VOL 1
Stick Arts ISSUE 5
The Ring of Fire Part 2
For the martial arts comprehensivist
Top - Maija Soderholm Bottom - Mark Stewart
VOLUME 1
Stick Arts ISSUE 5
The Ring of Fire Part 2
106 Mark Davies
138
The Stick: Man’s Oldest Tool and Weapon, and Its Use by the UK Special Forces
Martin Wheeler
Systema Stick Fighting
156
142
Jeffrey Finder
Luis Preto
Training Weapons In the Modern Era
Prevention Of Injuries And Power Output In Stick-Fighting
122 Banjamin Judkins, Ph.D & Jared Miracle, Ph.D
86
The Weapon of a Jedi Knight
Miguel Quijano & Miguel Machado
216
A Brief History of the Afro-Caribbean Dances
Nick Merchant
WEKAF and Dog Brothers: Together at Last!
278
324
Darren Patrick Friesen
Arturo Bonafont
Stick Grappling in Central America
Bonafont Cane Fighting System
CONTENTS
The Ring of Fire, Part 2
Vol. 1:5 - Stick Arts
18 Maija Soderholm
Tell Me About Yourself: A Conversation in Random Flow
38 Darrin Cook
Essential Kabaroan
192 Mark Stewart
Kali Abtik Largo
236 Harjit Singh Sagoo
Punjabi Wooden Weapon Fighting Arts: History, Philosophy, Conspiracy, and Technique
166 Geoff Willcher, Ph.D
Bando Staff
MARTIAL ARTS IN THE
RING OF FIRE PART II This issue of The Immersion Review wraps up our tour of the Ring of Fire, and continues on to examine the fallout of these and other martial traditions that have sparked renewed interest in martial arts around the world. The issue also touches on the theme of creating or inventing martial arts. Martial traditions have informed many fictional authors in how they have constructed their—at times— fantastical worlds. Some have been very thorough in establishing such
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new worlds, like J.R.R. Tolkien who went as far as inventing languages for the fictional peoples in his stories. Even the worlds of cinema and television have seen the invention of languages like Klingon in Star Trek. It is therefore not surprising that forms of martial art are either developed for or based on such fictional worlds. There is, for example, Teräs Käsi, a fictional martial art based on pentjak silat that exists only in the Star Wars universe and canon. This kind of world-making has been per-
From the Editors
haps most popular and thorough in the case of lightsaber fighting based on Star Wars, as discussed in this issue by Benjamin Judkins and Jared Miracle. Stunt coordinators, too, draw on martial arts, and practitioners can delight in spotting individual techniques or even styles that are used to choreograph fights in film. Inventing a martial art does not only happen in or inspired by fictional stories. The kung fu and ninja crazes in the 1970s and 1980s
were accompanied by self-styled martial arts masters who either invented their own styles or pretended to be masters in an existing one. Today, YouTube is replete with both invented arts and channels that aim at debunking the most outrageous charlatans in the guise of martial arts. Still, all martial arts are based on some form of invention. Many of the most widely spread styles can point to the originator of their style, who usually drew on previ-
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ous ways of doing and training another form of martial art or arts. Innovations in pedagogies, transformation of society, and change in technology can also impact ways of fighting to the degree that a new style is formed. Sometimes, wholly new ways of fighting are proposed. We have an example of this in this issue in the form of Artura Bonafont’s style of cane fighting. Indeed, in his manual that is translated in this issue, Bonafont states that the techniques he presents are based on his own thinking, and go against the—at the time—given way of cane fighting based on fencing. Individual masters or maestros of an established art can also be innovators. Maija Soderholm shares some of her experiences from working with Maestro Sonny Umpad, and how he tasked her with passing the method of “random flow” on as his legacy. Sonny kept on innovating new ways and implements for training, and he had arrived at this method after already having taught a few of generations of students. Rather than
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a collection of techniques or set patterns, random flow is a means to connect the nervous system and the conscious mind through dance-like play with blades. It also allows one to internalize new ideas and get past “freezing points” that fear, among other things, produces in practitioners. Skill in this type of development is measured through the ability to first “see” and “read” the opponent in order to eventually “write” what they will do. Random play is a way to experience “when” and “how” something becomes effective in the sense of getting a hit while not getting hit, which in turn develops a sense of strategy and tactics. While this was the final teaching method Maestro Umpad developed, Soderholm has found that it can be deployed to hone tactical skills in many other martial art traditions even beyond those of the Philippines. Traditions can be continued by trying to preserve or archive them as they have been received. Another approach to keeping a tradition going is to alter it innovatively together with the times. In accor-
