Last year (2013) GM Crispulo Atillo announced his "Successors-Disciples" and I posted a blog statement praising his public statement because he has eliminated for the most part any need for argumentation after he passes on. His announcement really was very forthcoming and progressive
in terms of the usual bickering that follows the death of a system founder and/or Grand Master.
Of particular interest to me was the fact that GM Tom Bolden, GM Douglas Pierre and Master Peter Vargas were named to the highest level of succession as "Successors-Disciples". Since these three people have trained in Modern Arnis with GM Bolden and GM Pierre have earned lakan level ranking directly from the late Professor Presas, the designation by GM Atillo moves these men closer to the actual roots of Modern Arnis, through the Saavedra-Balintawak lineage. In spite of the efforts of some people both inside and outside of Modern Arnis as well as Balintawak Eskrima to discredit GM Crispulo Atillo as a major player in the art of Balintawak, the basic evidence supports his claims of being involved in the Balintawak System beginning in the 1950's. And tray as they may, no one has been able to show definitively that the art known as Balintawak is not a logical extention of the "corto linear" eskrima style that was developed and practiced by GGM Lorenzo Saavedra and his 3 nephews, Teodoro "Doring" Saavedra, Fredrico Saavedra and Venancio Saavedra Bacon. At one point in time, Teodoro Saavedra, was the instructor for Venancio Bacon, Vincente Atillo, Delfin Lopez, Timeteo Maranga and some 23 other people who eventually worked together to form the
Balintawak Self Defense Club in 1952. There is no doubt that Bacon the principal instructor of the newly formed BSDC and every agrees that the new club was named after the street on which the new club house was located. The one seldom asked and never answered question is where did GM Bacon get the information that he used to establish the new Balintawak System?
As with so many situations involving conflicting groups of people involved in a similar organization
the truth is often right in front of them and obviously hiding in plain sight. The plain and simple truth is that Venacion Saavedraa Bacon had only trained in one system, the Saavedra Escrima or Corto Linear system under Lorenzo and Teodoro Saavedra. He took that information and training from the Saavedra's through the Doce Pares Club to his new BSDC organization in 1952. GM Vincente Atillo taught the Saavedra Eskrima System to his son and they were members of the BSDC from it's inception. There is a very clear ancd compelling reason why we can not find a significant difference between the eskrima that GM Crispulo Atillo teaches and the art that GM Bobby Taboada teaches, along with the art of GM Bob Silver Tabimaina, or GM Nick Elizar. They are all engaged in teaching Balintawak. They all have the same core foundation and they have added other elements that best suited them as individuals. The Atillo detractors have to engage in tautologies to make their charges sound reasonable but when pushed with empirical evidence they fall back to allegations that the Saavedra system has nothing to do with Balintawak, therefore GM Atillo, should have refered to his system as Savvedra Eskrima.
Given what I have been able to find through my research efforts, I am very comfortable with the idea that the Atillo System is the Saavedra and Balintawak Systems are essentially the same with some new and very logical adaptations added by a number of senior people including GGM Bacon. My research results have convinced to amend my original flow chart to include the Saavedra-Atillo connections to Modern Arnis and Professor Remy Presas. The chart is reproduced below.
I understand that there will be some people who disagree with me and I fully respect their right to do so. My only stipulation is that they will have to give me a documentable set of alternatives, not merely someone's word of mouth accounts. As a sociologist as well as a martial artist, I want to see empirical documentation before I alter my flow chart again.
Respectfully yours,
Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
GM & Datu,
Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates
Martial Arts Lineage of Remy Amador Presas
Leon B. Presas
Traditional Arnis
Espada y Daga
|
Remy Amador Presas
Founder & GM Modern Arnis
Lorenzo Saavedra
Founder & GM - Saavedra Eskrima
|
Teodoro Saavedra
|
Venancio Saavedra Bacon - Timeteo Maranga - Vincente Atillo
|
Crispulo Atillo
|
Arnulfo Mongcal
|
Remy Amador Presas
Founder & GM Modern Arnis
Venancio Saavedra Bacon
Grand Master & Co-Founder Balintawak Eskrima
|
Timeteo Maranga - Vincente Atillo w/ Crispulo Atillo
| |
Arnulfo Mongcal
|
Remy Amador Presas
Founder & GM Modern Arnis
Martial Arts Lineage of Dr. Jerome Barber
Modern Arnis Lineage:
Remy Amador Presas
Founder & GM Modern Arnis
|
Donald F. Zanghi
|
Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
Kepno Karate Lineage:
Hoon Chow
(Hung Gar) James Mitose
| (Kosho Ryu Kenpo)
| |
William K. S. Chow (Chinese Kenpo)
|
Adriano Emperado (Chinese Kenpo, Eskrima, Kajukenbo)
| |
Marino Tiwanak Edmund Parker, Sr.
