SPOTLIGHT ON : ANDREA WHEATLEY

Andrea ‘The Doc’ Wheatley is an active ambassador for women in the sport of full contact Filipino stickfighting with protective armour. What is even more amazing is that, as her day job, Dr. Andrea Wheatley works in her own clinic as one of Adelaide ’s leading osteopath professionals, and she owns and operates the North Adelaide Osteopath Clinic.

Andrea has been practicing the martial arts and self defence since she was 18 years of age, and since this time, she has gone on to study the different components and basics of Karate, Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Boxing, Jujitsu and Filipino stickfighting. Andrea now holds a 2nd Degree Black Belt in the Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima system, and she is a two times World Champion in Filipino full contact stickfighting.

She is a.student of Master Vince Palumbo at the International Combative Martial Arts Academy in Adelaide , South Australia . She fought in her first International Stickfighting Competition in Los Angeles of the USA , and she lost to the eventual World Title winner by just a 1 point split decision. She has had 16 full contact stickfighting bouts, and she has won nearly all of them.

From her debut at the CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA WORLD FEDERATION INTERNATIONAL STICKFIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2005 which were held in Los Angeles, it was clear that Andrea had what it takes to become a World Champion Stickfighter, and she has gone on to win many fights since that time, especially due to the fact that she has great speed and power with all of her strikes.

One of her more famous fights was at the 2006 World Stickfighting Championships held in Cebu City of the Philippines in November, against Diane Canete who is also the granddaughter of GrandMaster Cacoy Canete. Andrea put on an incredible display of stickfighting skill and fitness to beat her opponent in a very close and exciting match for the two female stickfighters.

Andrea’s instructor, Master Vince Palumbo, was in her corner and telling her to keep on chipping away at her opponent, and when the other girl had started to weaken with fatigue, that was when Master Vince shouted for her to fight hard and fast continually. Andrea produced the most incredible and accurate speed with her 29 inch rattan cane, and this plus her will to succeed, won her the very hard stickfighting match.

Andrea is now getting ready for the 2007 World Championships that are being held in Jakarta of Indonesia this year, and the event will be organised for November of 2007. Andrea has already had 2 warm up fights leading up to the competition in November, and she won both of her sport stickfighting bouts.

We all wish Andrea luck with her preparation for the World Championships, and we hope she comes back with the Winner trophy again this year!

Yours Faithfully, Master Vincent Palumbo
8th Degree Black Belt in the Martial Arts.

Bahad ZuBu Seminar in Anaheim, California

Bahad ZuBu Seminar

When : April 21, 2007
1:00 – 4:00 PM

Where : Blays-Halla Battle Academy
1515 Sunkist, Unit D
Anaheim, California
(57 Freeway and Katella Ave.)

Cost : $50 at the door
$40 pre-registered

Instructor : John Brown
Instructor, Bahad ZuBu under GM Yuli Romo
Instructor, Yashai Warcraft under Blaise Loong

Curriculum :
1:00 – 2:00 PM Boxing cardio and endurance training drills.
2:00 – 4:00 PM Bahad ZuBu (Ilustrisimo) training methods.
Basic trapping, basic footwork, double-sword/
Stick, sword and daga, single sword/stick,
double daga, single knife.

What to Bring : jump rope (optional)
boxing gloves, wraps, focus gloves (optional)
sticks, training blades

Contact Info : Guro John
801-550-8375
jotunnhalla@msn.com
www.mabisamartialarts.com

1st Open Invitational Karatedo and Modern Arnis Tournament Held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The !st Open Invitational Karatedo and Modern Arnis Tournament was held recently at the Power House Gym in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This was a joint project of the Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate Association (OSKA), Barbin Martial Arts Association (BMAA) under Shihan Abdul Karim, and International Modern Arnis of the Philippines and Filipino Fighting Arts International under Punong Guro (Chief Instructor) Manuel Maer.

In addition to the host schools, the other schools that participated included the Lapunti Arnis Club, Panthers Commando Martial Arts Club, Desert Falcon Martial Arts Association and the Power House Martial Arts Club.

Winners of the competition included the following:

Anyo (Form) champion – Hassan Yahya Handi (Lapunti), 1st runner-up – Jessie Barrion (Lapunti), and 2nd runner-up – Cino Ambe (Lapunti)

Over-all Champion – Lapunti Arnis Club, 1st runner-up – Panthers Commando Martial Arts Club, 2nd runner-up – Desert Falcon Martial Arts Association

Laban-Laro (Sparring) Competition
5’1”-5’3” Champion – Roilan Perocho (Panthers), 1st runner-up – Jessie Barrien (Lapunti), 2nd runner-up – Roderick Laroza (Panthers).
5’4”-5’7” Champion – Henry Sawangin (Panthers), 1st runner-up – Arrayyan Rodico, 2nd runner-up – Sanny Sawlles (Desert Falcon)
5’8”-6’0” – Champion – Hassan Yahya (Lapunti)

The Filipino Martial Arts competition was sanctioned by the International Modern Arnis of the Philippines under Master Godofredo Fajardo, Commissioner of the Middle East, under authority from the IMAFP Council of Masters in the Philippines headed by GM Rene Tongson.

