i trained with Rich Acosta and his team for about a month.
I was definitely impressed with Datu Acosta's expertise and his skills. His head instructor Guro Wilton was a good teacher. Everyone there is really friendly and once you get up to the higher levels there is good knife sparring and stick sparring.
Datu Acosta even had some ground-fighting applications to share and never concentrated on one aspect of Kali.
I only stopped attending because of time constraints and the limited classes offered---3x a week for $140 a month was consistent with Manhattan pricing, but 8:30-9:30 PM was just killing me.
If i lived nearby, I would definitely take it up again.
I am not sure if you are looking for one-on-one training.
At Datu Acosta's school, all of the students recommended supplementing the group classes with one-on-one instruction, which would run you about $90 a session. Trust me, it is worth it.
I train now with a Barry Cuda trained instructor from bladesmartny.com, his name's Sifu Forrest and his skill level is top-notch. His schedule was flexible and I liked the idea of training in Central Park. We train in the park and coincidentally crossed paths with a Pekiti Tirsia student. It was easy to tell, they know their sh-t. But the student had been training for ten years, so what you put in will determine how good you get.
Either one is definitely great. But since I've seen Datu Acosta's school, I am biased and I would say, for group classes and if you can handle the 8:30-9:30 PM schedule twice a week, for the $140 that is the best deal.
Again, I'm not that familiar with the Pekiti Tirsia, only what I've seen in the Leo Gaje documentary on YouTube, but... as for Kuntaw Kali
It's discussed in Mark Wiley's book on Filipino Martial Culture
it teaches you the basic stick-knife-fighting-empty handle angles of attack
you'll learn proper footwork, technique, proper way to execute slashing maneuvers with the solo baston, doble baston
you'll learn some filipino dirty boxing basics, some combinations.
classes are mostly centered around one or two technique, or one fighting concept, and then applications.
but don't expect to go too deep into explanations with the group classes.
there is only one drawback to their Manhattan location...all training is done with the ActionFlex Hit Series padded escrima sticks....at the Brooklyn location, you can use wooden sticks all you want...it has to do with renting space from the Shin Budo Kai school on 8th Ave.
Hope this was helpful!:uhyeah:
I don't want to take anything away from Kuntaw Kali, but there are many places with good reputations in NYC
there is a former escrima doce pares champion at the MMA school called Ronin Athletics....he told me to check out the Mayo Weapons school way before I met Sifu Forrest......That place has a great reputation and offers firearms training too.
But for one-on-one training, definitely check out Bladesmartny.com
trust me, it can't hurt to try out some of the schools.
sorry i'm new to this. i'm planning to learn kali in nyc but i don't know which one is more reputable. do you guys know anyone who took classes from these two places and what is their opinion? also, is there any difference between the style of kali they teach?
http://www.newyorkpekititirsia.com/index.html
and
http://www.kuntawkali.com/index.html
thank you
