Lameco Eskrima SOG

Spain & Germany

Presents

LAMECO ESKRIMA SOG – ZOOM SEMINAR

With Guro Ariel Flores Mosses,

Guro Bong Hebia & Guro Dino Flores

DATE AND TIME:

USA (West Coast Time) -

Sunday, May 22nd, 2022 – 8 AM to 12 PM .

(Streamed Live from Los Angeles, Californa).

Madrid Time (Central European Time) -

Sunday, May 22nd, 2022 – 5 PM till 9 PM .

(+9 Hours Ahead of  US West Coast Time).

REGISTRATION ONLY:

Apprentice Guro Tim Fredianelli – Event Host

Email – Fredianellibruno@gmail.com

$60.00 USD Per Person Prepaid.

$75 Per Person after April 30th, 2022.

MORE SEMINAR INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

Guro Ariel:

http://www.combatfma.com

https://www.facebook.com/CombatfmaLV

https://twitter.com/CombatFMA

YouTube Channel-Combat FMA

https://www.instagram.com/combatfmalv/

Guro Bong Hebia:

http://backyardeskrima.com/?cat=76

Guro Dino:

http://mandirigma.org/?p=122

EUROPEAN SEMINAR SPONSORS:

Apprentice Guro Tim Fredianelli  – Spain Representative

Apprentice Guro Christof Froehlich – Germany Representative

More Information at:

http://mandirigma.org/

http://backyardeskrima.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Eskrimador1898/

https://www.youtube.com/user/MandirigmaOrg

https://vimeo.com/mandirigma

https://www.instagram.com/lameco_sog_eskrima/

——

https://mandirigma.org/?p=3931

Lameco Eskrima& Kali Ilustrisimo Europe Presents

Online Zoom Seminar with Guro Ariel Flores Mosses and Guro Dino Flores

ZOOM SEMINAR NEW DATE & TIMES!

USA West Coast Time: Saturday, January 29th, 2022 – 8 AM to 12 PM – (Streamed Live from Los Angeles, California).

Madrid Time (Central European Time):  Saturday, January 29th, 2022 – 5 PM till 9 PM  (+9 Hours Ahead of  US West Coast Time).

OTHER TIME ZONES

Mexico City Time:  Saturday, January 29th, 2022 – 10 AM till 2 PM – (+2 Hours Ahead of  US West Coast Time).

Singapore Time:  Sunday, January 30th, 2022 -  12 AM to 4 AM – (+16 Hours of Ahead of  US West Coast Time).

Melbourne Time: Sunday, January 30th, 2022 -  3 AM to 7 AM – (+19 Hours of Ahead of  US West Coast Time).

(Please inform us ASAP if you see any errors in the time/date calculations)

—

$30 Per Person

This one time special low price for the seminar is usually reserved for Kapisanang Mandirigma Spain and Germany members only. However to launch our first European Public Zoom Seminar the discount will be extended to all.

$50 – if paid after January 10th, 2022.

—

REGISTRATION:

Apprentice Guro Tim Fredianelli – Spain Representative – Event Host and Sponsor  – fredianellibruno@gmail.com

—

MORE INSTRUCTOR INFO:

Guro Ariel: http://www.combatfma.com

https://www.facebook.com/CombatfmaLV

https://twitter.com/CombatFMA

YouTube Channel-Combat FMA

https://www.instagram.com/combatfmalv/

Guro Dino: http://mandirigma.org/?p=122

More Information at:

http://mandirigma.org/

http://backyardeskrima.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Eskrimador1898/

https://www.youtube.com/user/MandirigmaOrg

https://vimeo.com/mandirigma

https://www.instagram.com/lameco_sog_eskrima/

—

MORE SEMINAR INFO:

https://mandirigma.org/?p=3915

Seminar: Lameco SOG Eskrima and Kali Ilustrisimo with Guro Ariel Flores Mosses and Guro Dino Flores. Las Vegas, Nevada. April 4th, 2020.

Guro Ariel Flores Mosses and Dino Flores will be doing a seminar in Las Vegas April 4th, 2020. It will be held at the Lohan School of Shaolin. 3850 Schiff Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89103.

Strictly No Video Recording. Photos OK.

Payments: Combat FMA Paypal – CombatFMA@yahoo.com

More Instructor Information:

Guro Ariel: https://ariel-mosses.squarespace.com/about-ariel-f-mosses

Guro Dino: http://mandirigma.org/?p=122

More Information at:

http://mandirigma.org/

http://backyardeskrima.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Eskrimador1898/

https://www.youtube.com/user/MandirigmaOrg

https://vimeo.com/mandirig

Las Vegas, Nevada. May 26th, 2018.