(Kajukenbo, CHA-3 Kenpo) (Chinese Kenpo, American Kenpo)
| |
Florentino Pancipanci Al & Jim Tracy
(CHA-3 Kenpo, Pancipanci Eskrima) (Tracy System Kenpo)
| / |
Tom Bolden Ernest McPeek Donald F. Zanghi
(CHA-3 Kenpo) (Tracy System Kenpo) (Tracy System Kenpo)
(Pancipanci Eskrima) (Modern Arnis)
|_____________________________________ |___________________|
|
Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
|
Tim Kashino - Richard Curren - Tom Verga - Paul R. Martin - Kenneth Q. Boehm,
Debra S. Moore - Keith Roosa - James "Buddy" Antonio, Frank Heinan,
Kathleen Geiger - Frankie Heinan - Stephanie Heinan,
Mary Altair - Keri Marotti, Michael Zelli
(Certified Black Belt Instructors - IEKA)
Stephanie Heinan, Michael Zelli
SE Asian Martial Arts
The SE Asian Martial Arts blog is an open discussion venue dedicated to the exchange of information involving the South East Asian Martial Arts such as Escrima, Arnis, Pentjak Silat and Kuntao Silat in particular as well as other Asian martial arts in general. Our goal is to give our blog writers and readers a forum that encourages our members to share information, techniques, seminars dates and training camp dates.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Poem: The Hangman
A facebook friend referenced this poem earlier today and after looking it up and reading it, I was very impressed with the concept and moral character contained therein. I have posted it on a couple of sites that I frequent and asked for some feedback. I hope to hear from you guys as well.
JB
_______________________________________________
The Hangman
Into our town the Hangman came,
Smelling of gold and blood and flame.
And he paced our bricks with a diffident air,
And built his frame on the courthouse square.
The scaffold stood by the courthouse side,
Only as wide as the door was wide;
A frame as tall, or little more,
Than the capping sill of the courthouse door.
And we wondered, whenever we had the time,
Who the criminal, what the crime,
That Hangman judged with the yellow twist
Of knotted hemp in his busy fist.
And innocent though we were, with dread,
We passed those eyes of buckshot lead;
Till one cried: "Hangman, who is he
For whom you raise the gallows-tree?"
Then a twinkle grew in the buckshot eye,
And he gave us a riddle instead of reply:
"He who serves me best," said he,
"Shall earn the rope on the gallows-tree."
And he stepped down, and laid his hand
On a man who came from another land.
And we breathed again, for another's grief
At the Hangman's hand was our relief.
And the gallows-frame on the courthouse lawn
By tomorrow's sun would be struck and gone.
So we gave him way, and no one spoke,
Out of respect for his hangman's cloak.
The next day's sun looked mildly down,
On roof and street in our quiet town
And, stark and black in the morning air,
The gallows-tree on the courthouse square.
And the Hangman stood at his usual stand
With the yellow hemp in his busy hand;
With his buckshot eye and his jaw like a pike,
And his air so knowing and businesslike.
And we cried: "Hangman, have you not done,
Yesterday, with the alien one?"
Then we fell silent, and stood amazed:
"Oh, not for him was the gallows raised."
He laughed a laugh as he looked at us:
"Did you think I'd gone to all this fuss
To hang one man? That's a thing I do
To stretch the rope when the rope is new."
Then one cried, "Murderer!" One cried,
"Shame!"
And into our midst the Hangman came
To that man's place. "Do you hold," said he,
"With him that was meant for the gallows-tree?"
And he laid his hand on that one's arm,
And we shrank back in quick alarm,
And we gave him way, and no one spoke,
Out of fear of his hangman's cloak.
That night we saw with dread surprise,
The Hangman's scaffold had grown in size.
Fed by the blood beneath the chute
The gallows-tree had taken root;
Now as wide, or a little more,
Than the steps that led to the courthouse door,
As tall as the writing, or nearly as tall,
Halfway up on the courthouse wall.
The third he took — we had all heard tell —
Was a usurer and infidel,
And: "What," said the Hangman, "have you to
do,
With the gallows-bound, and he a Jew?"
And we cried out: "Is this one he,
Who has served you well and faithfully?"
The Hangman smiled: "It's a clever scheme
To try the strength of the gallows-beam."
The fourth man's dark, accusing song
Had scratched out comfort hard and long;
And "What concern," he gave us back,
"Have you for the doomed - the doomed and black?"
The fifth.The sixth. And we cried again:
"Hangman, Hangman, is this the man?"
"It's a trick," he said, "that we hangmen
know
For easing the trap when the trap springs slow."
And so we ceased, and asked no more,
As the Hangman tallied his bloody score;
And sun by sun, and night by night,
The gallows grew to monstrous height.
The wings of the scaffold opened wide,
Till they covered the square from side to side;
And the monster cross-beam, looking down,
Cast its shadow across the town.
