# Review of Datu Dieter's Knuttel's seminar In Roanoke TX



## Mark Lynn (Jul 6, 2015)

On June 27th-28th I hosted a two day seminar with Datu Dieter Knuttel at the Roanoke Recreation Center in Roanoke TX.

Leading up to his seminar I admit I had different ideas about what he would cover; I've seen him do enough different things at different camps over the years, I asked for suggestions even here on MT, so I was thinking along the lines covering several different areas kind of like Dan Inosanto does at his seminars.  However as we discussed this through email several weeks prior to the seminar, I found out that was not really the way Datu does his seminars.

So for day one we had a Sinawali day for six hours.  I was concerned about this but I needn't be.  Using a drill that often times is used only as a warm up, Dieter took it from white belt through black belt in the German Arnis Orgaization's  (the DAV) curriculum and really it was an over view at best.  For the most part we stayed with Single Sinawali (high low); but he used that format to teach various concepts including how to strike (using the wrist compared to using the arm), range, timing, switching stick hands etc. etc.  He then covered double sinawali (just standard) and we then combined them.   Then he taught line drills using the same drill so we all had to work together, then he combined both single and double sinawali into those drills.  Then triangle drills with three people and so on.  He then taught on disarming found within the drills, both single and double stick and we ended the day with going over some three person drills with two people feeding one person at the same time and with different patterns.  Six hours flew by very fast and everyone had enough reps in that hopefully the instructors there are able to take the drills home and add them to their classes.

Day two started with the DAV's disarming series 1 and 2.  The DAV classify their disarms different than what I'm use to in Modern Arnis and other FMAs; series 1 and 2 was basically inserting the lead hand and the insertion of the rear hand into the disarm.  These principles of disarming were carried over into single stick, double stick, empty hand and flexible weapons (we used rank belts).  Again time flew by but everyone was getting in the reps and staying engaged.

Then Dieter went into the Tapi Tapi drill staying really right to right using the high low drill from the day before. He built on that for changing stick hands, closing distance from long range to medium range.   Then once distance was closed he went into again changing the stick between hands, feeding rules for the drills, the defender's rules for the drills, then he went into a couple of basic traps, locks, and the abaniko entry. Again time flew by.

To finish off the day Dieter went into his Reactive Knife program based on Inayan Eskrima.

So we had two very different days; the first one in which he went through a subject very thoroughly all of the while constantly building on the subject matter, and then the next day where he covered subjects in a tighter time frame and he didn't get as far with the subject.  I must admit I was surprised and glad that he handled both formats very well.  Even though he taught six hours on just different aspects of the sinawali drills it was a lot more than doing a few minutes of various drills learning different patterns; learn one pattern then a couple variations of that pattern, this is umbrella six count, this is reverse six count, this is X pattern, this is Loop Sinawali etc. etc.  He didn't do that we where shown different drills and formats to build different skills sets so we could take those drills and teach them.  He had a very structured and systematized method of teaching.

Dieter was a great teacher, very engaging with the students out on the floor, he gave precise and clear instructions, we weren't showed several things in "demo mode" and left wondering what to do etc. etc.

His material was different then the other Modern Arnis  instructors I've seen here in the states.  His skill level was very high.  I am honored and glad to have hosted Datu Dieter and we look forward to hopefully host him next year as well.


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