FMAT: Interview on Lameco Eskrima (many years ago)

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Interview on Lameco Eskrima (many years ago)
By Guro Dave Gould - 02-05-2009 08:53 PM
Originally Posted at: FMATalk

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Gus Ruiz Questionnaire of Guro Dave Gould:

1)- What 3 things do you remember most in training with PG Edgar Sulite? (e.g., humorous anecdote, eye-opening experience, painful lessons, innovative techniques, etc.)


A) ~ I think that the one thing that really sticks to memory the most about Punong Guro Sulite was his sense of humor and innocence as a person. He was a very humble individual with a huge heart but his sense of humor, innocence and shy behavior was not only refreshing but a rare addition to this battle hardened Eskrima Master. He kept to himself until he came to know you as a person and once you had earned his trust there wasn`t anything that he would not do for you as one of his students and friends. I recall many fond memories after training at Punong Guro Sulites` home while sitting at his table eating, talking, watching videos or singing Karaoke. He was very hospitable and wanted for his students to learn not only the Indigenous Pilipino Warrior Arts that he loved so much, but he wanted for us to become knowledgeable about and appreciate the Pilipino culture as well. Being a guest in his home was always an honor and we were all made to feel as part of his family. When all was said and done Edgar was my Mentor, my Instructor, and one of my Best Friends. His loss is felt deeply on a daily basis by many to be sure, and that in and of itself is a huge indicator of how profoundly he touched the lives of the people closest to him. As for a Pilipino Warrior Arts Master, what more can be said on his behalf other than he was legendary in his combative prowess and without a doubt a Giant in the Industry, a Master of Masters. May he rest in Peace and always remain alive in our hearts and our minds.

B)~ One thing that really forced me to another combative level is credited solely to Punong Guro Sulites ability to adjust and recreate my combative mindset. Over time under his astute teaching and guidance while being held to a very regimented training schedule I was transcended from Martial Artist to Warrior. The mindset that he required for combat was not an easy one to acquire to say the least. You had to be able to work through heavy doses of pain and injury without it being detected in you while allowing nothing to hinder your performance in the process. As long as there was life left in your body you were expected to fight on until only death itself came and robbed you from the battle. He used to tell me that if I was so fortunate as to feel the warmth of my blood running down from my injuries in combat that it alone was proof enough that I was still alive. So, to that end I was expected to fight on until I either succeeded in my efforts to live or I died trying. He would often comment that should I be seen favorably in the eyes of the powers to be and survive the battle I could tend to my injuries in leisure over the following days to come. If not than it would be of little consequence as I would be dead and my physical concerns would be rendered irrelevant by the crisis situation which would be successful in ending my physical existence.

This brings me to one of my training sessions with him early on in my development under his tutelage. This would be the first time that he introduced me to material from De Campo Uno-Dos-Tres Orihinal. On this particular session he had me stroking my Garote with full power and speed for the complete training session with only 2 minute breaks of &#8220;footwork&#8221; after every 15 minutes of stroking as hard and as fast as I could without stopping or slowing down. He would tell me again and again to &#8220;strike harder&#8221;, &#8220;strike faster&#8221; and &#8220;strike with more intention&#8221;, that &#8220;every strike which I threw had to be able to break the head of my opponent or I shouldn`t throw one at all&#8221;. With-in the first 15 minutes of this activity my hands began to blister and bleed and I found myself working through immense pain. Punong Guro Sulite saw that it was effecting my performance and asked me if I wanted to quit, or at least if I wanted a bandage, not wanting to show weakness I said no and continued on. I noticed that through the pain and exhaustion I was struggling to maintain my focus as I wanted to quit, but my respect for him was greater than my desire to quit. I always felt that I had to show him that I was worthy of his teaching. As I was convinced that if I showed any weakness to him or anyone else for the matter that it would be devoured at my expense, and that I would lose much face in the process. I really struggled with myself on that class but I stayed the course until the ordeal was completed. When it was over I had to peel the garote from my hand as the blood from many broken blisters had coagulated and had glued the garote to my hand.

My hands were often raw, swollen, bloodied and fatigued after my training sessions with Punong Guro Sulite, but I truly felt that this one class in specific gained me respect from him as well as for myself. More importantly it was a barometer of sorts by which Punong Guro Sulite could read into my dedication and potential to become one of the future standard bearers of his system one-day. You see his views concerning combat were simply this, you are only as effective in fighting as you are in training. You will fight the way that you train, simply put if you fight with weakness it`s because you`ve trained with weakness. He always allowed his training to brush up as close as possible to reality, he realized that only by doing this would he be best prepared to deal with real life threatening situations with positive effect as they arise.