dance with the second approach, Kabaroan, meaning “the newest,” represents—according to Darren Cook—a radical break with the traditional forms of Filipino martial arts. Firstly, the art in question utilizes a heavier and longer (36-inch) hardwood stick compared with the rattan sticks commonly used in other forms of Filipino fighting. Secondly, whereas the traditional arts, with their lighter and shorter weapons, rely on blocking the incoming attack, a Kabaroan artist emphasizes merging with the attack rather than blocking it. Kabaroan methods, however, are closely guarded, and this has led to a host of misunderstandings regarding its composition. Cook discloses that, although Grandmaster Estalilla did publicly teach, for example, sinawali (double stick) or staff and stick methods, these are not Kabaroan. He then proceeds to share with the reader the essence of the art as taught to him by GM Estalilla by describing, in detail, a form called the “abriged 15” containing different strikes, their counters, and core tactical principles of the system.
Codified martial art traditions are present in most cultures, and yet it comes as a surprise even to most aficionados that—aside from more well-known arts like Brazilian capoeira and Trinidadian kalinda—there exists rich traditions of Afro-diasporic arts of maní and kokoye in Cuba and calinda, cocobalé, and cocolembe in Puerto Rico. Miguel Quijano and Miguel Machado trace the present forms of these arts, firstly, to the slave owners’ policies of appeasement which, quite unintentionally, led to solidifying of African culture on the islands and, secondly, to interactions (or rather, fighting) with other ethnic groups’ martial arts, such as Portuguese jogo do pau and Canarian juego del palo. Maní, meaning “war,” was kept alive and practiced in dances. The combative “game” of maní is, however, played in a circle with the goal of knocking down one’s opponent with kicks, punches, sweeps, and so on—it is a true full-contact form of fighting in contrast to the more commonly known folkloric and performative form of the
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game. Cocobalé and calinda, on the other hand, are played with sticks of varying lengths—or, in the case of cocobalé, even with machetes or knives— with the goal of making the opponent bleed or become unconscious. Further, cocolembe is a hand-to-hand art played by the community elders when a master of the aforementioned art has
[Photo credit: Clive Kim]
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passed away. Indeed, all of these arts are steeped in tradition and ritual, preserving the unique Afro-Cuban heritage into the present day. Creativity and innovation is part of the evolution of warfare. Here, close-quarter battling has been deployed in contemporary mili-
tary contexts on the basis of “usewhat-works.” For example, British Special Forces were created during the Second World War to conduct deep strikes behind the enemy lines and to recruit, train, and organize local resistance fighters. These units—Commandos, Special Air Service (SAS), Special Operations Executive (SOE)—were taught “last ditch” combatives by William Fairbairn for situations where the soldier’s normal weaponry was unavailable or not preferred. Fairbairn’s stick method relied on a 18 to 24-inch weapon used predominantly in a two-handed grip. The system was very simple and basic, as it needed to be taught quickly. The operations in Iraq and Afghanistan renewed the military’s interest in combatives as Special Forces soldiers found themselves fighting in very close quarters, and even with improvised weapons. As a result, the stick training in British Special Forces can nowadays be grouped into three categories: short stick, baton, and staff/spear. The short stick method is based on reverse-grip knife technique
taught by James A. Keating, whereas the baton methodology relies on both Filipino martial arts and the old Fairbairn method. Staff/spear, on other hand, is based heavily on bayonet training as well as sibat and jo staff methods. The training itself proceeds progressively towards “fog of war,” aiming at operating reliably in less-than-ideal conditions. Not all traditions are ancient or, indeed, connected to earthly human reality. Take, for example, Lightsaber Combat; a competitive sport and martial art based on ideas around the Star Wars universe and franchise. In this context Benjamin Judkins and Jared Miracle remind us that even established martial arts are wrought with invented histories and imagined traditions with tenuous connections to reality, although, like Lightsaber Combat, they are practiced as if they were true. Lightsaber Combat has its true beginnings in the early 2000s when the current generation of LED-equipped replica lightsabers became available. This coincided with the in-
