Some of you are getting ridiculous.

[streetwise]

Yes.

 

[Mickey]

Originally posted by streetwise
Paul, I really didn't want to do this, since I really don't care if you declare yourself "Great Ultimate Grand Master Poobah and Arbiter of All Rank in All Martial Arts, Yesterday, Today and Forever." Rank and titles don't impress me much, and I have been in martial arts longer than you have been alive. My turn to be honest, Jeff was given a co-successor title by GM Presas. Quibbling about that is insulting to his memory. Before he became ill, Remy Presas told me that he was starting to consider turning the operation of the seminar circuit over to Jeff, since he felt Jeff was very active, and would be willing to make the personal sacrifices needed to keep it going. There was no time frame mentioned, but the GM wanted to work on some personal dream projects, some of which were in the Phillipines. Jeff loses money when he is travelling and not able to run his contracting business, and GM Presas was impressed by his willingness to do this whenever he was asked. I don't talk to Jeff very often these days, and he would simply laugh at your odd obsession with him. Your attacks are more personal than any lineage feud warrants. He is neither lying nor crazy, I repeat my earlier advice, relax (how many instructors have told all of us that!), have fun, support or don't support whoever you choose. You are a young man, as you continue in martial training, you will find open doors of much more use than closed ones. You have changed my mind about one thing, I think I need to get my students, and the students of some of my friends, together and get behind Jeff's group. One thing I have learned, when you see an honorable man under attack, stand with him.

Streetwise sir,

With people in the States and out of the states with higher ranks then JD, and also doing their own seminars and camps. Maybe GM R Presas just wanted to put in place someone who could handle the seminar while he (RP) was recovering.

As to the Dream Project(s) and for the Republic of the PI, yes he wanted to buy some land and have a camp back there.

Mick

 

[streetwise]

"he wanted to buy some land and have a camp back there." Yessir, that is one he talked very enthusiastically about!

 

[Dan Anderson]

Dear Streetwise,
Your loyalty to Jeff is admirable. Loyalty is a quality that most of us admire and try to instill in our own students. From one who knew Prof. Presas for over 20 years, he got enthusiastic about a great many things which he never carried through on. Oh well.

Yours,
Dan Anderson

 

[Tapps]

Dear Streetwise,

in your original post you said:

And before any more internet challenges are slung around, I will train with anyone, but offers to come and show me whose paperwork is more legit, will be met with the laughter they deserve.

Later you said:

Jeff was given a co-successor title by GM Presas. Quibbling about that is insulting to his memory.

You present this as a widely accepted fact. I have disputed this from day one. I've never heard any supporting evidence from someone who had no vested interest.

Jeff is certainly qulified to teach his version of Modern Arnis. No dispute.

I DO dispute his use of the title of Grandmaster. I belive that Jeff is the one being disrespectful. You are free to disagree with me but I doubt you will ever change my mind.

As long as he uses that title, I have a personal issue with him.

 

[streetwise]

And that is fine, sir! We can certainly disagree, and your issue was clearly and politely stated. Is ther really doubt about GM Presas' letter and statements designating "co-successors"? I thought the main question came later when Jeff went off on his own and started using a GM title?

My problem is more with the folks who are being inordinately aggressive and disrespectful. And with the idea that a lineage dispute really matters anyway, like I said, check some of the CMA (Wing Chun is one of the funniest) groups over the years, you don't want Modern Arnis to end up like that, do you?

 

[Datu Tim Hartman]

Originally posted by streetwise
Is ther really doubt about GM Presas' letter and statements designating "co-successors"?

The problem is that the letter was not GM Presas'. He was in no condition to write one.:asian:

 

[Mao]

Tim is, and this is frightening, correct. To the best of my knowledge there was no written statement, except a will. That is until the 5th degree certificates were signed by Remy.

still shocked at Tims accuracy,
MAO

Tim, I jest.

 

[Datu Tim Hartman]

Originally posted by Mao
Tim, I jest.

I know. No problem. You got to love it when the Renegade is right!

 

[moromoro]

WHEN YOU REALLY LOOK AT IT
ONLY A FOOL WILL THINK THAT THE PROFESSOR WOULD CHOOSE HIM AS HIS SUCCESSOR.....

 

[norshadow1]

Originally posted by streetwise
Paul, I really didn't want to do this, since I really don't care if you declare yourself "Great Ultimate Grand Master Poobah and Arbiter of All Rank in All Martial Arts, Yesterday, Today and Forever." Rank and titles don't impress me much, and I have been in martial arts longer than you have been alive. My turn to be honest, Jeff was given a co-successor title by GM Presas. Quibbling about that is insulting to his memory. Before he became ill, Remy Presas told me that he was starting to consider turning the operation of the seminar circuit over to Jeff, since he felt Jeff was very active, and would be willing to make the personal sacrifices needed to keep it going. There was no time frame mentioned, but the GM wanted to work on some personal dream projects, some of which were in the Phillipines. Jeff loses money when he is travelling and not able to run his contracting business, and GM Presas was impressed by his willingness to do this whenever he was asked. I don't talk to Jeff very often these days, and he would simply laugh at your odd obsession with him. Your attacks are more personal than any lineage feud warrants. He is neither lying nor crazy, I repeat my earlier advice, relax (how many instructors have told all of us that!), have fun, support or don't support whoever you choose. You are a young man, as you continue in martial training, you will find open doors of much more use than closed ones. You have changed my mind about one thing, I think I need to get my students, and the students of some of my friends, together and get behind Jeff's group. One thing I have learned, when you see an honorable man under attack, stand with him.