Then through the town the Hangman came
And called in the empty streets my name -
And I looked at the gallows soaring tall
And thought: "There is no one left at all,
For hanging, and so he calls to me
to help pull down the gallows-tree."
And I went out with right good hope
to the Hangman's tree and the Hangman's rope.
He smiled at me as I came down,
To the courthouse square through the silent town,
and supple and stretched in his busy hand,
Was the yellow twist of the hempen strand.
And he whistled his tune as he tried the trap
And it sprang down with a ready snap—
And then with a smile of awful command,
He laid his hand upon my hand.
"You tricked me, Hangman!" I shouted then.
"That your scaffold was built for other men.
And I no henchman of yours," I cried,
"You lied to me, Hangman, foully lied!"
Then a twinkle grew in his buckshot eye:
"Lied to you? Tricked you?" he said,
"Not I. For I answered straight and I told you true:
The scaffold was raised for none but you.
"For who has served me more faithfully
Than you with your coward's hope?" said he,
"And where are the others that might have stood
Side by your side in the common good?"
"Dead," I whispered; and amiably
"Murdered," the Hangman corrected me;
"First the alien, then the Jew...
I did no more than you let me do."
Beneath the beam that blocked the sky,
None had stood so alone as I -
And the Hangman strapped me, and no voice there
Cried "Stay" for me in the empty square.
—Maurice Ogden (1951)
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Modern Arnis and the Long Blade: An Expository Essay Regarding Good Footwork
Modern
Arnis and the Long Blade:
An
Expository Essay Regarding Good Footwork
by
Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
GM & Datu, Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates
The long blade and good footwork are an essential pairing regardless of the martial art system or style being considered. A good number of my fellow Modern Arnis instructors talk a good game but fail to fully execute the footwork that they mention in their classes. Modern Arnis is in reality a bladed art that is based on the bolo or long knife. The rattan stick is a training tool and was utilized by the late Professor Remy A. Presas to show the beauty of the art and to make the art acceptable for instruction in physical education programs involving children in the Philippines. Consider the following quote:
Blocking
incoming bladed strikes is simply not at all practical in many cases. Evasion and counter-striking are really much better
defensive actions. In Modern Arnis as
conceived by Professor Presas, the 12 stick strikes are “…the life and soul of arnis.
They are the things around which all other techniques revolve.” (Remy Amador Presas, 1973, p. 32). With that idea in mind, blocking, whether
with a stick or empty hands must be seen as a secondary behavior which compliments
body shifting and evasive footwork because
these strikes are conceived of and presented as originating from bladed
instruments.
In
his books Professor always included information about stances and body
shifting. Professor believed that “… your
body shifts almost automatically into the proper stances as you execute each
strike.” (Presas, p. 31, 1983). But, how can one learn to step and shift
effectively if one has not been taught the correct methods for doing so? Learning to shift is tied to striking and
striking relies on footwork to place ones self in the proper position to effectively
execute the strike.
“Learning to employ body shifting in arnis is
extremely important. Virtually all the techniques in this book employ some degree
of body shifting to move your body away from the opponent’s angle of attack,
yet close the distance so that an effective defense can be used (counterstrike,
disarm, takedown)”. (Presas, p. 26, 1983.).
Professor
Presas was quite adamant, in his printed materials, about the importance of
evasion and he wrote, “Body shifting is
very important. An eskrima player should
be shifty in positioning his body at a vantage point so that he can strike with
utmost power. Proper body positioning will
also enable him to be outside the effective range of an opponent’s blow or
strike. Body shifting consists of
stepping, sliding, turning or (a) combination of these movements.” (The
Practical Art of Eskrima: 2nd Edition.
The Filipino Martial Art of Attack and Defense with cane or barehands,
otherwise known as Arnis. Remy Amador Presas,
“Father of Modern Arnis”. 1994, page 26)
When
Professor actually taught seminars and camps he often skipped right past any
references to stances and body shifting. He would immediately began teaching the
12 angles of stick attacks, plus the single stick and empty hand translations,
joint-locking, double stick and disarming techniques that were based on the 12 striking
angles. In his later years (mid to late
1990’s) he included and emphasized sinawali boxing and tapi-tapi concepts. Professor Presas also made the following
statement regarding the importance of the 12 stick striking techniques, “In the twelve striking techniques, the
learner is taught how and where to deliver a strike in order to achieve the
maximum power and efficacy.” (Remy Amador Presas, 1974, p. 32). Combine the above quote with the following two
statements that Professor wrote in his 1983 version of Modern Arnis:
“Notice that your body will shift almost
automatically into the proper stances as you execute each strike”. (Remy Presas, 1983, p.
31.). “You must stay loose and move quickly, always pivoting to face the
strike and keep your balance.”
(Presas, p. 45, 1983.).