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vention/exploration of the “seven classic forms” of Lightsaber Combat furthering the lore and mythology surrounding the art. After a while, this attracted actual martial artists to try and figure out how one, in “reality,” would fight with a lightsaber. This resulted in hobbyist groups, different rulesets, and differing self-identifications springing up around the globe. The ahistorical and mythological nature of Lightsaber Combat enables creative play—mixing and borrowing from a variety of sources allowing for genuine martial exchange uninhibited by organizational politics. This also elevates the practice to hyper-reality, enabling one to connect with mythic structures and surpassing one’s mundane existence. It must be noted, however, that this element of hyper-reality is also present in traditional arts, although the line delineating it from the mundane is much clearer in Lightsaber Combat. The Star Wars narrative and, by extension, Lightsaber Combat conveys the values and qualities of modern heroic archetypes—not unlike tra-
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ditional arts carrying ideas about correct morality and behavior. The varying uses of sticks display the creative range of humans in various environments and contexts. Sticks are also used in contemporary constabulary professions in many parts of the world. Their use has also been part of more military forms of close-quarter combat. Martin Wheeler shares some of the insights on stick-use that has been parted onto him by his teachers in the combat system developed for spies and special force members in the Soviet Union, called systema, or “the system.” Here, the expression is not so much tied to specific techniques regarding how to use a stick, but about how the system comes out when using a stick. Fighting with sticks is, by definition, an activity conducive to physical trauma. There is, obviously, an opponent trying to hit you but also, according to Luis Preto, types of injuries caused by your own actions, wholly independent of your opponent. The key to preventing these kinds of injuries is
implementing a strength training program designed to strengthen the relevant musculature. This should be accompanied with technique-oriented training designed to develop greater body awareness, postural control, and technique. While discussing power output, Preto starts by making a distinction between reaction and movement speeds. Improving the reaction speed can be accomplished by improving one’s ability to identify the stimulus and lessening the time that it takes to select a proper response to it. Movement speed, on the other hand, can be developed by improving one’s ability to execute the relevant motor patterns (techniques) and building up one’s ability to generate relevant muscle tension (force). Preto then offers the reader different strategies for both injury prevention and power generation, depending on the level of the martial artist. Specific training weapons have likely been around for as long as there have been fighting skills worth passing on. The implements of training are another vein that
shows how innovation and creativity are part of martial arts and their evolution. Indeed, as Jeff Finder notes, nowadays we have a wealth of different materials to construct training weapons from, all suited for different purposes. For example, traditional arts may prefer their trusted wooden or metal trainers whereas more sport-oriented arts might like lighter and flashier aluminum weapons. Wood and rattan are cheap and easy to replace materials to construct trainers from, but one might prefer aluminum swords and knives due to their more realistic look and feel. A less common option is to construct training blades from high-impact plastics, which offer more durability than either wood or aluminum and, with correct specifications, also mimic well their “live” counterparts. Like with synthetic composite materials, combining things overall is one way of creating something new. According to Geoff Willcher, the bando staff forms that are taught today are synthesized from several older forms by eliminat-
