Atillo Balintawak Successors - My Observations and Comments

      This essay is a re-posting that was originally published in the FMA Informative #108 that was released on Saturday, January 25, 2014.  I have added the revised and updated linear charts for Professor Remy Amador Presas and myself .  I understand that there will be some people who object to my charts, but I challenge them to do their own research, cite sources and show us where we are in error.  Until they can document their objections there is nothing that they can say that has any merit or that anyone should consider as being relevant.

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
___________________________


Atillo Balintawak - Saavedra Eskrima Successors; My Observations and Comments

                On July 10, 2013, GM Crispulo Atillo posted a notice on his FB site announcing his official listing of the Atillo Balintawak Eskrima, Masters, Disciples and Successors-Disciples.  That notice was duly reported in the FMA informative, Volume 12, Number 8, on page 17.  I’m not going to repost the notice here but I would like to comment on several things related to the notice because in my opinion GM Atillo did a very smart thing publicly naming those people who he wants to see carry on the Atillo Balintawak –Saavedra Eskrima tradition in the future after he passes on. 

Historically there is usually a very large, nasty and ugly intra-system fight among the top students after a GM has passed away.  Sometimes the fights have included family members battling amongst themselves and with some non-family members of the organization.  Everyone will claim that they are the best qualified people to take over the leadership responsibilities of the system while their opponents are phonies and under-qualified status seekers.   These fights are never pretty, they drag on for many years and splinter groups are formed with each claiming to be the only true lineage of the art.  I watched from the sidelines as this very thing happened in Modern Arnis after the illness and passing of the late Professor Remy Presas.  The bickering was very disturbing to watch and worse yet was the fact that I knew some of the people participating in the fight.  I refused to get involved or support any of the participants. 

GM Atillo’s listing of Masters, Disciples and Successor-Disciples is a wonderful gift to all of us who have trained with him and learned from him.  Those people named on the list are clearly legitimate heirs and the next generation of Atillo-Saavedra Balintawak Eskrima leaders.  He clearly states that the list members are the only legitimate proponents of his system and all others are acting on their own and without his official sanctioned endorsement.  This endorsement is better than being named in a will because it allows everyone who is interested to ask GM Atillo directly why someone was left off the list.  It eliminates the shill argument that the endorsements are misleading or falsely contrived by someone other than the GM.  If only Professor Presas had compiled a similar document and made the listing public prior to falling ill in 2000. 

I want to congratulate everyone named on the GM Atillo’s list.  In addition I also want to especially recognize three (3) people on the list who I know personally, GM Tom Bolden, Master Peter Vargas and Master Douglas Pierre.  All three of these men are personal friends and associates of mine who I have known and trained with for the past 24 years.  Given the fact that these men are being acknowledged by GM Atillo with the highest honor of being listed as Successors-Disciples, speaks volumes regarding their martial arts skills, personal dedication and integrity. 

The fact that I am referencing these three men should not be construed as a slam against the other people named to the same position by GM Atillo.  It is simply that I do not know any of the others personally and have not trained with them in the past therefore I can comment on them from my own personal perspective as a martial artists and teacher.

The Successor-Disciple award recognition is doubly impressive to me because of the fact that GM Bolden and Master Vargas is a teacher-student pairing.  This is as far as I can recall in my 35 year career in martial arts the first time that I have seen or heard of a teacher-student pair being promoted at the same time and within the same organization.  I also want to point out that GM Bolden, GM Pierre and Master Vargas, are the only Modern Arnis trained people on GM Atillo’s successor listing.  This is quite significant because most of the so-called Modern Arnis leaders in the post-Remy Presas era that began in 2001 after the passing of the system founder and GM have studiously avoided acknowledging or working with these three men.  These three men have been characterized as minor or marginal players in the Modern Arnis world, in spite of the fact that GM Bolden and GM Pierre were instrumental in building a following for the late Professor Presas in the Mid-Hudson and NYC regions respectively.  In fact it was GM Bolden who first brought the art and Professor to the eastern side of NYS and along the Hudson River Valley between Albany and NYC in the mid 1980's. 

The MoTTs (Masters of Tapi-Tapi) and the WMAA (World Modern Arnis Alliance) leaderships were adamant that anyone not associated with their respective groups were not and should not be considered as Modern Arnis Players.  The heads of the aforementioned groups would not recognize the rank certificates issued by Professor Presas and insisted that everyone who joined their organization would have to be re-tested under the new organizational rules and standards.  These same leaders, through their own students/associates were also quite critical of Master Peter Vargas because he had not trained directly with the late Professor.  That standard is very interesting because if one applies it across the board to everyone some of their own students in 2001 and beyond could not be considered authentic Modern Arnis students because those people had never had the opportunity to train under Professor Presas at a seminar or camp.  I have been criticized for bring up the re-testing rule of both the MoTTs and WMAA, but since I spoke with Dr. Randy  Schea, Mr. Jeffery Delaney (MoTTs) and Mr. Timothy Hartman (WMAA) personally and through e-mail exchanges, there is no doubt in my mind about their positions in 2002 on the matter of rank recognition.  Their current associates can decry my statements as loudly and often as they wish, none of those people were part of my conversations with these three men in 2002.  If these organizations have subsequently changed leaders and/or policies that is fine with me and I am not making an argument that nothing has changed since 2002.

There is also the matter a good number of Modern Arnis and Balintawak Eskrima people in the USA are not willing to recognize GM Crispulo Atillo as a senior Balintawak practicitioner whose credentials go back to 1953 when joined the newly formed Balintawak Self Defense Club as a charter member.  The BSDC was founded  in Cebu City, Philippines by Venancio Bacon, Delfin Lopez and Vincente Atillo with Bacon serving as the lead instructor and Atty. Eulalio Causing as club president. (Cebuano Eskrima,  Neprangue & Macachor,  p.167).

   The BSDC was the first group to utilize the word “Balintawak” in its club name wnd the first spin-off from the BSDC was the Balintawak International Self defense Club led by GM Jose Villasin and GM Teofilo Velez in 1957.  GM Crispulo formed the “Ogok Gang” in 1957, which consisted of a number of younger Balintawak stylists from the BSDC and in 1975 GM Atillo founded the Philippine Arnis Confederation.   (Cebuano Eskrima, p. 170).   He later changed the organizational name to the World Balintawak Arnis-Eskrima Association after Marcos era of martial law ended in the Philippines.

