Modern Arnis HoF - A Honor and an Oversight

On March 22, 2013, there was an announcement of the martialtalk.com Modern Arnis forum:

Remy Presas Memorial Training Camp & Black Belt Hall of Fame - Philadelphia 2013

I wanted to announce that John Bryant, recently deceased, is going to be posthumously inducted into the BB Hall of Fame this summer in Philadelphia. This is a wonderful way to honor him. He founded the first Modern Arnis school in the United States and was the first instructor of Tim Hartman.

Yours,
Dan Anderson 

 

I find that announcement to be a bit curious because John Bryant had not been involved in training or instructing in Modern Arnis or any other martial arts since about 1988 until his death a few weeks earlier in 2013.  There are a number of other people who I think would have been better choices for induction because they have been continuously active in Modern Arnis for at least 2 decades and taken a number of their students to Lakan Isa / 1st degree black belt and higher.

 

Awarding John with a posthumous induction is a wonderful gesture and I won't argue against it for 2 reasons, 1. John was a friend and classmate of mine at Fight Back Institute in Buffalo and 2. one should never speak ill of the deceased.  From my perspective, John's teacher, Sifu Don Zanghi should be inducted into the MA Hall of Fame.  It was Sifu Don who brought Professor Presas to Buffalo, it was Sifu Don who was the first certified Modern Arnis Instructor in the Buffalo area, it was Sifu Don who attended the 2 week long Modern Arnis training camps, then the week long camps before they devolved into weekend events.  Without Sifu Don Zanghi, Professor Remy Presas would not have gotten to Buffalo in 1980, 5 years before John Bryant opened his "Filipino Karate Academy", after leaving FBI before he had earned his black belt in either Tracy Kenpo or Modern Arnis.

 

If Sifu Don Zanghi had not worked closely with Professor Remy Presas, it is possible that the following people in the Buffalo area might never have become involved in or gave instruction in Modern Arnis, Guro David Battaglia, Master Bill Adams, Master Ernie Delts, Sensei Dan Carr, Sensei Gary Castanza, Lakan John Bryant, Lakan Jeff Rech, Lakan Tim Unger, Lakan John Bryant, Dayang Tammy Wilson, Lakan David Smith, Datu tim hartman, Master Tim Kashino, Master Richard Curren, Master Paul Martin, Master Keith Roosa, Lakan Tom Verga, Lakan James "Buddy" Antonio, and myself.  All of the aforementioned people were associated with Sifu Don, either directly as students or indirectly as people who trained with him and Professor from time to time in the Modern Arnis system.

 

It is an incredible irony that the man who founded the first and arguably the most productive Modern Arnis program in the Western New York region, including Buffalo and Niagara Falls would be overlooked in favor of a student of his, whose school was only open for 3 to 4 years and who produced only two black belt students, Dayang Wilson and Lakan Smith.

 

Others may have a different opinion but when all of the facts are considered, I believe that Sifu Don Zanghi should be recognized by the selectors at the Modern Arnis Hall of Fame on the basis of fairness and documented achievements in terms of promoting and promulgating the growth of Modern Arnis during the first 15 years of Professor Presas' 25 year teaching career in the USA. 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.

Grand Master, Datu & Principal Teacher,

Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates