# Modern Arnis Clips



## MJS (Dec 20, 2006)

Came across a few more Arnis clips! Enjoy!


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## Dan Anderson (Dec 21, 2006)

I liked the disarming one the best.  It looks like Taboada Balintawak influenced material.

Yours,
Dan Anderson


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## HKphooey (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks for sharing!


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## James Miller (Dec 23, 2006)

Dan Anderson said:


> I liked the disarming one the best. It looks like Taboada Balintawak influenced material.
> 
> Yours,
> Dan Anderson


I thought he moved well, but put too much effort into posing for the camera.


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## Dieter (Dec 23, 2006)

Dan Anderson said:


> I liked the disarming one the best.  It looks like Taboada Balintawak influenced material.
> 
> Yours,
> Dan Anderson



Hi Dan, 

as far as I know, and please correct me, if anyone has other informations, they are students of Tom Bolden and have also trained with Peter Vargas. Peter Vargas was a student of Bobby Taboada, before went to Tom.

There is the connection.

Regards

Dieter


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## Rich Parsons (Dec 23, 2006)

Dieter said:


> Hi Dan,
> 
> as far as I know, and please correct me, if anyone has other informations, they are students of Tom Bolden and have also trained with Peter Vargas. Peter Vargas was a student of Bobby Taboada, before went to Tom.
> 
> ...




Dieter,

The Disarm video I believe this is correct. One of the other videos look to be a MARPIO video to me.


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## Morgan (Dec 23, 2006)

Dieter said:


> Hi Dan,
> 
> as far as I know, and please correct me, if anyone has other informations, they are students of Tom Bolden and have also trained with Peter Vargas. Peter Vargas was a student of Bobby Taboada, before went to Tom.
> 
> ...


 
With all due respect, Master Dieter, your connections are incorrected.  Peter Vargas was and still is the student of PG Tom Bolden.  He did train with GM Taboada, but concurrently with his continuing American Modern Arnis ubder PG Bolden.  Master Vargas is currently PG Boldens highest ranking student and primary assistant instructor for the AMAA.  Master Oscar Lopez is rank just below Master Vargas.

The Balintawak influence that several people mentioned is correct and stems from the fact that PG Bolden and some AMAA students trained with GM Taboada several times a year begining in 1996 and ending in 2000. Master Vargas trained in Balintawak during 1998 and 1999.  His primary Balinwak instruction came through PG Bolden and he was 'fine tuned' by GM Taboada.

The Balintawak training phase was made available to the AMAA and others so interested by Dr. Jerome Barber, who first brought GM Taboada to the NE USA in 1995.  Thereafter Dr. Barber (Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates) and PG Bolden (AMAA) hosted several seminars and Camps featuring GM Taboada from 1996-1999 in Buffalo at the Erie Community College.  One of Dr. Barber's students, Mr. Paul Martin, was named as GM Taboada's Western NY Representative.

I was able to secure all of the above information by contacting PG Bolden at 1-845-471-0742.  You may check with him to veryify my statements if you so wish.  PG Bolden also has a website <americanarnis.com> which has some information about the AMAA-Balintawak Connection.

I've contacted Dr. Barber as well.  I'm waiting a return call from him to verify some of the details and get some added information.  Perhaps I can see a copy of some of the video footage that was shot during those Balintawak seminars/camps at the Erie Community College.

Respectfully yours,

Morgan


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## Dieter (Dec 24, 2006)

Him Morgan,

I cannot see why I am incorrect, because I wrote exactly what you confirmed:



Morgan said:


> With all due respect, Master Dieter, your connections are incorrected.  Peter Vargas was and still is the student of PG Tom Bolden.



Right. I wrote:  "They are students of Tom Bolden." I am aware and thought everybody knows, that Peter Vargas is the top man of Tom Bolden. So of course they are with Tom Bolden. So we mean the same.



> He did train with GM Taboada, but concurrently with his continuing American Modern Arnis under PG Bolden.



Right. I wrote: "Peter Vargas was a student of Bobby Taboada, before went to Tom." Again, exactly the same.



> Master Vargas is currently PG Boldens highest ranking student and primary assistant instructor for the AMAA.  Master Oscar Lopez is rank just below Master Vargas.



Yes, I am aware of that.

So we agree 100%. Where am I wrong?

Regards


Dieter Knüttel


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## Morgan (Dec 25, 2006)

Dieter said:


> Him Morgan,
> 
> I cannot see why I am incorrect, because I wrote exactly what you confirmed:
> 
> ...


 
Dear Master Dieter,

You're wrong in terms of the order of instruction.  Master Vargas, was a student of PG Tom Bolden's *before* he ever met GM Taboada.  Perhaps I didn't clearly present the situation as well as PG Bolden presented it to me.  Before posting this reply I called PG Bolden again this afternoon (12-25) just to make sure that I got it right.  Master Vargas began his arnis training with PG Bolden in 1995.  Master Vargas did not meet GM Taboada until 1997 at a Summer Camp that featured PG Bolden and GM Taboada as co-presenters.  PG Bolden had already taught Master Vargas the basics of Balintawak, before GM Taboada entered the scene.  