 GM Atillo is among the last of the people who knew the Saavedra's, Lorenzo and Doring, personally.  His art is the closest thing that we have to the original Saavedra Eskrima System, which is also known more popularly as "Balintawak Eskrima".  Couple that fact with the reality that Crispulo Atillo assisted his father, GM Vincente Atillo, with teaching the art of Balintawak to a future Balintawak GM Arnulfo Mongcol, who in turn was Professor Remy Presas’ first Balintawak instructor.  This is a significant set of connections because the Saavedras were the instructors of GM Bacon, GM Lopez, GM Timeteo Maranga and GM Vincente Atillo and all four men trained under GM Teodoro “Doring” Saavedra prior to WWII at the Doce Pares Club in Cebu City.  Some of the training sessions took place at the Atillo home and the younger Crispulo Atillo knew all of people mentioned in this paragraph and witnessed their training sessions at his home.  He formally began his eskrima training under his father Vincente Atillo at the age of 14.  He was trained in the Saavedra system of eskrima and credits his father as his instructor.  GM Atillo maintains that there is no real difference between Saavedra Eskrima and Balintawak Eskrima  other than the name used.  After training with GM Bobby Taboada for 4 years in the Toevel’s Balintawak system, plus viewing a number of Balintawak people on YouTube such as Nick Elizar, Bob Silver Tabimina and Henry Jayme, I have to agree with him on this point.  The differences are not significant and they all can easily be identified as Balintawak people.

The Atillo’s taught GM Anfulo  Mongcol, who in turn served as Professor Remy Presas' first Balintawak instructor.  Afterwards, the young Remy Presas was passed along to GM Timeteo Maranga for further training.  GM Maranga was a classmate of GM Vincente Atillo, GM Bacon and GM Delfin Lopez under the Saavedra's.  The network couldn't be any tighter and we must keep in mind that Balintawak forms one (1) aspect of the five (5) arnis methods that are at the root of Modern Arnis.  These five roots as mentioned by Professor Presas in some interviews are Balintawak, figure 8 striking, banda y banda striking, palis-palis method and crossada method.  The latter two methods are espada y daga styles of mid to long range fighting and were taught to Professor by his grandfather, Leon B. Presas, who was Professor’s first arnis/eskrima instructor at the age of 6. 

Based on the information cited above, I will re-write my own lineage chart to reflect the newest information that I have found regarding the roots and lineage of Professor Remy Presas through my immediate Modern Arnis and Kenpo Instructor, Sifu Donald F. Zanghi to myself and beyond to the students who earned their black belts and instructional certifications under me.

GM Tom Bolden, Master Douglas Pierre and Master Peter Vargas have been training with the man who indirectly helped to establish part of the foundation for Modern Arnis.  They have been acknowledged and accepted by GM Crispulo Atillo as highly skilled practitioners of the Atillo-Saavedra connection to Modern Arnis.  I am extremely happy for them and wish each of them even greater success in the future.

Sincerely,

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.,                                                                                                                                      Grand Master, Datu & Principal Teacher                                                                                           Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates  

  

Modern Arnis Lineage Chart of Founder/GM Remy Amador Presas

 Leon B. Presas /                                                                                                                                                 Traditional Arnis: Palis-palis, Crossada, Banda y Banda, Figure 8,

                  |

                    |                                  Arnulfo Mongcol – Balintawak Instructor

                    |                                                 |

                    |                                  Timeteo Maranga – Balintawak Master

                    |                                                 |

                    |                                  Venancio Bacon – Balintawak GM

                    |                                                 |                                         

       Remy Amador Presas – Founder, Grand Master, Professor,

           Modern Arnis – International Modern Arnis Federation

Palis-palis, Crossada, Banda y Banda, Figure 8, Flow, Up & Down,  Abanico,                                 Rompida, Espada y Daga, Stick & Sword Disarming,  Trapping Hands, Redonda, Single/Double/Reverse Sinawali, 12 Zone Striking, 12 Zone Striking Defense

 

Saavedra Eskrima and Balintawak Eskrima Lineage to Modern Arnis

Lorenzo Saavedra – Founder

                |

        Teodoro (Doring) Saavedra – Master Instructor

                |                                   |                                     

Venancio Bacon  -  Timeteo Maranga  -  Vincente Atillo (Balintawak)

                |                                    |                                      |               

                |                                    |                        Crispulo Atillo

                |                                    |               (Saavedra & Balintawak)

               |                                    |                                       |                                                                                          

               |                                    |                        Arnulfo Mongcal

               |                                    |                     Balintawak Instructor

               |                                    |                                      /

Remy Amador Presas – Founder, Grand Master, Professor,

    Modern Arnis – International Modern Arnis Federation

Palis-palis, Crossada, Banda y Banda, Figure 8, Flow, Up & Down,  Abanico, Rompida, Espada y Daga, Stick & Sword Disarming,  Trapping Hands, Redonda, Single/Double/Reverse Sinawali, 12 Zone Striking, 12 Zone Striking Defense

 

Martial Arts Lineage of Dr. Jerome Barber

Modern Arnis Lineage:

            Remy Amador Presas,  Founder & GM -  Modern Arnis                            

                                    |                              |

              Donald F. Zanghi       Vincente Sanchez

                       |_______________|

                                       |

                     Jerome Barber, Ed. D.                                                                                                    

             GM, Datu & Principal Teacher,  

     Independent Escrima Kenpo Arnis Associates

Kenpo 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 of Kenpo)

|                                                                          /                            |

Tom Bolden                           Ernest McPeek              Donald F. Zanghi

(CHA-3 Kenpo)             (Tracy System Kenpo)     (Tracy System Kenpo)

(Pancipanci Eskrima)                            |                         (Modern Arnis)           

(Modern Arnis)                                        |                                  |

           |____________________________|_________________|

                                               |

                       Jerome Barber, Ed. D.,

               GM, Datu & Principal Teacher,

      Independent Escrima Kenpo Arnis Associates                                     

__________________|_____________________________

       |                                      |                                    |                                   |                               

Tim Kashino - Richard Curren - Tom Verga - Paul R. Martin - Kenneth Q. Boehm

Debra S. Moore - Keith Roosa - James “Buddy” Antonio - Frank Heinan

Kathleen Geiger - Mary Altair - Keri Marotti – Frankie Heinan – Stephanie Heinan

Michael Zelli      (Certified IEKA Black Belt Instructors)

Additional Martial Arts Influences for Dr. Jerome Barber:

Bram Frank, Billy Bryant, Dan Donzella, Bobby Taboada, Abundio Baet,                                                       Eddie Lastra, Ric Jornales, Roberto Torres, John Kovacs, David Battaglia,                                             Ernie Delts, Dan Carr

Interview or a Set Up to Call Me a Liar?

