Evolution of our art

In my teaching, I try to reflect some of the understanding of good bio-mechanics - physics - into explanations of how we get power. I teach people how to generate good power econmically. We get folks from other arts coming in to train, and I show them our ways. Most like the approach, but since it involves unlearning some old habits, not all manage to fully convert to our system. They learn the superficial techniques, but not the deep bio-mechanics. Their resulting art is a mix; they do Balintawak with a foreign accent, and make a few grammar and spelling mistakes along the way. This does not mean that they are not effective, but I think that the powerful, relaxed way we move is really important - more important than any particular technique. Not all of our students learn it.
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I cross-trained a bit in rare and authentic Chen style Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) to get an understanding of how that art generates relaxed, continuous, short-range power. I found that in Balintawak we do some of it already - although in a more primitive fashion. So, being analytic, I started to examine these skills to see if we could teach Balintawak better. I used physics as my framework, since I am a skeptic on some of the more esoteric explanations I sometimes read or hear. Then, I had to turn the physics into everyday examples that the average person could understand. Now, we have better ways of getting our point across, of bringing them up to speed faster.

When I started training with him, Dr. Lopez used to say:

* "Balintawak stances are just like walking."
* "You must be very relaxed."
* "You just slump."
* "You always have one heel lifted."
* "Your feet are always parallel." and
* "Just compress your body."

Later, he started to lengthen his stance a bit, I think, and started to say:

* "It is just like running."
* "I use the 'tripod principle', one heel is always lifted."
* "Hitting is just like throwing a stone."

Later on, he started to say:

* "Blocking is just like catching a ball." and,
* "Turning somebody is just like pushing a car."

All of this was useful, but there was other stuff happening that people didn't get. I had to work a long time to understand what was going on internally with him, in terms of how he used his body to support the speed and power needed for techniques. All of the expressions he used were valid for his approach, but they didn't make it 100% clear to students how to do it. Now I add:

* "When you slump, you flatten your shoulder blades to connect your torso to your arms."
* "Lateral motions are caused mostly by turning the hips, not swinging the arms from side to side."
* "You must snap you hips and slump to give that extra power in everything."
* "Think of your whole body as being a self-powered rotary whip and that you want to crack it. That is how you get high speed ballistic motion. Kinetic energy is proportional to the square of the speed."
* "When you make contact, you are no longer a whip, but a bulldozer, with irresistable power to push and pull. You get this by slumping, compressing your body, flattening your shoulder blades, helping to connect your legs to your arms by way of your core through proper alignment and tension."
* "Your main strength comes from legs and core, and the upper torso and arms are secondary sources of power."
* "All of this should be very efficient, so learn to do this with the most possible relaxation."
* "The properly relaxed person is much more powerful than the over-tensed person."
* "Keep your body relaxed, your body is smart enough to know which muscles to tense and loosen. You don't have to tell it that. Worry about your intention to perform some action."
* "Concentrate on good form and body alignment and relaxation, and the body will figure out on its own when and where to tense".

Following the Chen style Taijiquan approach, I have them touch my shoulders and back to feel what I am doing with my shoulder blade, have then touch my lower back and gut so they can feel what the body does when it slumps. None of this is remotely like the way Dr. Lopez teaches, but it works, and complements his approach.

I have heard that some of the other Balintawak masters think that the art has some of the same characteristics as good chinese internal arts. I think that it does.

I have cross-trained in boxing and Thai boxing. We have also trained a few western boxers, and a few Thai boxers in our art. Boxers get very fit, specialize in a few good techniques, and drill them realistically. Some of them can take large amounts of punishment. Their weaving techniques are at least as good as ours. They can get us on quality of their delivery if we are sloppy or undertrained. I recommend training with good boxers from time to time, to keep your skills against them up to scratch. They can be very dangerous.

We have techniques for infighting and control that many boxers find hard to deal with As long as you are training with equivalent intensity and realism, Lopez Pangamut has the techniques to help counter boxing. Boxing is almost a subset of the art. We can do boxing-like hits, and duck, slip and weave in a similar manner.

We have found that weaving and immediate arm control, with rapid fire short shots gives boxers problems that they don't always know how to deal with. Just tying up their arms in a non-boxing fashion makes them uncomfortable. We are very good at controlling arms and body and hitting without going into a boxer's clinch position. We seize the opportunity to tie up by pre-empting, or after the first jab. Many boxers have a problem after that, since you now control their arms. Defence against throws and take downs is not part of modern boxing either. It was there a couple of centuries ago, but has been lost.

I have also cross-trained with some good ground grapplers and "mixed martial arts" fighters, to see what problems they could give us. They can give us a lot of problems if they take us to the ground. So, now I give more attention to countering throws and take downs, as well as doing them. I also recommend that students learn enough ground grappling to keep from being dominated on the ground by a grappler. I show some very basic stuff, at a low level, but recommend my grappling teachers for quality instruction.

I know that the way we do our stick art is somewhat different from the way Master Villasin did it in the latter 1950s, and very early 1960s. It will be much different from the way the Grand Master Bacon taught it to Master Villasin. It will certainly be different from how it has evolved in the various other branchs. Each teacher adds new ideas over time - using their own experience and creativity. Sometimes the ideas are good, sometimes not so good. Everything changes over time. Still, a large core of similar techniques seem to exist in all Balintawak styles.

I like to call Dr. Lopez's unarmed expression of the art "Lopez Pangamut", or "Lopez Mana y Mano". He thinks that unecessary, and maybe pretentious. Still, he developed the art, by looking at Balintawak stick work and knife defence, and then thinking about how to make it work when fighters were not armed. He picked up some training ideas from the Wing Chun folks, but mostly he thought about how to do eskrima without a stick, corridas without a weapon. The term Hubad Lubod he adapted from some of the other eskrima styles, but what we do is not quite like what they do. You can see how the early videos of Dr. Lopez show a very clear derivation of Hubad Lubad from the stick - corridas. Later videos look more like Wing Chun "sticky hands", and still later videos look more like "corridas" again. I and fellow student Kerry Miller said to him one day; Why are we doing this stuff like Wing Chun Chi Sao? Why don't we do it the way they did in Cebu. He said; I was only taught the stick, but I sometimes saw other students practicing without a stick. It looked something like this. He then demonstrated what we later came to call "Hubad Lubod". So, there were people in Cebu in the 1950s doing something like what we now call Hubad Lubad, but since Dom didn't study that part, we don't know just how close what we do is to the old style. Hey, it works pretty well.

I would like to call his stick art "Lopez Balintawak". He will not hear of such a thing. For him, calling it "Villasin Balintawak" is a way of preserving the heritage and honouring his teacher.

Full article ...

Concepts on the Balintawak Eskrima System of Self-defence

by Dom Lopez

There are three dimensions to defense
1. Avoid getting hit.
2. Stop the opponent’s momentum.
3. To be in a position for quick counter-attack.

To achieve the above objective, there are three tactical rules.

1. Move the target. This is done by bobbing, weaving, bambooing in or out, fading or torquing the whole body.
2. Cover what may be the intended target; this is usually a vital area.

3. When blocking, use appropriate extremity (hand or leg) like a shield. It should act like a barrier between the intended target and the weapon.

DO NOT CHASE THE WEAPON!!!!!!!

Basic stance is three points, front foot ball and heal, rear foot ball of foot. Hands like hidden arm.

EVASIVE MOVEMENTS, WEAVING, ANGLING AND BAMBOOING

Angling is accomplished by one or combination of the following.

1. Head is brought to the side, at the same time the shoulder on that side is elevated to prevent lateral stress to the neck.
2. Head is moved directly backward with an accompanying short backward bend of the spine. This is only used as a quick but limited range evasive action.
3. The body is bent forward or sideways.
4. The knees are bent deeper so that the body is brought vertically downwards boxers call this ducking.
5. Knees are bent as in tying shoelaces and the feet are turned a little in are 45 degree angle relative to the opponent.
6. The rear foot is slid back (not lifted) so that the stance is made wider which will automatically increase the distance between the body and opponent.
7. The foot is slid (not lifted) in a 45 degree angle towards the opponent.
8. Rotating the front foot and shifting the weight so that it is resting on the heel

The obvious and central purpose of bambooing is to prevent from getting hit. However there are vital complementary side effects associated with the techniques.