As may be seen from the pictures, a good time was had by all. The tournament produced high-level martial arts as well as camaraderie for all the participants and organizers.

Pictures available at www.filipinofightingartsintl.com

3rd PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL MARTIAL ARTS ASSOCIATION (PIMAA) TOURNAMENT IN RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

The Philippine International Martial Arts Association (PIMAA) recently held its 3rd PIMAA Tournament on Feb. 16, 2007 at the Elite International School in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event was hosted by PIMAA President Fredie Laxza and Vice-President Godofredo Fajardo of Filipino Fighting Arts Intl. Guest of Honor for the Tournament was Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the Honorable Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor.

The tournament featured semi-contact karate, and more than fifteen clubs participated in the event. There was also a Modern Arnis demonstration featuring 11-year old Carim and 10-year old Amir, both Lebanese nationals and students of Punong Guros (chief instructors) Wail Ershaid and Manny Maer of Filipino Fighting Arts – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

All in all, the 3rd PIMAA Tournament was a very well-attended, successful and fun event, as may be gleaned from some of these photographs of the event.

Photographs available at http://www.filipinofightingartsintl.com/ , website of Filipino Fighting Arts Int’l and Filipino Fighting Arts – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.



Copyright, Jay de Leon 2007

“REMEMBRANCES OF DOJOS PAST” BY JAY DE LEON NOW AVAILABLE

In this engaging ebook, Jay de Leon traces his martial arts journey from the karate clubs in the Philippines to the dojos of the United States. As the title suggests, you will be afforded an intimate glimpse of the dojos as well as the colorful taskmasters who presided over these dojos.

Along the way, you will meet many storied martial arts personages, the famous as well as the not-so-famous, the respected as well as the controversial, the sainted as well as the derided. You will be provided insights into varied personalities and organizations such as Bob Wall (of “Enter the Dragon” fame), Remy Presas, Parker kenpo, Modern Arnis, FrontSight Firearms Training Institute, and many more.

As an added bonus if you purchase this book, you will also get a second ebook entitled “Eskrimology.” It is a compendium of articles that Jay has written over the past years on martial arts and martial entertainment. Some of these articles have been published in various online magazines such as World Black Belt and FMA Digest, while others are new and never before published.

For a while now, his ebook “Mindanao Jottings” has been enjoying modest readership. It recounts Jay’s experiences in rebel-infested Mindanao while running a road construction company in the early 1970’s. A few have described it as a very revealing and moving book, as well as a historical window into that era.

The bonus book is “Philippine Odyssey 2006” which chronicles Jay’s trip to the Philippines in June and July 2006. His experiences included attending the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival 2006 and the Remy Presas Memorial Training Camp, the Bakbakan Filipino Martial Arts Invitational Tournament, as well as business, family and sight-seeing trips to various parts of the Philippines.

To order any of these books, go to the online store of any of Jay’s websites listed below.

http://www.tipunan.com/
http://www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com/
http://www.filipinofightingartsintl.com/

MAT MARINAS AND “THE ART OF THROWING”

A Book Review of “The Art of Throwing: Practical Instruction For
Better Techniques,” Tuttle Publishing, Vermont, USA, 2007.


In the interest of full disclosure, I met Punong Guro Amante “Mat” Marinas, Sr. sometime in the 80’s, when I had the good fortune of attending a couple of his well-attended seminars in both southern and northern California. I remember the seminars and the lessons vividly. In a recent email exchange, PG Mat politely claims he remembers me from the sea of faces of people who have attended his seminars over the years.

Inevitably, I have mentioned his name often in the articles I have written about Filipino Martial Arts. I have, at one time or another, proclaimed him one of the top living masters of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), one of the most prolific writers of FMA, and one of the most knowledgeable and technical professor emeritus of FMA in the field of weaponry.

After reviewing his most recent opus, his tenth book, called “The Art of Throwing” published by the prestigious Tuttle Press, I have no choice now but to proclaim him the foremost martial scientist of Filipino Martial Arts. He could well be the only one.

For those reading about PG Mat for the first time, you need to understand that by profession, he was a real-life professor of engineering at a university in the Philippines (Adamson University in Manila). As such, he is well-versed in the laws of physics including corollaries and concepts such as kinetics, force, torque and other technical components of physics.

And why is this important, or at least pertinent to FMA? Because all weapons and their utilization as practiced in FMA, as well as other martial arts, are governed by the laws of physics.

