I want to make some things clear. I'm not fighting, nor do I want to, over the IMAF. I don't think it's worth fighting for. My issues are about how Jeff D. and the rest of the MOTTs have tried to make me appear as a traitor to Remy and his art! I've been told to my face by one of the MOTTs that rank meant nothing to Remy, yet From July 2000 to October 2000 he was promoted from 3rd black to 5th black and given the title of Tapi-Tapi Master. If rank didn't count, why did Remy bother giving any rank and not just the title? Randy Shea told me in Germany, Remy changed 5th black from Jr. Master to full Master. If Remy truly wanted to make this group the new leaders in the Modern Arnis world, why did he not promote them above my rank?
I left the IMAF and forfeited all claims to that group. Don't tell me that I have no claims to Modern Arnis! I had been preparing the WMAA for over 5 years. Why? Because I saw what was happening behind the scenes and saw all of this coming. Look at Parker's Kenpo, JKD, Wing Chung, etc. This is history repeating itself. The only thing that was different was that people didn't wait for Remy to die before starting the political B.S.
My self, Dr Remy Presas and Mary Ann will be accompanied by our senior instructor from the Philippine each instructor are the original students of our father which they are from 7th to 9th degree black belt in modern arnis/ eskrima/ kali. All of the instructor have been arnis trainers for thirty years they will accompany us during seminars as consultance. Dr. Presas and Mary Ann along with the senior instructors were the first to be train by our father before he migrated to America in the years that has past they have continued to practice and maintain the skills that was past down from our great grandfather to our grandfather to our father and now to us.
As the Presas family said in one of their previous posts, I consider them family. But because we are family, does not mean we agree on all points. As far as the Presas' and their consultants go, they were around the art at one of its most important times - the beginning. There in no doubt in my mind that anyone that has been training consistently for over thirty years should be one hell of a martial artist. The problem is that they had missed twenty plus years of development of Remy's art. Remy was constantly fine tuning and/or developing new material, and seeing that neither the family nor the instructors from the Philippines were training with Remy during this time, they would have no idea in what direction Remy was going. At the same token, my complaints with many of the new Modern Arnis practitioners is that they don't know the basics that Remy built the art on. As I said before, it's embarrassing that many of the black belts cannot execute simple techniques, like trapping hands Decadena or six count drill. I am looking forward to seeing what the MARPPIO instructional staff will be teaching. I am sure that they will be able to share drills and techniques that Remy chose not to, or even forgot to teach.
We will continue to protect our father's good name and his title as the only grandmaster of modern arnis.
This is a goal that we should all work for. Remy is the true founder of the art, but maybe someone else will become proficient enough to earn that title someday. I feel that the title GM has different meanings to different people. Saying that it is only the founder limits the life span of the art. By that definition, the art will become extinct.
You can never stop being a student. That's where it's at. I have said it before, the frustrations in the Instructors I have taught that are reluctant to be in front of other students as this would somehow harm their reputation.
This is why I continue to train with GM Ted Buot. I don't ever want to feel that I have "learned it all". I get bored and complacent when I am not learning. It doesn't even have to be FMA, as long as I am learning something.
It has been said before that people will go with who they like.
Of course it was said, Mao. I was the one who said it! By the way, they will go with WHOM they like.
I don't want to take away from any of the other instructors, but when people take shots at me for no other reason than jealousy and insecurity, I will not let that go unanswered. I told Dr. Shea, who "WAS" the chairman of the board of the IMAF, that I would be more than happy to do joint events with the IMAF. I also told them that if they started a mud-slinging campaign against me, that I would have no problems telling the truth on a lot of things that happened. All I wanted was to co-exist peacefully. But unfortunately, in their attempt to promote themselves, they have taken shots at me. And homey don't play that!
:boing2: :soapbox: :uhoh:
In regards to Tim Hartman we think of him highly not just as a practitioner nor a student of our father but as family member he is probably one of the best student of our father in regards to IMAF leadership we are not here to dictate or take over any part of IMAF we have our own organization. Everyone is welcome we are willing to accomodate and work side by side as long as our fathers legacy will not be challenge or tarnished. We have been silent long enough because of the request of our father for us not to get involve in this type of situation( such as politics, intrigues, and etc.) How ever at this point we will continue our fathers legacy we might not be the succesor or so called grandmaster however we are the heirs and true blood of Grandmaster Remy A. Presas. His blood runs in our veins and it is in the blood of Presas clan were modern arnis was born.