1. It allows a simultaneous strike with a great colliding force on the opponent.
2. If the blocking is done at the same time with the angling, there is a greater chance of success because the distance has been increased between you and your opponent in effect you have slowed down your opponent’s strike. If blocking is used, there is greater stability at the moment of impact because at this juncture, the opponent’s force is past its target distance thus already a partially spent force.

When bambooing out is used, energy is automatically stored on the rear leg as in a coiled spring. A vigorous push of the rear leg coupled with a strong rotation of the hip towards the opponent can generate tremendous speed.

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Basic Stance - Balintawak Esrima System of Self Defence

By Dom Lopez
Basic stance is three points, front foot ball and heal, rear foot ball of foot. Hands would be like hidden arm.

Stance

1. Face opponent at 45degrees relative to him/her.
2. Always focus eyes at level of lower chest. Make sure elbow and knees are seen of opponent.
3. Drop lead hand in front of thigh of lead leg in a very relaxed fashion, guarding hand is in front of chest. Not the side.
4. Knees bent deeply (like in about to run position) feet fairly wide apart. Feet are always parallel to each other and on three points (tripod principle).

Defense (hand position)

1. In close fighting, designate one hand for blocking lower parts and the other for upper targets.
2. To block the upper targets, from the forearm that it is angled at 45degree as if doing a military salute (umbrella principle). The tip of the fingers are the same level with the crown of the head. Move the head so that it looks like hiding from the blocking hand. For upper targets block by moving forearm side to side.
3. The lower blocking forearm is bent at the elbow and moved from side to side instead of up and down.
4. Evasion can also be used by sliding a leg forward or backward.
5. Bambooing bending at the waist but maintaining the quasi position. Bambooing can be to the side are back.

Offence

1. Doing a fence lunge, slide the lead leg widely and hit with the lead hand. This has to be done in an explosive manner. To explode you have to be relaxed.
2. Use of the lead to initiate attack. Chamber leg and then hop with supporting leg at the same time doing a front snap kick or side kick with the lead leg.
3. Use of the rear leg. Chamber the rear leg hop a good distance toward the opponent and kick, this is a good initiating move to distract opponent's attention so you can attack with the hands.

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The 45 Degree Angle as Used in the Balintawak System of Escrima

by Dom Lopez

Facing the opponent at 45degrees is a critical part in the balintawak combat form. It confers to the combatant the following:

In defense.
1. It reduces the surface area of vital targets that are exposed to the opponent. These targets include the temples, throat, groin, bony prominences, knees and feet.
2. It allows for more efficient bambooimg moves.

In offence
1. By moving towards the opponent’s peripheral field of vision, a blind siding effect is produced.
2. Enhances reach especially when associated with bambooing.
3. Allows for better bio-mechanics to generate more power in ones strikes.

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Throwing Basics

In the Balintawak system of Escrima throwing is greatly emphasized. Throwing is usually the technique that concludes the fight, the victory belonging to the thrower.

General comments on throwing
by Dom Lopez


1. Throwing techniques are generally applied following the breaking of the opponent’s structure, or after stunning him with a sharp hit to the eyes, neck, solar plexus or groin.

2. Throwing can be the gentlest or the most deadly technique you can exert on your opponent.

3. Punching the head or face is discouraged in the Balintawak system for the following reasons;

A. The opponent will be dislodged from his footing. Moving his feet and body will create difficulty for your precise placement of your hands for the throw.

B. You can break your hand against a head bone or teeth.

C. Many guys can take a punch (street fighter, boxers, and people on drugs or alcohol). This means your punch has to be a knockout punch 100% of the time. Otherwise the fight becomes long drawn.

4. How to get into a throwing position;

A. If you’re playing defensive, do any of the 1st to the 4th category of the MUESTRA.

B. When a throw is applied following a hit, throw your opponent in the direction of where his body is leaning to.

D. You can play the offensive role by using the initiating hit.

5. If your throw is not efficiently executed because of;

A. The opponent has moved drastically from his initial position.

B. The opponent is trying to counter your throw.

DO NOT insist on your intended throwing technique. Resort to an alternative throw.

6. If you’re intended throwing hand is blocked, use a snaking or a slipping in technique and proceed with throw. Alternatively you can change the hand used for the throw, so instead of the left hand you switch to the right hand.

7. Visualize the point to which you want your throwing hand to touch the floor. That point is either in front of the lead foot or between the two feet.

8. Possessing the ability to hit which for the most part the opponent cannot defend is one of the best assets you can learn in Escrima. Stands to reason that if you can hit once with a telling strike, to hit again successfully would be much easier. This refers to our initiating hit.

9. In properly executed throws especially a head throw, not a great deal of force is needed. In fact if you are applying more than 20lbs of force, you need to practice more and refine your technique.

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The 5 pillars of training

An overview of The Villasin Balintawak System of Escrima
The 5 pillars of training
by Dom Lopez

1. Eye training

The purpose is to be able to see the opponent’s strikes or moves at all times. Indeed after a time one can anticipate the opponent’s moves by learning to read body language. The way to achieve this is by fixing your eyes on your opponent’s chest at the nipple level. Take particular note of his elbows and his hips or knees. The reasons being, one can not move the hands without moving the elbows first. Likewise with the feet, the hips or knees has to precede the feet. In our system the body is turned all the time but the head is kept facing the opponent.

The numbering system represents the angles and levels of strike as well as a standard response for each strike. With sufficient repetition one can learn to see all strikes wherever it is coming from.

2. Form

Forms are to martial arts what style of clothing is to fashion. In martial arts, forms are the ways in which components consisting of different body moves are employed in the overall mechanics we recognize as techniques. In the balintawak system, the form can be categorized into 2 regional parts.

A. Forms pertaining to the body

1a. Torquing

This is done by a quick turning of the hips, generally we face our opponent at 45degrees relative to his midline.

2a. Slumping

This is done by bending the knees to be comfortable, the feet distance may be widened at the same time. In the balintawak system the body is only bent forward for bambooing or when throwing.

3a. Bambooing--(weaving)

Bambooing is a great equalizer; it makes height and strength of an opponent irrelevant. It prevents you from getting hit. But if there is contact like when you block your opponent’s strike, his power is already weakened at the moment of impact, as well at this point your opponent’s stability is compromised and ripe for the counter.

4a. Three point stance—(the tripod principle)

To execute quick turning and slumping at the same time, it is essential that you do it with only 3 points (the ball of one foot and the ball and heel of the other foot) other wise you’re bound to wobble or get off balanced. The feet are always parallel to each other.

B. Forms pertaining to the upper extremity

1b. Elbows are close to the body.

When extended the elbow should not be lateral to the line extending forward from the side of the body. The elbow is never fully extended with one exception and that is at the terminal moment of a strike. In the throwing techniques, both elbows are drawn towards each other to achieve a compression effect. Changing direction of the hand (palm facing up or down) is a function of the elbow. Elbows are used for striking, blocking, trapping opponent’s hands, turning, off balancing and throwing.

2.b Hands are kept relaxed.

The free hand is always open. In all techniques both hands are functional. One hand can be striking and the other guarding. Both can be guarding or blocking. Both can be striking. One hand can be blocking and the other striking.

3. Rhythm

Rhythm is the ability to synchronize ones moves with or against the opponent’s in order to neutralize him. Although possessing great speed is desirable in martial arts, speed is not analogous with rhythm. Rhythm is proper timing. Imagine a duet whether vocal or instrumental, if one is slower or faster than the other, the music won’t sound good. Nonetheless, in our system our cadence is very fast. You can develop the right timing to an instinctive degree by vast number of repetitions(10,000)times. Also a good trick to develop rhythm is to hold the stick with 3 fingers and at the moment of impact hold the stick tightly with all fingers. But the cornerstone to developing rhythm is to force yourself to relax at all times

4. Distancing

To have optimal efficacy of your technique whether in defense or offense, your distance has to be exact. In the balintawak system the best distance is the corridas distance. This is where you are situated and can reach the opponent with the free hand. Sticking to the opponent is paramount in our system. To do this we employ bambooing and foot mobility.

5. Control

This is the touchstone in the pillars of training. It is obvious that if you can control your opponent you win the contest. In the balintawak system control is chiefly done by the free hand. Techniques consisting of checking, hitting,pushing,pulling,blocking,hand trapping,disarming,and offbalancing, turning and throwing are done with the free hand. Occasionally the weapon hand is used for the above functions but mainly its utility is simple and that is hitting.

Please read this monograph a few times until you internalize its essence.

