Only for filipinos about escrima

"Politics and humans" -- you're being redundant. Which brings me to my favorite quote of all time: "Politics is what happens whenever three or more people get within shouting distance of each other. It's what sets us apart from the beasts." -- Glen Cook
 
Or, to quote Jay Leno:

"I looked up 'politics' in the dictionary and it's actually a combination of two words: 'poli' which means 'many' and 'tics' which means 'bloodsuckers'."
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Here's an example (the subject of 'politics' in the MA's community) of a place where I'd use Don's barfing emotocon.
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Dave.

[This message has been edited by Dave Fulton (edited 09-08-2000).]
 
Hey, Federico--hope you're still reading this thread...Dude, I don't really have too much to add to what's already been said,(Kuntawman's a cool dude, ain't he?
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) but understand this--you're not the only Fil-Am to be in the position that you're in w/ yr. dad, and if you keep looking, you wil find the moral support of other Pinoys/Fil-Ams who have dealt w/ the same issues...heck, guess what, pare, you already have!
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FYI, my folks weren't originally too keen on my exploring this stuff either...my dad was a super-cocky Manila cop when he was in his twenties, (yes, w/ a .45!
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)and my mom kinda thought it was for the "low-class" (she grew up as a sheltered "Maria Clara" type)--but, point blank, dude, to study "our thing" was something that my soul truly cried out for, and, now that I'm well in the thick of it, the training has enriched my life in ways beyond the combative (which, of course, is impeccable
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)--and I can't encourage you enough to just go for it--you'll learn more than you could ever dream, grow inside in ways that I can't even begin to express adequately with mere words--encounter facets of the ancestral Pinoy soul that you wouldn't be able to reach any other way. This raw, humble, royal, ferocious, sorrowful, proud, terrifying, and powerful thing that is the FMAs is OURS...our birthright, our burden, debt and burning gift to the world. It's how we kept our soul intact in the very face of the oppressor, and it's, in my eyes, the most direct link to the essence of our primal Pinoy heart that still exists on this hyper-modern and breaking-at-the-seams globe that we all live on... Hermano, I wish you luck, I bid you safety, I hope you enjoy your training, and dude, here's my e-mail address, keep in touch: berdugo9@hotmail.com. Peace, man...

bayani (Bakbakan International, North American branch)

Federico, check our website out, we've got lots of cool FMA historical/cultural stuff there, it's there for you, use it, and grow stronger inside:
www.bakbakan.com

Again, PEACE.
 
Fredrico,

Although my father studied Arnis de Mano as a child, he too feels the same way. However, it may just be a lack of experience and knowledge of this art as well as a Father’s concern for his son’s safety. I was born in the States and have been training in the FMA for quite some time now. There is no doubt you can receive quality training (sometimes better) here in the U.S. You just need to research the opportunities in your area. I have so much more pride in my heritage because of training but I do believe you must be selective.

Here are my tips in seeking instruction:

1) Learn to identify the legitimate styles. These days you will notice a lot of homemade systems.

2) Keep an open mind, the popularity of a particular style does not necessarily have to do with being best. Remember, it's not the style but the player. Don't become a victim of good marketing.

3) It is very easy to become an instructor through seminars, condensed training and even video training. Keep in mind, the instructor's experience is also testament of loyalty and dedication to their respective style.

Just my thoughts…

Yours in the Arts,

John J
BAKBAKAN (Maryland) Regional Director

HEY BAYANI!!!!


 
What would you say are legitimate styles? I was reading that wiley book Filipino martial culture and it just lists about a hundred overlapping styles that have either been modified by one guy or just plain renamed thus resulting in a "new" style. Whats with Manila cops anyways? My grandfather and both my uncles were and are Manila cops, though my grandpa knew arnis, my uncles are very anti-arnis (at least anti US arnis).
 
Hey, Federico--hmmm, "legitimate styles"...tricky, that
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I'd say that you'd need to explore the background of the system/founder/present head of the oragnization, plus also the instructor that's imparting the art (super-important, maybe even more important than the system--depending on yr. particular needs)...how are they percieved not just in the US, but also in the Philippines and worldwide--are the instructors known as ethical? Do they have a lot of hidden fees for testing, ranking--have they been known to "sell" instructorships? (Y'know, "be a bad-ass guro blackbelter in a year-or-less, just send $39.95 to..."
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) Also, what kinda vibe do you get from the training group, is it a positive one, or is it an evil and creepy one? Mind you, FMAs are really grim in real-world applications anyway, so how is that reality presented--with a strong moral/ethical/spiritual vibe or do these dudes just dig sadistic cruelty and pain "because it's reality"??? I remember when I began training, it was very much impressed upon me that this art was a responsibility to be borne, and that my debts to my elders in the art (which stretch beyond the present moment, mind you) are DEEP, "utang na loob", dig? And that because I'm now part of this thing, my actions, my life has to be impeccable--coz that's what warriorship is. Does the style/teacher attempt to address that dimension of learning & growth, or not? Does it deal realistically w/street situations? Does it address the blade realistically? Uhhh, that's all I can come up with for now, but the Wiley book is a good place to start your research--just begin training, though, and feel your way on from there--trust your gut, you'll get to where you need to be. But, just start!
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As for "Manila cops", my guess is it's an over-reliance on & over-romanticizing of the gun--which isn't just a Manila thing, but it's worldwide--I mean, firearms are good and important tools, but need to be perceived as among a range of defensive tools (blades, of course, being vital
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)--dude, again, all the best, and much luck!

