Originally posted by arnisador
Sounds like fun!
Sal and Chad taught an excellent seminar on Saturday. I was (I think) the only non-Modern Arnis practitioner attending. They welcomed me right away and quickly brought me up to speed before putting me to work with Bruce Benson, a Modern Arnis Black Belt.
Sal started the day by teaching stick traps, locks, and disarms, and followed up with trapping hand applications and empty hand presets. Much of the material was new to me as my Filipino martial arts background is primarily based upon espada y daga technique at Largo Mano range. It was easy to appreciate the logic and practicality behind all of the techniques, which were clearly and effectively presented. Many of the stick applications were taught off of “Abanico Corto,” (which I recognized as “Break Out” in other Filipino martial arts systems). This technique has you zone out to the opponent’s flank and away from his empty hand. It is therefore (from my perspective), a valuable entry to know at closer range as it zones you away from the dagger hand.
Following a brief break for lunch, Chad introduced some stick grappling concepts as they pertained to choking and taking an opponent to the ground. He was especially good at relating the effectiveness of the chokes to the anatomy of the neck, as well as to the body mechanics that would make each choke more effective. The information presented was also very detailed with respect to how to attack anatomical structures to turn and manipulate the opponent. Towards the end of the class, there was a brief introduction to the application of the riot baton that included a lot of practical information with respect to its actual use in large crowd situations.
This was a valuable seminar experience with individuals who obviously enjoy working out together. The camaraderie between the participants was particularly evident when Datu Hartman paid a surprise visit. IÂ’d like to thank Sal and Chad for welcoming me so warmly to their group, as well as to my training partner for the day, Bruce Benson, whose experience and good humor were on hand to manage my inexperience with Modern Arnis.
Best,
Steve Lamade