Dear Streetwise,

Why would you support mediority in Modern Arnis? Jeff Delaney IS NOT that good! He may be a Very Nice Person. He might be An Honest Man. He Might Be very willing to sacrifice his business, his family and his future in order to contine another man's dream. He might not be a liar. He might have told us the truth about what the late GM Presas told him to do or the upgrading that he was awared. But that does not change in any manner, shape or form the underlying principle - he IS NOT capable of doing Modern Arnis to highest quality standards of a significant number of other students of the art. In addition, HE, Jeffery Delaney, broke the arrangement that HIS acknowledged GM
forged when he created the MOTTS and the shared CO-SUCCESSOR system for the IMAF. Yet I do not see anyone criticizing him on that issue. That was a very disespectful act toward Professor Presas by Delaney.

If indeed He were a Honorable Man, He Would Acknowledge That he is not the top instructor in Modern Arnis.. If indeed He were an Honorable Man, He NEVER Would Have Taken It Upon Himself To Use the Title "Grand Master of Modern Arnis".

It is a tribute to YOU that you would defend Jeff Delaney when so many others want to pillary him. However I fail to see how you can offer to help him spread "His Modern Arnis Mediocity" simply because many others see him for what he really is. He is a person of limited ability and experience in Modern Arnis. He IS NOT a grand master of anything. If He wants to teach "Delaney style Modern Arnis", that is not a problem. But calling himself the Successor to and Grand Master of the Remy A. Presas Modern Arnis System, is a travesty. It is the kind of thing that a less than hororable man would do. I consider honest and honorable to be different. Someone can be very honest while acting is a less than honroable manner.

Lamont
(No high rank, no titles)

 

[norshadow1]

No Paul, JD is not crazy. He has taken advantage of some hasty and contrived arrangements ushed in by the sever and hash illness that befell the Professor Presas. Some others, for their own private reasons have chosen to support and prop him up. None of them are crazy. But all of them are going to avoid any or all situations where they would have to share training time with anyone from outside of their closed comfortable circle of friends and students.

These people do not want to show us what they have to offer in terms of their skills in comparision to:

Senior Master, Dan Anderson - Modern Arnis 80
Punong Guro, Tom Bolden - American Modern Arnis Associates
Guro, Bruce Chiu - Modern Arnis - Remy Presas Style
Senior Master, Bram Frank - Common Sense Self Defense/ SC
Datu, Tim Hartman - World Modern Arnis Alliance
Datu, Dieter Knuttel - Modern Arnis Germany
Guro, Dan McConnell - IMAF, Inc.
Guro/Sensei, Dawud Muhammad - Modern Arnis - R. Presas Style
Guro, David Ng - IMAF, Inc.
Senior Master, Rocky Paswik - Modern Arnis - Cuentada
Senior Master, J. Richard Roy - IMAF, Inc.
Guro/Sifu, Peter Vargas - American Modern Arnis Associates

No matter how many times anyone tries to bring "the pretenders to leadership" into the same seminar or camp with people outside of their own organization, they will refuse to participate.

When someone's name is prominately posted and publicized and they are willing to be judged on the strength of their merits as an instructor of Modern Arnis, we should be praising that person(s) for working to make the art better. We should be supporting those efforts because then we are participating in making
Modern Arnis better.

The Presas Family/ Marppio is working closely with Datu Kelly Worden on the west coast, presenting another Modern Arnis program outside of a closed circle of friends, they should be praised and supported. They are working to make Modern Arnis better.

JD is not crazy. JD and the others are just "protecting" their self interests. Why take a chance on being exposed as being less capable and skilled than some of your lesser known brothern who also studied under Profpessor Presas?

Lamont

Originally posted by PAUL
Ahh......So he is crazy then.

That is the only alternative. Either he is elaboratily lying, or he is crazy. The one thing he isn't is the grandmaster of Modern Arnis designated by Professor Presas. If he is crazy then I feel bad for him.

I don't believe that he is crazy, unfortunatily. I think that he is elaboratily fabricating his credentials because he is looking for a meal ticket and a pay day, and he used Modern Arnis and the death of our instructor for this. He has also taken a few people with him. Hell, I have seen it happend before: a guy in his 50's with no real career path or clue decides to take advantage of a situation to make a buck.

I know that sounds insulting as all get up, and please understand that I'm not trying to be "insulting" just for the sake of itself. I am just being brutily honest. I just don't think that he is crazy. And as "nice" as he and Ms. McManus are in front of your face, I believe that this is just one elaborate marketing scheme.