bayani--Bakbakan International, North American branch

Hey, John--see ya at the Gathering!
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No problem, dude, my pleasure--incidentally, check out the "Is Filipino the Best" thread, it's got some kick-ass thinking and writing going on within it--that is, if ya haven't already!
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Peace,

bayani
 
I would recommend taking any self defense class. Don't worry about the culture, belts or if you have to fight for your certificate. Just learn as many methods to keep your self and love ones alive. I would take FMAs only when you feel you are ready/willing to.

Many Filipinos have a skewed view of their own history, this was the result of the destruction of several sources of our pre-hispanic history. However, one can usually read between the lines if you research Spanish accounts written from that time or better yet accounts by writers who lived there, but were not Spanish or had fear of repercussions from the Spanish government. Spain during their pacification of Maynila (how they spelled it back then) had a habit of making maps of their conquest- if you take a close look they sometimes neglect drawing the Southern islands- you know the ones they could not subjugate. If you read further on, you also find out that Legaspi's conquest of Maynila was different from the methods his predecessors used. Under orders from the government, Legaspi was to gain control of Maynila through pacification via the use of infiltration with religion and befriending the natives first with trades or whatever peaceful means they can utilise. South American experienced friars were sent in the first wave. very different from the Magellan expedition where his own men tried to mutiny to escape the horrors their leader dragged them in. This new method saved the mother country soldiers and costs in shipping more than they could afford to. Remember this was right after or during the Spanish conquests of South America. Spain almost had this divide and conquer bit down to a science. Legaspi himself was able to take Maynila with little trouble considering he had the present ruler Rajah Sulayman's own relatives siding with Legaspi and their newfound god/religion.

Filipinos especially those who grew up in the city of Manila or taught in the Catholic schools there will have very limited education on their own ancestry and in fact there's some who would rather not think their ancestors once collected the ears of their enemies or lined their huts with the skulls of their adversaries. Not a very pretty way to see our own heritage but we have to sometimesreally look at the bad as well as the good.

Gumagalang,
--Rafael--
 
You know anything about the filipino american war. Was reading an account in which they stated a third of Samars inhabitants were killed by the americans. Im interested in finding out more about samar cuz thats where my family is originally from. I wonder if that had anything to do with their move to Leyte.
 
Hey, Federico--don't quite know if this will answer some of your questions--but a GREAT Filipino history source text is (and I'm a little shaky on the title here, I just moved and the book's still in my yet-to-be-unpacked crates, if I'm wrong, will someone please correct me?) REMEMBERING THE REVOLUTION by Santiago Alvarez--an original member of the Katipunan (for ya non-Pinoys peeping this, they were the Filipino nationalist liberation group that warred w/ the Spanish and the Americans during the 1890's and early 1900's, and one of the main reasons why US Marines got the nickname of "leathernecks"--ask around for the story...), who fought alongside Andres Bonifacio during those dark and bloody years...fascinating, heavy stuff--paints a complex picture of all sides that were engaged in the fighting...another totally important book is AMERICA IS IN THE HEART by Carlos Bulosan--not about FMAs at all, but is about the struggle of the "manongs" (the early Filipino migrant laborers in the USA, circa the Depression) on the West Coast w/racism, loneliness, poverty and crime--puts into context the lives of the early Eskrimadors like Angel Cabales and Floro Villabrille--hard times, full of pain and endurance and stubborn pride...

Any martial art is bound up in the experiences of the people from which it springs from--the deeper you, as a Filipino, go w/FMAs, the more you are gonna find. And the deeper you go, the more "utang na loob" you incur to those Tatangs and Manongs that have gone before. As always, hermano, I wish you well--good training...

Mabuhay,

bayani (Bakbakan Int'l., USA)

Hey, Sun Helmet, whassup!
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You're one learned brotha! Indeed, "Maraming gumagalang!"
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Keep representing, dude, and Peace!
 
Well, there was the Battle of Bud Dajo, the incident were the US used cannon fire to basically decimate the Muslims who were in caves I believe and technically the last battle between both sides at the time.

Bookwise, there's also Bulosan's "Philippines Is In the Heart". If you can get it, "Filipinos At War" by Carlos Quirino is excellent covering Magellan to EDSA. The artwork is actually featured in Edgar Sulite's books.
 
Maraming salamat. Will look for books. Only got one Filipino history book (not including Wileys Filipino Martial culture) but it was printed way back when in the sixties. A whole different interpretation of the Filipino american war.

Federico
 
This segment was written by Cornelius C. Smith, Jr - Thirty year US army veteran of the Indian wars and the Moro campaigns. He received a Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry against the Sioux. A man who has 'been there and done that".