Hello to All,

Below is a re-post of an essay written by Datu Kelly Worden that I believe is important and should be
given a lot of thought, particularly by those people who are associated with the late Professor Remy Presas and his Modern Arnis system. 
--------------------------------------------

Interview or a Set Up to Call Me a Liar?

By Kelly on November 17, 2013 22 Comments

“Interview or a set up to call me a Liar?”
A few weeks ago, I was requested to do an audio interview on FMAtalk; I agreed. I was rather surprised when my junior in age, life experience, and Modern Arnis, Datu Tim Hartman was sitting in on the interview.  It became evident he had nothing useful to say and said literally nothing for over an hour even when I personally addressed him; well, maybe there was a “mouse squeak” but nothing of substance.
I didn’t understand why he needed to be involved but a few days later it became evident.
Initially I was just responding to simple questions but the interview quickly became fairly hot and active regarding my personal and professional opinions on the current state of martial arts in America.  Imagine that?
When asked about Modern Arnis I responded, “I was actively involved in Modern Arnis since 1982 and promoted to Datu by Professor Presas in 1988.  Prior to that time I trained in boxing, Isshinryu karate, Shotokan, YaoMun Kung Fu and trained with J.Cui Brocka in Combat Arnis who was directly under Ernesto Presas. I believe this is why Professor decided my foundation in Arnis was established and made the decision he did. I didn’t pay for certification and I was not physically tested for the promotion to Datu.

The certification was nothing I asked for or actually pursued,  strangely enough, when promoted to “Datu” I didn’t even know what the term met, I’m not Filipino nor do I interpret Tagalog fluently, few westerners do.
I just know Professor dropped that “title bomb” on me and that was that, then and there I became the non-Filipino Datu. Politically it was challenging and I was left to respond to many statements regarding an American using that title. In short, there were lots of physical challenges to stabilize that unheard (non-Filipino) use of status and title.
Over the early years of using the datu title, I shook my head and questioned the logic but people I admired such as Shishir Inocalla, Leonard Trigg, Sonny Umpad, Ted Lucaylucay assured me it was the honorable thing to accept his blessing and work hard to bring credibility to the title. In reflection, I believe I did do just that, today it matters very little as I believe time in the arts, accomplishments, honor, integrity, and respect stand far above martial art ranks or titles. What was difficult to achieve in martial arts years ago is purchased openly today for those that may choose a different path other than “time honored training.”
Now, I am not sure when Tim actually started training but I was informed by Rocky Paswick that he tested Tim for his Brown belt and at that time Rocky was a 4th degree black belt,, I just know it was maybe 12 years after my promotion that Tim Hartman got promoted to Datu.
“Who?” I had never heard of him and internationally I am in touch with thousands of martial artists who had never heard of him as well. I do know, since I am now “61 years old” Tim is a lot younger than me so his actual time in the arts is minimal compared to the years I have been actively involved.
At this point in history, Professor Presas has passed on (RIP) so time moves on and although I teach Modern Arnis, my art has always continued to also evolve; “I honestly believe that is why Professor Presas called his art Modern Arnis and not “Presas Arnis” he never publicly referenced his art as “Presas Arnis!”
Of course “History does not change; those who dishonor the past through deception merely seek to devise their own reality!”
However bizarre it seems Tim Hartman is trying to rewrite history, at least that is what seems to be happening!
Within Modern Arnis documented history, there were 6 practitioners promoted to datu beginning with Shishir Inocalla, myself, Ric Bong Sun Jornales, Dieter Knuttell, David Hoffman, and Tim Hartman was the last in the succession yet today “he is advertising that “He is the highest ranked Modern Arnis practitioner and the highest tested Datu?”  Please also bear in mind, this really has nothing to do with the datu issue as much as it has to do with arrogance, ignorance, disrespect, and commercial marketing of fabricated history.
Wow, now realize how perplexing it was to have Tim Hartman sitting in the background during my interview and not say a peep?
Yet, a couple days later he decided to do his own interview and “Set the record straight!”
Maybe the readers of this message can listen to my interview and let me know why Tim didn’t “Peep up when I offered him the opportunity to speak?”
After a little reflection, I personally just think he didn’t have the balls to “Set the record Straight;” or maybe he just needed a non-resistive audience to swoosh his fabricated story of fantasy. For whatever reason, he didn’t call me and ask me to sit in on his interview? “Now isn’t that special?”
I’m an old school practitioner, anyone who started the art prior to me is my senior and that include the distinct honor of being a practitioner of different arts, I have no problem recognizing truth and for me truth is “time in the art!”  Equally relevant I recognize time more than I do paper; as a matter of fact I don’t value certificate paper much at all, I specifically value and respect “time in the art.”

That said I can list a whole lot of people in Modern Arnis who are my seniors or peers in the art; it’s called mutual respect and not commercial marketing or “One-ups-man-ship!”
 