About Guro Ariel:

Traditional Arts for a Modern World!Master Ariel F. Mosses has over 30 years of Filipino Martial Arts experience. He has trained under the watchful eyes and close supervision of three legendary Grandmasters: Filipino Martial Arts Hall of Fame Grandmaster Conrad A. Manaois, the late Grandmaster Christopher “Topher” Ricketts of Kali Ilustrisimo, and the late Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite, founder of Lameco Eskrima International.Master Ariel F. Mosses is the Vice President and Chief Instructor for Manaois Systems International. Master Mosses holds an 8th degree black belt in Kali Jukune Do, as well as an 8th level Master Instructor in Manaois Eskrima.He is an authorized Senior Instructor in Lameco S.O.G., and an authorized Senior Instructor in Kali Ilustrisimo C.N.R. Master Mosses is enshrined in the Filipino Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and is a proud member of Kapisanang Mandirigma, a Federation of warriors from different disciplines of the Warrior Arts of the Philippines.Master Mosses is a certified Nevada CCW instructor.Trained by LEGENDS of Filipino CombatThe Filipino Warrior Tradition is founded upon honoring and preserving the knowledge passed on though our teachers. Each generation of students should seek to maintain the virtues and the original intent of his teachers’ systems of combat. These are the teachers and friends who have directly trained Master Mosses.Grand Master Conrad A. ManaoisGrand Master Christopher “Topher” RickettsPunong Guro Edgar G. Sulite

Close Ties: Family, Honor, TraditionMaster Mosses has close ties with the influential trainers and practitioners in FMA today. This close knit group forms a small community, frequently training together to keep the tradition ALIVE, VIBRANT, and TRUE to its roots.

Master Mosses’s cousin, Guro Dino Flores, shares in this long history of training and sparring together.They began their formal training in the 1980′s with Grandmaster Henry Bio, of Sikaran Arnis. Both Master Mosses and Guro Flores also trained in the NINOY CINCO TEROS Arnis style with Grand Master Conrad A. Manaois.Each also trained directly with Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite. Guro Dino was accepted as an initial member of Sulite’s newly formed BACKYARD GROUP, AKA The Sulite Oriehenal Group (S.O.G.) into which Master Mosses became an honorary member.Master Mosses soon relocated to Washington State, where Punong Guro Sulite made Master Mosses his head representative for the state. Over the years, Punong Guro spent many weeks at Master Mosses’s home where he PERSONALLY trained Master Mosses. He became Master Mosses’s close friend and mentor. Today, Master Mosses continues to teach his beloved instructor’s Lameco Eskrima in its pure form.Guro Flores and Master Mosses also trained for many years under Grand Master Christopher N. “Topher” Ricketts until his passing in 2010.

https://ariel-mosses.squarespace.com

About Guro Dino:

Guro Dino trained for many years with Grandmaster Conrad A. Manaois in Ninoy Cinco Teros Arnis and Master Henry Bio in Sikaran Arnis in the 1980′s along with his cousins Ariel Flores Mosses and Choy Flores. In the early 1990′s he was accepted as an initial member of Punong Guro Edgar Sulites’ newly forming Backyard Group AKA the Sulite Oriehenal Group

At the recommendation of Punong Guro Sulite, Guro Dino first visited Master Christopher Ricketts in the Philippines in 1995 and was introduced to his perspective on the Warrior Arts.  Since the passing of Punong Guro Sulite,  he has continuously train in Kali Ilustrisimo Under Master Christopher Ricketts, who gave Guro Dino permission to teach his method before his passing. Guro Dino was the Lameco representative for Master Ricketts and a member of Bakbakan Philippines sponsored by Master Ricketts. Guro Dino continues his training in Master Ricketts method of training with his two sons, the young Masters Bruce and Guro Brandon Ricketts. Masters Bruce Ricketts and Guro Brandon Ricketts are now officially the head of the late Grandmaster Christopher Ricketts “Ilustrisimo” organization which strives to preserve the purity of the art.

Guro Dino additionally had good fortune to experience training in Kali Ilustrisimo with Dodong Sta. Iglesia, Grandmaster Rey Galang, Grandmaster Yuli Romo and Grandmaster Tony Diego. He also trained in Kali Ilustrisimo with one of his training partners and fellow Lameco Backyard member Guro Hans Tan, who was certified to teach Kali Ilustrsimo under Master Tony Diego.Additionally Guro Dino trained privately for several years in California and the Philippines with Professor Ireneo L. Olavides in Eskrima De Campo JDC-IO.