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ing repetitions and stringing parts from different forms together. He goes on to explain the mindset and naturalistic worldview of the Burmese people reflected in the forms. For example, the system consists of several different drills and nine forms, reflecting the Burmese fascination in the multiples of three. Willcher further explains the many purposes of the forms as well as the organization, principles, training, and tactics of bando itself, offering us a comprehensive overview of the bando staff system as a whole. Different martial arts prefer different ranges in accordance with their preferred weapons, strategies, and tactics as well as their understanding of combative engagements. While it is necessary to learn how to fight at all the ranges, for Mark Stewart, the optimal range for a given weapon is its longest reach, reflecting the viewpoint of Kali Abtik Largo. The aim is to utilize distance, evasion, and deception to deliver surgical strikes while avoiding weapon-to-weapon contact. The key to all this is proper footwork: without good footwork you
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cannot position yourself correctly either for attack or defense. Stewart continues by giving us an overview of Kali Abtik Largo concepts, including, for example, angles of attack, targeting, and timing, as well as a few tactical pointers to try and use in one’s next sparring session. How can you ascertain that your martial art actually works against an uncooperative opponent? You spar and fight. This is a true and tested way of evolving fighting styles that brings in the role of rules in how arts evolve and how creativity comes in. Nick Merchant notes that in the Filipino martial arts community there are two major rule sets to govern fighting: World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF) and Dog Brothers, both with their particular pros and cons, which Merchant covers extensively. Succinctly put, WEKAF fighting tends to develop speed, accuracy, combinations, and endurance whereas Dog-Brothersstyle of fighting stresses versatility, power, movement, and strategy. They can thus be seen as comple-
mentary, rather than exclusionary, ways of testing and developing one’s skill and ability. Martial arts evolve, develop, and cross-pollinate each other over time—they are even manipulated by the ruling elite and foreign overlords. Take for instance the Indian arts of shastar vidya and gatka, the martial arts of the Sikh peoples of Punjabi. As Harjit Singh Sagoo demonstrates, shastar vidya is an ancient battlefield art that traces its roots all the way to the 15th century. Gatka, a weapons-based sport, on the other hand, is a product of the late 1800s and early 1900s and utilizes a meter-long stick. The practice of gatka was actually encouraged by the British as it took the people away from the original battlefield arts of the Sikh and would thus pave way to the continuing British rule. Singh Sagoo speculates that the later inclusion of additional weapons in gatka may have been brought about by the desire to revive the largely lost martial art of shastar vidya, thus leading to the misunderstanding that gatka actually is
the ancient art of the Sikh. He then continues by outlining the basic curriculum of gatka, including soti (meter-long stick), lathi (staff), and fari and soti (representing buckler and sword) sparring, revealing to us the simple but practical methods of the art. Preparing for the possibility of facing actual real-life violence on a day-to-day basis brings with it a host of considerations rarely encountered in most martial artists’ training. In his article, Darren Patrick Friesen shares his insights about these factors—and the experience of teaching conflict management tactics as a foreigner— based on his work training security guards in Costa Rica. He starts by exploring some of the emotional and behavioral background necessary for security-related work as well as the necessary restraint on using violent means in one’s job as a security guard. Furthermore, the dynamics of a violent encounter necessitates on-the-spot decision-making and prior thought on and training in the ergonomics of weapon availability and deploy-
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ment, as well as retention tactics. Friesen thus outlines his no-nonsense approach and methodology of using a baton in security work starting from the first contact all the way until handcuffing and patdown. Sticks and canes have been used for self-defense since time immemorial. Especially during the belle époque in Europe, the cane became both a fashion element and the last legal weapon for defending oneself. Darren Cook presents us with a translation of Arturo Bonafont’s New Ways of Self-Defense on the Street with a Cane from Buenos Aires written in the 1920s and published in 1930. It has been difficult to get a hold of Bonafont’s manual of this one-of-a-kind system. What makes it stand out from other cane styles is that it mainly uses the stick in a “reverse” grip that tends to be a special way of holding a stick in most styles of fighting. For Bonafont, though, this is the most efficient way of striking with a cane in the number of self-defense scenarios that he goes through in his manual.