Individuals such as Lee Lowry, Tom Bolden, Dan Anderson, Doug Pierre, Michael Morton, Fred Shadian, Dan Carr, David Converse, Dr. Jerome Barber, David Ng, Billy Bryant, Fred King, Bob Quinn, Jim Ladis, Terry Warham, Richard Roy, Rocky Pawsic, Bruce Chiu, Jim Power, Roland Rivera, Jim and Judy Clapp, Pete Katz, Richard Roy, Michael Bates are due equal respect across the board and alongside of me. Granted many are not my age but many had more time in Modern Arnis, either way, respect is relevant and although only six individuals were promoted to Datu, all others are still seniors within Modern Arnis.  Now let’s address a little more immediate issue of rank and title, which would in fact be the last ranks and title Maters of Tapi Tapi presented to Randi Shea, Chuck Gauss, Ken Smith, Brian Zawalinski , Jim Lantis, and Jeff Delaney. It was this group that Professor entrusted to the Official IMAF Organization, not his supposed “son anuk, Tim Hartman.”
Let me also clarify, Datu status does not give us seniority over anyone within Modern Arnis, it is utilized in a tribal sense, we were promoted or appointed as “Tribal Chief” of our own branch of Modern Arnis, simple as that!  My Modern Arnis is not like anyone’s and that is what Professor Presas was acknowledging; my independence and my freedom to formulate my own expression of the art.  The “Datu title” allowed us the independence to create our own branch of Modern Arnis. 
 
Roland was with Professor while he was still mentally alert and they discussed Modern Arnis at great length in both English and Tagalog
Modern Arnis was left incomplete, no “heir to the system was announced prior to Professor Presas passing. I was there at his bedside along with Roland Dantes (RIP) if there was a successor Professor Presas would have had it documented in writing and witnessed by his longest most trusted friend and student “Roland Dantes. Roland was with Professor while he was still mentally alert and they discussed Modern Arnis at great length in both English and Tagalog so I know for a fact there was little or no confusion as to how anything Professor may have said could have been misinterpreted! So to clear up an confusion, let me clarify it was not Jeff Delaney nor Tim Hartman, it was not anyone. Modern Arnis was Professor Remy A. Presas’ gift to the world!





Pay real close attention, we did not inherit the Modern Arnis system, or “The Presas name, no one inherited the use of the Presas family name!
  The Presas name is legally reserved for actual Presas family descendants, we are all merely Modern Arnis practitioners!”
 So one question we should all consider would be; “How much arrogance does it take to “take another family’s name? without written consent”
 Really, take a minute and just ask yourself, “Who gets to take your family name and use it commercially?
Although I will digress a bit, bear with me it took many years of silence within Modern Arnis for the webs of deceit to be weaved into fabricated undocumented stories of grandeur.
I think we can all agree that “We as mere mortals cannot change documented history;” yet publicly Tim states he was the “Highest Tested Datu?”
Wow, the truth is Tim Hartman was the only one tested for the title of Datu and he was the last one appointed in succession of the six.” No one else was tested, not Shishir, not me, Bong Sun, Dieter, David, none of the others; does that not seem strange, that five out of six practitioners appointed the title were not tested?
“No one except Tim Hartman was physically tested, that is special treatment, wouldn’t you say?”
You’ll have to speculate why that was the “special case,” it is really not that big of a mystery if you do your own research into why some students are tested and others are awarded their ranks in what sometimes appears to be a random surprise to the individual being honored by their teachers.
Keep in mind, the truth is none of the other Modern Arnis practitioners Professor appointed the title of Datu needed to be tested; why?
Because we didn’t know we had earned his blessing or were even considered being worthy of his acknowledgement, there was not celebrations, no test, no preplanned cake and ice cream gathering. It was Professor’s decision; he ruled his organization independently and he did what ever he felt was right, everyone in the industry knows this to be fact!
None of us asked for the title or asked to be promoted!
Isn’t that what being an honorable martial artist truly means, “Being humble and respectful enough to allow you’re teacher to decide your fate?”
Am I missing something? WTF?
Additionally, I find it strange that “if” Professor took the time to present Tim with a certificate of rank and title, it would only seem appropriate Professor Presas would also present Tim Hartman with physical proof of a certificate or a letter authenticating Tim’s additional claims of seniority!
I further content if Tim Hartman has “no paper, no letter, no document, and no physical proof” that whatever he is claiming is nothing less than his misinterpretation of the facts!  History and seniority does not change just because an individual wants his website to reflect his superior status without actually earning it!
Let me reiterate, if “Tim Hartman is setting the record straight” it is only logical, professional, and honorable that Tim Hartman “set the record straight with documented proof!”
Now just as a general point of reference, Professor Presas sacrificed his life, family, country, his health, and a whole lot more than any one person could even imagine just to establish his art and his reputation.  There does not exist a person on this earth that does not bear the Presas name that deserves to “Inherit his sacrifices!” We as practitioners do not inherit our teacher’s skills, reputations, and sacrifices!
Our teachers merely share their art with us and we develop our own skills, reputations, and sometimes we too, make our own sacrifices. That is the way of the warrior, truth in steel, and the code of honor which is as old as the time of mankind and the warrior ways.
                                                 ______________________
Professor Presas sacrificed his life, family, country and his health,  just to establish his art and his reputation.

                                    Professor Presas prided himself in creating leaders!
Let me also clarify that above all Professor Presas prided himself in creating leaders and teaching leaders, and sadly “to a fault.” This situation is a direct result of his kindness and his desire to make every student feel “they are number 1” a simple statement he made dozens of times during a weekend event. Maybe it would sound more like “Oh my God, you are number one!” and you would get a pat on the back, big smile, a hug, and then he would even call you family.
That was one of the sacrifices many people do not realize or even think about “we, the students, would leave the seminars and go home to our families, Professor would go to a hotel room alone or maybe stay with a student’s family; his home was lost when he sacrificed his family and country for his art.” There were many of Professor’s students whom he felt were close enough for him to “feel welcome in their homes;” they know who we were and that alone was a great honor to be trusted with the responsibility to care for and share our homes with Professor when he needed us!
We were always students, were not his “Real Family, we are not Presas family members!
I was there in Victoria B.C. at the Care Facility when the real Presas family finally found out he was in dire straits and on his death bed. I answered the telephone, and when he knew it was them he immediately began to cry and said to me out loud “I did not know my family still loved me!”
He could not speak to them; I told Mary Ann I would call them in short order once I was able to stabilize Professor’s emotions.  I was emotionally drawn in and together we embraced and cried until he could speak; it was then that a “Presas” family reunion was planned directly in the days to follow.  It is important that everyone know at this time that Professor Presas was closing the door on his physical life and during the times Roland Dantes and I were with him, Professor was continually “Thanking God” for bringing his family back into his life.

