I just received this from Dan today:
Dear All,
I am writing you all at one time to let you know that I am getting together with Tim Hartman and his organization, the World Modern Arnis Alliance, for a number of projects with the him and the organization. I am on board and am now the WMAA West Coast Technical Director. My position in the group is one of participation and at the same time, autonomous operation with in my own school. After having spent a week and a half in Buffalo and having had obervered what he is doing and come to my own conclusions about his objectives for the organization and Modern Arnis for the future, I find myself moving along a parallel direction.
What I look for in any group is direction, purpose and ethics. With WMAA, I like what I see. One of the realizations I have had lately is that in his last days, Remy Presas reached out to many of his long term students. His relationship with each varied. IMAF was put into the hands of several professionals, individual who worked in the business field. Looking at it from this standpoint, I think it was a very good call. Dr. Schea is a businessman, Gaby Roloff has a family owned business in Hamburg and Ken Smith runs a Karate Dojo. These people run organizations and they were given an organization, IMAF. (Note: I do not know the business background of Jeff Delaney, Brian Zawilinski, Chuck Gauss or Jim Ladis so I did not include them in the description. They might be skilled business people as well. I don't have this data.) They are sincere, train hard and were among a number of people who were with Prof. Presas when he took ill and I thank them for their care.
Kelly Worden had a different relationship and RP embraced him as a brother. Kelly continues the art through the WMAC and his support of the Presas family.
He asked his children, who he hadn't seen in many years, to continue his art. They created MARPPIO and have enlisted two of RP's old students int he Philippines, Rodel and Roland Dantes to help spearhead their efforts.
The Professor called Tim Hartman anuk ("son" - spelling might be incorrect) which shows the degree of closness shared between the two of them.
He personally said to me, "Danny, get involved."
And these are only the ones I personally know of.
I know deep down that if others could have made the trip or if his health wasn't so fragile, he would have said similar things to others. He was happy when people were training together and the art was flourishing.
What are my personal objectives for the future of Modern Arnis and my role in it? I see two paths, both quite valid. One path is to work on the existing curriculum that he left us and master it. There are more than enough techniques, drills and concepts to keep one very busy for a long time...especially if we keep reaching our teacher's skill level as our own personal goal.
The Second path is one can emulate our teacher's path. Many of us old timers watched our teacher's skill level change for the better as he interacted with other Grand Masters, picking up new concepts and applications and fitting them into his art.
I find myself going towards the second option. My own personal karate history makes it evident enough that that would be my path. I find that it is Tim's path as well. A number of people have butted heads with Tim in the past. Some in the very recent past. I get along with him. I see his energy, his direction and his purpose and I find myself more in alignment than not. Those of you who personally know me know that I would not align myself with the "Tim Hartman Show" were the WMAA only that.
There are several things we all have in common;
1. A love for Modern Arnis, an art which has touched each one of us in a personal manner;
2. An undying affinity and gratitude for our teacher, Remy Presas;
3. Our own ideas as how to continue this art now that he is gone.
I do not join organizations which seek to exclude or degrade others for its own gain. I do not align myself to be against anyone. Hell, I usually don't join organizations, period. This one I do because its direction and purpose align with my own. One of my personal goals is within the next two years is to have a Modern Arnis Camp with instructors from both Modern Arnis organizations and Modern Arnis independants. I'd like that. We all have trained together over the years prior to the different organizations forming. We can do so again.
Anyway, I have now announced this to my senior colleagues through private email and am now publically announcing it through the forums.
Yours,
Dan Anderson
6th Degree Black Belt
Senior Master Modern Arnis
Dear All,
I am writing you all at one time to let you know that I am getting together with Tim Hartman and his organization, the World Modern Arnis Alliance, for a number of projects with the him and the organization. I am on board and am now the WMAA West Coast Technical Director. My position in the group is one of participation and at the same time, autonomous operation with in my own school. After having spent a week and a half in Buffalo and having had obervered what he is doing and come to my own conclusions about his objectives for the organization and Modern Arnis for the future, I find myself moving along a parallel direction.
What I look for in any group is direction, purpose and ethics. With WMAA, I like what I see. One of the realizations I have had lately is that in his last days, Remy Presas reached out to many of his long term students. His relationship with each varied. IMAF was put into the hands of several professionals, individual who worked in the business field. Looking at it from this standpoint, I think it was a very good call. Dr. Schea is a businessman, Gaby Roloff has a family owned business in Hamburg and Ken Smith runs a Karate Dojo. These people run organizations and they were given an organization, IMAF. (Note: I do not know the business background of Jeff Delaney, Brian Zawilinski, Chuck Gauss or Jim Ladis so I did not include them in the description. They might be skilled business people as well. I don't have this data.) They are sincere, train hard and were among a number of people who were with Prof. Presas when he took ill and I thank them for their care.
Kelly Worden had a different relationship and RP embraced him as a brother. Kelly continues the art through the WMAC and his support of the Presas family.
He asked his children, who he hadn't seen in many years, to continue his art. They created MARPPIO and have enlisted two of RP's old students int he Philippines, Rodel and Roland Dantes to help spearhead their efforts.
The Professor called Tim Hartman anuk ("son" - spelling might be incorrect) which shows the degree of closness shared between the two of them.
He personally said to me, "Danny, get involved."
And these are only the ones I personally know of.
I know deep down that if others could have made the trip or if his health wasn't so fragile, he would have said similar things to others. He was happy when people were training together and the art was flourishing.
What are my personal objectives for the future of Modern Arnis and my role in it? I see two paths, both quite valid. One path is to work on the existing curriculum that he left us and master it. There are more than enough techniques, drills and concepts to keep one very busy for a long time...especially if we keep reaching our teacher's skill level as our own personal goal.
The Second path is one can emulate our teacher's path. Many of us old timers watched our teacher's skill level change for the better as he interacted with other Grand Masters, picking up new concepts and applications and fitting them into his art.
I find myself going towards the second option. My own personal karate history makes it evident enough that that would be my path. I find that it is Tim's path as well. A number of people have butted heads with Tim in the past. Some in the very recent past. I get along with him. I see his energy, his direction and his purpose and I find myself more in alignment than not. Those of you who personally know me know that I would not align myself with the "Tim Hartman Show" were the WMAA only that.
There are several things we all have in common;
1. A love for Modern Arnis, an art which has touched each one of us in a personal manner;
2. An undying affinity and gratitude for our teacher, Remy Presas;
3. Our own ideas as how to continue this art now that he is gone.
I do not join organizations which seek to exclude or degrade others for its own gain. I do not align myself to be against anyone. Hell, I usually don't join organizations, period. This one I do because its direction and purpose align with my own. One of my personal goals is within the next two years is to have a Modern Arnis Camp with instructors from both Modern Arnis organizations and Modern Arnis independants. I'd like that. We all have trained together over the years prior to the different organizations forming. We can do so again.
Anyway, I have now announced this to my senior colleagues through private email and am now publically announcing it through the forums.
Yours,
Dan Anderson
6th Degree Black Belt
Senior Master Modern Arnis