Guro Dino also cites the importance of his training partners in Lameco SOG and Kapisanang Mandirigma in his growth. After the passing of Punong Guro Edgar Sulite, certain members of the Lameco Backyard group reformed also became know as Kapisanang Mandirigma. The group regularly continued  training, sparring, experimenting and seeking the deeper roots of their chosen arts. This group includes Guros Joel Adriatico, Hospecio “Bud” Balani Jr., Mar Elepaño, Choy Flores, Arnold Noche, Gary Quan, Hans Anton Tan and Pantaleon “Mang Leo” Revilles, Jr. (RIP). With frequent visits by Guro Lowell Pueblos, Guro Bong Hebia and honorary member Guro Ariel Flores Mosses.

http://backyardeskrima.com/?page_id=52

Guro Ariel Flores Mosses and Guro Dino Flores.

Las Vegas, Nevada. May 29th, 2016.

Seminar: Lameco SOG and Kali  Ilustrisimo

with Guro Dino Flores Guro and Ariel Flores Mosses.

March 17th, 2016. Las Vegas.

About Guro Ariel:

Guro Ariel F. Mosses has over 30 years of Filipino Martial Arts experience. He has trained under Filipino Hall of Fame Grand Master Conrad A. Manaois, the late Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite, and Grand Master Christopher Ricketts of Kali Ilustrisimo. Guro Mosses is the Vice President and Chief Instructor for Manaois Systems International. He holds a 7th degree in Kali Jukune Do. Guro Ariel is a member of Kapisanang Mandirigma. He has experience as a professional bodyguard and is a former police officer. Guro Ariel is currently teaching at LV Tactical Training in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About Guro Dino:

Guro Dino trained for many years with Grandmaster Conrad A. Manaois in Ninoy Cinco Teros Arnis and Master Henry Bio in Sikaran Arnis in the 1980′s along with his cousins Ariel Flores Mosses and Choy Flores. In the early 1990′s he was accepted as an initial member of Punong Guro Edgar Sulites’ newly forming Backyard Group AKA the Sulite Oriehenal Group

At the recommendation of Punong Guro Sulite, Guro Dino first visited Master Christopher Ricketts in the Philippines in 1995 and was introduced to his perspective on the Warrior Arts.  Since the passing of Punong Guro Sulite,  he has continuously train in Kali Ilustrisimo Under Master Christopher Ricketts, who gave Guro Dino permission to teach his method before his passing. Guro Dino was the Lameco representative for Master Ricketts and a member of Bakbakan Philippines sponsored by Master Ricketts. Guro Dino continues his training in Master Ricketts method of training with his two sons, the young Masters Bruce and Guro Brandon Ricketts. Masters Bruce Ricketts and Guro Brandon Ricketts are now officially the head of the late Grandmaster Christopher Ricketts “Ilustrisimo” organization which strives to preserve the purity of the art.

Guro Dino additionally had good fortune to experience training in Kali Ilustrisimo with Dodong Sta. Iglesia, Grandmaster Rey Galang, Grandmaster Yuli Romo and Grandmaster Tony Diego. He also trained in Kali Ilustrisimo with one of his training partners and fellow Lameco Backyard member Guro Hans Tan, who was certified to teach Kali Ilustrsimo under Master Tony Diego.Additionally Guro Dino trained privately for several years in California and the Philippines with Professor Ireneo L. Olavides in Eskrima De Campo JDC-IO.

Guro Dino also cites the importance of his training partners in Lameco SOG and Kapisanang Mandirigma in his growth. After the passing of Punong Guro Edgar Sulite, certain members of the Lameco Backyard group reformed also became know as Kapisanang Mandirigma. The group regularly continued  training, sparring, experimenting and seeking the deeper roots of their chosen arts. This group includes Guros Joel Adriatico, Hospecio “Bud” Balani Jr., Mar Elepaño, Choy Flores, Arnold Noche, Gary Quan, Hans Anton Tan and Pantaleon “Mang Leo” Revilles, Jr. (RIP). With frequent visits by Guro Lowell Pueblos, Guro Bong Hebia and honorary member Guro Ariel Flores Mosses.