Just to clarify how consistently upset Professor was at Tim, I will share a brief statement I received from Dan McConnell regarding Tim’s constant reference that “I was like Professor’s son.”
The following words are how Professor Presas personally stated his feelings on the subject of ‘anuk’ to Dan McConnell!

“One of the times I was up in Victoria, Remy, Yvette and the kids, Maureen and I went to have dim sum. The term ‘anuk’ got brought up with regard to Tim and Remy said in his own words”-

“Anuk means little baby. If it meant son, he would keep his mouth shut, but he will not keep his mouth shut”.
Funny, how Tagolag is so easily misinterpreted by western thinking?

Professor said many things to many people, He called me his “bodyguard,”
Did I ever do any executive protection details for him?  No!
I recall him telling another martial artist he was a master of Sinawali, yet it is reported that another practitioner was appointed the Guardian of Modern Arnis Kuntao; oh shit, and my personal favorite a Governor of Modern Arnis!
Professor told everyone from white belt to black, they were “Number 1″ in truth it was up to each and every one of us to prove it with our own accomplishments; Professor Presas despised coat-tailing and expected all his students to “Do your own work!”
 Anyone recall that statement?
 ”Unfortunately miscalculated impacts due to fabricated history, creates confusion above and beyond the small circle of the insecure. These fallacies actually destroy the integrity of truth for others!”
“History reveals the beauty of truth and natural evolution, yet within that sphere of natural progression we all can see the distorted manipulation of life and truth from human intervention; the manipulators of truth with a hunger to control others, to glorify their self-aggrandized position of power and importance.”
It is now I contend that if there is no “Letter of truth, no written documentation, no certificate of authority” that Tim Hartman can produce then he needs to “Shut up” and step back in line; specifically in the lineage line that has proven to be the truth in all martial arts systems since recorded history of martial arts!  History that is well documented, that is until the recent inception of commercialized American martial art marketing, you know, where you can claim anything on your website and not have to physically back it up on the floor or in the alley of life!

Even Professor himself called his art “Modern Arnis” he did not reference it as Presas Arnis as Tim Hartman is attempting to do?

“Standing silent is what allows ignorance and arrogance to flourish.”
I can guarantee Professor Remy A. Presas would not have allowed anyone,,, literally anyone,, to take his family name and use it as a marketing tool for personalized glory.

  
If Professor Presas wanted an “Heir to rule the system or he specifically wanted a highest ranked Datu to rule over all of Modern Arnis, he would have taken the steps to assure his wishes were followed by the letter!”
“No letter, no documentation, no physical proof?”
Well you decide…
Respectfully, “Setting the Record Straight,”
Kelly S. Worden
Modern Arnis Practitioner

Visayan Arnis/Eskrima: The Origins of Eskrima By: Dr. Ned R. Nepangue

Visayan Arnis/Eskrima: The Origins of Eskrima By: Dr. Ned R. Nepangue

Some rumbles elsewhere & huberous

Hey Doc,

I have been following a thread on mtc that was created from one sentence in your recent blog post under the "My Comments" regarding the Atillo list of disciples and successors.  The posters on mtc are making big deal out of the fact that you stated that several organizations were not recognizing the rank and rank certificates of people who had earned their statuses from the late GM/Professor Remy Presas.  You did send a private e-mail to one guy and he mentioned that fact in his post on the thread.
You were talking about some exchanges that you had with the new leadership of the IMAF/MoTTs back in 2001/2002.  Several of your critics are saying that the current leadership never mentioned that they would not honor or recognize rank certificates given by the late GM Presas.  I think that they have missed the point of your comments to the one gentleman, who I am assuming posted the correct information about exactly who had been mentioned to him.

Here's my take on the entire matter.  Back in 2001/2002, when Jeff Delaney and Randy Schea were the co-leaders of the IMAF?MoTTs group of Modern Arnis, they were requiring everyone with rank given by the then recently deceased GM/Founder of Modern Arnis, to re-test with the new leadership.
That was (and still is) a bogus requirement in my opinion.  Neither of the two people mentioned above have or ever had the stature and reputation of Professor Remy Presas.  They were way out of bounds in making that sort of requirement of anyone who already had a rank certificate from the system founder.  They should have acknowledged and accepted the rank already earned and then they
could have required new tests for continuing advancements in the IMAF.

However if they followed that line of logic and showed deference to and respect for their deceased GM, it would have cost them some money (testing fees).  Since the departure of the 2 people mentioned above, their successors may not be following the examples cited by you as reported to the mtc by one of the posters.  That makes since to me.  New leadership brings out some new approaches to the way an organization is run.

My impression is that some of the posters were not reacting to the information presented as much as they were reacting to the fact that you were the person who made the initial comment and subsequent clarifying private e-mail to one person.  Once some of those folks found out that Dr. Jerome Barber was the source of the information, it was time to honker down and get defensive.  That's really too bad but I understand why you didn't want to post on the thread itself.

BTW, I agree with your idea that the GM Atillo list is news and should be given wide distribution.
By making his list of successors public, prior to his passing away, GM Atillo has taken all of the steam out of a possible succession fight of the type that we have witnessed so often in the past and in so many systems when the GM passed on.  I believe that he done has a great thing for the students and followers of his Atillo-Saavedra Balintawak Eskrima System and I hope that other GMs will look at this as a precedent setting way to do business in the future.

Of course these are all my own opinions and hopefully people will read it as simply one man's thoughts about some public discussions.  There is no need for folks to their knickers all knotted up over my opinions, they are free to have their own opinions and disagree with me ;-)

Adam Toussaint

Atillo Balintawak Successors - My comments

I am writing this separate post regarding the official listing of the Atillo Balintawak Eskrima successors, disciples and masters that was first published on July 10, 2013 on the FB site of GM Atillo.  That is in my opinion a stand-alone announcement and it deserves to be seen in its entirety without any accompanying statements.  I want to congratulate everyone named on the list.  In addition I also want to especially recognize three (3) people on the list whom I know personally,  GM Tom Bolden, Master Peter Vargas and Master Douglas Pierre.