It
appears to me that Professor Presas is making a strong case for assuming that
his Modern Arnis students would automatically find, use, as well as fully understand
the proper positioning and body shifting methods without his formal input. Unfortunately this assumption and instructional
omission on Professor’s part may be the major contributing factor to the
tendency of many of his top instructors (and by extension, their own students) standing-in-place,
relying on their hand and stick skills when practicing the art. Professor Presas was a strong and powerful man
with good upper body strength. He was
also a very good counter-fighter who could effectively stand his ground and
prevail in an armed confrontation.
Therefore he was prone to say one thing yet actually do another when it
came to evasive footwork and body shifting. A large number of his students followed his
physical examples rather than his spoken or written words when it came to
evasion and footwork.
In
the Kenpo-Modern Arnis curriculum that I developed for the Erie Community College
credit bearing self defense program, I included 4 basic methods of footwork and
body-shifting. These methods of stepping
are based on the traditional premise that Modern Arnis is a bladed art and the
primary striking tool is in reality an 18 to 26 inch blade. My own choice for a training tool to
replicate the blade is a wooden replica of the Negrito Bolo, which is found on Professor’s
home island of Negros .
There
shouldn’t be any doubt that Professor Presas clearly saw bladed weapons as
being at the heart of Arnis as he
understood it. Then, so as to remove
any lingering doubts, Professor added the names of some of the blades that were
featured in the art as he understood it, and taught it in the Philippines, “…kris, bolo, kalis, laring, barong, gunong,
kampilan, gayang,pira, punal, itak banjal, bangkcon, lahot and the panabas.” (Remy Amador Presas, p. 10, 1973).
In
conjunction with good footwork one should also have a firm foundation in terms
of stances and Professor mentioned this as well in his publications. Professor wrote:
There are only a few specific stances or ready positions in Modern Arnis, but learning them is essential before they become a part of your automatic response in a self defense situation. Effective balance and the ability to move swiftly backward and forward to facilitate blocking and striking are the backbone of arnis or any martial art. Stances or ready positions are not static things to be assumed and then maintained throughout practice. The body flows into each appropriate stance as the situation demands. (Remy Presas, p. 21, 1983.).
Perhaps
one of the reasons that Professor Presas skipped right over the stance training
and footwork when he taught in the United States, Canada and Europe is because
he was initially teaching accomplished black belt martial artists who were in
reality studying Modern Arnis as an ‘add-on
‘ or secondary art to their original karate or kung fu systems. Most of these people were already well
established instructors within their ‘mother arts’ and were well beyond the
basics. While this methodology worked
very well in 1975 when Professor first came to the USA , but as time advanced and a
good number of his first generation students became Modern Arnis instructors,
the lack of footwork and stance training became more pronounced within the art. These newly minted Modern Arnis instructors
were concentrating on the stick-work and consequently the emphasis on footwork
fell by the wayside. Professor apparently
assumed the instructors were teaching footwork within their schools when in
reality they were not. The 2nd
and 3rd generations of Modern Arnis students in the USA do not
appear to understand the importance of footwork within Modern Arnis. In addition, the concept of Modern Arnis as a
bladed fighting art has been lost, in part because Professor did not want to
teach that aspect of the art. He wanted
people to see the grace and beauty of the art not the carnage that someone could
create with a long blade.
The
12 zone stick striking system is mirrored by the 12 zone stick blocking system.
A very important aspect of the blocking system requires the defender to move to
a safe zone while defending against the incoming strikes. The blocks are supposed “…to be executed in one smooth and swift motion with no distinct pauses
between the block, check and counterstrike motions.” (Remy Presas, p. 45,
1983).
Immediately
after learning the basic striking and blocking patterns with the stick, the
student must learn how to defend against random, non-sequenced strikes to different
areas of their
own body. The empty hand translation stick defenses are most often taught in
conjunction with the stick training. According to Professor, “The beauty of arnis is in the translation
from stick to empty hand defense with no major modifications in reaction. This helps accelerate a student’s training in
arnis since he or she can learn both forms in practice at the same time, and
see the correlation between the two.” (Remy Presas, p.45, 1983). The
necessity to reflexively move, step and use body shift are critical parts of
Modern Arnis training strategy. It should
have become very apparent to the serious student at this juncture of their
training that mobility is actually a hallmark feature of Modern Arnis. The basic
training ideas mentioned above thereby sets the stage for the next level of intermediate
Modern Arnis skills which should also be acquired and mastered.
“Stances the foundation to any style of
fighting. For without the proper stance,
attacking, defending, or countering an attack will not have the power,
coordination, timing, or balance required for success. Proper stances with the proper body alignment
give mobility and the ability for executing blocks and strikes with
confidence.