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The Number 12 Block - Villasin Balintawak Eskrima

by Dom Lopez
The number twelve block is the mother of all blocks in the Balintawak Escrima. Except for very few blocks using the upper extremity, all blocks are derived from the number twelve block. To do number twelve block start with the right foot leading, as the strike is coming in both hands are thrust in the direction of the midline of the opponent (noise or spine). The elbows are kept bent, the right forearm is angled 45 degrees (like a salute) and makes contact with opponent’s forearm (around the middle part). The left hand is doing a palm-heel block, and is placed proximal to the right forearm. Now the right elbow is pulled in to the midline and the hip is turned to the right. This will automatically rotate the right hand so that it will end up facing the ceiling. When the fingers of the right hand are pointing vertically, the left hand is transferred in front of the right forearm a push to the opponent’s midline is executed. The right hand free to hit.

VARIATIONS OF THE NUMBER TWELVE BLOCK AND COUNTER

1. With relaxed left hand, slap opponents wrist towards the ground and hit with the right hand.
2. The left hand is checking, the right elbow is brought upwards. The right hand drops and with a snaking motion a strike is delivered.
3. The left forearm is dropped on the opponent’s forearm and right elbow can be used to strike.
4. The right hand grabs opponent’s right wrist with 3 fingers, by raising the right elbow thus allowing the right hand to turn toward the opponent’s wrist. A pull to the right hip with a simultaneous strike with the left hand is executed.
5. Elbow from the outside.
6. Shoulder throw from the outside.
1. Left hand on the shoulder.
2. Middle finger on the shoulder
7. Knee lifting throw.
8. Head throws.
a. Left hand on opponent’s mastoid bone.
b. Right hand on opponent’s mastoid bone.
c. Left hand on the opponent’s back and the right hand on the forehead.
d. Left hand on the opponent’s back and the right hand pushes upward on the chin.
e. Left hand on the opponent’s left triceps and right hand on opponent’s left ear.
f. Same as above with right foot behind opponent’s right knee.
g. Right hand pulling opponent’s right wrist and left hand on opponent’s left ear. The left foot is at the back of the opponent’s right knee (opening a newspaper).
9. Turning the opponent by placing left hand on opponent’s triceps and push to his opposite shoulder
10. Hand traps
a. Right hand checking opponent’s guarding hand.
b. Left hand checking opponent’s guarding hand.

Highlights in the benefits of training the no12 block.
a. Bambooing motions are done intensively in the training for the no12 block
b. Training in the simultaneous use of the 2 hands to do a technique.
c. Mastering no12 block will automatically enable one to master the number one and number two blocks.

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General Principles of Throwing Techniques - Villasin Balintawak Eskrima

by Dom Lopez
Here are my general principles for throwing and takedown techniques:
1. Throws can be effected either in the defensive or offensive role.
2. The throw is facilitated by preceding it with a hit the eye (stunning him) or by immediately keeping the opponent off-balanced at the moment of contact.
3. Keep opponent off-balance by either pushing towards his center (face if feasible) or pulling towards the hip.
4. When holding opponents wrist, use only the first 3 fingers (thumb, index, middle).
5. Throws generally are done with 2 hands that are moving in opposite directions to each other (scissors action).
6. Keep elbows at shoulder width (do not flare them out from body). When the throw is being done, bring the elbows towards each other. This is called the compression or tightening maneuver.
7. The target point of the throwing hand is either towards the front of the lead foot or between the feet.
8. Although the hand is the lever in the dynamics of the throw. The power should come from the rotation and the bending of the body.
9. If the throw is not incapitating to the opponent in view of his ability to fall hang on to his extremity and apply a hard pull and execute a disabling strike.
10. If the lever hand is blocked, use an elbow ride or slipping in technique to proceed with the throw.
11. The most effective throw is the head throw, if you can control your opponents head you control his entire body.

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Counters Against Throws - Villasin Balintawak Eskrima

by Dom Lopez

Throws generally are based on the physics of leverage. To throw, a lever and a fulcrum have to come together, and for the leverage mechanism to work efficiently, distance and angle are key requirements. Based on this premise there are seven principles to counter throws in the Balintawak system.

1. Hit right away with the free hand after the initial contact.
2. Block or push one component of the leverage mechanism.
3. Control the distance. Use the elbow in a bar arm position to prevent upper body contact. Use extended hand to control opponents head if he is crouching and charging.
4. Pull or push the extremity that’s intended to be thrown. The push is toward the opponent’s center (to his spine) the pull is towards the floor.
5. Go with the force by stepping widely towards the direction of the pull.
6. Do not let your opponent flank you. This is done by turning towards the opponent so that your center line is facing his spine.
7. Do not let your opponent or his extremities pass your frontal plane. This is done by stepping back and turning toward your opponent.

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Bambooing (weaving technique)

by Dom Lopez

Bambooing is a metaphor, calling to the mind the image of a bamboo tree swaying in a tropical breeze. It’s a key component in the defense system of Balintawak Escrima Bambooing affords the defender two advantages.

1. There is the avoidance of getting hit. This is why it is called the great equalizer. Size and strength of the opponent is irrelevant. At the same time that bambooing is executed, a vital part of the opponent’s anatomy is exposed and can be hit easily with a simultaneous strike.

2. When a block is used in conjunction with bambooing, the opponent’s strike will have been partially spent and weakened at the moment of impact. Right away the balance of advantage is shifted in favor of the defender. Being in the dominant position, delivering a counter has a higher chance of success.

Requisite accompanying moves when bambooing is initiated.

1. The head is whipped to the side. The opposite shoulder is drawn up towards the ear (turtling) to avoid injury to the neck.

2. Head is kept facing the opponent so that, at no time should the eyes be averted.

3. Guarding hand should be in position.

Challenges in the learning and applying of the art of bambooing.

1. Bambooing is not a natural move. The details of each moving part of the body, to form the whole technique has to be learned from scratch. To be proficient follow the Grandmaster’s rule do it 10,000 times and the move becomes yours.

2. Timing is everything. To learn rhythm, the Grandmaster’s rule applies.

3. The ability to read body language is mandatory. This is not difficult to learn. Just keep the discipline of looking at your opponent’s elbows.

The different categories of bambooing

1. High stance bambooing.
A. Lead foot torquing in. This is used against a midline strike. The body is turned opposite to the lead foot. The lead foot is turned on the ball of the foot and the weight of the body is supported by the heel at the end of the move. The rear foot is also turned so it is parallel with the lead foot. The tripod principle is assumed. The hand is used to simultaneously strike the eyes.

B. 45 degree half step forward opposite to the side of the striking hand. A simultaneous strike by the hand on the same side is executed.

2. Low stance bambooing(ducking) The head and the knees are bent abruptly and at the moment of delivering the simultaneous strike, the body is turned in opposite direction to the striking weapon.

3. Bending away bambooing(torquing out) The body and feet are turned as if one is going to run in the opposite direction. The body is bent at the hips to deliver a simultaneous strike, or a kick can be delivered.

4. Sliding back bambooing(fading) This is applied when you are surprised with a fast forward moving opponent. Likewise if the opponent is using a long weapon (a kick or along stick) and closing the gap is not the appropriate response.

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Seminar - Principles for Throwing

Here are some of the prinicples for throwing to be discussed during the seminar on November 21, 2004.

THROWING DETAILS
Cobra
a) Break his structure by using one finger and slumping
b) Proceed with a hit
c) Hug him tight( be very close to him)
Shoulder throw
a) Hit low to bend opponent forward
b) Right middle finger touching the lat and pulling into the armpit
Elbow throw
a) Proceed with a hit
b) Hold forearm and lock in place
c) Compress and pull down Leg throws
Panungay (double-leg takedown Dumog style)
a) Hit high
b) Get and stay squarely in front of him
c) Bend at the knees not just the waist
d) Head to his belly button
e) Slide middle fingers down to back of his knees
Big steering wheel
a) High push to center line
b) Step to side
c) Hook with forearm under opponent’s
Head throws
Right hand pushing the chin upwards
a) Right hand touching opponent’s midline and sliding upwards
b) 45 degrees to right side of the opponent
Throw from behind opponent
a) Elbow hit should be 90 degrees to opponent’s arm
b) Right hand contouring body towards opponent’s forehead
c) Get squarely behind opponent
d) When pulling down step back to allow space
Right hand to left ear (no leg)
a) Bring elbows together
b) Like ringing church bell, compress and pull down

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Seminar - Principles for Countering Throws and Takedowns

Here are some of the principles for countering throws to be articulated in the seminar on Nov 21, 2004
1. Hand to chin ( chin and back)
a) Do not let him pass your frontal plane with any part of his body
b) Control the distance
2. Turning with an elbow hit ( turn, pull down at eyes)
a) Go with the force
b) Turn your body to face him
3. Right hand to left ear, tricep drag ( ear and tricep drag)
a) Control the distance by fading and hitting at the same time
4. Neck throw(cobra) a) Hit right away 5. Shoulder throw
a) Push one of the levers
6. Elbow throw
a) Go with the force of the pull. Step in the same direction of pull place foot under your arm being pulled.
7. Panungay
a) Double hand stop and drop to his level

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The Hubad Lubod of Balintawak Eskrima

by Michael Zimmer - Vorticity Martial Arts

Prologue

In the mid-1980s, I left Vancouver, Canada's biggest western city and moved to the smaller city of Victoria, on Vancouver island. I had been training in Arnis under Datu Shishir Inocalla, and had received about six months of instruction. Before that I had spent 20 years dabbling in various arts, including Chito Ryu Karate, Shotokan Karate, CAN-RYU Jiu-Jitsu, Kick Boxing and Aikido. Perhaps I had become good enough to be considered a serious beginner.

