Bruce Juchnik's Sacramento Gathering

The past couple of weeks have had a lot of intense martial arts energy. The weekend before last I went up to Sacramento for Bruce Juchnik's annual martial arts gathering. It's a busy event, with dozens of instructors from nearly as many disciplines and styles.

The FMA were a popular draw, with participants filling the conference room to which we were assigned. That was the first problem; as I looked at all the people crowded together, most clutching double sticks, I knew this was going to be a challenge for all. The second problem was the number of instructors sharing a tight schedule, meaning each one only had 20 minutes to teach.

First up for the morning session was Graciella Casillas, who grasped the issue and immediately told everyone to put down one stick. Watching her perform Serrada was quite interesting. Everyone has their own idiosyncratic personal style, and there's something to be gleaned from seeing that diversity. Graciella still has very fast hands, one of the hallmarks that made her the first fighter to ever hold simultaneous world championships in boxing and kickboxing.

Next up was grandmaster Arthur Gonzalez of Tenio Decuerdas Eskrima. A large man with an intense manner, he projects a commanding air, reflected in techniques honed for the street. He taught a couple of no-nonsense close-quarter self-defense scenarios against a knife that were simple yet quite effective in their details.

Remy Presas Jr. followed, demonstrating disarms and joint locks with the single stick. His ability to flow through techniques impressed the crowd, leaving many wondering how he could make it look so easy!

I taught next, and went back to knife work largely because of the crowded room. I showed how and why to bring an attacker's weapon hand tight to the hip when doing an arm bar, then finished with a basic wrist lock to teach the principle of finding the open direction in any disarm.

After that things became a bit of a blur as I circulated the room helping the familiar instructors, who followed: Mata Sa Bagyo founder and Serrada master Carlito Bonjoc, Serrada grandmaster Vincent Cabales, and Serrada master Ron Saturno.

We broke for lunch after that, and a couple of car loads of folks from Decuerdas and Serrada drove to a Chinese buffet. Listening to Stockton natives reminisce about that town's FMA history is an education in itself. There was a time when Arthur Gonzalez was a teenager and his father had both Angel Cabales and Gilbert Tenio working for him. Arthur was stunned when he discovered their pictures in a martial arts magazine!

Those are the kind of roots that make Stockton such an authentic breeding ground for FMA here in the United States. Just as in the Philippines, there are generations of families and students who have trained over decades. It's a tough town, where the art has not just survived but thrived in response. It's a wonder more students in America don't visit this Mecca to train; it's certainly as real and intense as the Philippines, and a heck of a lot closer!

The afternoon session was largely dedicated to Pentjak Silat with Victor and Paul De Thouars, assisted by Bernard Langan and another whom I don't recall. As always, I love the deadly beauty and sophisticated knowledge of body mechanics found in Silat. Alfredo Bandolan spent his time on Doce Pares sparring. The last person up was Glenn Abrescy, but that segment ended abruptly when he had to go to a different session scheduled at that same time.

I've since heard that there were some teachers at this weekend who were upset at the brevity of time allotted, or felt they should have had more priority billing, but one feature of this gathering is that teachers are introduced by name and style, but not by rank. This is to level the playing field so that participants choose with whom to train based on the art alone. Regardless, the key to my weekend was getting to meet and socialize with some of the best martial artists on the planet.

Stockton Legacy Tournament Feb. 20-21st

The United States FMA Federation is hosting a two-day event this coming February 20-21st in Stockton California. The Saturday portion consists of nine scheduled seminars through the day, followed by a tournament on Sunday.

With five seminar slots scheduled with different graduate students of the late grandmaster Angel Cabales, this event should be of particular interest to Serrada practitioners, bringing together for the first time these instructors, representing over 125 years of collective experience in this system.

http://www.usfmaf.org/Events/future/USFMAF_Legacy_seminar-tournament.pdf

Tabimina Balintawak seminar review

Yesterday I had the opportunity to experience another outstanding escrimador, grandmaster Bobby Tabimina of Tabimina Balintawak, the last direct protege of founder Anciong Bacon. “Sir Bob”, as his students call him (and he often calls others “Sir ___” as well) is an example “par excellence” of a word I coined awhile back, “intentity”, combining intentionality and intensity.