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As the articles in this issue show, creativity and invention are integral parts of martial arts whether one looks at old styles, their contemporary interpretation, the means and methods of training, or the development of new systems or entirely new arts. Hopefully the hoplological endeavors of The Immersion Review will spark new creative thinking in its readership, too.
Mahipal Lunia Executive Editor
Juha A. Vuori, Ph.D Managing Editor
Mika Harju-Seppänen Managing Editor
Editorial | 15
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF A CONVERSATION IN RANDOM FLOW
[photo credit : Eric Nomberg]
Maija Soderholm
IN EARLY 2006, MAESTRO Sonny Umpad, my teacher and founder of Visayan Style Corto Kadena and Larga Mano Eskrima, was diagnosed with brain cancer. Soon after the diagnosis, he was taken to the hospital having lost motor function in one arm. Once there, he had surgery to remove tumors in his brain. He was told there were inoperable tumors they left untouched, and that he only had about six months to live.
SONNY UMPAD / RANDOM FLOW
· Maija Soderholm | 19
ESSENCIAL KABAROAN Darrin Cook
WHAT IS KABAROAN? Kabaroan, pronounced “kah-bar-wahn,” is an Ilocano term meaning “the newest.” The northern Philippine provinces of Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte are the ancestral home of the late Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos. Their language, Ilocano, serves as a trade language throughout much of northern Luzon, the main island where the capital of Manila is located, and is either the second or third most
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commonly spoken language in the Philippines. So, even though the late Grandmaster Leo Giron of the Philippine province of Pangasinan was not from the Ilocos provinces, he and Grandmaster Estalilla communicated in the Ilocano language. The Filipino martial arts are generally weapon-based methods that train with sticks and blades, and Kabaroan is the distinctively Ilocano style.
ESSENTIAL KABAROAN
· Darrin Cook | 39
EL JUEGO DE MANÍ & COCOBALÉ A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AFRO-CARIBBEAN DANCES OF WAR Miguel Quijano & Miguel Machado
FIGHTING. BATTLE. COMBAT. Warfare. Regardless of the name we use to describe it, conflict is a fundamental aspect of the human experience. As such, it is only logical that codified systems for settling conflicts—martial arts— would arise on every continent, in every culture. And yet, people are
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always surprised when I mention that Puerto Rico and Cuba have their own respective martial arts— ones birthed under the ugly banner of slavery. Nowadays, most people are well aware of other Afro-diasporic arts such as Brazilian capoeira or Trinidadian kalinda. They might have
even heard about esgrima y bordon and juego de garrote, from Colombia and Venezuela, respectively. However, most are unaware that similar arts exist in Puerto Rico and Cuba. While there are resources out there that briefly touch upon the martial arts from these regions, they have always concluded that, with no current practitioners of the martial component, the arts must be extinct. This conclusion is the result of one of two things: either their sources were only folkloric
EL JUEGO DE MANÍ & COCOBALÉ
practitioners (those not trained in the traditional methods of combat), or they did not do their research. The following article is a direct rejection of the extinction line of thinking and will offer an in-depth analysis of the Afro-diasporic arts of Cuba, known as el Juego de maní and kokoye, and their Puerto Rican sister traditions, calinda, cocobalé, and cocolembe. For over 50 years, I have dedicated my life to these arts—not just to the mastery of their combat
· Miguel Quijano & Miguel Machado | 87
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THE STICK: MAN'S OLDEST TOOL AND WEAPON, AND ITS USE BY THE UK SPECIAL FORCES Mark Davies
IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT THE stick was man’s first weapon. In today’s era of high-tech weaponry, many people may be surprised to learn that the humble stick still plays a role today. As a trainer within an element of the UK Special Forces (UKSF), I look in this article at the stick from the viewpoints of: a bush-craft tool, a hunting tool, an improvised weapon, and an actual baton, such as the ASP.