In August after my move, I received a call from Shishir. He was trying to arrange a seminar on the island to be given by Remy Presas, Modern Arnis Grandmaster. I had previously attended one of the "Professor's" seminars, and was eager to learn more. Shishir was looking for advice on the local martial arts scene, and in particular he wanted to talk to Mike Puckett. Mike is a well known and respected Go-Dan Karateka, tournament fighter, and kickboxer. I knew Mike slightly and said I would help arrange things. Shishir also wanted me to contact a local doctor, who was also Head Instructor of a local Eskrima group. I had heard of this gentleman, and agreed to contact him. That day, I phoned and asked him if he would be interested in attending a seminar given by Remy Presas. He was intrigued with this notion, and he also invited me to come out and practice with him that evening.

I found the doctor to be a courteous man who was somewhat intense about his martial arts. He was not big by North American standards, and in his early 40s.

That night, my martial arts life was changed forever. I went in thinking that after 20 years in the martial arts, I knew something about fighting. I came out feeling like a raw beginner. The doctor asked me to show him a little of my stick fighting art. I demonstrated the little I thought that I knew, and he showed me how much I didn't know. Well, I had never pretended to have any real skill in Arnis. Next he asked me if I would like to see how the stick techniques could be used for unarmed combat. Thinking that now I would find out if what Dan Inosanto had claimed in his books was true, I asked the Eskrimador to demonstrate. Dan Inosanto had been too circumspect. I had absolutely no defence against the Eskrima techniques, and felt like the rankest of amateurs. I left for home that night convinced of the efficiency of the art of Balintawak.

A few weeks later, I asked Mike Puckett if he would be interested in coming out to see my new found art. He agreed, and a short while later, the doctor gave a repeat performance for Mike's benefit, using him for the demonstration. Now certainly Mike gave a better performance than I did, but even his boxing training didn't allow him to cope fully with the sticking and trapping techniques the Eskrimador employed. I am sure that Mike left a thoughtful man that evening. A short while later, we were both students of Balintawak Eskrima.

A decade later, Mike can deal very well with the Balintawak techniques. I can as well, as long as it is not the Head Instructor delivering them. But then, that's what talent (or its lack) is all about. We have both persevered. I have abandoned other arts in favour of Balintawak. Mike has continued with his first love, Karate, and has incorporated his Balintawak understanding into his teaching methods.

So, what was the secret of the doctor? In this day and age, it is probably not so secret. Fighting occurs at various ranges, and a rounded fighter must understand the characteristics of each range. Not only must the fighter understand that, the fighter must learn the appropriate techniques. Balintawak specializes at in-fighting range. This is the distance where trapping and sticking; elbows and knees; and joint locks and throws become paramount. I am going to explain a bit about how we train for this, with our Hubad Lubod drill.

The Art

Balintawak Eskrima is primarily the art of fighting with a short stick. We call the in-fighting aspects of Balintawak Corridas. The methods of Hubad Lubod are the adaptation of the techniques of Corridas for unarmed use.

Balintawak Eskrima is one of many styles of combat developed in the Philippines. This particular style comes from the Visayan Region, primarily the island of Cebu. It is one limb of the Doce Pares tree, but may be closer to the ancestral roots than some other branches. Doce Pares means 12 pairs. It is characteristic of this style that there are 12 paired angles of attack and corresponding defences.

The Group

The Villasin Balintawak Eskrima Association was founded by the doctor in Victoria, British Columbia. He trained under Master Jose Villasin in the city of Cebu. He named the association in honour of Jose Villasin. After achieving proficiency in the art in the early 1960s, the doctor undertook a special course of instruction from Grandmaster Venancio (Anciong) Bacon, the founder of the style. After settling in Canada, he started training new students. He has taught an Eskrima group in Victoria since the late 1970s.

Modern Arnis Grandmaster Remy Presas was a student of Anciong as well, and has referred to the art as "deadly Balintawak". I have heard rumours that he teaches Balintawak techniques to select students.

Hubad Lubod means "Tangle Untangle" in the language of Cebu. The implication of this is that you entangle your partner's limbs, and disentangle your own. Obviously, if you are tangled up, you can't fight well.

When you can just touch your opponent, you are at in-fighting range. The Hubad Lubod drill is a method of training for this close range combat. It allows you to devise attacks and counters based on sensitivity to your partner's force. It is a drill, not a way of fighting. Close quarter combat does not look like Hubad Lubod, which still has rules. Nevertheless, people well trained in the techniques of Hubad Lubod have the technical basis for effective in-fighting.

Comparison to Other Arts

Although Balintawak is broadly similar to other Filipino stick-fighting styles, it differs from most in a number of ways. In general, it emphasises in-fighting to a far greater degree than most other styles. Although Hubad Lubod concepts are found in other types of Eskrima, the other drills tend to be more limited in scope. In many respects, Balintawak Hubad Lubod is more like the Chinese art of Wing Chun, with its drill called sticking hands. There are also similarities at times to the Chinese art of Tai Chi, with its drill called pushing hands.

Tactile Sensitivity

The key to effective in-fighting is the use of tactile sensitivity. This means that you must be able to feel your partner's motion, as well as see the techniques. The Hubad Lubod drill trains this sensitivity. It is possible for an Eskrimador with average ability to do the drill in total darkness. There is no occult knowledge required, just the ability to feel external force and develop the skill to evade, block and strike based on that perception.

Performing the Drill

The basic technique of Hubad Lubod is to make hand to hand contact with your partner and then stay in that range, attacking and defending. You attempt to maintain some contact throughout the drill. You also feel for weaknesses and vie for position.

Figure 1 - Two Arm Contact

In Hubad Lubod, contact is usually made with the right arm on the left and the left arm on the right. For this double point of contact, there are a number of variations in position, each having its characteristic techniques. These are:

À both of your arms on the inside of (or beneath) your partner's arm; À both of your arms on the outside of (or above) your partner's arm; À one of your arms on the inside (beneath), and one on the outside (above).

Figure 2 - One Arm Contact

Sometimes situations arise in fighting where there is only one arm in contact, in a diagonal fashion. There are two possibilities: left arm on right or right arm on left. From here there are two further variations in position, each having several specialized techniques:

À the inside of your arm on the inside of your partner's arm; and À the outside of your arm on the outside of your partner's arm.

Pressure

In order to do Hubad Lubod, it is necessary to make contact with your partner's arms and exert a fairly steady, continuous forward pressure. There may be some jostling for position, but you should not let your partner's arms or body get closer than the length of your upper arm. You should strive for a balanced pressure between right and left sides. It is best if you do not extend both arms the same amount, which brings the hands too close together. This might give your partner an advantage that would permit trapping the arms.

Sticking

When doing Hubad Lubod, you should maintain contact with your partner, as though you were glued together. Follow every move. This technique is called sticking. You stick so that you will feel your partner's force. You stick to an attempted blow in order to impede or deflect it.

Flow

Figure 3 - Flow into Neck Chop

Although you often will want to stick to your partner, there will be times when you want to flow around obstacles to strike here and there. For instance: If your partner pushes your arm down and outwards, go with that push and then circle around and hit to the head; if your partner pushes up and outwards, flow with that and then come around for a low blow; or if your partner pushes your arm inwards, then roll around the force and come straight in with a blow.