An imposing presence, he paces back and forth with the restless energy of a tiger, making eye contact with everyone as he moves up and down the line. His teaching methodology is a provocative mixture, ranging from discourse on psychology to physiology while sprinkling in humor to engage his audience, but just as quickly as a summer cloudburst he can rachet up a fierceness that is undeniably impressive.

The core of this teaching is developing the reflexes to handle extreme close range combat. Defense is paramount to surviving, and once basic counters are understood, the training rapidly advances to random non-pattern based counter-for-counter feeds. As students’ reactions improve, the pace and intensity continually increase. This is one-on-one training, because these are skills that can only be “installed” (as he likes to say) under stress, so the skill and control of the instructor are vital components. This, too, is the reason they train with tapered rattan, because the lighter tip reduces impact for the strikes that inevitably occur.

This summer has opened fresh vistas for me, from Ron Lew’s stick lock-flow to Bobby Tabimina’s reflex training (interestingly, both Ron Lew and Bob Tabimina have trained with Cacoy Canete). Humbling though it’s been, there is a refreshing sense of renewal in encountering new puzzles to unlock. Bruce Lee described a punch as a question that asks if you know the answer. Well, the masters at the top of the FMA food chain, especially from the tried-and-true Visayan systems, aren’t just asking questions, they’re presenting curriculums for a PhD in combative science. I may have a long way to go to get there, but I know that the journey will never be boring!

More NorCal FMA events coming

Wow, lots of events suddenly pouring into my mailbox, so check the calendar for details.

New entries:

June 14 - GM Cacoy Canete seminar
June 28 - Eskrima Coalition Tournament
July 12 - Mata Sa Bagyo Potluck Picnic

Update 5/24:
I just learned that Kelly Worden will not be at the Presas seminar on June 7-8. The current lineup will be Remy Presas Jr. with Alfredo Bandolan, Vincent Cabales and Max Pallen. Check www.modernarnis.com for further information.

Dan Donzella Silat Seminar Review

This past Saturday Sifu Dan Donzella gave an excellent presentation of Silat, covering basic principles for both standing and ground fighting. Dan was quick to emphasize the importance of understanding principles rather than just learning techniques, pointing out that in a real confrontation, we’ll never think “do technique #17”, but if we understand principles we will flow according to the situation as it evolves. This is an approach I wholeheartedly endorse, and it was a treat to be on the receiving end of his approach.

Having been in the martial arts a long time, I’ve seen a lot of stuff, which kind of flattens the learning curve. I consider it a good day if I come away from an event with one good bit of information. That being the case, Sifu Donzella’s seminar was a banquet. The three hours passed too quickly but was long enough, as everyone seemed saturated by the end. Whether novice or experienced Silat practitioner (there were a couple), Dan presented information in the most simple and effective manner, with impressive results.

Here are a few things I took away from this seminar, some of which I’m only starting to fully recognize as they soak in:

Triangles. FMA is famous for geometrical imagery, but Silat is similarly scientific in its analysis. The FMA typically use triangles to denote footwork and angles of defense with weaponry, while Silat seems to place a greater emphasis on empty hands and body control. One of the first things Dan showed was how Silat looks for natural triangles of the body as points of entry to attack and control. Basically this means bisecting joints. While many technical elements were familiar, seeing a new way to frame entries simplified and connected attacks to different body parts in a highly effective manner. Right then and there I knew the day had been worth it, even if I learned nothing else, though of course I would.