This would be the first of many such classes to come where I would be required to stroke my garote until my hands would bleed. This proved to be beneficial over time because when fighting you don`t show that you are hurt, even when you really are as this may be used to your opponent&#8217;s advantage in defeating you. After my mindset had been recreated I noticed that taking full shots to my hands and body were`nt enough to shake my concentration anymore, I wouldn&#8217;t give a facial expression one way or the other as to whether I was injured or not. This is one of the things that I noticed about Punong Guro Sulite right away after sparring with him early on. Every time that I would strike him in the hands or body I would expect a response in order to gauge the damage done but I got no response of pain or a facial expression of any kind back from him. He would just work through the pain and this left me wondering what effect if any I was having on him, as I knew that I connected with heavy strikes. Later I would come to learn that this was just one of many ways that you can defeat your opponent by allowing doubt to manufacture opportunity in your opponents` defenses. As he begins to doubt himself opportunities start to appear as a direct result of a distracting thought on the part of your opponent, out of this doubt is born opportunity. This was the first time that the Pilipino Warrior Arts were presented to me in such a manner and from the first day I recognized the gift that had been placed before my feet in training with Punong Guro Sulite. Since my first class under his tutelage I have been in his servitude as a dedicated student and later a loyal Standard Bearer of Lameco Eskrima. I remain so to this day&#8230;

C)~ Punong Guro Sulite was always looking for the best approach to utilize his system for the sole purpose of combat. His system was always a work in progress with him, Lameco in his eyes was complete but not yet finished, as it was allowed to better upon itself with each generation added to it. It wasn`t &#8216;what&#8217; he did as a warrior that distinguished him from the rest but rather &#8216;how&#8217; he did what he did which made him so great and separated him from the rest on his skill level. Punong Guro Sulite always expressed to us that we are only as effective as we are today, it doesn`t matter how effective we moved 10 years ago nor does it matter how effective we will move 10 years from now. Today and today alone represents how well we move in combat and in the end is the only thing which matters when you are forced to encounter random crisis situations. We are what people see us as, if people see a Master standing in front of them than you are a Master, if they see a beginning student in front of them than a beginning student is what you are. Punong Guro Sulite felt that rank and title was never claimed by an individual but rather it should be bestowed on us from some one other than ourselves as only someone else can recognize faults in us that we are not capable of recognizing in ourselves. This is why PG Sulite stressed heavily that when you are forced to move in defense of yourself in real life or in training you move with intention, when you throw a strike at someone you throw it with enough power to break your opponents head or you don`t throw it at all. You are always being judged from those on the outside looking in so you always have to perform even the smallest task with the intent of garnishing the greatest respect from those that look only for weakness from within you. Once weakness is shown an opportunity is born from it which can be used against you at some point in time. Eliminate weakness shown in Combat and opportunity also ceases to exist from within your personal combative structure, and once you recognize weakness in your opponent devour it quickly with an appetite for destruction and survival, in turn you will be granted one more day of life to reflect on your victories. Punong Guro Sulite demanded much respect from those around him not by reputation alone but rather through ones first hand knowledge of his combative movement and effect.

2)- If you were under severe time constraints, what 3 things would you like YOUR students to learn and absorb first?

Truth to Self, Truth in Training, and Truth in Combat&#8230; I feel that above all else these three things being united and kept in harmonious balance with one another make for the purest marriage for success in recognizing and dealing adequately with all things combative. Truth is a powerful thing; it is an enemy of those whom lurk in the shadows as it shines a revealing light on all things cast in darkness with the intent to be hidden and obscured. Subsequently truth is an ally, friend and enforcer to those with nothing but only to gain. One should seek out truth in establishing what your ultimate survival goals are, and train with dedication, vigor and confidence in realizing those goals from the earliest stages of your warrior development. Always be honest in your assessment of &#8220;self&#8221; concerning your combative capability, often using reality as the barometer of overall combative effect. Don`t get caught up in a &#8220;false hype&#8221; or buy into how &#8220;great&#8221; that people say that you are. Remember that only truth is spoken in our language of combative movement, and to this end we are either effective or we are not. Readily accept and be open to criticism by those in the know, as those on the outside looking in have a far more reaching capability to clearly see things as they are in you, things that you may refuse to see in yourself due to pride or ego.

3) If you were to distill Lameco Eskrima down into 3 basic principles, what would those principles be?