If you feel a loss of pressure from your partner, then strike. It will be harder for your partner to stick and deflect if he has gone too soft, which often indicates a lack of attention. If you feel a total withdrawal of pressure, then just strike directly. There will be no impediment to your motion. If you feel excessive pressure, if there is an obstacle, then just flow around that obstacle to strike.

Dissipate excessive force

Figure 4 - Rotation Away from Force

If your partner pushes at you with excessive force, put up your forearm as a barrier. If the push is too strong, then rotate as though you were a door being pushed open. This will nullify the force. If the force is too strong for that, then withdraw your hips, moving away from the force. If this cannot dissipate the force, take a step back. This must all be done without hesitation of course.

Traps

It is one objective of Hubad Lubod to immobilize both of your partner's arms with one of yours, and to hit with the other. This is called a trap. There are a number of methods for doing this, and these will be discussed later. If you have only touched one of your partner's arms with one of your own, it is called a check, not a trap. This is a distinction not made in all styles of Eskrima.

General Techniques

I would like to go into some of the general techniques of Balintawak as they apply to Hubad Lubod.

Basic Stance

Figure 5 - Basic Stance for Hubad Lubod

The basic stance in Balintawak is similar to one you would assume when getting ready to run. The feet are only a natural stride apart, the knees are flexed, the body is centred between the legs, the torso is upright, and the rear heel (sometimes the front heel) is raised. You will have one leg ahead, one back. You should be balanced and relaxed, in a slight crouch.

If it is necessary to defend, go into a deeper crouch for balance and evasion. This motion we call slumping. Often this is accompanied by a leaning motion of the body, a to and fro swaying we call "bamboo". At other times, a sideways twisting motion will be used to evade. In other situations, the hips will be moved rewards to fade away from a blow. In attack, we often will move in on a diagonal course to one side or the other.

At Hubad Lubod range, you should be facing your partner with your torso angled about 45 degrees with respect to the direction in which your partner is found. If you are farther away and hard pressed, reduce this angle and cover yourself, one arm high and the other low. When at a distance, keep one hand low and one hand high. As you move in, face your partner more frontally and bring both hands up to protect your head. When in close, have both hands high. At this range, defend against kicks by blocking with your legs.

Walking should be quite natural. In general, you should step with the leg closest to the direction you wish to move in, but this is not a hard and fast rule.

Blocking

Figure 6 - Evade and Block

Since this discussion is about Hubad Lubod, I will not give a complete coverage of blocking, but will present the main themes.

In general, to avoid a blow, put a limb in the way of the attack and move your head or body away from the target area. The block always moves away from your own centre, and has little lateral component. What is crucial, absolutely crucial, is that you block in the most direct possible fashion. This means there is no wind up, no curved trajectory and no hesitation.

If you take the above principles as the cardinal rules, the rest is just detail. You can block with your arm or leg. You can use the inside surface or the outside surface. You can have your arms upright, horizontal, or inverted. You can use your hand or your forearm. The block can be with one arm or two.

Hitting

Figure 7 - Double Strike

In Balintawak, we use both hands as weapons. Elbows are used to strike in all conceivable directions. Fingers, thumbs, both edges of the hand, palms, backhands and fists are used at all possible angles. It is common to strike with two blows at once, the double strike. Targets are any vulnerable areas on the body, including the joints.

Kicking

Figure 8 - Knee Kick

In Balintawak, kicks are done only to low targets such as foot, knee or groin. Side kicks, roundhouse kicks, front kicks, and oblique kick are all used. At close range, the front knee kick is used as a weapon.

Specific Techniques

There are a number of specific techniques for doing Hubad Lubod. Here are some of them.

Grab

Figure 9 - Grab Technique

Reach across the partner's body and take hold of the wrist. Pull it and chop at the neck with the other hand. Your grab can come from below up or above down. Make the grab and the strike simultaneous. If blocked, grab the block and repeat.

If you like, on the second grab cross your partner's arms one over the other and press in to trap. Let go of the bottom hand and hit.

Slap

Figure 10 - Slap

If you have at least one arm inside your partner's arms, slap across to the arm on the other side and strike to the face. The slap can be directed at wrist or elbow joint. Drop your weight for power as you slap. Make the slap and strike simultaneous.

If you wish, you can slap both of your partner's hands from the outside and cross them one over the other. This will result in a trap. You then hit.

If in the course of Hubad Lubod, your partner crosses one arm over the other, take advantage and trap. Push down on the crossed arms. As we say, if you see an X, use it for a trap.

Bar arm from above

Figure 11 - Bar from Above

If your partner has two hands close together, put your forearm across both from above to trap. Strike with the other hand.

Bar arm from below

Figure 12 - Bar from Below

If your partner has two hands close together and held high, put your forearm across both from below to trap. Strike to the groin with the other hand. Be sure to slump for this one.

Elbow riding trap

Figure 13 - Elbow Riding Trap

If you have an arm underneath one of your partner's arms, ride your elbow up and over into the solar plexus and grab the opposite wrist. This is called elbow riding. Strike with your free hand.

Dropping for a low strike

Figure 14 - Dropping for a Low Strike

If you wish to deliver a low blow, drop suddenly to break your arm free from your partner's touch and strike to the groin with a rising back-fist or ridge-hand. Don't forget to keep your head guarded by sticking with the other hand.

Off-balancing

In Balintawak, we have many techniques for off-balancing using pushes, pulls, slaps, grabs, and trips.

Turning to off-balance

Figure 15 - Turning Technique

In Balintawak, there are a number of ways of turning your partner around for a strike or throw. A general rule is, if your partner turns sideways too much and shows you an elbow, you can attempt to turn. You can turn from below up; you can turn from above down; and you can turn from the outside, with the forearm or the up-turned palm.

Throwing

Figure 16 - Hand in the Back Head Throw

There are many throws in Balintawak. Although these are not normally practised in Hubad Lubod, you can do so if you are advanced and take care not to follow through on them. You should always have agreement from your partner to try throws.

Countering throws

Figure 17 - Wrist Twist Counter

There are several principles used for countering throws, but they boil down to removing your partner's leverage, and regaining your balance. You remove your partner's leverage by going with the partner's force, by keeping your arms close to your body, by hitting the partner, by pushing off the partner's arms, by keeping the partner from getting too close, and by always facing your partner. You can regain your balance by moving your feet to a new position of stability.

Kick defences

Figure 18 - Blocking with Leg

In Hubad Lubod, kicks may be blocked with the hands or forearms, but in many cases it is more efficient to block by putting a leg onto the path of the kick. If your timing is good, you can also interrupt a kick with a well timed push or pull, which will off-balance your partner.

Escapes from grab of wrists

Figure 19 - Escape from Two-hand Grab

If the wrist or wrists are grabbed while doing Hubad Lubod, there are several techniques for breaking free. They generally involve exerting pressure against your partner's thumb. Usually they are performed aggressively by moving in on your partner. This will put the partner on the defensive, and destroy the partner's leverage.

Wrist Grab Trap

Figure 20 - Wrist Grab Trap

If your partner grabs your wrist and strikes with the other hand, you can end up by grabbing your partner's striking hand, and also trapping the partner's hands. This is quite effective if your partner refuses to let go.

Hubad Lubod on the ground

Figure 21 - Hubad Lubod on the Ground

Balintawak is not a ground grappling art in the sense of wrestling and judo. There are some techniques for dealing with pins and holds while upright or on the ground, but this aspect is not at the core. However, it is very possible to apply most of the techniques trained in Hubad Lubod while lying on your back on the ground. This can be practised in a fashion similar to standing Hubad Lubod.

Conclusion

In general, most martial arts tend to concentrate on long range fighting, using kicking and punching. This strategy has a problem. Often enough, your attacker will attempt to come in closer, for grappling or trapping. Arts which specialize in close range combat also specialize in closing the gap to achieve that range. If you have not practised at in-fighting distances, you will find yourself at a severe disadvantage. Balintawak is an art which will give you the tools required to operate effectively in close quarters.

The author: G. Michael Zimmer has been a martial arts dilettante for 30 years, and is modest about his abilities. Many say that he has much to be modest about.

© Vorticity Martial Arts

Full article ...