During the latter part of the seminar, when he was covering Harimau, Dan used triangles to define his space going to the ground, his opponent’s space going to the ground, and the importance of controlling both triangles. This then transitioned again to those body triangles to overwhelm, control and destroy the opponent.

Dan expressed repeatedly this principle of self-defense, which is maximum damage with minimum risk or effort. Self-defense isn’t fighting, as in squaring off to duel, but a means to an end, which is to go home intact. Thus his art is efficiently structured so even a small fighter can quickly destroy a larger, stronger opponent before those attributes of size and strength become factors in the outcome.

One of the key principles is taking the opponent’s balance. As Dan put it, a punch may miss but the ground never does. (An old Aikido teacher described throwing to me as “hitting the guy with an 8,000 mile thick punch!) Through the concept of triangles, the opponent is already assumed to have compromised balance. The Silat practitioner simply moves through the opponent to utilize that imbalance. Leg or foot traps, simple pressure points and redirection of momentum all conspire with gravity to put the opponent at severe disadvantage, whether one puts him down or chooses to leave him a standing target.

Another key covered was the Silat principle of dividing the body into zones. FMA generally goes by variations of high/medium/low and left/right. Dan’s style of Silat breaks the body alignment by centerline, plus 1/4 lines and 1/3 lines, defining both points of attack and attacking weaponry, particularly useful for finding pressure points that control balance such as in the shoulder and hip.

Hand positions contain important details, and Dan gave perhaps the best functional breakdown of a common Chinese martial art hand position I’ve ever encountered, the classic index finger extended palm (what my Kenpo teacher called kue-soh). With the thumb open, it has the elements of the Serrada C-hand, and the index finger, supported by the bent middle, allows for pressure point jabs. Many martial arts recognize the extended index finger as pointing or directing energy of the technique. The middle, ring and little fingers are bent together, allowing powerful claws, grabs and twists.

Lest it seem like this is too much a finesse system, one of the most impressive aspects was the generation of whipping force in all Sifu Donzella’s strikes. I’m a proponent of relaxed power too, but I’ve rarely encountered anyone who generates whipping energy with such abandon. Even with controlled power at demonstration levels, Dan’s strikes crackled with explosive power not unlike a bullwhip. Whipping blows to the spleen, liver, bladder, carotid and femoral arteries, for example, are designed to create shock in conjunction with entries that unbalance the opponent,

Whereas FMA often attack sequentially, such as the famous parry/check/strike patterns, Silat seems to favor more simultaneous defense/offense. This is not to say one is necessarily more effective than the other, and each can be explosive. There certainly are many similarities between versions of these related arts. A difference in timing might be in milliseconds, but it just feels to me that the Silat approach is to overwhelm right from the entry on multiple levels (hand, foot, balance), making it extremely difficult to counter. There is no retreat, just attack. All this (timing, tactics, power) confirmed my initial impression of Dan when we met in the parking lot, that he looked like someone I would not want to fight!

A special thanks to Reginald Burford and his Oakland Eskrima Club for a solid turnout for this event, to Maija Soderholm for helping arrange the use of the Suigetsukan Dojo, to Bernie Langan for sharing his insights during the class, and to the guest who drove down from Oregon, a true commitment to the art.

Now, a small rant at the end! It still surprises me how many people do not take advantage of events like this, especially when they are priced low enough for most to afford. As martial artists we should always be curious because we don’t know what an opponent may know. We should want to be able recognize their skills and how to counter them. Some things we may see often, such as in movies, on TV, or even just watching a class through a dojo window. Other things are more subtle or rare. This does not mean less effective, it might just mean it’s been kept more secret, or it’s too scary for most people to try. Those are precisely the things that give practitioners an edge and are precisely what add breadth to our experience, not just more of the familiar.
There were a dozen people at this event, a nice size for the dojo and a single instructor, but considering how many folks were informed or expressed interest, it’s too bad more didn’t avail themselves of this opportunity. There’s a chance Sifu Donzella will be back later this year, so perhaps more folks can make it then.