The Moros

Th Moros are savage and treacherous people, and we must ever be alert against them. I am not prepared, nor indeed inclined, to deduce why this is so. For the present, it is enough for me to know that we represent mortal enemies to them, and that they will kill us anywhere and anytime they can. Sophistry has no coinage at the moment. They hate. They kill, and until we put them down they will keep on killing.
I have been told by a Spaniard that a Moro can cut a man in two with his kampilan. In addition to being a resolute and skillful warrior he is a religious fanatic, and he will kill us readily for one reason as for the other. In hand to hand combat our soldiers are simply no match for the Moro. If our first shot misses the target, we rarely have time to get off another.
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Smith commented that diplomacy instead of the gun was the most successful tactic against the Moros.
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--Rafael--
 
Federico,

John J. was rght about the extreme attachment Manila cops have w/ guns. It's a precursor of the dirty harry syndrome w/c postwar Manila Police Department (especially from Tondo and now the Western Police District or WPD) still carry to this day. Add to that the fact that your dad was not well trained by his gramps or dad and other relatives. Probably they weren't that skilled themselves either
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And furthermore, the dismay he must have felt when he saw Americans training in arnis and noticing how lousy a lot of them move after just a few seminars and yet had the audacity to claim mastery/instructorships for themselves. Then too, there is the fact that some masters train Americans differently from the way they train fellow Pinoys, taking into account the implications of America's litigious culture where they sue without warning just because of a slight knife cut to one's forearm or temple. NOt all masters of course are like that.

The discourse on the divide and conquer is very correct. Ur dad and my dad and their generation (as well as most of mine and urs too) grew up with a twisted lack of awareness of their own culture. Train in Arnis/Kali and u will get to know more urself about ur roots and indeed u'll be grateful to the old masters who persevered to preserve the arts.
 
I have no idea how well trained my grandfather was. I knew he could fight, but he was very reluctant to pass on any knowledge. I think part of the problem was that I was very young when he died. I was 13. To compound that he went senile a few years earlier too. Ive always gotten mixed messages from my folks about fighting. On one hand they think I should stand up for myself, but on the other hand they fear I will get in trouble. This fear has declined as I am no longer a kid, but an adult. However now they think I should spend more time making money than anything else. They worry about my security. Especially my mom, she is from a really small town way out in the cordillera area. I guess it was a lot of culture shock for her to come to the states and she is still fearful of "big americans" (her dad was 4'8").
 
Speaking of Samar, since Federico originally asked about that, who was it that ordered Samar be turned into "a howling wilderness"? I believe it was some US General w/ the nickname of "Blackjack", but I could be mistaken...y'know, the dude that insisted that every Pinoy male over the age of 10 be shot? I believe that order had something to do with a Katipunan commando raid on a Marine encampment...Thanks!
 
Oh, yeah, Federico--it's a regular thing that immigrant parents wouldn't want their kids to be doing anything other than strengthening the family position in the new homeland...had many, many "amusing" moments in my youth--no, cancel that, I STILL have these discussions, where I have to explain to them why my being a writer is a viable life choice--"Don't you mean JOURNALIST? Why not a SCHOOL TEACHER or PROFESSOR? Even better, a LAWYER--they like to use words..."
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Yeesh...you have my sympathies, believe me--just bear with it, love them, and do what you need to do--they will adjust, trust me. Why, just the other day, my dad gave me an old tire for my stick impact training without my asking him!
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And my mom's been trying to get in contact w/my Uncle in Bicol...apparently there's a Kamagong tree somewhere on the old property
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and I'm sure you can figure out what happens next...Ain't family love grand?
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Peace.
 
Jeez your folks gave you the choice of a school teacher. My folks gave me thse choices lawyer (seems universal), engineer, nurse. Actually I wanna go to grad school and become a professor. For some reason though my mom thinks they are all drug addicts. But then again to her most "americans" are drug addicts. Oh well. Anyhoo, you wouldnt by chance know anywhere good to get Filipino knives. Ive been looking and looking, and all I seem to find is kris cutlery. Darn, just sent my uncle some money to get a knife from home. It cost about fifty dollars just in insurance and shipping.
Originally posted by bayani:
Oh, yeah, Federico--it's a regular thing that immigrant parents wouldn't want their kids to be doing anything other than strengthening the family position in the new homeland...had many, many "amusing" moments in my youth--no, cancel that, I STILL have these discussions, where I have to explain to them why my being a writer is a viable life choice--"Don't you mean JOURNALIST? Why not a SCHOOL TEACHER or PROFESSOR? Even better, a LAWYER--they like to use words..."
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Yeesh...you have my sympathies, believe me--just bear with it, love them, and do what you need to do--they will adjust, trust me. Why, just the other day, my dad gave me an old tire for my stick impact training without my asking him!
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And my mom's been trying to get in contact w/my Uncle in Bicol...apparently there's a Kamagong tree somewhere on the old property
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and I'm sure you can figure out what happens next...Ain't family love grand?
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Peace.
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