The One-time Blows of Balintawak Eskrima - From Stick to Bare Hands

- with Animated Illustrations of the Techniques -

Michael Zimmer - Vorticity Martial Arts

Introduction

The Art

The average martial artist may have heard of Eskrima, Arnis, Kali and related Philippine martial arts, but probably associates these terms with stick fighting. This is an over-simplification. These martial arts are best known for their use of sticks of various lengths, but they may use swords, knives, and various exotic primitive weapons. What is not well known is that many of these arts have a sophisticated set of techniques for unarmed combat as well. Balintawak Eskrima is one of the many Philippine martial arts. It comes from the island of Cebu, in the Visayan region of the Philippine Archipelago. It was founded by Grandmaster Venancio (Anciong) Bacon, after he left the Doce Pares Society in the early part of the 20th century.

In those days, those wishing to call themselves Eskrimadors were expected to accept all challenges to fight. Duels were short savage affairs, and sometimes one or both participants would be maimed for life. Deaths were not unheard of. The duels were not legal at the time, but in general the authorities seemed to wink at them. In Cebu City, at one time, the Police of Chief was one of the Masters of Balintawak.

Anciong was considered one of the premier duellists of his day, and fought and won over 100 matches. One of the secrets of his success was the use of techniques Jose Villasin called "The One-time Blows". These were trained as a core aspect of Balintawak, and Anciong was a superb master of these and other manoeuvres. These are close quarters techniques, done at what we term "corridas" range. This is essentially the distance at which you can hit readily with your bare hands. The One-time Blows are quintessential "corridas" techniques.

Balintawak uses only a single stick as a weapon, but at any time, the hands and legs may deliver a blow. Like most Philippine martial arts, the strikes and blocks are catalogued by a numbering scheme. These range from 1 through to 12 in Balintawak. The corresponding blocks inherit this numbering scheme. At "corridas" distance, the stick itself is nearly always kept upright for blocking. After blocking, there may be a secondary block done with the left or "guarding hand", on the arm or stick. This is called checking. In the One-time Blows, this guarding hand is used in many creative ways. It is a key distinguishing feature of this set of techniques.

In Balintawak, all of the techniques for unarmed combat are derived from either the defences used for stick against stick, or from the unarmed defences against knife attacks. In this article, I want to demonstrate this within the context of the One-time Blows.

The One-time Blows

Overview

The essential idea behind the One-time Blows is that you only have to deliver such a technique once in a confrontation, and it will be all over. Your opponent will be out of commission.

In comparing the armed and unarmed versions of the techniques, assume the following:

• both attacker and defender have a right leg lead;
• the blow will be delivered with the right arm; and,
• you will sway away from the blow as you block.

Keep in mind that some techniques work best if you are the attacker, and some will be more easily applied if you are the blocker. You can discover this through experimentation.

Viewing the Animations

Animated illustrations are provided to clarify the techniques in this article. In order to view these comfortably, you will need a web browser capable of showing animated GIF files, a fair degree of capacity in your machine, and bandwidth inversely proportional to your degree of patience. As time permits, the technical quality of the animations will be improved. We will buy Richard some shoes. Stan will get a bigger den.The instructor will be made to appear much younger and slimmer.

Initiating the Armed Techniques

Assume this start for all stick techniques:

• both attacker and defender are holding their weapons in their right hands;
• your partner aims a blow at your left temple with a forehand strike (#1 striking angle); and,
• you block with your stick, using a forehand motion, so that both sticks cross, and are held upright.

Animation: Initiating the Armed Techniques

Initiating the Unarmed Techniques

Assume this start for all bare handed techniques:

• your partner strikes at your face with a straight right lead hand blow; and,
• you block with the extended right forearm on the outside of the attacker's arm.

Descriptions of Each One-time Blow

Slap and Slap Again

Stick

Using the outside forearm of your stick holding arm, move your opponent's stick holding arm slightly inwards, to expose the elbow of his stick arm.

Slap the elbow joint towards the liver and strike with the butt-end straight at the face (#12 striking angle).

If blocked, slap the blocking hand and repeat blow. If still blocked, trap the stick and repeat the blow.

Animation: Slap and Slap Again

Here is an alternative way to arrive at the technique.

Animation: Slap and Slap Again (Alternative)

Unarmed

Start with the initial right handed forearm block. Using the outside forearm of your blocking arm, move your opponent's striking arm slightly inwards, to expose his elbow.

Slap the elbow joint towards the liver and strike with the hand for a #12.

If blocked, slap the blocking hand away and repeat the blow.

Two Handed Strike

Stick

Hook the wrist with the butt-end and drive the free-end at the opponent's right temple (#2 striking angle), then reverse and grab the wrist of the checking hand. Pull it down to trap and hit with the butt-end for a #1. Alternatively, finish with a hit with the butt-end as above but grab the back of the head while doing so.

Animation: Two Handed Strike

Unarmed

Hook the wrist with you blocking hand punch with the left for a #12, then reverse and grab the wrist of the checking hand. Pull it done to trap and hit with the right hand for a #12. Alternatively, finish with a hit with the right hand as above but grab the back of the head while doing so.

Hitting the Thumb

Stick

Grab the stick tip and pull it down and away from your opponent. At the same time, hit downwards with #3 to the thumb. Then hit with a #12 with the stick to the crown.

Animation: Hitting the Thumb

Unarmed

This has no real equivalent in unarmed combat.

Grab and Grab Again

Stick

Grab the stick or stick arm using the checking hand then hit with a #1. If blocked grab the blocking hand and hit with another #1. Pull very hard on this, and keep your opponent off-balance. Hit high and low to ribs, head, groin, kneecap, or elbow joint. Use a sideways elbow smash, a forearm smash, a backhanded butt-end, or a stick-tip hit. Kick to the either knee at the same time.

Animation: Grab and Grab Again

Countering this technique is tricky. Never fade back or back up against this one, because it will leave your elbow joint very vulnerable to an attack. You must bend the captured elbow, come in with a forearm block and give a simultaneous eye or groin strike.

Unarmed

Grab the right wrist using the checking hand then hit with a #12 using your right. If blocked grab the blocking hand and hit with another #12. Pull very hard on this, and keep your opponent off-balance. Hit high and low to the ribs, head, groin, kneecap, or elbow joint. Use a sideways elbow smash, a forearm smash, a backhanded to the groin or a blow to the head. Kick to the either knee at the same time.

Bar from Below to Trap and Hit

Stick

Block the stick hand with the forearm and trap the checking hand, using the palm of the checking hand.
Block the attackers stick hand with your left forearm. Next, use your left palm to trap the attacker's left hand against his own chest. At the same time, use the forearm of that arm to jam the attacker's right arm. Hit with a back handed stab into the body (#5 striking angle) using the butt-end.

Animation: Bar from Below to Trap and Hit

Unarmed

Block the attackers right hand with your left forearm. Next, use your left palm to trap the attacker's left hand against his own chest. At the same time, use the forearm of that arm to jam the attacker's right arm. Hit to the groin with a right rising backfist (#5).

Attack Into the Centerline

Stick

Check the stick arm and move outwards slightly from the inside with the checking hand and do a butt-end #12 strike to the head followed by a supported strike with the stick tip downwards to the head (#12) and a kneeing attack to the groin, #5. Move in aggressively for each blow, right down the centerline.

Animation: Attack Into the Centerline

Unarmed

Block a straight right cross to the head with your right hand forearm block. Slip your head back out of the way as you defend. Check the inside of the right punching arm with your left and move it outwards slightly. Do a right leading hand finger jab to the eyes (#12). If you wish, follow this with a left rear hand palm strike to the side of the jaw (#12), while checking the opponent's left hand with your right. Push it against his chest. Grasp his shoulders with both hands and pull down hard to bring yourself tight against the opponent, as you deliver a hidden rising knee kick to the groin (#5).

Jamming and Slicing

Stick

Push the opponent's stick toward his own face with the checking hand and strike with a backhanded blow to the kneecap (#9 striking angle).

Animation: Jamming and Slicing

Unarmed

Push the opponent's punching arm towards his own face with the checking hand and strike with a #9 backfist to the kneecap.

Jamming and Stabbing

Stick

Push the opponent's stick towards his own face with your checking hand and strike with a #5 stab to the groin, throat or solar plexus.

Animation: Jamming and Stabbing

Unarmed

Push the opponent's hand with your checking hand and strike with a #5 rising backfist to the groin.

Turning Your Opponent

Stick

Push at your opponent's right triceps muscle with your up-turned palm. Push towards his opposite shoulder to turn him. Immediately hit the occipital lobe with a #12 butt-end strike and then throw him down by pushing at the back of the knee with your foot.