As
the certified inheritor of the Arnis Balite System, I believe that Punong Guro
Dowd must know a thing or two about the FMA as taught and practiced in the Philippines ,
where he studied under the founder (pundador) of the Balite Arnis System,
Manual M. Aguillon. Since I have had the
opportunity to work with as well as observe
PG Dowd, I can attest to his applicative skills as an arnisador.
"To evade is to move out of the path of an incoming blow. This does not require the assistance of a weapon, although for maximum protection an evasion is best done in conjunction with a deflection. Evasion is the most graceful motion in the art of escrima, for this movement reveals the amount of training a player has.” (The Secrets of Giron Arnis Escrima. Antonio E. Somera. P. 52, 2003.).
The late GM Antonio Ilustrisimo, a highly celebrate escrimador from
“Any weapons-based fighting art must employ
the skills of footwork and evasion to a high degree.” (The Secrets of Kalis Ilustrisimo: The
Filipino Fighting Art Explained. Antonio
Diego & Christopher Ricketts. P. 61, 1999.).
Anyone
who seriously doubts the skills of the late GM Ilustrisimo, need only talk with
the American author of numerous FMA books, Guro Mark Wiley. He studies with the GM in the Philippines and
believes that the late GM was absolutely the best escrimador that he ever studied
under.
I
am a firm supporter of the idea that Modern Arnis is a ‘living martial arts system’
that should never be relegated to nor considered or treated as a “traditional
system”. As far as I am concerned Modern
Arnis, in reality, has to evolve as it is moved from one culture to another.
Furthermore the practitioners of the art have to adjust to the changing
times where ever it is practiced. As
Professor Presas stated:
“Arnis today has experienced changes in the
weapons used. Although the art still
makes use of the itak or bolo now and then, it has relied considerably on the
use of the cane as a self defense weapon.
This is not because the cane is less deadly than the bladed weapons but
mainly because in the later years, Arnis is engaged in more as a sport.”
(Remy Amador Presas, page 12, 1973.).
I'm interested in what the readers of this essay think, where we are in agreement and where we have a difference of opinion.
Monday, August 25, 2014
A Forgotten Principle?
As
I read through all of the posts on traveling to the Philippines and perhaps
being anointed a “legitimate” FMA master or grandmaster, I was reminded of
something that I learned from my first SE Asian martial arts instructors, Sifu
Don Zanghi and GM Remy Presas, “Make the art for yourself.” I can’t recall a seminar that I attended with
Professor that he didn’t tell everyone present that “You must make the art for
yourself.” Professor Presas was talking
about Modern Arnis, his own martial art creation, not some abstract,
otherworldly fantasy.
From
1982 when I first began working with Sifu Zanghi, through the “Dorie Miller
Club” in Buffalo and before I joined the “Fighting Back Institute”, that highly
directive phrase was stated and re-stated time and time again. I first heard it from Sifu Zanghi, but he
always cited and referenced Professor as the originator of the statement. By the time I met and began training with
Professor in 1983, ‘make it for yourself’ was part of my training mantra. The orthodox training regime was to learn the
techniques, mechanics, footwork and guiding principles of the art and then
configure everything to fit your own bodily strengths, weaknesses and
idiosyncrasies.
Professor
never spoke about ‘the necessity’ of going to the Philippines to acquire any
sort of refinement or fine tuning within the art. That is not to say that he would discourage
people traveling to his homeland, far from it.
He was very proud of his homeland, his culture and history. We have numerous private discussions about the
Philippines and he was very adamant that I should learn about the Negrito
(Mayang, Aeta) people, who are the
original inhabitants of the Philippines.
Those conversations came about because of my usage of a wooden training
bolo, the “Negrito Bolo” from his home island.
I had already begun the process of ‘making it for myself’ when I adapted
the “Negrito Bolo” into my training regime.
I was exploring and gaining an understanding about the differences
between the use of a blunt instrument and a long blade. I was ‘making the art for myself’ because
neither Professor nor Sifu Zanghi, were actively teaching bolo usage as part of
Modern Arnis. My explorations were at
first fueled by my conversations with WWII vets, who had fought in the
Philippines, their stories about the Filipino Scouts as
well as my reading of Professor’s 1974 book on Modern Arnis in which he
mentions in his preface that the real weapon of arnis is the long blade.
I’m
a strong advocate of Professors dictum of ‘making it for yourself’. His commitment to the idea of ‘making it for
yourself’ was very clearly stated in his 1983 book on Modern Arnis, when he
wrote that “The method should suit the person and not the other way
around. This is known simply as using
the “flow”.” If I can apply the
concepts, principles and techniques of Modern arnis as taught to me by Sifu
Zanghi and Professor Presas, then adapt those same concepts, principles and
techniques to suit my own body, then where is the need for me to go to the
Philippines in order to become more proficient in the art? My going to the Philippines would be for the
cultural value, meeting some of his older students, my seniors in the art, and
having the experiences that ensued from my travels.