This dvd is focused in long distance with the sword, a special training that was heavily influenced by Great Grandmaster Antonio Ilustrisimo. Guro Flores will teach you the differences in strategy in long distance with either stick or sword, the footwork and five of the 12 Eskrima Drills in detail with their applications and variations.

http://www.budointernational.net/296_dino-flores

Information on the first DVD can be found at this link: http://backyardeskrima.com/?p=361

http://www.budointernational.net/

Backyard Lameco Seminar Series.

Master Diego chooses only to have a handful of full time students and even fewer certified to represent him. Hans Anton Tan is one of those fortunate to be certified by Master Diego in 1999. Hans Anton Tan also trained under the late Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite in Lameco Eskrima from 1990 to 1997 and served as one of his assistants after being referred by his teacher in the Philippines, one of Lameco Eskrima International’s first instructors, Honesto “Jun” Nunez. Hans Anton Tan was not only a private student of Punong Guro and a senior member of the Sulite Orihinal Group. It is the Kali Ilustrisimo system that has most influenced Lameco Eskrima’s advanced sword and knife techniques. Punong Guro himself trained under “Tatang” for nine years prior to coming to the United States.

Punong Guro Sulite with Hans in the Lameco Backyard, Los Angeles.

Guro Hans Tan first ever seminar at Gotta Play in Pasadena, California. Hosted by Lameco SOG. 12/13/1998.

Guro Hans Tan first ever Ilustrisimo seminar at SIPA Community Center, Los Angeles Historic Filipinotown, California. Hosted by Lameco SOG. 12/13/1998.

Guro Choy is currently teaching by invitation only.

Guro Ariel Flores Mosses:

About Guro Ariel:

Guro Ariel F. Mosses has over 30 years of Filipino Martial Arts experience. He has trained under Filipino Hall of Fame Grand Master Conrad A. Manaois, the late Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite, and Grand Master Christopher Ricketts of Kali Ilustrisimo. Guro Mosses is the Vice President and Chief Instructor for Manaois Systems International. He holds a 7th degree in Kali Jukune Do. Guro Ariel is a member of Kapisanang Mandirigma and cousin/training partner of Guro Dino Flores and Choy Flores of Lameco SOG. Guro Ariel is the head of Kapisanang Mandirigma Las Vegas. He has experience as a professional bodyguard and  is a former police officer. Guro Ariel is currently teaching at LV Tactical Training in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Guro Ariel will be one of the instructors at Jeff Speakman’s 5.0 Fighter Event Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. June 27, 28, 29 – 2012.

. http://mandirigma.org/?p=1537

To contact Guro Ariel go to:

Guro Ariel, Guro Dino, Grandmaster Conrad Manaois and daughter, Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, 1998

 

 

Guro Ariel Flores Mosses, Punong Guro Sulite, Guro Choy Flores, Guro Dino Flores in Washington State

Guro Ariel Flores Mosses with Master Ricketts in Washington State

Guro Ariel Flores Mosses with Master Ricketts, Maste Galang, Master Dodong in Washington State

Guro Ariel and Guro Dino being filmed by student Ron Gabriel.

Location in the backyard of Guro Ariel’s Mothers house in Los Angeles, 2000

Guro Ariels Lameco I.D. Number one for Washington State and Lameco Representative. 1995

by Master Rey Galang, 2006

Arnis Boosts Fil-Am’s Sense of Pride
By Volt Contreras

CROSSING land bridges that once linked the Philippine archipelago to the Asian
mainland, ancient fighters introduced to Filipinos a form of martial arts believed to have
come from India and now called kali, eskrima and arnis de mano.
Yes, those rattan canes – and the graceful moves that make them lethal – are that
old, according to generally held notions as to the origins of the Pinoy warrior art.
With a deep sense of history, a Filipino-American based in California since the
late ’60s considers his mastery of kali (considered the pre-Spanish name for arnis or
eskrima) as a bridge to the country of his birth – and hopes that more Fil-Am’s would join
him in paying ambidextrous homage to their shared cultural roots.

Arnold Noche has been
taking time from his business each
week, driving up to 48 kilometers
from his home in the Gardena
suburb, to conduct two-hour training
sessions for kali enthusiasts of all
ages at Filipino community centers
in Los Angeles.

“There’s something about a
stick in the hand that is very
Filipino”, noted Noche
Noche and other “backyard”
eskrimadors started the Kali Klub
project in 1999 and have since taught an average of 250 students a year, around 90
percent of them Fil-Am’s aged 5 to over 40.

