, in other words, it should be a movie with quality story, character, plotline, screenplay, dialogue, cinematography, musical score, sound effects, and good actors who must be trained for months if not years. Then, if that movie wraps and gets released, that can be a source of pride, something originally coming from home, and is bankable and worth spreading to Social Media.

Even if we are still debating on what a ‘Filipino’ is and what does it mean, there should be stories or movies focusing on this. If we notice, famous martial art movies such as Once Upon a Time in China, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, even Ong Bak, does not only highlight the flashy fights but they also let us see deeper than the fist and sword fights, they let us see a clear picture of the conditions which call for the need of their martial arts, they let us understand how their martial art can become more than just a martial art but a necessary and indispensable aspect of culture. Take the Oscar Nominated Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon for example, how did the movie showcase ‘Chinaness’ other than just letting us glimpse a lot of Ming (or whatever dynasty) porcelains, swords and clothing they have. The ‘Chinaness’ was made into a significant part of the story, making it even a major plot driver. When the princess played by Zhang Zi Yi dresses and acts to become a male warrior, the movie has shown us that China, at a certain point in time, was largely male-dominant and therefore this cultural notion laid down the action, the conflicts, the motivations, and the decisions of the main characters. It even showed what spirituality is.

Connected to this is the lack of relatable heroes being taught and being promoted in schools, institutions and movies. Think about this, when you think about Hongkong or Chinese Action Movies, which famous hero character do you remember? I remember Wong Fei Hung, the famous historical doctor from Guandong who was one of the Ten Tigers of Canton. This is the kind of hero worth promoting - real, does have conflicts, and is very much alive because of the availability of heritages related to him but most of all, almost all of his movies deal with the subject of fighting against imperialism and oppression.

In the Philippines, we have a wealth of Eskrimadors who can be heroes. Take for example Valeriano Abanador who was a leading figure in the Balangiga Massacre in Samar – an incident between the American forces and Filipinos in which the Filipinos ingeniously outsmarted the Americans into thinking that the warriors were women because they disguised themselves as women and that the coffin they were carrying contains a dead body of a man who died from cholera only to be revealed that the coffin contained the bolos and arms that the warriors used to massacre the Americans who have been harsh to their lands. By the way, relating to that story, the Americans killed the water buffalos of the people of the town leaving the natives without labor machinery to grow food even if the Americans were welcomed with festivity and abundance of hospitality. Well, that is a historical account with a lot of movie potential.

When you think about it, it all boils down to how do we push the boundaries of our arts in order to vitalize our history and by extension, our identity and national pride. That is why we should package our martial art in a way that it has a reason for existence so that the Filipino in it could be immortalized.

Digging the Wells of Knowledge

Part of the lack of education of our youth regarding FMA is the lack of academic materials and studies dedicated to it. Think about this, where will one interested learner go when he needs information on a certain topic? Of course, it’s the library, but then, does the library have the volume which the learner needs in order to produce more? That is the situation of our academic capacity in relation to our arts.

Martial Arts, as a part of culture, is a potent field of study. It can bear a lot of historical, geographical, and socio-cultural information with it that is useful if we want to push forward our identity through the arts. It is necessary that before producing an art, it should be first studied, because meanings form through a process of distillation of knowledge.

The problem with our Academe is that it has to many problems to think about and has too few sharp minds who can produce significant knowledge. The Academe also lacks funds and support from the government as evidenced by the struggle of teachers to make ends meet. In short, the problem is interconnected with politics, the economy and the standard of living which the academe itself tries hard to alleviate.

Therefore, if this decline in production of knowledge regarding the FMA continues, then the Filipino could be overshadowed by other countries who are beginning to have interest in the FMA as a field of study, if not a course under Martial Art Studies which is starting to spread like fire. An excellent example of this re-focusing is showcased in a Ted Talk about cognitive exercises that help the brain where FMA was the subject of the study. This is not to undervalue that study and judge it as a theft of authority. The point here is, if foreigners will be the ones to have authority in the study of FMA in all its aspects and possibilities, it would be very dangerous since Filipinos then would have to look up to them instead of being the forefront of a subject that is uniquely ours. Again, this is not an accusation and a threat to the foreigners who have willingly given their appreciation to the art. This only serve as warning to Filipinos who continue to unhear, un-see and un-speak. 

to be continued..