Animation: Turning Your Opponent

Unarmed

Turn at the triceps with palm up and hit the occipital lobe with a #1 elbow strike and throw.

Power Slap

Stick

Slap the stick or wrist of your opponent. Come from inside your own stick and from outside of your opponent's stick, using your checking hand. Then give a backhand #2 strike.

Animation: Power Slap

Unarmed

Block a straight right punch with the extended right forearm. Slap the attacking wrist from the outside with the left hand, and then give a backhand #2 strike with the right.

Fan Over the Head

Stick

Drive the stick holding wrist down between the legs of the opponent. At the same time, step with your left foot so that it is in front of and between your opponent's legs. Move forcefully as though you were giving a shoulder check. Deliver a #2 strike which arcs in front of your own head.

Animation: Fan Over the Head

Unarmed

This technique is not practical without a weapon.

Conclusion

Balintawak is an intriguing art. It contains a body of technique which may well be unique to the style. There are many good techniques for infighting to be found in it. Since fights often end up in close quarters, it is worthwhile to investigate that range. As a bonus, all of the techniques can be transferred to unarmed combat with very little modification.

For more information on Balintawak, you may wish to refer to previous issues of Western Canada Martial Arts Magazine (WCMA). In Volume One - Issue Two you will find "Elements of Defence - An Iconoclast's Guide to Self Defence". In Volume One - Issue Three you will find "The Hubad Lubod of Balintawak Eskrima"

The author is available for seminars on this and related topics.

Full article ...

Balintawak Curriculum and Grading Scheme

December 29, 1995

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Table of Contents
Introduction
Summary of Techniques
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7

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Introduction

• This document give the curriculum for Balintawak Eskrima followed by the Villasin Balintawak Eskrima Association of Victoria, British Columbia. This document is reasonably comprehensive in terms of coverage of the various techniques and drills, but is short on explanation. It tends to be quite cryptic. Its primary purpose is to serve as a guide to us and our students. Others may get some understanding of our course of instruction by reading it, but in fact it does not serve as a text, just as an outline.

• The curriculum consists of concepts, principles, techniques and drills.

• Concepts

• These are ideas which are central to the practice of Balintawak.

• Principles

• These are rules which allow us to have a coherent approach to techniques. They provide a theoretical framework which aids in integration of diverse skills

• Techniques

• These are specific responses to an opponent, which provide a practical framework around which you can build a repertoire of skills.

• Drills

• These are structured methods for rehearsing techniques, so that memorization may be enhanced, and skills practised to the point of mastery.

• Assessment of Progress

• Purpose of Assessment

• Assessment of a students capabilities serves the following goals:

• Identification of Strengths

• Identification of Weaknesses

• Feedback to Student

• Feedback to Instructor

• The outcome of this is to give guidance for future training and a route for certification as an instructor.

• Methods of Assessment Include:

• Written Tests

• Oral Tests

• Practical Performance

• Assessment is based on:

• A Demonstrated knowledge of concepts, principles, techniques and drills.

• Quality of Performance in:

• Teaching

• Techniques and Drills, including solo drill and drills with opponents.

• Qualities looked for include correct form, explosive speed, balance, power, accuracy of aim, and appropriateness of technique.

• Students will be assessed on their ability to apply techniques in a spontaneous fashion.

• The curriculum by level and the grading system form the substance of this document.

• Formal tests will be conducted at periodic intervals to asses achievement and award rank.

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Summary of Techniques

Topics
Summary of Techniques by Practice Amounts
Level 1 Techniques by Practice Amounts
Level 2 Techniques by Practice Amounts
Level 3 Techniques by Practice Amounts
Level 4 Techniques by Practice Amounts
Level 5 Techniques by Practice Amounts
Level 6 Techniques by Practice Amounts
Level 7 Techniques by Practice Amounts
Summary of Effort and Duration

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Summary of Techniques by Practice Amounts

Level 1 Techniques by Practice Amounts

Group	Technique Group	Times Practised(30minsegments)	Total Time(Minutes)
SS	basic stance and steppingtechniques	3	90
SS	evasion and slump	3	90
SS	strike and basic defensive12 pairs	6	180
EE	Arm Blows and Kicks	3	90
EE	Blocks no weapons	6	180
EE	Techniques of Muestra -category 1 high	3	90
EE	Techniques of Muestra -category 1 low	3	90
EE	Hubad Lubod	9	270
SumNew	18.00	36.00	1,080
**	Review	0	0
SumReview	0.00	0.00	0
**	Standard Drills	18	540
SumDrills	9.00	18.00	540
**	Extra Preparation Work	15	450
**	examination for level 1	3	90
SumExam	9.00	18.00	540
Total	24.00	72.00	2,160

Level 2 Techniques by Practice Amounts

Group	Technique Group	Times Practised (30minsegments)	Total Time(Minutes)
SS	Advanced Defensive Techniques of 12 Pairs	15	450
SS	Stick at Long Range	3	90
SS	Stick One-time Blows andDefences	6	180
EE	Unarmed One-time Blows andDefences	6	180
EE	Techniques of Muestra -category 2	3	90
EE	Techniques of Muestra -category 3	3	90
EE	Techniques of Muestra -category 4	3	90
EE	Muestra of Slipping in -category 1, 2, 3 (Flow around blocks)	3	90
EE	Unarmed Striking	6	180
EE	Unarmed Closing the Gap	3	90
EK	Basic Block and Hit against the Knife	9	270
EK	Self-defence against knife - Knife Threats	12	360
SumNew	36.00	72.00	2,160
**	Review of level 1	12	360
SumReview	6.00	12.00	360
**	Standard Drills	42	1,260
SumDrills	21.00	42.00	1,260
**	Extra Preparation Work	12	360
**	examination for level 2	6	180
SumExam	9.00	18.00	540
Total	48.00	144.00	4,320

Level 3 Techniques by Practice Amounts

Group	Technique Group	Times Practised (30minsegments)	Total Time(Minutes)
SS	Closing the Gap - Long-Range with Sticks	9	270
SS	Basic Offensive Techniques of 12 Pairs	6	180
SS	Advanced Offensive Techniques of 12 Pairs	9	270
SS	Basic Defensive Techniques of Corridas	12	360
SS	Disarming against a Stick	3	90
SS	Off-balancing while using the Stick	9	270
EK	Throwing against an Attacker with a Knife -preliminary	3	90
ES	Disarming against a Stick or Bat	3	90
SD	Self-defence against Unarmed Grabs from InFront	9	270
SD	Self-defence against Unarmed Grabs from Behind	9	270
SumNew	36.00	72.00	2,160
**	Review level 1	12	360
**	Review level 2	28	840
SumReview	20.00	40.00	1,200
**	Standard Drills	56	1,680
SumDrills	28.00	56.00	1,680
**	Extra Preparation Work	18	540
**	examination for level 3	6	180
SumExam	12.00	24.00	720
Total	64.00	192.00	5,760

Level 4 Techniques by Practice Amounts

Group	Technique Group	Times Practised (30minsegments)	Total Time(Minutes)
SS	Advanced Corridas -Instructor's Role	3	90
EE	muestra category 1 rear hand check - block, check rear with other hand, hit	3	90
EE	muestra category 3extended - block, check rear with blocking hand,hit	3	90
EE	muestra category 1 grab -block, grab with other hand, pull, hit	3	90
EE	muestra category 3 grab -block, grab with same hand, hit	3	90
EE	muestra category 1 neck grab - block, grab neck,hit	3	90
EE	category 2-3 Hybrid with Neck Grab	3	90
EE	muestra category 3 fling -block, shove arm to clear,hit	3	90
EE	unarmed closing the gap group 1	6	180
EK	Block, Hit against Knife -left hand attack	6	180
EK	Block, Hit against Knife -right hand attack	6	180
EK	Throwing against attacker with a knife	30	900
SumNew	36.00	72.00	2,160
**	Review level 1	12	360
**	Review level 2	29	870
**	Review level 3	36	1,080
SumReview	38.50	77.00	2,310
**	Standard Drills	74.5	2,235
SumDrills	37.25	74.50	2,235
**	Extra Preparation Work	10.5	315
**	examination for level 4	6	180
SumExam	8.25	16.50	495
Total	80.00	240.00	7,200