I’m
not one bit opposed to going to the Philippines. I simply reject the notion that I or anyone
else NEEDS to go there if they wish to be viewed as an authentic master of the
FMA. I’ve found some dynamite FMA
instructor’s right here in the USA and Canada.
Among those whom I’ve met and trained with several times are Sifu Don
Zanghi, Professor Remy Presas, GM Tom Bolden, Ama Guro Billy Bryant, Maha Guru Roberto Torres, GM Bobby Taboada,
Sifu Dan Donzella, GM Sultan Uddin, GP Abon Baet, GM Eddie Lastra, GM Jun de
Leon and GM Crispulo Atillo. All of
these men have given me solid, practical information and I’m grateful to all of
them for their insights and advice.
I
haven’t forgotten the ‘make it for yourself’ principle as taught to me by Sifu
Zanghi and Professor Presas. Nor have I
fallen away from another principle that Professor advocated when he talked
about “the art within your art.”
Professor emphasized the idea that Modern Arnis helps martial artists
discover new things about their own style and use arnis to supplement their own
mother-art. But that is an entirely
separate post and this one is already long enough.
Sincerely,
Jerome
Barber, Ed. D.
GM,
Datu & Principal Teacher,
Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis
AssociatesSunday, July 13, 2014
Hand Tools & CRMIPT Seminar, July 26, 2014Hello Folks,
Hello Folks,
I'm just sending out this announcement to remind everyone that Guro Keith Roosa and myself will be conducting a Hand Tools-CRMIPT Self defense Seminar on Saturday, July 26, at Alessi Holsters, 247 Cayuga Road, Buffalo, NY, from 11am to 3pm. The admission fee is $40.
The seminar is the first of 2 training sessions that we will hold prior to GM Bram Frank's weekend certification seminar that will be held on September27 and 28 at the same site. In September, GM Frank will be conducting his Modular Training Program aimed toward granting instructor certification in the use of the "Close Range Medium Impact Tool" (CRMIPT).
This hand tool is a non-lethal striking and locking instrument for gaining control of and compliance from an individual who is acting out in a public situation. The tool was designed for security and police personnel as an option to the use of a baton or firearm in a less than lethal confrontation.
At the July seminar we will focus on the use of the following self defense hand tools, the Filipino-Hawaiian Palm Stick, the Kubaton and the CRMIPT. We will comparing and contrasting the usage of each tool in a self defense, comply and control situation. We expect that we will be joined by Sensei Mike Carvelli and you will have the benefit of being instructed by the three instructors in the Western New York Region who are certified under GM Bram Frank in the use of the Gunting Tactical Folding Knife and CRMIPT.
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the July training seminar.
Sincerely,
Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
I'm just sending out this announcement to remind everyone that Guro Keith Roosa and myself will be conducting a Hand Tools-CRMIPT Self defense Seminar on Saturday, July 26, at Alessi Holsters, 247 Cayuga Road, Buffalo, NY, from 11am to 3pm. The admission fee is $40.
The seminar is the first of 2 training sessions that we will hold prior to GM Bram Frank's weekend certification seminar that will be held on September27 and 28 at the same site. In September, GM Frank will be conducting his Modular Training Program aimed toward granting instructor certification in the use of the "Close Range Medium Impact Tool" (CRMIPT).
This hand tool is a non-lethal striking and locking instrument for gaining control of and compliance from an individual who is acting out in a public situation. The tool was designed for security and police personnel as an option to the use of a baton or firearm in a less than lethal confrontation.
At the July seminar we will focus on the use of the following self defense hand tools, the Filipino-Hawaiian Palm Stick, the Kubaton and the CRMIPT. We will comparing and contrasting the usage of each tool in a self defense, comply and control situation. We expect that we will be joined by Sensei Mike Carvelli and you will have the benefit of being instructed by the three instructors in the Western New York Region who are certified under GM Bram Frank in the use of the Gunting Tactical Folding Knife and CRMIPT.
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the July training seminar.
Sincerely,
Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
Principal Teacher,
Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates
Monday, June 2, 2014
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
who's side are you on anyway?