UK SPECIAL FORCES
· Mark Davies | 107
THE WEAPON OF A JEDI KNIGHT: LIGHTSABER COMBAT AS A HYPER-REAL MARTIAL ART Benjamin N. Judkins, Ph.D & Jared Miracle, Ph.D
Lightsaber Combat as a Global Movement IN FEBRUARY OF 2019, THE French Fencing Federation (Fédération Française d’Escrime; FFE) made the news. News stories ran in many major magazines, and the comedian Trevor Noah even graced the FFE with a Daily Show segment.1,2 Yet the topic of debate was not traditional sport fencing. Rather, the FFE had announced they were adding the LED saber, or replica lightsaber, as an official fourth weapon within the French fencing establishment, alongside the better-established foil, epee, and saber. The response to this announcement was electric. Some commentators were delighted, others aghast. The viral spread of this conversation, which went far be1 Sixt Wetzler, “Martial Arts Studies as Kulturwissenschaft: A Possible Theoretical Framework,” Martial Arts Studies 1 (2015): 20-33. 2 Paul Bowman, Deconstructing Martial Arts (Cardiff: Cardiff University Press, 2019), 44.
LIGHTSABERS
· Benjamin N. Judkins, Ph.D & Jared Miracle, Ph.D | 123
SYSTEMA STICK FIGHTING Martin Wheeler
I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON Soviet secret-agent stick-fighting techniques. I am not Russian. I have never been to Russia. I do not speak any Slavic languages. I have never been a member of the Spetznaz, or any Russian secret service. The irony that I am a former English bouncer writing an article about a secret Soviet stick fighting technique among these genuine masters of stick fighting is not lost on me. I have, however, for the last twenty years trained under such men as I have described above—Vladimir Vasiliev and his teacher, Colonel Mikhail Ryabko— studying the Russian martial art of systema, or simply translated, “the system.” The reason I am struggling to explain the stick fighting method of systema is not because it is overly complex, but because it is purely an expression of systema. Furthermore, systema is not really a martial art at all, but a way of looking
at the world. It can be expressed in many ways, but it is also good for stick fighting, or, as I prefer to think of it, fighting with a stick. If you are a stick fighter, then your identity is most likely tied with the stick in some way. You might identify yourself as a stick fighter, and, if you should lose your stick in a fight, then the psychological damage of no longer being a stick fighter may be more defeating to you than your enemy’s potential to beat you. Maybe? Even if it is not the case, why take the chance that it could be? Why not just be a fighter who now has a stick, instead of being a stick fighter? Right or wrong, this is the approach of systema. If you have been a serious stick fighting student, like many of the men I have been lucky enough to have trained with, then you are most likely a formidable fighter irrespective of whether you are with or without a weapon. Even
SYSTEMA
· Martin Wheeler | 139
PREVENTION OF INJURIES AND POWER OUTPUT IN STICK-FIGHTING Luis Preto
GIVEN THE NATURE OF stick-fighting, in the sense that landing powerful strikes on the body of the opponent is the central success criterion, traumatic injuries resulting from such events can only be prevented by expertly avoiding being hit altogether. Nevertheless, one’s body may also succumb to other injuries, such as soft-tissue injuries, because of the specific accelerative and decelerative forces that the motions of this activity place on the body of its performers.
Injuries in Stick-Fighting Depending on the ruleset followed when competing in stick-fighting, striking only or a combination of striking and grappling is permitted. Considering that the essence of weapon combat is to maximize striking effectiveness so that physically smaller or weaker individuals can avoid grappling altogether, the injury profile about to be presented will focus on striking-related soft-tissue injuries. Those competing in a mixed striking and grappling setting should look to complement this analysis of striking-related soft-tissue injuries with the research available on injury prevention strategies within grappling settings.