PG Bolden had been taught some Balintawak basics by Professor Presas in the early 1990's  because he already had an extensive FMA background that dated back to the 1960's under his instructor Master Florintino Pancipanci, in Hawaii.  That data is reported on PG Bolden's website at www.americanarnis.com. 

So you're correct in terms of Master Vargas training with GM Taboada, however, that was _supplementary_ Balintawak instruction for fine tuning not an introduction and foundation building.  PG Bolden had already provided the foundation skill base for Master Vargas in Pancipanci Eskrima, Modern Arnis and Balintawak. 

PG Bolden wants to make sure that the record is clear and correct regarding the facts of Master Vargas Balintawak training.  All credit to GM Taboada is maintained where it is due.  If you or anyone else would like to discuss this further, PG Bolden can be reached at 1-845-471-0742.

Respectfully submitted,

Morgan


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## Dieter (Dec 25, 2006)

Morgan said:


> Dear Master Dieter,
> 
> You're wrong in terms of the order of instruction.  Master Vargas, was a student of PG Tom Bolden's *before* he ever met GM Taboada.  Perhaps I didn't clearly present the situation as well as PG Bolden presented it to me.  Before posting this reply I called PG Bolden again this afternoon (12-25) just to make sure that I got it right.  Master Vargas began his arnis training with PG Bolden in 1995.  Master Vargas did not meet GM Taboada until 1997 at a Summer Camp that featured PG Bolden and GM Taboada as co-presenters.  PG Bolden had already taught Master Vargas the basics of Balintawak, before GM Taboada entered the scene.
> 
> ...


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## Morgan (Dec 27, 2006)

Dieter said:


> Hello Morgan,
> thank you for this clarification. There I was wrong indeed. Thanks for getting the times right. One can see Bobby Taboada in Mr. Vargas moves.
> Regards
> 
> Dieter


 
Master Dieter,

I'm somewhat confused.  The following 2 video clips:











 
were posted by MJS at the start of this thread and the 2nd of the 2 on disarms has been the focus of this thread.  
The person referenced is Master Peter Vargas; however there is a very intrigueing problem herein: the person featured 
in BOTH of those video clips is Master Oscar Lopez!  Master Vargas Does Not Appear in either of these clips.

I was allowed to make this 'discovery' by Dr. Jerome Barber, who gave me some video clips of GM Bobby Taboada, PG Tom Bolden, 
Master Peter Vargas, Datu Tim Hartman and Guro Paul Martin.  He told me to watch the clips and call him in the morning (today).   

After watching the clips provided by Dr. Barber, I've come to the following conclusions:

1.  You are absolutely incorrect regarding Master Vargas' movement and GM Taboada.  Master Vargas has PG Bolden's trademark 
slipping, shifting footwork all over his presentations.  No disrespect toward GM Taboada is implied or intended.  However he is not 
the main arnis influence on or for Master Vargas!

2.  The connection between GM Taboada and Guro Paul Martin is so much more apparent.  Guro Martin moves like a miniture version 
of GM Taboada.  He has a very similar power transfer from his foundation footwork to his stick strikes.  Guro Martin trained with and 
under GM Taboada from 1995 -2000 and is (was) the WNY Representative for the Taboada organization.  He is also a former student 
of Dr. Barber's.

3.  There is also a similar movement style between GM Taboada and Datu Hartman, although they were NEVER in a student-teacher 
relationship.  I'm guessing that the similarities arise from the fact that Datu Hartman trained under Professor Remy Presas, who studied 
Balintawak under 3 GMs including GGM Bacon.  GM Taboada trained under under 2 Balintawak GMs before he trained with GGM Bacon.  
In addition Datu Hartman has studied Balintawak under GM Ted Buot in recent years.  Therefore some similarities in movement should
be expected since GM Buot also trained under GGM Bacon.

BTW, my training session yesterday with Dr. Barber is the stuff for a seperate post, however the relevant facts here are that he gave 
me some video clips to watch and he clarified some posts for me this morning, that I've posted above.

In closing, we were not watching Master Vargas in the 2 video clips mentioned above.  If you want to see Master Vargas, check out the 
AMAA single stick sparring clips which feature him along with Master Lopez.

Morgan


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## Dieter (Dec 27, 2006)

Hi Morgan,

I knew the videoclips before they were posted here.
I know that they show Oscar Lopez and not Peter Vargas.
I met Peter Vargas twice. Once he participated in a seminat I taught in 1997 I think in Hartford Conneticut, and once at the Modern Arnis Symposium in 2003 in Buffalo, NY.
I met GM Tabodad at the 2nd FMA Festival in Dortmund/Gemany, that I organized with my Friend Alfred Plath.
And there, from seeing GM Taobada I found that the moves I saw of Peter Vargas were very similar to the ones of GM Taboada. I found this specially for the empty hand part, but also during some disarmings. Only after I recognized that I heared, that Peter Vargas had been a student of GM Tabada. Knowing, that he was still with  Tom Bolden I assumed, that Vargas was with GM Tabodada before that.

OK. Then Dan mentioned, that some disarms of Oscar Lopez looked like influenced by GM Taboada. For I knew, that O. Lopez is with Peter Vargas under Tom Bolden, I made the connection between O. Lopez and GM Taboada through Peter Vargas to explain, why the disarmy MAY look like GM Taboada influenced.  

Thats all 

Regards


Dieter Knüttel


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