All three of these men are personal friends and associates of mine who I have known and trained with for the past 24 years.  Given the fact that these men are being acknowledged by GM Atillo with the highest honor of being both Disciples and Successors, speaks volumes regarding their martial arts skills, personal dedication and integrity.  This award recognition is doubly impressive because of the fact that GM Bolden and Master Vargas is a teacher-student pairing.  This is as far as I can recall in my 35 year career in martial arts the first time that I have seen/heard of a teacher-student pair being promoted at the same time and within the same organization.

It should also be pointed out that Bolden, Pierre and Vargas are the only Modern Arnis trained people on the Atillo successor listing.  This is quite significant because most of the so-called Modern Arnis leaders in the Post-Remy Presas Era that began in 2001 after the passing of the system founder and GM have studiously avoided acknowledging or working with these three men.  They have been characterized as minor or marginal players in the Modern Arnis world, in spite of the fact that GM Bolden and Master Pierre were instrumental in building a following for the late Professor Presas in the Mid-Hudson and NYC regions respectively.  In fact it was GM Bolden who first brought the art and Professor to the eastern side of NYS and along the Hudson River Valley between Albany and NYC in the mid 1980's.  The MoTTs (Masters of Tapi-Tapi) and the WMAA (World Modern Arnis Alliance) leaderships were adamant that anyone not associated with their respective groups were not even considered as being Modern Arnis Players, unless those people joined their groups and retested for the rank grades that were earned under Professor Presas.  They were also quite critical of Master Vargas because he had not trained directly with the late Professor.

Equally important is the fact that these group leaders were equally, if not more disdainful of GM Atillo.  They refused to understand that GM Atillo was an original member of the “Balintawak Self  Defense Club”  that was founded in 1952 in Cebu.  That was the very first Balintawak Club, with all others being spin offs that were formed years later after some disputes among the original founding members as well as their students.  GM Atillo is among the last of the people who knew the Saavedra's, Lorenzo and Doring, personally.  His art is the closest thing that we have to the original Saavedra Eskrima System, which is also known more popularly as "Balintawak Eskrima".  Couple that fact with the reality that GM Atillo assisted his father Vincente, who taught future Balintawak GM Arnulfo Mongcol, the art of Balintawak.  It was Mongcol, who served as Professor Remy Presas' first Balintawak instructor.  Afterwards, the young Remy Presas was passed along to GM Timeteo

Marranga for further training.  GM Marranga was a classmate of Master Vincente Atillo, under the Saavedra's.  In fact Vincente Atillo was a classmate of Venancio "Ancong" Saavedra Bacon under GMs Lorenzo and Doring Saavedra.  The network couldn't be any tighter and we must keep in mind that Balintawak forms one (1) leg of the three arts that are at the root of Modern Arnis.

GM Tom Bolden, Master Douglas Pierre and Master Peter Vargas have been training with the man who indirectly helped to establish part of the foundation for Modern Arnis.  They have been accepted and later acknowledged as highly skilled practitioners of the Atillo-Saavedra connection to Modern Arnis.  I am extremely happy for them and wish each of them even greater success in the future.

Sincerely,

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
Grand Master, Datu & Principal Teacher,
Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates

Official Masters, Successors and Disciples List of GM Crispulo Atillo Balintawak

Official Master, Successor & Disciple, and Disciple of ABWAE

July 10, 2013 at 1:17am

 July 9, 2013

THANK YOU to everyone who attended the Atillo Balintawak seminar award/ceremony at Inosanto Academy this past weekend especially to Guro Dan Inosanto, Adviser & Consultant of the ABWAE (Atillo Balintawak World Arnis-Eskrima), and a very good friend, who hosted the event.  On the day of the event, the “official” Master, Successor & Disciple, and Disciple of the ABWAE, Original Saavedra Style, were announced by GGM Atillo along with Guro Dan Inosanto.

Please note, any names not listed below who have received Masters prior to this date are null and void – due to NOT having the complete system, inactivity, and/or questionable character.

MASTER:  “... is awarded the honor and rank of Master having satisfactorily trained, completed, and fulfilled the requirements for the rank of Master through the personalized guidance and keen instructions of GGM Atillo as governed by the standards of the Atillo Balintawak World Arnis-Eskrima, Original Saavedra Style”.

Derrick Dalan
Dennis Dalan

SUCCESSOR AND DISCIPLE:  “... is chosen and awarded the honor of Successor and Disciple having acquired exceptional knowledge, skills and ability of an Eskrima practitioner through the personalized guidance and keen instructions of GGM Atillo as governed by the standards of the Atillo Balintawak World Arnis-Eskrima.  Your responsibility is to continue learning, to represent, and to propagate the art of Atillo Balintawak Original Saaverda Style of Eskrima”.  

Alex Mancao, Alfredo Parayno, Andrew Do,
Andyz Koh, Butch Sepulveda, Che Navidad,
Dan Anderson, Daniel Lonero, Dennis Dalan
Derrick Dalan, Dieter Roser, Doug Pierre,
Eric Sutz, Geyo Esmas, Glen Boodry,
Greg Sepulveda, Harley Elmore, Helena Cauliffe,
Ike Sepulveda, JD Lopez, Jesse Devera,
Joe Medrano, Joe Navidad, Joel Clark,
Jordan Devera, LaVonne Martin, March Halleck,
Marco Librera, Neil Cauliffe, Nino Pilla,
Peter Shu, Peter Vargas, Quinton Egson,
Ramon Rubia, Ron Goldstein, Salem Assli,
Sam Halim, Tom Bolden, William Torrefeil.
 
DISCIPLE:  “…is chosen and awarded the honor of Disciple having acquired exceptional knowledge, skills and ability of an Eskrima practitioner through the personalized guidance and keen instructions of GGM Atillo as governed by the standards of the Atillo Balintawak World Arnis-Eskrima.  Your responsibility is to continue learning, to represent, and to propagate the art of Atillo Balintawak Original Saaverda Style of Eskrima”.