The Looming Apocalypse of the Filipino Identity in FMA (PART-1)

A great many among the masters of Filipino Martial Arts especially the old masters such as GM Nick Elizar fear that when the time comes, Filipinos will wake up one day and see that their very own stick fighting art has been named ‘European’ or ‘American’ stick fighting. This horror haunts their very sleep that’s why some masters are very eager to propagate this art throughout the islands of the Philippines. If only it was mandated long ago by law that FMA be part of the school curriculum, the apocalypse could have been stopped. However, even when the law passed, it is ironic that there are more foreigners who know Filipino Martial Arts than Filipinos themselves. Even Masters who propagate the art abroad, have gathered much appreciation and acceptance contrary to what is happening now on ground zero. In this article, I shall endeavor to reflect on what social and cultural factors that helped initiate the slow disappearance of Filipino in Filipino Martial Arts.

With more and more youth being driven away from the knowledge of their own identity through various social forces such as globalization, the future of Filipino Martial Arts in its homeland is dim. As more and more foreigners flock to the country and learn from the masters then proceeding to take what they have learned and teach it somewhere, there is now somewhat a problem of imbalance. With a hint of despair, there is a looming fear that in years to come, the Filipino Youth on ground zero, if they will ever wish to learn Filipino Martial Arts, will learn it not anymore from their own countrymen but from foreigners. In fact, the documentary ‘The Bladed Hand’ have shown us an example of this wherein, the French ambassador, who was also an FMA instructor, taught FMA to the Philippine Armed Forces then lo and behold, the Filipinos he taught did not have any idea that the Martial Art they were learning is native to the Philippines.

What now are the causes of such a phenomenon? In my reflections on society and culture and the upbringing of the Filipino person, I see some influential factors to consider and to see about when we are talking about this apocalypse. Cultural crises such as the proliferation of colonial mentality, crab mentality and culture of dividedness are such moving factors which influence the state of FMA. Political and institutional factors such as lack of promotion, the lack of academic studies to back and assist FMA, and the politics of corruption in the country which leads to poverty are factors tied to the management and struggles in the propagation of FMA.

The Ever-Present Colonial Mentality

In the Philippines, whatever is foreign is accepted, trusted and is raised into the pedestal. Perhaps this is also why there are instructors who readily accept foreign students rather than native students. However, the reverse is also true. Many of the Filipino youth is being drawn to the clutches of the globalized world. Therefore, whatever is foreign, is the best, and the good, and the more functional than what is indigenous.

This kind of mentality has been in the Philippines since the Spanish colonized the archipelago. It has a lot to do with the friars that educated the Indios with the knowledge that whatever is the native practice is of the devil, and whatever is of the native is backward and underdeveloped therefore it should be scrapped. After having seen the power of the Spanish Empire (through various coercion and atrocities), the natives agreed to this and made it their gospel. What is white is now the beautiful. What is Catholic is now the good way to spirituality. What is from the Guardia Civil is proven to be effective. This was the beginning of the miseducation although a lot of Filipinos saw through this, especially those who were educated. Through this period, we saw an evolution of the FMA because of the interactions of Spanish forces and the native ‘soldados’ – native Filipino militias who were taught and who were at the disposal of the Spanish. During these times, I imagine that there were exchanges in skills and that the Filipinos had a taste of what Spanish fencing was. Marveling at the effectivity and efficiency of the long-range techniques, some natives who knew bolo fighting which was usually mid to short range have incorporated into their arts the technique of the Spanish. This now added the prowess of the soldado which then reinforced the notion that what they learned from the foreigner was effective and thus should be treated with high regard.

Now, let us go forth in time to the American period which was divided into two, first, the American occupation and second, the war. In the first half, the most effective tactic of the Americans in order to defeat Filipino Revolutionaries were to divide and conquer, the second was the institutionalization of education. When the Americans run the education in the country, they pretty much revised only what the Spaniards preached. They have now become the models of the Filipino and whatever is Filipino was “barriotic” – a term which roughly means “of the villages”. When the Americans left after the war, this has been ingrained in the minds of the Filipinos and was also reinforced with the fact that the Americans won the war and that therefore, what they say is the truth. With this, the Americans influenced the way the Filipinos think. In relation to Martial Arts, I suspect that because the Philippines was the primary recipient of the cultural products (i.e. education, media, culture, language etc.) of the US, the proliferation of Japanese Martial Arts was one of its greatest influences after World War 2. That is why before there where schools of eskrima, arnis or kali, there where first schools of karate, judo etc. These arts were then regarded as the epitome of fighting for the reason that it was promoted by the Americans via the veterans who studied in Japan.