Level 5 Techniques by Practice Amounts

Group	Technique Group	Times Practised (30minsegments)	Total Time(Minutes)
SS	Disarms against the Stick Against a#1,#3,#8,#12or related angles	9	270
ES	Disarms against the Stick Against a#2, 4, 9,#12 or related angles	6	180
EE	Eight diagonal contact positions of Hubad Lubod	3	90
EE	The Sixteen Double Contact positions of Hubad Lubod	3	90
EE	muestra category 3 block and block again	3	90
EE	muestra of Bone-Breaking	3	90
EE	throwing unarmed opponent	30	900
EE	muestra of Double Strikes	3	90
KK	Specific techniques of knife against knifesparring	6	180
SD	Specialized Self-defence -Demonstrate hubad lubod on the ground while lying on your back	1.5	45
SD	Specialized Self-defence - Demonstrate the principle of "stringing the fish" in positioning yourself against multiple attackers	1.5	45
SD	Specialized Self-defence -Show how to deal with an attempt to throw you with a leg dive take down	1.5	45
SD	Specialized Self-defence - Show how to trap both hands of a boxer with an explosive checking motion.	1.5	45
SumNew	36.00	72.00	2,160
**	Review level 1	12	360
**	Review level 2	29	870
**	Review level 3	36	1080
**	Review level 4	48	1440
SumReview	62.50	125.00	3,750
**	Standard Drills	98.5	2,955
SumDrills	49.25	98.50	2,955
**	Extra Preparation Work	10.5	315
**	examination for level 5	6	180
SumExam	8.25	16.50	495
Total	104.00	312.00	9,360

Level 6 Techniques by Practice Amounts

Group	Technique Group	Times Practised (30minsegments)	Total Time(Minutes)
SS	stick trapping from below up	3	90
SS	stick trapping from above	12	360
SS	stick trapping mixed	3	90
SS	Throwing while armed with a stick - this is given less priority than throwing against knife or empty hand	15	450
EE	countering a throw	6	180
EE	countering a joint lock	3	90
EE	countering a grab	3	90
EE	off-balancing whileunarmed	6	180
EE	muestra of Restraining	3	90
EK	Ice pick grip disarms from#12	3	90
EK	Sabre grip disarms from#5. right hand attack	3	90
EK	Sabre grip disarms from#5.left hand attack	3	90
EK	Sabre grip disarms from#1or 2. left hand and righthand	3	90
__	History	3	90
__	History	3	90
SumNew	36.00	72.00	2,160
**	Review level 1	12	360
**	Review level 2	29	870
**	Review level 3	36	1080
**	Review level 4	48	1440
**	Review level 5	72	2160
SumReview	98.50	197.00	5,910
**	Standard Drills	134.5	4,035
SumDrills	67.25	134.50	4,035
**	examination for level 6	6	180
**	Extra Preparation Work	22.5	675
SumExam	14.25	28.50	855
Total	144.00	432.00	12,960

Level 7 Techniques by Practice Amounts

Group	Technique Group	Times Practised (30minsegments)	Total Time(Minutes)
SS	dealing with a sword	3	90
SS	dealing with heavy, long or jointed weapon	3	90
K?	Throwing a Knife	3	90
EK	Redirecting the Knife intoAttacker	3	90
EK	Restraining against an Attacker with a Knife	3	90
EG	Self-Defence - Unarmed against Armed with a Gun	3	90
SS	dealing with two sticks	3	90
SS	duelling with stick	3	90
SS	stick restraining	3	90
SD	Specialized Self-defense1st	3	90
SD	Specialized Self-defense2nd	3	90
SD	Specialized Self-defense3rd	3	90
SumNew	18.00	36.00	1,080
**	Review level 1	12	360
**	Review level 2	29	870
**	Review level 3	36	1080
**	Review level 4	48	1440
**	Review level 5	72	2160
**	Review level 6	144	4320
**	Review level 7	72	2160
SumReview	206.50	413.00	12,390
**	Standard Drills	224.5	6,735
SumDrills	112.25	224.50	6,735
**	Extra Preparation Work	10.5	315
**	examination for level 7	12	360
SumExam	11.25	22.50	675
Total	232.00	696.00	20,880
GrandTotal	696.00	2,088.00	62,640

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Summary of Effort and Duration

Level	DesiredIntensityHours/Mo.	Number Classes	ClassHours	DesiredHours	ElapsedTimeMonths	Cum.ElapsedTimeMonths
1	24	24.0	36.00	72.00	3.00	3.
2	28	48.0	72.00	168.00	6.00	9.
3	32	64.0	96.00	256.00	8.00	17.
4	36	80.0	120.00	360.00	10.00	27.
5	36	104.0	156.00	468.00	13.00	40.
6	36	144.0	216.00	648.00	18.00	58.
7	36	232.0	348.00	1,044.00	29.00	87.
T		696.00	1,044.00	3,016.00	87.00

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Level 1

Topics
Overview
General
Concepts and Principles
Areas to be Covered
Techniques to be Learned
Stick Against a Stick
Stances and Stepping
Basic Defensive Techniques of 12Pairs
Unarmed Against Unarmed Opponent
Unarmed Blocking
Blocks with Arms Extended
Blocks with the Arms Compressed
Blocks against Kicks
Block with Legs against Kicks
Unarmed Striking
Arm Blows
Kicking
Techniques of muestra
muestra - high block, check and hit, category 1
muestra - low block, check and hit, category 1
Hubad Lubod
Stick
Flow
Hit when there is no obstacle
Dissipate excessive force
Slap
Grab
X-Trap from above
Reversed bar arm from above
Bar arm from above
Hybrid bar arm
Elbow riding trap
Bar arm from below
X-Trap from Below
Winding Throw Trap
Dropping for a low strike
Wrist Grab Trap
Trap Under the Armpit and Grab other Wrist
Drills
Stick Drills
Basic techniques from 1-12 for defence with stick.
Unarmed Drills
Basic unarmed translation of 1-12for defence
Hubad Lubod
category 1 muestra High and Low

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Overview

General

• Recommended Intensity:24 hours/month

• Number of Classes: 24 classes

• Class Hours: 36 hours/level

• Recommended Hours: 72 hours/level

• Elapsed Time: 3 months

• Cumulative Elapsed Time: 3 months

• Colour Worn: white

• Colour Sought: yellow

Concepts and Principles

The basic concepts of balance, mobility, explosive action, positioning, stance and direct motions, blocking, checking, striking and angles of attack will be emphasized. The author, G. Michael Zimmer, has prepared the following articles to explain certain aspects of the art. For a description of the angles of attack and the 1-12 drill, see the article "The 12 Pairs of Balintawak Eskrima". For basic description of the Hubad Lubod drill, see the article "The Hubad Lubod of Balintawak Eskrima". For an overview of the core principles of the art, see the article "Elements of Defence - An Iconoclast's Guide to Avoiding Attacks". For a more extensive look at the foundations of the art, see "Balintawak Eskrima - The Philippine Martial Art:Volume 1 - History and Principles" (rough draft only).

Areas to be Covered

• Stick Against a Stick

• Stances and Stepping

• Basic Defensive Techniques of 12Pairs

• Unarmed Against Unarmed Opponent

• Unarmed Blocking

• Unarmed Striking

• Hubad Lubod

• Basic unarmed translation of 1-12 for defence

• category 1 muestra High and Low

Techniques to be Learned

Stick Against a Stick

Stances and Stepping

• The following techniques for body positioning, slumping, twisting and walking must be mastered.

• First, learn how to position the body in our basic stance; stand in the Balintawak stance with the weight centred, body erect, knees flexed, feet parallel, short stance, rear heel lifted, hips at 45 degrees.

• Next, starting from the basic right leading stance, show how to slump in five basic ways:

• Sway the body out of range to the rear as you bamboo and slump.

• Fold the body over to the left side and forward as you slump.

• Fold and twist the body over to the right side and forward as you slump, with the weight shifted to the right foot, the body twisted away from the stick, torso leaning off to the right, and the left heel lifted, feet parallel and short stance.

• Twist the body over to the right side and forward as you bend backwards, with the weight shifted to the right foot, the body twisted to face the stick, torso leaning off to the right, the left heel lifted, feet parallel and short stance.

• Fold the body over to the left side and straight down as you slump.

• Next, show methods of walking while holding the stick:

• Shuffle forwards three times, then shuffle backwards three times.

• Walk forwards three steps, slumping with each step, then walk backward three steps, slumping each time.

• Step and twist diagonally to the left, then step and twist diagonally to the right, without folding over.

• Walk diagonally to the left, then diagonally to the right, with your body folded over.

Basic Defensive Techniques of 12Pairs

• Learn how to hold the stick.

• Show a number 1 st