As per Doc's request, here is a repost from my personal blog:
http://wp.me/plJPJ-1Bn
I've been doing this "leadership" think for a while now. I've done the NCO thing in the military, I've moved up the supervision chain in LE, etc. While I hesitate to speak from a position of "expertise" on leadership ( I always feel like I'm still learning), there is an aspect of it I seem to see time and again that I would like to discuss and that is the confusion over "where your loyalty lies". In a nutshell the question is this. Are you a representative of management there to "keep an eye on things", implementing your superiors policies and looking for "violators"? Or are you a "representative of your men" who looks out for their welfare and protects them from the wrath of your bosses? This issue is sharpest for that mid level leader like a Sergeant or Lieutenant who has direct contact with "the grunts". In my opinion this is the first hurdle every new leader seems to face. If not understood it can become an entrenched mindset throughout their career, and only becomes magnified the higher up the leadership ladder they climb. Of course...as with any complex issue, the reality is never as black and white as I paraphrased above. A good leader has to realize that he has a foot in two worlds. It's your job to make the ship go in the direction your superiors want it to go...you are not "one of the guys" anymore. However, you are never going to be the "leader of men" I would hope you want to be if you look at the people actually doing the work as drones vs "your people". I look at it like this:
With superiors above you and subordinates below you you can look at yourself as an "advocate" for either side. Ideally you want to span a place somewhere in the middle. It's your job to implement the decisions of your superiors AND it's also your job to look out for the welfare of your subordinates (both personal and professional welfare) and to be a representative for them when dealing with your superiors.
If you tend to be a leader who "sides" with your superiors in all situations, with no interest in standing up for your subordinates when you believe that a new policy is wrong, or that punishment being levied is unfair or excessive you will be seen as a suck up at best or a tyrant at worst.
If your boss tells you to "write someone up" for something you don't believe they did wrong, do you just do it? Are you always afraid that if you argue or disagree with your boss that you may harm your chances for a promotion? Are you "scared" of your boss so you just do what your are told with no regard to your personal opinions of right or wrong? You are placing yourself and your concerns over those of the people you are responsible for.
Of course there is the flip side:
Are you afraid of being disliked? Do you avoid difficult discussions or dread delivering orders that you know are necessary but are going to be disliked? Do you overlook things because it's easier than dealing with them?
You can't be "one of the boys" either. Part of your job is being the person who has to do the tough thing when it comes down to it. If you don't act like a leader your career as one will either be short lived or come to a dead end.
My suggestions? You have to look at yourself and make an honest appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses. A person who, in their heart of hearts, knows that they tend to be "one of the boys" has some hope. He/She knows that they have a weakness and that's the first step to correcting it. Small changes over time is usually the best remedy vs trying to become a "hard ass" overnight. It's the people who sincerely believe that their subordinates are simply people to step on in the climb for advancement that are the real problem.
And in conclusion:
http://wp.me/plJPJ-1Bn
I've been doing this "leadership" think for a while now. I've done the NCO thing in the military, I've moved up the supervision chain in LE, etc. While I hesitate to speak from a position of "expertise" on leadership ( I always feel like I'm still learning), there is an aspect of it I seem to see time and again that I would like to discuss and that is the confusion over "where your loyalty lies". In a nutshell the question is this. Are you a representative of management there to "keep an eye on things", implementing your superiors policies and looking for "violators"? Or are you a "representative of your men" who looks out for their welfare and protects them from the wrath of your bosses? This issue is sharpest for that mid level leader like a Sergeant or Lieutenant who has direct contact with "the grunts". In my opinion this is the first hurdle every new leader seems to face. If not understood it can become an entrenched mindset throughout their career, and only becomes magnified the higher up the leadership ladder they climb. Of course...as with any complex issue, the reality is never as black and white as I paraphrased above. A good leader has to realize that he has a foot in two worlds. It's your job to make the ship go in the direction your superiors want it to go...you are not "one of the guys" anymore. However, you are never going to be the "leader of men" I would hope you want to be if you look at the people actually doing the work as drones vs "your people". I look at it like this:
And in conclusion:
Friday, April 25, 2014
Teaching is an Opportunity for Leadership
Teaching
is an Opportunity for Leadership
Teaching
is similar to parenting in that teachers can provide a role model that will be
emulated and perpetuated by their students later in their own lives. Both parenting and teaching are the art of
guiding, influencing and shaping the directions that child or student will
follow as they proceed through the instructions provided by their parents
and/or teachers. Bad practices in
teaching as well as parenting can lead to replications of these behaviors when
the students reach a point in their own lives where they are placed in charge
of others.
Unfortunately,
like parenting, most martial arts instructors have not been taught how to
instruct nor have they acquired some practical hands-on experiences before they
walked on the floor/mat to begin their instructional journey. They are actually experimenting with live
students in an on-the-job learning format.
These instructors are forced to fall back and rely on what the
experienced as students. They are going
to channel their own instructor(s) because that is all that they have as a
basis for their own instructional format.
And like so many of us, who said as children, that we would never do
what our parents did to us, these instructors find themselves repeating the
same things that they learned from their instructors.
When our
students see, hear and experience these examples they in turn are being
impacted with a behavioral imperative that will be repeated after they leave
the confines our schools and open their own martial arts instructional
programs. In a good number of cases the
results are closely aligned with the cult-followers syndrome. The instructor both presents himself as and
is observed by his students as being the leading authority figure on the
art. Most other instructors and martial
arts styles are seen as being inferior and should be avoided at all costs in
order to prevent yourself from becoming ‘contaminated’ with inferior techniques
and information. In many cases this
attitude is not consciously and deliberately perpetrated by the
instructor. However, when an instructor
does not actively encourage independent thinking and research, the tendency to
move in the direction of cultism is virtually inescapable for both the
instructor as well as many of his students.