Regarding the Japanese Regime, if ever there was a time that there have been cultural exchanges with the Filipinos, I doubt that Martial Arts were a part of that because the Japanese have always been Imperialistic in nature when they occupied the islands, meaning that they would not have appreciated the exchange since, even if the Japanese pushed for the Filipino’s native cultural promotion, they have always regarded their own as being a culture descended from the gods and was the private property of Imperial Japan not to be shared with the colonized.

Hence, this is the consciousness that the colonizers have ingrained in us. Even with the efforts of schools to purge this colonial mentality through education, it cannot. There have been many interconnected factors and one of the most influential is cultural dividedness, which means that because the Philippines is a country of many indigenous groups competing for power, and siding with the powerful – be it institutions or colonizers – is a good go. Cultural dividedness will be discussed in the next section.

Today’s youth therefore, need only a tinge of a good sales talk from foreigners and they will go accept it because having very powerful countries influence you through half a millennium has ingrained in the Filipinos a sense of self who lives in doubt and is reinforced by fear. And to think that this cannot be shrugged off in a matter of decades if other factors also still occurs.

to be continued... 
please click here for part 2

Weapons: Extensions of the hand, or limb, or body that have Lives of their own

Many of us think that a weapon is only a tool that blindly follows our command. But it is useful to remember that, even if tools like sticks, knives and guns, no matter how they are only tools, seems sometimes to have life itself. How many practice sessions have gone wrong where nunchucks hit the forehead of their wielder? How many times did an amateur eskrimador hit his neck with his stick? And by God, only a few months ago I read an article in the internet that a person with a gun accidentally shot his loaded weapon (the other loaded weapon) with the same gun he bought that was supposed to protect himself. Therefore, as all these cases show that it is just common sense that we better not underappreciated practice (with the guidance of a coach, or of a trained instructor of course) with weapons because I can say, given that they hit you back, these weapons have lives of their own.

When confronted with the question if ever are we interested in practicing Martial Arts, especially with weapons, many of us will say: “oh, it’s easy, I’ll just to have a knife, or a gun”. Well, how about if your in a self defense situation where you are confronted with an attacker who will not give a penny if you have a gone or not, are you prepared for the cold sensation of the ethical crisis in your head if you should fire or not? Then here comes the miraculous mental block that you will now be blaming your hands because in this moment, the chill envelopes you. You have a weapon, but the weapon does not heed your call. So what is the problem? Communication.

Edgar Sulite says it best!

Practice is a form of conversation with the weapon. It is like this, imagine a fellow you just met and just have recently talked, will that person agree to let you in in their house for a good night sleep? They will eventually but did you not need the power of conversation for him to agree? Another example would be, imagine you had a new dog. The dog is young but you didn’t have any bond with it, you treat it like nobody, do you think the dog will come to you in case you say you need to be saved? Not really, because you haven’t established a bond, you were not nice to him, you didn’t even train him to come to you by just a single call. 

Practicing is the key. Especially if your practicing a Martial Art with weapons or you are preparing for a self defense situation. The Japanese have long declared that their katanas have identities and souls may be that’s because it is a heavy and unwieldy (trust me, I held one once) weapon if not practiced with. And come to think of it, after years of practice, you will feel the weapon, you become the weapon, if you’ve poured your time and sweat with it. 

K.A.Cinco

Basic Sinawali Flow drill 1

Another Sunday Session

Multiple attacker

We all seen it in the movies, hero is ganged up by several or sometimes waves of evil doers then hero successfully defends himself and be victorious, even sometimes come out of it unharmed.

Yip Man vs Karate Guys

Well that is in the movies, you got to realize that those scenes have been shot multiple times in order for it to look perfect that's why its called entertainment. There "are" mistakes that took place that we don't know and they redo inorder to look good. here is one example from the movie chocolate with Jeeja Yanin click here.