Kali Klub sa FilAm ARTS
Since 2004, Kali Klub has been conducting classes in partnership with FilAm
Arts (Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts & Culture), a
nonprofit, multidisciplinary arts organization located on N. Vermont Avenue in LA.

Dealing with Confusion
“I could have taught my (Fil-Am) students something else to help them deal with
whatever confusion they may have about their cultural identity. But I am an eskrimador,
and this is my way of helping them understand the complexities of being a Fil-Am,”
Noche said.

His family moved to the States when he was only 2 years old. At age 8 he began
studying karate and, at age 12, picked up his first kali sticks – henceforth earning bruises
and scars in a discipline that would “control my life.”

At 40, Noche runs his own management consultancy and multimedia firm
ATF1898 – a proud reference to the year Filipinos declared their independence from
Spain. But in a recent Inquirer interview in Manila, he said he would rather be counted as
a member of the “Filipino warrior class.”

He was referring to the disciples of an ancient art that had been in progression
long before foreign powers reached Philippine soil. Employing real swords or knives in
its original form, kali survived by being “secretly practiced” during colonial times when
Filipinos were prohibited from carrying weapons.

“It has been handed down from one generation to another, and has eventually
made its way around the world. Now it is not only practiced by thousands of martial
artists but also favored by elite military and law enforcement groups,” Noche said.

Action Flicks
Further proof of its global appeal, he noted, is the growing number of Hollywood
action flicks that feature kali movements in their fight sequences.
Matt Damon, for example, in an interview on the hand-to-hand combat style of
his “Jason Bourne” character, pronounced it as “kay-lee,” he  said. Vin Diesel had also
acknowledged training in kali for his sci-fi flick, “The Chronicles of Riddick.”

“Mission Impossible 3″ and “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life”
featured brief fight scenes with the lead stars Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie,
respectively, “using Filipino fighting sticks,” Noche said.
And Noche has this to say about Star Wars” Yoda: “My impression was that his
moves (with the dazzling light saber) were more Filipino than samurai.”
Through the centuries, the kali system — believed to have started in the Visayas  -
diversified through many individual masters around the country who continually added to
its repertoire of attacks and defenses.

Basic Principle
But the basic principle remains: “For weaponry to serve as extensions of the hand
for maximum impact and reach,” Noche explained.
And the weapons refer not only to the more familiar canes, but also to daggers,
whips, chains, “a mere pen or a rolled newspaper.” The movements would remain the
same, with the fighter merely adjusting his range.
“Filipino martial arts (FMA) is the only one I know where you train on day one
already with a weapon in your hand. Other martial arts begin training empty-handed and
you get to use more intricate weapons as you progress,” he said.
While maintaining that no particular combat method can be theoretically
considered superior to another since it all depends on a fighter’s skills, Noche pointed out:
“In (FMA) I do have weapons in my hands, but losing them doesn’t mean I could no
longer do damage.”
Take note, he said, that a hand that holds a rattan stick also forms a closed fist -
which means that this hand can be used either to strike an enemy with the stick or, at
closer range, to punch him.
And even with the hands full, the kali system is fluid enough to incorporate
maneuvers for tripping or throw-downs (just as in judo or aikido) or for choking an
opponent. This is an example of how the method, from being fundamentally based on
frontal blows, has “evolved” with every master  who improved on it.

The Noche Style
Noche’s own style – the Lameco
Eskrima – is just one of the many branches in
this evolution. Before he became a “guro”
(teacher) to his students, Noche found his
own, much revered “punong guro” (master) in
another California-based Fil-Am, the late
Edgar Sulite.
Founded by Sulite, Lameco stands for
largo (long-range fighting), medio (medium-
range) and corto (close-range) – or what
Noche called the “synthesis” of these three
orientations.
“We were part of Edgar’s backyard group,” he recalled, referring to his two fellow guros now running the Kali Klub, Dino Flores and Hospecio ‘Bud’ Balani. “When Punong Guro died (of natural causes) in 1997, it would have been easy for us to bury the art with him.”*
“Keeping it alive is one thing, how to keep it alive is another,” he said. “We can either go the commercial route (become full-time instructors, charge for private trainings,
or hit the seminar circuit), or go the community route.” Noche had obviously taken the latter path, charging no personal fees for Kali
Klub. “Everything we charge (as tuition) goes back to the program,” he said. The students are asked to provide their own black training attire, rattan sticks and safety goggles – “in addition to dedication, discipline and an open mind.”