I hope that I am wrong, though. Bottom line is: he is not the grandmaster, and what he does and says is bad for our art. So the question is, what are YOU going to do about it.("you" being ambigious for anyone in Modern Arnis) Are you going to support his organization? Are you going to be his buddy? Are you going to boycott him? That is a decision that each individual will have to deal with on their own.

Just my opinions, and sorry to offend.

Gotta go to a meeting now....

respectfully,
Paul Janulis
straight from the city that never sleeps

 

[Bob Hubbard]

JD was invited to participate in this forum. He and for the most part his organization has chosen not to. I contacted him shortly after GM Presas' death for a contribution to the tribute page (http://martialtalk.com/remy ) I got no reply, but was placed on their mailing list instead.

The invitation is still out there. This forum is to the best of my knowledge the most active and diverse Modern Arnis forum online. (Please, correct me if I am wrong here). We have a heavy WMAA presence, seconded in volume by Dr. Schea's IMAF and many independants. We also have members of Marrpio and the WMAC that are fairly regular visitors, if not heavily active posters.

Jeff, Lisa, etc are more than welcome to sign up and get involved. ANY! Modern Arnis practitioner, teacher or organization is welcome here.

I've heard that many do not want to get involved with the politics, BS, and back biting that occurs on forums. Thats fine. I can understand that, and my job as an administrator would be so much easier if folks would stick to discussing techniques, concepts, history and the progression of the art, rather than the "Rattan Envy" I see way too often.

Jeff or any member of his group (or any group) is welcome to sign up, and simple add serious technical info, and keep everyone up to date on where their seminars and camps are, and on how they turned out. A leader gets out there and does. The rest just are.
"Get Involved" was said to one a while back...I think it fits to all.

A grandmaster should preserve, promote and advance his art. One does none of those things by only traveling within a small, known circle.

Peace.

:asian:

 

[norshadow1]

Originally posted by Kaith Rustaz


A grandmaster should preserve, promote and advance his art. One does none of those things by only traveling within a small, known circle.

Peace.

:asian:

You took the words right out from under my fingertips.
It is that small circle of like-minded people which prevents growth.

Lamont

 

[Cruentus]

You took the words right out from under my fingertips.
It is that small circle of like-minded people which prevents growth.

Lamont

He.....one of my favorite sayings is you can be the master of your own universe if you never leave your own backyard.

Streetwise: I'm no grand pooh-bah, arbitrator, or whatever else you declared me as. Sorry. I am just someone who has no fear to bluntly state my opinion. Well, I've stated it, and I'm not going to waste my time argueing over it. If you choose to believe what you do, then it's your livelyhood. Just keep in mind that there is probably quite a bit that you don't know about (the "letter" is a perfect example of one of these things), so you might be basing your ideas behind Jeff on misinformation. If your ever in my area, or if I am in yours, I would be happy to get a drink with you sometime, and we can discuss things. Until then, I would suggest that you keep an open mind, and check out some of the other organizations and independents out there whenever you get the chance. Tell them honestly where your from and that you train with Jeff, and that your just seeing what they have to offer. You might find this to be quite productive and benificial to your training, and you might get a bit more insight into the entire picture of modern arnis.


PAUL

 

[streetwise]

"But all of them are going to avoid any or all situations where they would have to share training time with anyone from outside of their closed comfortable circle of friends and students."

Well, maybe I can change that! I train with LOTS of people in LOTS of systems, if I can get myself and some of my students up to speed in Modern Arnis, maybe I can get some of this childish political stuff put to rest. Honestly, until I happened on this site and saw the same type of bickering that has harmed the CMA so badly, I had little interest in advancing in any specific system. I have more rank than I ever actually wanted, and really only train for skills and fun, these days.

"Until then, I would suggest that you keep an open mind, and check out some of the other organizations and independents out there whenever you get the chance. "

Always my intention, my friend.

"Why would you support mediority in Modern Arnis? Jeff Delaney IS NOT that good! "

A possibility, he is quite skilled in a number of arts, but I think I am better. (Of course I ALWAYS think I'm better). However, I am not qualified to comment on anyone's skill in Modern Arnis. Is he better than some? Is he spreading and promoting the arts? Are the people training with him happy with what they are learning? I know of only one way to find out.

"ONLY A FOOL WILL THINK THAT THE PROFESSOR WOULD CHOOSE HIM AS HIS SUCCESSOR.....'

Hmm, actually the Professor indicated just such an intent to me, personally. Was he serious? Don't know, don't really care.

Bottom line (IMHO) on lineage arguments, they are not worth the time and energy that gets wasted on them. If even a very young man, such as Paul, was to say he was starting his own group, for example- Slighty Less Modern, Arnis-, and declaring himself Grandmaster, if I got a chance, I would still check out his style, because I might l learn something, a frightening concept, I know!

 

[streetwise]

Oh, and on a side note, thanks to most of the folks on this thread for the VERY polite tone of this discussion. Such issues really stir the emotions, that is half of the problem.