Saturday, April 01, 2006

VACATION SECRET: FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS GROUP TO COMBINE ARNIS TRAINING AND WATER SPORTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

As Commissioner of the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP), an organization teaching the Filipino Martial Arts of arnis, kali and eskrima, Jay de Leon wanted to bring as many students as he could with him to a huge annual training camp in the Philippines called the 3rd FMA Festival. “I knew the arnis training and the exotic locale were incentive enough, but I wanted to up the ante. So I threw in some surfing, scuba diving and fishing together with the package.”

The 3rd Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) Festival will be held in several venues in the Philippines from July 11-21, 2006. The venues include Clark, Tagaytay and Manila. Participation from over 28 countries is expected.The Festival includes training, tours, social events and a Gala Night of Dinner and Awards. There will be eight full days of unlimited training covering Modern Arnis and applied techniques, practical and combat lessons, lectures and demonstrations. Filipino grandmasters from the Philippines and all over the world will display an amazing array of weaponry and empty hand techniques including tapado, sanggot, balisong, dulo-dulo, bangkaw, daga and baston.Nightly events and special tours will also bring will also bring martial artists together in a spirit of camaraderie and cultural exchange. A grand finale in an unforgettable Gala Night attended by martial arts luminaries and government dignitaries will crown the festival.

As for their water sports, Jay de Leon is considering his hometown, Pangasinan or possibly some resorts like Boracay or some of the newer resorts in Bohol. Needless to say, his students are excited about the whole trip. “I’m really stoked. I can’t say which I am going to enjoy more—the arnis, the beach, the food, or the ladies,” enthused Sam Sadler, a long board surfer from Dana Point in Orange County, California and long-time student of Filipino Martial Arts.

There is no question that Jay de Leon’s vacation package of sun and sand, martial arts and watersports, with good old Filipino hospitality thrown in, will provide an experience these arnisadors will not soon forget. To follow their adventures, or to find more about the FMA Festival, go to http://www.tipunan.com/ .