Alfredo Dagatan, Amir Deleon, Brando Haworth,Chris Callahan, Christopher Bruce,                    David Murphy, Edwin Williams, Felix Hermocilla, George Dalan, Gil Gozo, Glen Brooks,             Jeff Morris, Ken Lehrer, Michael Martinez, Ric Lin, Thomas Heinig, Timothy Becherer.

My resignation letter to the Mataw Guro Association

Earlier today I sent the following letter to the Mataw Guro Association, tendering my resignation from that organization.  As the long time followers of this blog know I was a charter member of the 10 Mataw Guro inductees in 2010.  I was quite proud and pleased to be recognized as a teacher of the FMA.  I believed that the subsequent organization would be a viable umbrella group that stressed the basics of FMA and prepared new students to the FMA with a strong foundation that they could take into any specific system/style as they continued their studies.  That was the promise made at the first MGA Gathering and organizational meeting.  That promise has not been kept and I have decided to sever my relationship with the organization. My letter follows:

An Open Letter to ALL MGA Members

Please be advised that I WILL NOT be attending the 2013 MGA Gathering.
Several things have led me to this decision:

1. My understanding of what the MGA was supposed to be and what it has morphed
into between 2010 and 2013 are very far apart philosophically.

2.  My critique of MGA policies have gone unanswered.  My expectation was that as
equals within the organization that ideas would be exchanged and debated.  When that
does not happen, there is little to no opportunity for growth and development either as
individuals or as a collective group.

3.  There is a persistent and pervasive undercurrent of ethnocentric xenophobic behavior
within the leadership ranks of the MGA which I simply can not understand and will not be
a party to for any reason.

4.  The MGA Board of Directors is totally non-functional.  The BoD members have refused
to meet and discuss policies and other matters related to the business of the MGA.  I hereby
formally resign my position as a member of that board, effective today, July 12, 2013 at 5pm,
EDST.

5.  I am also tendering my resignation from the MG Association, effective today, July 12, 2013,
effective at 5pm EDST, so that PMG Lou Lledo will have time to name a person to serve out the
remainder of my 2 year appointment as a member of the BoD.

I shall not be using the MG designation after 5 pm EDST today and any communications that any
member of the MGA might wish to have with me should use the title "Dr."  or "Professor" since
both are earned titles and not associated with the MGA in any manner.  I will retain the "MG"
as part of my professional resume since it was awarded prior to the formal organizational structure
of the MGA.

Good bye to all.

Respectfully,

Dr. Jerome Barber,
Grand Master, Datu, Principal Teacher,
INDEPENDENT Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates

Professor Park and the Gathering of Eagles

Author	Michael D. Park
E-mail	michael.d.park@verizon.net
URL	http://www.KempoKarateofPlano.com
Comment	I met and trained with Dr. Barber at the Gathering of Eagles / Kenpo Hall of Fame. I found him to be an honest representative of authentic technique and one of the few that impressed me with a solid tactical understanding and complimentary philosophy. He is a humble, effective and accomplished teacher of martial-arts. ----------------------------------------------------------- I just met Professor Park at the 2013 Gathering of Eagles in Chicago, last weekend, through a mutual friend Master John Bain.  We were able to attend one another's seminars, which ran 90 minutes each and it gave us an opportunity to compare notes and ideas about personal self-defense tactics and techniques.  All three of us share a Kenpo/Kempo background, but have introduced elements from several other styles within our presentations. Professor Park and Master Bain are "old school" trained and their ideas and philosophies are quite similar to my own.  For instance, in training our students, the student is shown the technique, run through several repetitions and then given an opportunity to practice against new partners, critiqued and only then allowed to ask questions.  Then we explain  the details and give a possible variation if necessary.  We expect our students to execute the techniques correctly in practice and "short-cutting" is not an option available to our students because we know that under the stress of an actual street confrontation our students will not be able to perform the technique at 100% efficiency, therefore getting it right in practice means the student has an 85 to 90%  chance of making the techniques work in the street, where it will count the most and there are no 'do-overs'. I want to thank Professor Park for his kind words and I am looking forward to working with him again in the near future. Sincerely, Jerome Barber, Ed. D.

Master Teacher: An Expository Essay in Leadership

            It is my belief that a Master Teacher is someone who knows, understands and is very dedicated to the art and science of teaching.  A Master Teacher goes well beyond simply presenting information or training regimes to his/her students. Transmitting information or transferring knowledge is an important and necessary activity that must  happen with every new generation whether it is in a formal educational setting, an apprenticeship program, a job training program or martial arts academy.  There are some subtle yet significant differences between a trainer, a coach and a teacher.  The main difference is that a teacher educates his/her students for both the current moment and a future time which neither can fully anticipate or predict.  Trainers and coaches are usually concerned with preparing their people for the immediate short term successes of the times, here and now, without any real concerns about the long term future.  The Master Teacher educates his/her students by giving them both the physical and intellectual tools that they will need to make their own informed decisions about what directions to take in life.

            The life lessons that a Master Teacher provides to his/her students are not always obvious nor immediately understood by the students.  These lessons are realized and utilized later in life and in ways that neither the student nor the Master Teacher could have fully anticipated in advance.  One of the most important components of these life lessons centers on making the students independent from the tyranny of conformity and seeking the lowest common denominator as an acceptable standard of social existence.

            Those students who have learned to think for themselves, ask critical questions and research the possibilities and alternatives for themselves.  They will usually find alternatives to the standardized, generally accepted societal answers that give so much comfort to those people who are willing to accept the opinions of the so-called ‘experts’.  Those simplistic, canned, oft-recited statements that serve as the correct answers to our social and political problems are actually mental, social, intellectual and emotional blindness.  This type of socio-emotional blindness allows the emotionally insecure to escape taking responsibility for their own behaviors and ideas. 

We can see it so clearly in the martial arts when students cite the opinions of their instructors as hard and fast facts, beyond any need for questioning.  We can see it in instructors who refuse to get involved in calling into question the moral or ethical shortcomings of other instructors, because they do not want to get involved!  They were the people, who as students, followed the party-line and faithfully quoted their own instructors, word for word, idea after idea, until they were given their black belts.  We can see it in so-called martial artists who will jump from system to system and instructor to instructor until they find someone who promote them based on how much money they were willing to pay for those promotions.