When you swing that #1 strike with a stick, a diagonal strike to the left temple of your opponent, also known as “tagang San Miguel,” all the laws of physics kick into gear. The size, length, heft and point of impact of the stick, the speed, distance and momentum of the object contacted, and the body mechanics of the delivery of the weapon including torque, angle and speed all now conspire to make your strike to be effective, mildly effective or not effective at all.

As an engineer and scientist, PG Mat can tell you the force per square inch of that “sweet spot” of the stick hitting its target, measure your speed and angle of delivery, and probably calibrate the effective range and power of your strike, taking into account the movement of both striker and strikee.

These physical laws and corollaries come into greater play in the case of projectiles, or weapons thrown. Depending on the projectile, the following physical aspects come into play :
(1) Grips
(2) Methods of throw
(3) Mechanics of the throw, including spins and rotations, as well as factors that affect the mechanics of the throw including the design of the weapon, environmental conditions, and even your mental and emotional frame of mind
(4) Throwing distances
(5) Target.

An interesting feature in this book is the graphical use of the learning curves to measure and attain effectiveness with a throwing weapon. For example, a learning curve can tell you how soon you can stick your knife consistently at the target.

The weapons or projectiles examined include the following:

(1) For Filipino martial arts—the spear, the bagakay (darts), the VM bulalakaw (knife) and the VCM palakol (ax). All these weapons were designed and created by PG Mat.

(2) For the Japanese martial arts – shurikens, three-pointed shaken, four-pointed shaken and various many-pointed shakens.

(3) For the Chinese martial arts – flying darts, golden coin darts, the steel olive (also known as the Chinese flying olive), and flying stickers.

(4) Other throwing implements – the Western dart and the boomerang.

For those of you that have a penchant for statistics related to a publication, here are a few:

Number of pages : 114
Number of photos : 128
Number of learning curves : 21
Number of computer sketches : 41 (all done by PG Mat, using Corel Draw)
Number of throws made for statistical information presented in book: 1,300,000
Time span to throw 1,300,000 times: 14 years
Actual time for throws: 3,500 hours
Distance covered to and from target: 1,600 miles
Height of cardboard targets used for the 1,300,000 throws if they were stacked on top of each other : 120 stories.

Lest I may have given you a wrong impression, this is not just a scientific dissertation or esoteric exposition of the physical laws as applied to weapons that are thrown. This is a hardcore martial arts book to improve your ability to throw a weapon, whether for sport or self-defense, regardless of your style.

PG Mat throws (no pun intended) the scientific explanations in to give you a better understanding, and therefore improve your throwing ability. And yes, also because he is a martial scientist in addition to being a martial warrior.

Now excuse me while I revise my articles about PG Mat to include the sobriquet, martial scientist of Filipino Martial Arts.

If you would like to order a copy of the book, write PG Mat at pananandta@aol.com. Tell him I sent you, and that you want him to autograph your copy.

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2007

JEROME BARBER SEMINAR IN NEW YORK

From Filipino Martial Arts guro and Tipunan International seminar instructor Dr. Jerome Barber :

Hello to All,
I will be conducting a "Double Stick Seminar: Drills, Translations and Self Defense Applications" on Saturday, Mach 24, 2007 from 3 - 6pm at Erie Community College - South Campus, 4041 Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park, NY 14127. The seminar site will be the Campus Gymnasium - Building 6. The fee structure is $39 if paid before Wednesday, March 21 and $49 at the door.
The seminar instruction will cover the "Redonda" and "Double Sinawali" drills, the translations of these double stick drills to empty hands and finally how these drills can be adapted to empty hand self-defense applications against hand strikes, blunt instrument as well as knife attacks.
This seminar is open to ALL martial arts stylists! It is not necessary for the attendees to have any previous training with any type of weapons prior to attending this seminar. For those people who already have experience/training with stick(s) and/or the double stick drills (Redonda & Double Sinawali), I will teach you how to use the 2 drills in a combative manner against both single and double stick attacks as well as the empty hand self defense applications.
Advance payments should be payable to: Dr. Jerome Barber and mailed to: Dr. Jerome Barber, Suite 230 5999 South Park Avenue Hamburg, NY 14075.
Mr. Keith Roosa will be selling his handmade wooden training knives, bolos, swords, kris and espada y daga sets at the seminar. All of Guro Roosa's training tools are made from exotic hardwoods are based on original designs that are found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Depending on the weapon selected, woods used and time required for manufacture, Guro Roosa will be charging $35 - $110 per item or set. You can contact Guro Roosa in advance to check out his photo array of available items at: kenpok-@yahoo.com
Sincerely, Jerome Barber, Ed.D.
Director and Principal Instructor, Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates
Black Belt 6th Degree: Panci-Panci Eskrima (AMAA) & ISSD Kenpo-Goshin Jutsu escrima-@hotmail.com