Silat Seminar in Oakland - Sumatran Harimau

Sifu Donzella began his martial arts training in 1973 studying the Chinese/Indonesian art of Chuan-fa /Tjimande under the Liu Seong family name. The system was founded by Great Grand Master Willem Reeders. At the age of 4, GGM Reeders began his training in the Chinese arts under his great uncle Leong Liu Seong, and later under many silat teachers as well as Nes de Vries of the Serak system. With a Chinese Indonesian base, Sifu Dan Donzella expanded his knowledge in these arts over the years as well as adding Arnis , the Filipino arts.

Sifu Donzella will be teaching Sumatran Harimau, (tiger ground fighting). Use of levers is well known in Pentjak Silat to over power your opponent with little effort.

Saturday April 12, 2-5pm
Location- SUIGETSUKAN DOJO 103 INTERNATIONAL BLVD. OAKLAND, CA.
(510) 452-3941 $20. advance $25. Door (cash only please)

Contact info- Jeff “Stickman” Finder

stickman@stickman-escrima.com (510) 222-0332

Wally Jay's 90th Birthday Dinner and Seminars

If you want to catch the action, make your dinner reservations for Friday June 15 now! This is the date of Wally Jay's 90th birthday banquet at the Hong Kong East Ocean Restaurant in Emeryville, one of the Bay Area's finest and most scenic Cantonese restaurants.

An event for Wally Jay attracts the very best the martial arts world has to offer, with exhibitions and seminars on Saturday and more. Here is a flier for the event.

PS - If anyone is interested in going in on a table, let me know ....

Swap meet/Seminar cancelled

Just a quick note that this upcoming weekend's last minute seminar and swap meet has been cancelled because too few people pre-registered to cover basic costs. Too bad, folks. WE are the FMA community, and we lose when this happens.

I would like to point out that there was no shortage of instructors willing and ready to teach. That leads me to wonder: where are their students?!!

The value of something like this is a chance to grow by learning what OTHERS are doing in the art. As GM Angel Cabales used to say about Serrada, it isn't designed for fighting other Serrada folk (which would be silly, as it is such a relatively small group) but to face other fighters from other systems, and that takes experience.

Those teaching should be encouraging their students to participate, learn and grow. If not, is it to protect their own "rice bowl" or to protect their ego from fear students will like something else better?

On the other hand, times are tough. Bridge tolls went up 33% in January. Gas rose $.45/gallon this past month. Within minutes of four gasoline refineries, I'm seeing the highest gas prices in the country. This winter's fuel bill was double that of last year. I don't care what the government says about inflation being low, I know discretionary incomes are evaporating; I hear the lament from students who quit because they no longer can afford training at the 1985 prices I charge.

Meeting Mushtaq Ali

The martial arts world can be a curious place. In its most elemental state it is about the quest for personal power. One can say that about politics or business, for that matter, but martial arts distill this down at the primal level, dealing with physical ownership of one’s personal space on physical and emotional levels.

Whatever the reasons people come to train, the arts act as a filter that reveal our personalities. Some come to validate themselves by testing their courage. Many earn recognition through hard work and dedication, which might be rewarded by titles or rank, though some aggrandize themselves with the illusion of such achievement.

At its best, martial arts strip away pretense. We learn success through failure, enduring challenges of pain and frustration to refine ennobling characteristics of perseverance and fortitude. There is a saying that “the nail that sticks up gets hammered down,” referring to the process by which the ego is put in place by the reality of experience. So it is that those who rise authentically to positions of leadership are often very genuine in their dealings, demonstrating humility that reflects accumulated wisdom of direct experience.

This weekend I finally got to meet Mushtaq Ali, the “Traceless Warrior,” who embodies those qualities I admire most in anyone, not just martial artists. It is said of angels that “they can fly because they take themselves lightly,” and so it was refreshingly delightful to experience the unpretentiousness with which he shares his broad skills and knowledge. I’ve always been picky about those with whom I train, and so though I’ve known Mushtaq for a few years online and by reputation, it was more than a little gratifying to feel my expectations were not misplaced.