             Master Teachers are the bane of every dictatorial minded person and their emotionally weak true believers in public as well as private life.  We can find those dictatorial personalities in every area of human activity including the martial arts. The Master Teachers are there as well and they offer a viable alternative to this conformist malady.

            Teaching is both an art and a science.  It is a learnable craft and there are formal institutions established for the express purpose training people in the art and science of teaching.  In the USA, we have teacher education colleges as well as teacher education programs in some larger colleges and universities.  There is no such equivalent in the martial arts systems as they are taught in the USA.  In fact most current martial arts instructors in the USA have never had a formal instructional training program made available to them.  For most martial arts school owners-operators they opened their schools with little to no formal training in the art of teaching.  They are engaged in on-the-job-training with their paying customers as their students.  It is very difficult for these instructors – owners – operators to move beyond being someone who coaches or instructs martial art students to the status of Master Teacher.  Set all the titles aside and simply look at what these coach-instructors are actually doing.  They are providing guidance and instruction in acquisition of physical movements and skills.  Punching, kicking, rolling, tumbling, grappling and weapons manipulations are physical skills or exercises for the body.  Beyond the cultural courtesies of bowing, training barefooted, learning some words and expressions, counting in another language, what life lessons are being taught by most martial arts coaches/instructors? 

This does not mean that all these coach-instructors are not skilled teaching professionals.  A good number of them are accomplished trainers with students who have earned many awards and lots of well-deserved accolades.  The problem is that these coach-instructors are focused almost exclusively on the development of physical skills in their students.

            Most of the coach-instructors teach what they were taught and in the very same manner in which they were taught.  They do not know how to develop a curriculum or lesson plan.  The do not have instructional alternatives for their students – they use a “one size fits all” approach and if a student is not successful within the confines of their program it is the student’s fault – the student is ‘defective’, has a ‘flaw’, lacks ‘heart’ or is not motivated for success within ‘our championship black belt dojo program’.  Coach- instructors are primarily technicians who are focused on physical skills development.  They are not well versed in character development nor have they mastered the critical principles of teaching and learning beyond the physical realm.

            Coach-instructors are generally at the center of attention while their student- trainees are interchangeable, disposable and continually replaced.  After all is said and done, the “magic” of success resides with the coach-instructor, not the student-trainee who went on the floor and performed in the competition with student-trainees of other coach-instructors.  The student-trainees will come and go while the coach-instructor will remain in place over a long period of time.  In the end it is all about the coach-instructor and what they were able to accomplish with their student-trainees in competitions.  Within the martial arts world there are a large number of coach-instructors who establish the training regimes and schemes that their student-trainees followed in the quest for championship medals and recognition.  We have to recognize and appreciate that it is the coach-instructors who have pushed their student-trainees through the physical training programs that focused on winning at the tournaments.  Their teaching methods were centered on providing the correct mechanical and technical skills development needed to win medals, but they did not intentionally work on helping their student-trainees to understand how those skills could be blended into other aspects of lives in society.

            Master Teachers are skilled people help their students to move beyond the mechanical and physical skills development.  They use the lessons taught in the present to prepare their students for future situations both inside and outside of the martial arts.  Master Teachers understand that they are involved in a ‘performance art’ which can be improved on and further perfected through practice and experience.  They are inclined to critically evaluate their own performances as teachers just as they will evaluate the accomplishments of their students.  Master Teachers demonstrate the importance of continual learning and the lifelong pursuit of knowledge through their active behavior on a daily basis.  They lead by example while clearly demonstrating to their students that they know, understand and live the maxim:

                  “Proper prior preparation prevents piss poor performances.” 

            Master Teachers place their emphasis on the intellectual, emotional, and physical development of their students.  They are not seeking the limelight; they do not need to be viewed as legends in their own time.  They understand that success is only possible if one has also failed from time to time and learned from those experiences.  As with coach- instructors, the students of Master Teachers come and go over time, the major difference is that Master Teachers encourage their students to learn the lessons well, and then move on, continuing to learn as they grow.  The Master Teacher is an educator, even if they are not working in a formal educational institution.  They bring out the very best in their students and prepare them for life in the future. 

            As a student I had the benefit of learning from and being under the guidance of a number of people whom I consider to be Master Teachers.  They were people who in some cases I sought out and in other cases I was assigned to them by some means without any input from myself.  I want to acknowledge and thank, Mrs. Whetstone, Mr. Harry Whitesides, Dr. Harry Randles, Dr. Sidney Willhelm, Sifu Don Zanghi, GM Tom Bolden, Ama Guro Billy Bryant, Gat Puno Abundio Baet, PG Eddie Lastra and MG Roberto Torres.

            Master teachers are leaders.  They lead by example and inspire others to accept the challenges of studying, learning and teaching.  They were teaching role models who presented learning as a lifelong pursuit and sharing as an ethereal gift to those who are able to accept it.  They are educators in mind and spirit who share a common bond even when they have never met or talk with one another because the gift of knowledge that they gave lives on through their students as well as their student’s students.

            No one can legitimately claim to be a Master Teacher.  It is not a title that one can confer on himself or herself.  The title is earned over time and comes from the accomplishments of your students as seen and understood by people totally outside of your sphere of influence.  A number of people have tried to claim the title, but they never accepted the responsibilities that always come with the designation, Master Teacher.  We all know a true Master Teacher when we meet him/her.  They never have to tell anyone that they are Master Teachers and they will not use that title to describe themselves.

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.,  
Grand Master and  Principal Teacher, 
Independent Escrima-Kenpo -Arnis Associates, 
Hamburg, New York.
 April 12, 2013

White Collar vs. Blue Collar Instruction in the FMA

I read this reply by the author listed below on <myfma.net> and as I read through the whole post and comments sections I was amazed that there is a FMA instructor who uses the white collar approach to teaching FMA!

Just going through the motions?  Whoa!  Gotta take some time to really think about this one, but at the same time I couldn't just close out the site and walk away.

Edward Talib on April 30, 2013 at 12:50pm

By White collar I mean, a laid by back approach, just going through the motions with little to no resistance. By Blue I meant working against a moderate level somewhat of resistance. I hope that helps clarify.