This is particularly true when there is a kids program at the
school. Young dragons are easier to mold
in one’s own image than adults who have enrolled in the program for their own
individual reasons.
The
Paradigm Eskrima-Kenpo instructional program is grounded in the belief that a
student who is taught to observe and think positively will become a better
student of the arts and he/she can successfully transfer these concepts to all
other aspects of their lives. In
addition these students become positive role models for others in almost every
situation that they are participating in.
We strive to provide our students with positive behavioral
experiences. We want our students to
learn how to deal with adversity and failure as a springboard for future
successes. Our students are shown how to
evaluate themselves and accept responsibility for their own shortcomings, then
work to reverse the previous outcome at the next opportunity that becomes
available to them. In short, we want our
students to make lemonade after they’ve been handed a batch of lemons.
Our
basic instructional format is based on having a principal instructor and at
least 2 assistant instructors. The
assistant instructors are usually 3 to 4 belt ranks higher than the newest
student who has joined our training group.
We use a combination of class instruction, small group lessons and 1 on
1 training throughout our program. The
assistant instructors provide the 1 on 1 lesson with specific tasks/goals
assigned by the principal instructor.
These lessons are evaluated by the principal instructor at the end of
the training hour and corrections, if needed, are recommended at that time for
the next training session. In time the
assistant instructors are assigned small groups ranging in size from 2 to 6
people to instruct. In both cases
mentioned above the assistant instructors are acting as tutors and resource
people, reviewing the techniques/drills that have previously been taught by the
principal instructor in the larger class format. We believe that the more individualized
instruction that our students receive the better they will become and the
faster they can progress through the underbelt ranks to black belt. The more confidence the students have in us
as instructors, the more confidence they will have in themselves as students
and martial artists. This confidence is
easily transferred to other aspects of their lives because success in one area
is the best way to build success in other areas of a person’s life.
Since
our assistant instructors are most often higher ranked under-belts themselves
they are actually re-learning their basic skill sets as they instruct the newer
students in the 1 on 1 and later small group sessions. This is a win-win situation for everyone
involved. There is a strong bond that
extends from the lowest ranked students to the principal instructor and
everyone is viewed as being a significant and important person within the
training group. We do not wear belts or
use titles in our training group, yet everyone understands where they are within
the group. We also stress ability over
time within the Paradigm Escrima-Kenpo Group.
In other words, progress is determined by skills learned and mastered,
rather than any concerns for how long someone has been a member of the
group. Promotions are based on skill
development and are a measure of one’s commitment to study and work. Anyone can pass another person in rank by
simply being better or more skilled than someone else regardless of how much
time each person has been a member of the training group. That potential situation keeps everyone
motivated. The newer people want to move
up as quickly as possible and the older students want to remain at a higher
grade than the people they might have instructed at an earlier point in time.
Throughout
our training format, we are stressing skill development, cooperation,
competition and shared responsibilities.
We are developing communication and instructional skill
development. The PEK format is designed
and intended to provide our students with the information and training
necessary to make them good instructors if they choose to go into the
instructional field in any area of their own personal interest.
At PEK
we believe that leadership skills can be taught. By giving our students an opportunity to work
in an instructional mode very early in their training, we have identified those
people who have a knack for instructing.
We do not leave instructional skills and leadership development to chance. Our program is very well structured and
planned out. We use a standardized
methodology and evaluation process to identify those people who could become
excellent instructors both in and outside of the martial arts. We believe that we can develop leaders and we
may very well be the first organizational entity in a student’s life that gives
them some definite and specific responsibilities within an organizational
structure. We use both informal and
formal evaluation processes to help our assistant instructors. Each assistant instructor is responsible for
monitoring lower ranked assistants and making suggestions to the principal instructor. Over time the assistant instructors will be
asked to discuss their observations with the lower ranked assistants in formal
training sessions and demonstrate the areas needing corrections.
The PEK
instructor training program is a by-product of our main mission which is
teaching practical and realistic self-defense to all of our students. We are not focused on retention and getting
every single person who enters our program to black belt status. We take students who come to us with a very
specific short term goal as well as people who are interested in a full program
agenda. It is understood that not
everyone is seeking a black belt when they enter our program and it is our job
to give each student the best training and information that we can provide
while they are training with us. It is
equally important to train every student to maximize his/her potential for both
the short and long terms. And for those
students who go through the full training curriculum it is important that they
leave our program with strong leadership and teaching skills that they can use
throughout their lifetime.
Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
Grand Master, Principal Teacher,
Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates
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