The orientation of this seminar was interesting as it was not geared towards those already immersed in S.E. Asian martial arts. The majority of participants are involved in Scott Sonnen’s Circular Strength Training (CST), as is Mushtaq, and this seminar was sponsored by D. Cody Fielding, a certified trainer in this system. This brought an interesting dynamic to the weekend.

First, the participants overall had a very deep sense of kinesthetic awareness in body movement. Mushtaq joked a couple of times about the California mentality, but in truth this was an unusual group even for here, which included body workers and energy healers. At times it felt more like a gathering of somatic psychologists in the ways in which the participants were able to tap into and articulate subtleties of their class experience.

Second, because of the nature of this group, Mushtaq proposed to do an experiment, which was to teach a complete martial system in one day. Now before some of you get huffy or indignant, let me point out that a martial system is not the same thing as a complete and detailed art. By focusing on fundamental principles, the goal was to impart a framework that can be filled out through later experience.

The first day did not even touch on martial arts, but was oriented to ways in which we learn, and how the body and mind interact. Skill is based on sensitivity to a changing environment, and so the first session was devoted to visualization and movement exercises designed to promote integration of left/right coordination in order to accelerate the physical learning curve. Most people are unconscious of their own movement, creating habituated and often limiting gaps in both mental and physical responsiveness. Deepening self-awareness increases one’s potential by accessing those hitherto neglected resources. This is a key to Mushtaq’s concept of “splitting time,” which is a significant aspect to controlling centerline as well as the larger kinosphere (the space around us which we can fill with our movement).

Day Two was devoted to principles of movement in martial arts. Keys around which drills were practiced included the three dimensions of physical movement, nodes of rotation and integrated body movement. Weapon orientation was addressed in terms of point up, forward or down, and outward, center and inward. Exercises were done first with sticks, progressing later to blades. It was fun to watch the progression in skills of participants over such a short period of time.

Many martial art systems overcomplicate these natural tools with formalities that feel counter-intuitive until thoroughly mastered, a process which can be artificially elongated. Yes, there is the necessity of time to develop physical conditioning and responsive techniques, but if one can build on natural movement, the whole process becomes easier.

I’ve long been a believer that self-defense skills are innate. We all know how to shoo a fly away, or wipe a cobweb from our face, building blocks for more powerful applications. I’ve taught core movements in as little as a single session, even taking raw beginners to a high level of sensitivity to empty hand flow in an hour or so, but in general I teach Serrada inductively, using the specific techniques to derive the general principles.

My Tai Chi teacher, the late John K. Wong, was a master at going straight to the underlying principles as a way to create and develop technique. He showed us how to improvise on the fly through sensitivity according to basic precepts, and Mushtaq is the first person I’ve seen in many years to use this methodology.

This seminar was a bold yet crafty way to maximize the limited time available in a weekend workshop. Too often people are taught a bunch of fancy techniques which are quickly forgotten. By presenting simple and easily remembered techniques within a logically memorable framework, Mushtaq gave participants enough clues for years of development. Though this does not negate the value of further guidance and instruction, it was a gift of great value. There are far too many in the martial arts who can parrot movement mindlessly, without that sense of “aliveness” that is so apparent in truly competent practitioners. As one instructor watching another, I truly admire Mushtaq Ali for the skills to impart such a lesson.

Busy Bay Area Seminar Weekend Ahead

This upcoming weekend features two outstanding seminars, a tough choice for those interested in seeing other styles. AMOK founder Tom Sotis is in Menlo Park for a two-day event, while Max Pallens presents masters Christopher Ricketts (Kali Ilustrisimo) and Roger Agbulos (Lameco) in San Leandro. Check the FMA calendar for details!