Dan Anderson
Master of Arts
Dear Martial Artists, 21 Jan 2003
I am putting my butt out here on the line and am doing a survey as to what has been referred to (by another) as misleading, misinforming and disrespectful to my late teacher, Remy Presas and this is regarding what I am doing with Modern Arnis. I thought I'd get some opinions and feedback from others who had trained under him as well as experienced martial artists. The two main points of contention are that I have named my own style of Modern Arnis as Modern Arnis 80 and that I title myself Professor as well as founder of Modern Arnis 80. Here are some facts to set begin with:
Point of contention #1 - the name Modern Arnis 80.
Back in 1998 or so I asked Prof. Presas permission to form my own sub-system of Modern Arnis, subservient to his. When I went up to visit him at a joint seminar of his and Wally Jay's, I got his verbal permission to do so. When Prof. Presas died there was the big deal made about successorship, who were the top students and so forth. I had predicted this would happen back in 1994 in a letter to Bram Frank. To sidestep the whole mess I came public with my style of what I had learned from the professor and named it Modern Arnis 80. Here is why.
First of all, the Filipino martial art I learned was Modern Arnis, not Balintawak or Serrada escrima, etc. The 80 has two meanings. 1) 1980 is the year I began training. 2) If you turn the 8 on its side you have the symbol for infinity. I remember how Prof. Presas would show us endless variations based off of one move. That gives the idea of an infinite number of actions one can do. I also remember how direct he could be if you put the heat on him? The 80 means "the possibility of anything (8) to the simplicity of the moment (0)." The 8------0 is sort of a philosophical thing.
For me, to say I am teaching Modern Arnis, Remy Presas style, is incorrect as he taught in a seminar fashion and not a structured one. This is how he taught in the United States. How he taught in the Philippines may be another matter. As to seniority, Remy Presas was my instructor and he didn't tell me that any of current Modern Arnis groups or individuals were my seniors. As I trained directly under Prof. Presas, he was my senior and shortly before he died all he said to me was, "Danny, get involved." and that was it.
Point of contention #2, the use of the titles Professor for myself Filipino martial arts wise and Founder, Modern Arnis 80.
A founder, by dictionary definition, is one who establishes something. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and others were the founders of our country. That is the usage of the term as I apply it to what I do. I have not claimed to have found a lost 1980's art or 1980's way of teaching something as has been stated by another. I founded the style that I teach, the steps of progression and that is the usage of founder that I go by.
The reason for the Professor title is simple. Many instructors call themselves something. A dictionary definition of professor is "one that teaches or professes special knowledge of an art, sport, or occupation requiring skill." I have been teaching martial arts for 34 years. I have been teaching Modern Arnis in some form or another for 22 years. I am one of the Professor's highest ranked students in the U.S. (6th Degree Black Belt and Senior Master). I was awarded the Professor title by ATAMA in Karate but I feel I have earned it as an overall instructor as well. I do not put myself on the same status with Remy Presas and I do not claim that position by using the term Professor. There are a number of titles I could adopt. Like I said, many instructors call themselves something. I don't use Guro, Punong Guro, Master, Senior Master, Grand Master as none of them fit. To me in the above definition, Professor fits.
As far as it being disrespectful to my teacher, it would be far more disrespectful for me to name what I do "Dan Anderson Arnis," "American Arnis," "Super Dan's Stickfighting" or something like that. I use the term Modern Arnis because that is my base Filipino art. I use the term to show where I got my skill from - Remy A. Presas.
As a senior practitioner in the martial arts, your input is valuable to me. I feel I am helping take my instructor's art into the new millennium and am doing it somewhat the same way he did, by learning a base art (for me Modern Arnis) and then expanding my own knowledge, as he did with his family art and Balintawak escrima. Is this misleading, misinforming and disrespectful to my late teacher or is it just one person's opinion? Your reply and opinions, whether they agree with my own or not, are very welcome.