INJURY PREVENTION / POWER OUTPUT
· Luis Preto | 143
TRAINING WEAPONS IN THE MODERN ERA Jeffrey "Stickman" Finder
THE WORD MARTIAL DERIVES from the Latin martialis meaning “of war” or “belonging to Mars.” Among those belonging to Mars, there has always been the practical matter of training without causing unnecessary injury or death to students or partners. This was often an unfortunate and perhaps even regrettable outcome in societies, which had little qualms about culling the weak. Nevertheless,
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the goal is to promote proficiency in fighting, whether it is children play-fighting with sticks outside a family compound, or a warlord training raw recruits for an army while doing so in relative safety. The modern martial arts’ focus on empty hands is, historically, a relatively recent phenomenon of the 19th and 20th centuries. Weapons are ubiquitous in hunting, self-defense, and combat in every culture. Training weapons and martial arts probably go together (pun intend-
ed) as far back as the efforts of our earliest ancestors to pass on survival skills to their offspring and tribe. As sticks and rocks evolved into shapes and materials capable of inflicting more dangerous wounds, those became symbolic of hunters and warriors who earned the right to bear them, as well as the social costs of time, skill, effort, and resources invested. Let us not discount that economic value. Whether sticks, wooden swords, or even fake wooden rifles sometimes
BANDO STAFF Geoff Willcher, Ph.D
“BANDO IS A SYSTEM OF systems.” I did not realize what Dr. Gyi was saying, but later I came to understand what he meant. In this article, I infer bando staff forms and fighting from my conversations with Dr. Gyi and from my own staff practice of over 50 years of experience. I could have some details wrong, but I am presenting what I believe to be correct. Dr. Gyi has taught a number of staff forms, but relatively little staff fighting as such. He departed from Burmese/Myanmar tradition in that he did not repeat each set four
times, or once for each of the four directions. Rather, he said, “If you want to repeat a set, do the form again.” This let him include parts of several forms in one. Essentially, he synthesized one form from several others. I watched him do a particular form: the Four Winds staff system. We were at his farm—he has had several—where he attempted to build a pond, but the ground was too oily. Robert Shultz (with whom the author corresponded around 1970) was learning several versions of the Four Winds which Dr. Gyi taught him until he settled.
History There are over 130+ separate tribes in Burma, according to the U.S.A. Diplomatic Handbook. According to Dr. Gyi, there are nine basic groupings of tribes. Dr. Gyi has grouped everything into nine categories. This is not necessarily correct, but he has been fairly consistent about this. He said that each major grouping tended to have organized staff fighting forms differently. This means that some groups put certain sets together and other sets in a different order. We discovered this when he taught the Hidden Draw short stick form to a group. He taught three versions of each set and had us choose the one which would be standard. The Burmese tend to be extremely superstitious, religious, and mystical. For example, they have a coconut in the back of their taxi cabs to make up three “people” in case an extra person is needed. Many things are grouped in multiples of three. Accordingly, many Burmese forms repeat the same moves in four or six directions. Supposedly, this pays respect to the four directions. Bando was systematized by U Ba Than (Gyi), Dr. Gyi’s father. He brought together hundreds of bando masters and asked them to explain their systems, what
they could do, and then he asked them to demonstrate it. He had them come to Aung San stadium to demonstrate their abilities. For instance, one master said he could defend against a number of men with sticks who would try to hit him. They hit him repeatedly. So, in this way, the bando that Gyi taught was tested and proven. U Ba Than was simplifying bando for use against the Japanese in World War II. The time was about preWWII. If U Ba Than liked what he was shown, he had Gyi learn the system so that he could synthesize from it. He prepared fighters for the war against the Japanese.
