13/06/2024
With Devon Rodriguez – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉
31/08/2023
Shoot Straight And Speak the Truth
It’s been a year since the pandemic forced most of us to seriously look into different ways of doing things, training included. The silver...
31/08/2023
SALIENT POINTS IN EDC COURSE
1.). The "Paspas" of de Campo or a similar staccato footwork stepping in Kalis Ilustrisimo called "Doble Carrera" is explained in meticulous detail :
a) as a tactical set-up for a delivery of strike
b). distortion of depth
c.). distance deception
e.). Engaño
2.). Plyometrics exercises such as resistance training for perfect seamless ex*****on of No. 1
3.). How to prevent hyper-extension of a missed strike in the ex*****on of the half-beat or broken strikes. This error is very common because of the anticipation of impact. An over extended missed broken strike defeats its purpose as a set-up for a follow up strike, or two hits in one beat. The error is akin to flinching in shooting a firearm. Flinching is a common error among shooters. It occurs when involuntary muscles in your hands react to a negative stimulus like the recoil or the noise of the firearm discharge. This can be corrected.
03/11/2022
The main catalyst of the latest Department of Tourism Region 7 project promoting the Filipino Martial Arts known as Eskrima Arnis stemmed from the narrative of the book "Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth" written by the late Dr. Ned Nepangue and Celestino C. Macachor.
The project initially started when one of Mr. Macachor's eskrima partners Kit Acenas set up a meeting between him and DOT Reg 7 Director Shalimar Tamano at the Marco Polo Hotel in February 4, 2018. Director Tamano was so engrossed and excited about the eskrima heritage sites mentioned to him based on the book the "Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth". The heritage sites where many balwartes (watch towers) stand until today were the actual battle grounds between Moro pirate raiders and Cebuano Christian eskrimadors.
The late Dr. Ned insisted that eskrima was handed down to us by the Spanish colonizers, but got stuck on a dead end on how and why it was taught to the indios. That was Mr. Macachor's role in the research for evidence. Then Macachor found a book written by his college English teacher Erlinda Kintanar Alburo. On page 4 of her book: "Sumad: Essays for the Centennial of the Cebu Revolution" Erlinda Kintanar Alburo (Center for Cebuano Studies) chronicles that Cebuano hero Pantaleon a.k.a Leon Kilat of Bacong Negros Oriental learned the “cartilla and eskrima from Friar Angel Maestro". The succeeding research led Macachor to Fr. Julian Bermejo the Spanish priest who built more than 70 watchtowers or balwartes throughout the coastal areas of Cebu. Fr. Bermejo also taught eskrima to native Cebuanos in defense of coastal towns against Moro pirates from Mindanao. One of Fr. Bermejo's proteges was Juan Diyong.
Since then there had been a series of workshops and brainstorming with DOT7 officers and staff and also eskrima stakeholders in Cebu.
Estokada de Campo is now accepting foreign visitors especially martial arts enthusiast to visit the Cebu the Mecca of Eskrima Heritage and train in Estokada de Campo. No less the the head honcho of EDC himself will take you to the battle grounds, the shores where eskrima was used to repel Moro invaders.
(Inset, photo, Usec. Tamano and Mr. Macachor at the Marco Polo Hotel, Feb. 2018 and book cover )
For inquiries please email:. [email protected]
23/10/2022
Around 1999, one of my security guards in our Nestle office a tough guy with high pain threshold volunteered to be my dummy for a knife attack experiment. Renato Calamba was a former NPA rebel returnee and one of my eskrima students together with another guard Jingle Madridondo while I was still training with Manong Eric Olavides at that time.
My instruction was for him to attack me in full speed full power using Papaya petules cut into several 12 inch "knives".
My role was to defend myself empty handed with all the empty knife hand defense techniques that I've learned over the years, some of them came from Manong Eric.
We did more than ten runs on the test, Renato the attacker and me the empty hand defender. I failed in all attempts to defend myself. I was stained all over my shirt and pants with bits of papaya petules.
After several more attempts, I decided to change my game plan without telling Renato what I would do.
He lunged at me again from the starting point of the attack about 6 meters away, before he could get within arms reach with the knife, I threw a right front kick and hit him just above his navel, threw him two meters back.
I asked him if he wanted to do it again, he nodded, but I can tell he was hurt but tried to pretend he was ok...very game fellow, but I told him, i could hurt him badly the second time.
So I didnt want to make a conclusion that kicks work, unless it was repeated a couple of times with 90% success rate.
The question remains, will I use the front kick in a real knife attack? Yes !
01/10/2022
We did Striking and BJJ lessons here in our village early this year but it was discontinued due to the conflict in work schedule of our BJJ instructor. But there is one valuable best practice thanks to Ray Nobleza that I want to pass on to FMA training, Day 1 Technique , Day 2 Sparring (technique application of day 1) and the cycle goes on for every new technique. I want to emulate this methodology in future Eskrima seminars. If you don't like to spar, you're out. Simple as that. I don't want to train "air guitarists".
21/10/2021
I just learned from Mang Romeo Macapagal that it's called a Pell. I built this because I find "air guitar" drills useless and my sparring partner has left the country. Then someone asked me how to use it, well obviously it's not a s*x toy.
"Gorio" - my Training Dummy
Testing newly finished eskrima training I nicknamed "Gorio".
22/08/2021
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION
If "mimicry is the best form of flattery", in the the FMA it can also be the best form of stupidity. Get out of your comfort zone, take risks, be daring but respectful. I got nicked an inch below the eyelid by my teacher Manong Eric Olavides for asking the right question. The slight injury was a small price to pay for that valuable lesson.
A few weeks prior to the 10th Anniversary of Russian House in the Philippines in the Philippines FMA and Silat Training Camp 2020, G**o Alexander Pisarkin and I had a refresher work out at the Bayfront Hotel Gym.
Alex, showed me some EDC moves he learned from me a year earlier, then asked for my critique on a flawless double stick combo.
Amazed at what I saw, I asked out of curiosity: "Where did you learn those double sticks from?"
That's when he gave me that puzzled look on his eyes for a few seconds and quipped:
"From you of course!"
Decades in the study of the martial arts, many techniques are most often stored in the teachers "recycle bin" in their hard drive. There are only a few of them who withhold secrets.
The only way to restore them is when you ask the right questions.