Thank you in advance,
Dan Anderson
I am putting my butt out here on the line and am doing a survey as to what has been referred to (by another) as misleading, misinforming and disrespectful to my late teacher, Remy Presas and this is regarding what I am doing with Modern Arnis. I thought I'd get some opinions and feedback from others who had trained under him as well as experienced martial artists. The two main points of contention are that I have named my own style of Modern Arnis as Modern Arnis 80 and that I title myself Professor as well as founder of Modern Arnis 80. Here are some facts to set begin with:
Point of contention #1 - the name Modern Arnis 80.
Back in 1998 or so I asked Prof. Presas permission to form my own sub-system of Modern Arnis, subservient to his. When I went up to visit him at a joint seminar of his and Wally Jay's, I got his verbal permission to do so. When Prof. Presas died there was the big deal made about successorship, who were the top students and so forth. I had predicted this would happen back in 1994 in a letter to Bram Frank. To sidestep the whole mess I came public with my style of what I had learned from the professor and named it Modern Arnis 80. Here is why.
First of all, the Filipino martial art I learned was Modern Arnis, not Balintawak or Serrada escrima, etc. The 80 has two meanings. 1) 1980 is the year I began training. 2) If you turn the 8 on its side you have the symbol for infinity. I remember how Prof. Presas would show us endless variations based off of one move. That gives the idea of an infinite number of actions one can do. I also remember how direct he could be if you put the heat on him? The 80 means "the possibility of anything (8) to the simplicity of the moment (0)." The 8------0 is sort of a philosophical thing.
For me, to say I am teaching Modern Arnis, Remy Presas style, is incorrect as he taught in a seminar fashion and not a structured one. This is how he taught in the United States. How he taught in the Philippines may be another matter. As to seniority, Remy Presas was my instructor and he didn't tell me that any of current Modern Arnis groups or individuals were my seniors. As I trained directly under Prof. Presas, he was my senior and shortly before he died all he said to me was, "Danny, get involved." and that was it.
Point of contention #2, the use of the titles Professor for myself Filipino martial arts wise and Founder, Modern Arnis 80.
A founder, by dictionary definition, is one who establishes something. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and others were the founders of our country. That is the usage of the term as I apply it to what I do. I have not claimed to have found a lost 1980's art or 1980's way of teaching something as has been stated by another. I founded the style that I teach, the steps of progression and that is the usage of founder that I go by.
The reason for the Professor title is simple. Many instructors call themselves something. A dictionary definition of professor is "one that teaches or professes special knowledge of an art, sport, or occupation requiring skill." I have been teaching martial arts for 34 years. I have been teaching Modern Arnis in some form or another for 22 years. I am one of the Professor's highest ranked students in the U.S. (6th Degree Black Belt and Senior Master). I was awarded the Professor title by ATAMA in Karate but I feel I have earned it as an overall instructor as well. I do not put myself on the same status with Remy Presas and I do not claim that position by using the term Professor. There are a number of titles I could adopt. Like I said, many instructors call themselves something. I don't use Guro, Punong Guro, Master, Senior Master, Grand Master as none of them fit. To me in the above definition, Professor fits.
As far as it being disrespectful to my teacher, it would be far more disrespectful for me to name what I do "Dan Anderson Arnis," "American Arnis," "Super Dan's Stickfighting" or something like that. I use the term Modern Arnis because that is my base Filipino art. I use the term to show where I got my skill from - Remy A. Presas.
As a senior practitioner in the martial arts, your input is valuable to me. I feel I am helping take my instructor's art into the new millennium and am doing it somewhat the same way he did, by learning a base art (for me Modern Arnis) and then expanding my own knowledge, as he did with his family art and Balintawak escrima. Is this misleading, misinforming and disrespectful to my late teacher or is it just one person's opinion? Your reply and opinions, whether they agree with my own or not, are very welcome.
Thank you in advance,
Dan Anderson