But in real life not so much there are no do overs no retries and no take 2's. everything happens fast ,ugly and chaotic. A multiple attacker scenario is a very veeeerryyy bad situation. 

Hopefully you can avoid this type of situation, BUT if you CAN'T, then IMHO you "MUST"


1) Take apart the first one to get within reach. By this i mean that you need to destroy him quickly and do it in a very graphic way. That will put him out of the fight for good and reduce the confidence of the other two.

2) If there is a wall that you can put behind you do it so that no one can get behind you. But do not get to close to the wall so you don't get trapped off balance against it.

3) Use anything that you can lay your hands on as a weapon.

4) Use footwork / move so as to keep one of the attacker in the way of the others. That includes any you have put down. But stay clear so you can't be grabbed by them.

5) You must show no fear or hesitation. To survive you must be both able and willing to do what ever is necessary without any hesitation. Hesitation has gotten more people killed than you may think.

6) Never turn your back on an attacker for any reason.

7) Never try to do fancy spinning or high kicks.

8) If you are too defensive, it will only be a matter of time before you make a mistake and they nail you. 

9) You won't get a second chance so you must do it right the first time.

Note: All of this tips wont be of any effect if you have poor training / mindset.

IT IS BETTER

Sunday Training last week of July

Panabo Practice

Huyong Huyong Natures Park Kali / Arnis Training

The Vigor of South East Asian Martial Arts

Silat Practitioner

During the 80s to up until the dawn of the 21^st Century, the popularity of Filipino Martial Arts spread at a broader extent abroad. Together with the spread of FMA, other South East Asian Martial Arts blossomed abroad also and was accepted by a wide variety of people. Such arts as like Silat and Muay Thai slowly grew in practitioner population. Famous personages that were first oriented with East Asian Martial Arts like Karate and Kung fu also studied and explored these Martial Arts like Dan Inosanto and many others. This made South East Asian Martial Arts widely popular not just in the US but also throughout the world, with the US being a great pusher of cultural products. But what is in South East Asian Martial Arts that it appeals to a wide range of practitioners even attracting practitioners from ‘Monkish’ traditional East Asian Martial Arts?

Filipino Tribesmen

A lot of practitioners will readily describe South East Asian Martial Arts as deadly arts mainly because of the orientation in practice. In FMA, the traditional training would start first with the weapon training and will proceed to hand-to-hand. In Silat, a lot of very unusual weapons and techniques firmly rooted from where they come from exist. Muay Thai, though practiced or regarded as sport, treats the body as weapon and have derived its movements from weapon based fighting. This is not a special trait of South East Asian Martial Arts, rather, it’s the history behind these arts which pushed the practitioners of these arts to mold their techniques into killing techniques. 

Guro Dan Inosanto

As opposed to East Asian Martial Arts which experienced many years of civil war, South East Asian Martial Arts were exposed to wars which these nations could not easily thwart because aside from civil wars, or tribal wars, the history of colonization seeps through the hearts of these arts. South East Asia, with the exception of Thailand, has become a favorite spot for colonizers. With the more advanced systems of war that the colonizers brought to South East Asia, they outmaneuvered a lot of the resistances from rebels and nationalists. This pushed a lot of modifications in tactics with the colonized people. Silat practitioners and Eskrimadors learned to use (but they were already using this long before colonizers) their skills at a greater disadvantage. Past tribal wars have also honed the fighting techniques of these people. But with colonization, greater modifications were created in the Tactics used by the tribes people. Thus, modifying the term guerilla into something more than just a Spanish owned term. These developments where better showcased by the Vietnamese, a South East Asian Nation, during the Vietnam War.

Filipino Warriors Weilding Barong & Ginunting Sword

The violence that the old masters of these arts experienced therefore became ingrained so much in the practice of these arts that practicing these arts with no weapons is virtually impossible. As opposed to the “Monkish” practices of East Asian Martial Artist where, because of State suppression, banned the use of certain weapons, and thereby creating a more hand-to-hand combat oriented type of fighting, South East Asian Martial Artists virtually never abandoned the practice of weapons even in their practices today.

This historically ingrained mind-set in the South East Asian Martial Arts, that there could be war in any time or any place, probably what makes these arts deadly and appealing both in their practice and their application.

© K.A.L.Cinco, Tacloban City

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