# Jose Millan Go aka Joe Go



## dark_hadou (May 31, 2009)

has anyone here trained with GM Joe Go ?
how long and what styles

he created Tat Kon Tou, Gokasha, Banate arnis and was a private student of GM Anciong Bacon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tat_Kun_Tao
http://pangamut.aom3.info/index.html

Joe Go, the Eskrima Teacher

Joe Go or Jose Millan Go was one of the least-known students of Venancio "Anciong" Bacon, the originator of the Balintawak style of eskrima. Joe Go, in turn, was also the originator of Tat Kon Tou and Gokosha. He was also the originator of the Balintawak-derived Palakabanate style of eskrima.

Many people said he was a good martial artist, a great eskrima fighter. I cannot comment on that, since I never had the privilege of seeing him fought somebody. But I saw many of his students, my seniors actually, performed well. I can only guess that he was probably good, in order to produce good students. I heard many stories about his fight, though.

It is said that he had a patron of sort, an ambassador, who would arrange some of his fight, conducted in private places. Those private fights, involved big money of course. It is also claimed that his colleagues in Manila, would call him, and gave him plane ticket, just for him to spar against somebody there.

But in spite of his alleged ability, he was no match against Anciong. According to him "I kicked him many times, but I simply couldn't hit him." The great Anciong easily humbled him.

He was dubbed as "little Anciong" by his contemporaries in Balintawak eskrima. According to some sources, he even sparred one of his stick-wielding senior colleague, one time, using a sungay only. He told me one time, there were only two eskrimadores he idolized, his teacher Anciong Bacon and his colleague, Delfin Lopez, who according to him move very fast, full of power and saturated with elegance.

Joe Go took good care of the late eskrima teacher months before the latter died. Among the more important thing he learned from Anciong that emphasized to later in his students is the concept he called Body-Stepping-Footwork. The same concept is actually the essence of Gokosha and later the Palakabanate, the brand of eskrima he was teaching three years before he died in June 1991. Yes, Gokosha, is truly an expression of FMA, being developed from Balintawak.

The reason as to why he did not call his eskrima or arnis, Balintawak. It is because according to him, his late teacher, did not give him the license to use that name and there were already people ahead of him who were using the name Balintawak.

According to him he joined Balintawak eskrima, just one month ahead of the great Balintawak innovator, Jose Villasin. He also used to mention the names of Teddy Buot and Jim Boy Hife. In fact, if I remember it right, one of them invited him to the States, but he was already committed in teaching us at that time.

As a direct student, I can only say he was really a good teacher. He could analyse our weaknesses and gave us something to practice on, to improve our skills. He could explain very well. Unfortunately, I was still not in stage where I could ask a good, maybe provocative question, for him to answer or physically demonstrate. In fact, I couldn't understand some of his answers then.

A DVD was still difficult to come by in the early 90s (at least in our locality), there was no Youtube as well. I only remember that when he was performing something for us, he kept on reminding us to focus more on his footwork and not on his hands. I couldn't understand him then, since for me arnis or eskrima is basically about the hands not feet.
Posted by nednep


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## Rich Parsons (Jun 1, 2009)

dark_hadou said:


> He also used to mention the names of Teddy Buot and Jim Boy Hife. In fact, if I remember it right, one of them invited him to the States, but he was already committed in teaching us at that time.
> 
> 
> Posted by nednep


 
I can confirm that Manong Ted spoke of "Joe Go" and even showed us a picture of him and Anciong together. 

I do not believe it was Manong Ted whowould have invited Joe Ho to the state to teach, but if he was in the states he would have enjoyed meeting up and talking with him.


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