BANDO STAFF
· Geoff Willcher, Ph.D | 167
KALI ABTIK LARGO Mark Stewart
Largo WHILE IT IS NECESSARY TO learn all ranges of combat with and without weaponry, it is taught by some that the ideal strategy and optimal function of a weapon is its longest reach or range, and that the rest are logical, and needed backup. This long-range distance is referred to as largo or larga in many Filipino martial arts systems, including kali abtik from the Guro Ted Lucaylucay kali lineage. Largo, like the “Latter Stage” developments of Bruce Lee’s jeet kune do, is the idea of maintaining the distance and position to strike or cut with the least chance of being struck or cut back, which is the pinnacle of the training pyramid and subsequently outlines an “engagement continuum” in training and usage. The largo range is defined as requiring the use of a step and fully extended weapon to reach the opponent, which includes both major and minor targets. Before his passing, Guro Ted Lucaylucay was integrating fencing principles into his art, as inspired from JKD, fencing, and Serfino arnis as taught by Master Federico Serfino Jr., as well as the previous largo training from Villabrille-Largusa kali, Giron largo mano, and his own research and development.
KALI ABTIK LARGO
· Mark Stewart | 193
PUNJABI WOODEN WEAPONS FIGHTING ARTS HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, CONSPIRACY, AND TECHNIQUE
Harjit Singh Sagoo
THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES wooden weapon combat in Punjab, the ancient Indian land of five rivers as well as saints, poets, and warriors, from the past to the present, particularly among the Sikhs. Weapon Typology The traditional wooden weapons of Punjab include the following four major types: •
soti (meter-long stick)
•
sota or danda (short wooden club)
•
lathi or daang (staff)
•
salotar (pestle)
For actual combat, the ends of the first three would be steel or ironcapped in order to maximize damage to the target whilst protecting the weapon from impact damage. It would be erroneous to assume that the utilization of wooden weapons in Punjab is now redundant. In present-day Punjab, sticks and clubs can still be found in the hands of the Nihang Singhs (members of a martial Sikh sect), players of the combat sport of gatka, Punjab police officers, as well as thugs and rioters.
Figure 1 - Vintage photograph of Nihang Singhs armed with various clubs, two of them steelcapped.
PUNJABI WOODEN WEAPONS
· Harjit Singh Sagoo | 237
STICK GRAPPLING & IMPACT TRAINING FOR SECURITY PERSONNEL IN CENTRAL AMERICA
Darren Patrick Friesen
IT WAS QUITE A SHOCK, culture-wise, when we first moved to Costa Rica from Canada roughly 12+ years ago. I think it took almost two years for me to find my footing and actually get over the “deerin-headlights” sentiment to take an active part as a contributing member of society. That “part” also did not come easy even after that point. One of my first gigs here was being subcontracted from a major security firm in the Central Pacific which operated out of seven cities or towns here (Jaco, Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Santa Ana, Dominical, Uvita, and Hermosa). It seemed like a great opportunity to test my skills, expand my portfolio, and re-engage with an outlet I was worried about having left behind in Canada. It was a rather knee-jerk shock to the system, to be sure. My wife did not like the training as I was challenged, tested, and even jumped and threatened at times. The solo ride in the dark from the beach was not always the safest, especially for a foreigner that could break down at any time and be a target for robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, and the like. The demographic was often obligated and required to be there—translation: many did not want to and resented the extracurricular commitment.
STICK GRAPPLING IN CENTRAL AMERICA
· Darren Patrick Friesen | 279
BONAFONT CANE FIGHTING SYSTEM NEW WAYS OF SELF-DEFENSE ON THE STREET WITH A CANE Arturo Bonafont (Translated by Darrin Cook)
*Originally: Nuevos Modos de Defenderse en la Calle con un Bastón (illustrated edition with seventy-two photographs)
To the Prestigious Institution, The Fencing and Physical Education Club of Buenos Aires, on the 11th of November, 1930 (the 50th anniersary of its founding) the Author dedicates this modest work. ~
BONAFONT CANE
· Arturo Bonafont | 325
Stick Arts VOL 1, ISSUE 5
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