Originally posted by Kaith Rustaz
I briefly stopped in both days to check out the action and do a little meet-n-greet.
I saw some impressive stick work on the floor both days for the brief time I was there. I wish I could have stayed longer but time was a bit tight for me both days.
There looked to be around 18-20 participants, and all appeared to be having a good time.
Hopefully Dr.B or Renegade or one of the participants can give a more in depth run down on how things went.
:asian:
Hello Bob,
Thanks for the neat opening to post a review of the camp. We had an extremely successful weekend. The attendence was not as large as I had hoped for and have had with past events; plus there were several instructor cancellations at the last minute because our pre-camp registration was only 10 people. We ended up with 26 participants overall, including 7 who attended single day sessions.
On the other hand, everyone who attended was excited and pleased with the instructors and all of the instructors loved the intesity and committment of the camp participants. Our contributing instructors were:
punog guro Tom Bolden - Am. Modern Arnis/ Pancipanci Eskrima
sensei Michael Carvelli - CSSD: The Gunting Knife
datu Tim Hartman - Modern Arnis
sensei Dawud Muhammad - Parker Kenpo/ Ju-jitsu & Modern Arnis
sensei Rodney Mayfield - World Shorinji Kenpo
sensei Ken Swan - Master's of Karate Kenpo
guro/sifu Peter Vargas - Am. Modern Arnis/ Pancipanci Eskrima
guro/ Dr. Jerome Barber - Paradigm Escrima & Kalasag Kuntao
We also found two potential instructors for the upcoming 2003 Modern Arnis Symposium, sensei Muhammud and sifu Vargas. Both men made very impactful presentations and were very well received by the group in attendence. Their post camp reviews were rated as excellent. (The highest ratung would have been 'exceptional' and they fell one rating short of that.)
The most dynamic presentations were given by punong guro Tom Bolden, who is the Chief Instructor of the American Modern Arnis Associates, located in Poughkeepsie, NY. PG Bolden began is FMA training in Hawaii, in 1963 under Master Florintino Pancipanci, who later passed on the family art to him. The Pancipanci Escrima Style is fast paced, highly mobile and powerful, with strong positive footwork and a "double cinco teros" single stick striking pattern.
The presentations by datu Hartman, sensei Mayfield and sensei Swaw were solid, professsional and demonstrated very effective priniciples of self defense. Sensei Carvelli's Gunting presentation was quite different in content from the previous instructors. He was teaching us how to use the combined impact and locking potentials of the knife that is designed to be used closed 90% of the time. He was adding that extra element of surprise.
After all was said and done, there were NO weak presentations at this event. Every instructor was well versed in his area of the Escrima/Arnis and Kenpo Arts. The locking and throwing of Shorinji Kempo, when put against the Ju-jitsu grappling arts, showed us how subtly intergrated the standing to ground arts really are in self-defense situations. The transitions from puching to locking and takedowns brought us all to a renewed appriciation of just how applicable crossing training is in those arts that are intended for self-defense Sensei Mayfield, Muhammad and Swan, helped us all to appriciate the scope and range of the Kempo/Kenpo arts.
Datu Hartman, opened the instructional program on both days of the camp and his presentations gave us the general direction that we would move in over the rest of the day. It was very interesting and insightful to see how sensei Swan, followed on Saturday with a beautiful set of empty hand translations of the knife defenses that datu Hartman had show earlier on Saturday.
It was a bit uncanny how each instructor picked up on the theme established by his immediate predecessor. The innovation and improvisation was exciting and created a "relaxed tension" that drove the campers forward. There was a good deal of laughter and joking flying around the room as the presentations were being made. If anything, this camp showed the best qualities of the concept of "flow".
The receptivity of the camp participants can not be overlooked. These folks were equally important to the overall success of the camp as the instructors. The people attending the Escrima-Kenpo Camp, came in with open minds and were eager to learn. They did not have the tangible "end goal" of a certificate or rank promotion to motivate them. This was a pure learning situation and was no need for posturing or trying to influence anyone. This camp was designed and intended to be Information Driven!
Technique and concept application was stressed by all of the instructors. I believe that I have been extremely fortunate to have been a participant at this particular camp. It was extremely enjoyable and informative. If we can have this kind of energy and drive at the 2003 Symposium, no one will leave disappointed in terms of having an opportunity to learn from some of the best FMAs instructors in the business at this time.
Jerome Barber, Ed.D.