No Mainstream Draw
But for all that he’s willing to share about his passion, Noche easily sensed during his recent visit to Manila that kali – even as a sport or fitness regimen – had never enjoyed a mainstream draw in the very nation that supposedly developed it. “As a balikbayan, I can see that it has a following here but you still have to find it. It is not
commercially available; it’s taught in some schools but it can still go far,” he said.

Last year’s Southeast Asian
Games in Manila finally included
arnis – but this “new” event hardly got
any media coverage. While Filipinos won three gold medals in arnis, the home crowd still
reserved its loudest cheers for the other more popular fighting disciplines, especially tae
kwon do.

Also, no local movie star has been able to popularize arnis the way a Bruce Lee or
a Jackie Chan brought Chinese martial arts to the world. And yet here now is Noche
reporting that “kay-lee” has entered Hollywood lore.

But Noche has made sure no student of his mispronounces anything; even with
non-Fil-Ams in the class, Kali Klub preserves the original Filipino terms for specific
drills and maneuvers (“armas” for weapons, “salok” for uppercut, “sagasa” for run over,
etc.) And with every “palo” (hit) or “ilag” (evasion) that he teaches his fellow Fil-
Am’s, this guro helps them rediscover their now distant ancestral heritage lest this
kinship, like the primeval land bridges, erode in time.

under his teacher Punong Guro Edgar Sulite

Guro Dino Flores reflects upon his experience training under his teacher Punong Guro Edgar Sulite. Excerpts taken from Master Reynaldo S. Galangs book “Warrior arts of the Philippines”, published on April 1, 2005

After much scrutiny by Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite, Guro Lowell Pueblos and senior members of the Los Angeles Chapter of Lameco Eskrima International, I was finally accepted into the forming backyard group.  On the first day of class, my first intimidating task was to fight a senior member – full blast.  In my case it was Guro Mar Elepaño.  Although it was a scary at first, it was definitely a refreshing rush to release unhindered.  I gave a good pounding, but got an even better one back.  Regardless of the outcome, I was hooked.  What a welcome that was and what a lesson indeed.

Lesson # 1: Abundant knowledge of theory and history does not necessarily equate to knowledge of actual application.

Punong Guro had a habit of giving you relatively short lessons that would completely change your perception.  Just when I would think I knew what was going on, he would initiate upon me an unexpected lesson that would thrust me to another level of understanding.  He would never ram knowledge down your throat, or impose his opinions.  He preferred to put you through an experience that would support a theory and allow you to come up with a more personalized understanding.>Punong Guro had a love for reading books and learning new things.  We were both always reading something we found mutually interesting.  It was usually on topics such as martial arts, spiritual, health or Filipino history and culture.  So we started doing a book reading exchange.  “Little Brown Brother” for “A Spaniard in Aguinaldo’s army: The military journal of Telesforo Carrasco y Pérez”, “Filipinos at War” for “Iron Shirt Qi-Gong”, “Jail House Knife Techniques” for “The Fall of Sriwijaya in Malay History” and so on.  Punong Guro was an intelligent person and I appreciated the fact that he considered the cerebral and spiritual side of training just as important as the physical part.

My favorite memories are of his personal stories, which, to my mind, are real adventures.  His love affair with the Warrior Arts of the Philippines.  How he traveled throughout the Philippine islands to research the arts. He was the first person to go throughout Luzon, Visays and Mindanao and publish his research in a book, the Masters of Arnis, Kali and Eskrima. This research has influenced much of the literature on the arts that has been released since his own books came out. Many systems became known because of this landmark book and it served as an early guide for people seeking the art in the Philippines.

Punong Guro was also an innovator. He introduced the concept of “hand sparring” for accuracy. Assisted by Master Yuli Romo they invented the hand and forearm guard for hand sparring. Sadly I have been seeing copies of thier invention surfacing. Recently a person from another style bragged to me that in their style they do hand sparring for accuracy. He had no clue of it’s origins.

Through his lessons and the example of how he lived his life, Punong Guro has had a tremendous influence on my own journey.  Looking back, I see him now as one who put great energy into the path of balancing the mind, the body and the spirit.  He appreciated the highest capabilities of the physical self – while accepting it’s limitation.  While he expanded his mind with worldly and universal knowledge, he consciously worked on decreasing his ego with humility.  By being a person of well-balanced body and mind, it allowed his true self – his spirit and not his ego – to shine a bit more than average person.

It was Punong Guro and all my teachers examples that inspired me to use the ancestral knowlege for positive purposes. To give back to the community and make an effort to improve myself along the way.