A)~ Strong Combative Foundation (basics): Clearly, attributes are among the most important aspects of fighting and are key in preparing oneself for effective street combat. The key in developing these necessary attributes is purely based on the way that one chooses to train guided by ones dedication to truth in training and truth to self. All the while being held to the most stringent standards and realities of truth in combat. Effective combative attributes depend heavily on one another in order to perform with peak effect, one attribute regardless of how good it is, acting on its own accord without the assistance of the others is doomed for failure. All attributes have to be present and working in unison for the better good of combative movement in order to be effective when one is in potential danger of losing life and limb to unpredictable senseless or intentional acts of random violence on the street. The attributes most in need of being developed in the earliest stages of training are; Speed, Timing, Power, Position, Ambidexterity, Ranging, Recovery, Perception / Reaction and Non-telegraphic striking. As your basic attributes develop accordingly only then should you start dedicating time in developing your technical skills for combat. Techniques supported with a fractured foundation will not stand long before collapsing to the ground in failure and disaster.

B)~ Aggressive Combative Mindset (Juramentado): In my opinion the proper mindset makes up for more than a large percentage of the overall fight structure. You should first and foremost train yourself to contend with the 'worse case scenario' as opposed to the 'best case scenario'. If you are prepared to stop the person who will only allow death itself to rob him of his intentions of killing you than the person that only wants to beat you down leaving you with broken ribs and a black eye won't be a factor. The person that you least want to interface with in a crisis situation is the person that doesn't care if they themselves will live or die leaving their only concern being immediate gratification. This type of person only sees what they want and if you stand between them and &#8220;that&#8221; thing which they are willing to kill for, you will quickly become disposable and may be removed from the situation altogether on a permanent basis. This type of person doesn't care if you will ever see your family again or even if you will live or die, as their only objective is to remove the competition at whatever the cost in their quest to gain what they want from you. If you are prepared to deal with this type of mindset than a drunken brawl or a street fight is merely a walk in the park. Mindset is also about controlling your personal space in the heat of combat, under duress while maintaining a heightened combative awareness until you have successfully put proper distance between you and the situation, as to reassess from neutral territory. Remember that even as your enemy lies dying at your feet he is not dead until he draws his last breath and until he does that very thing he is still very much a danger to you, and if you allow him the opportunity you will join him in death.

Although all of your attributes are essential in combat I feel that it&#8217;s the mindset that truly transcends man to warrior above all the rest. You should always strive to keep your mind in focus and see things with clarity, even as everyone else around you is losing theirs in the midst of total destruction and chaos. When you can do this and still have your mental faculties about you and the intestinal fortitude to continue on than you have achieved the mindset of a warrior. You must have the mental faculties necessary to get operational when the situation gets &#8220;hairy&#8221; and allow absolutely nothing short of death itself to keep you from completing your objective. Absolutely no distractions are acceptable in combat. One of the fast and hard rules of combat is that if you can feel the warm sensation of your lifes blood trickling down from your wounds this is proof enough that you indeed are alive. So&#8230; to that end you fight on undeterred and undistracted until you either die fighting or meet your objective with success and live. If you are fortunate enough to survive the situation you will have plenty of time to cater to your wounds and reflect on the previous days events in the following weeks awarded you by your courageous actions in battle. Mindset is an awesome weapon, and when properly trained and tuned into an individual schooled in the functional knowledge of how to best implement it in combat, it can be quite lethal. Give me a thousand men with this ability and mindset and I will have not one but rather a thousand different armies&#8230;

C)~ Training for unexpected random exchange: Allowing Perception and reaction to govern ones realistic responses toward unexpected attacks in combat is key for one to become an effective warrior. The best way to prepare oneself to respond against real time unexpected elements in combat is to address it in like manner in ones training sessions in a realistic environment. Hence the way that we train will be the way that we will fight while addressing real situations on the street. In the beginning of our combative development we train numerous drills and techniques with compliance in order to build a strong foundation and in doing so we allow for growth as technicians. However in transcending from Martial Artist to Warrior all limitation, boundaries and restrictions must be removed from our training sessions. Where by allowing us the ability to respond in earnest while engaging violent random attacks in real time against your person in combat, leaving you better to deliver your deadly intent with effect while operating in a non-compliant atmosphere.

I feel in many ways that by training in drill form to gain combative capability is similar to a cocoon that over time allows a caterpillar to transition into a Butterfly. Training in drill form is considered to be metal training of sorts and is necessary for one to achieve certain combative functions for one to become effective in combat. Once these functions and lessons learned have been assimilated and successfully programmed into the sub-conscience the drills quickly become irrelevant in their current form, as they have nothing left to offer you (unless you intend to teach some day). When the drills begin to hold you back through various boundaries and limitations it is time to release them as they are. Just as the drills are necessary for a man to transcend into warrior the cocoon is necessary for a caterpillar to transcend into a Butterfly. Once the Butterfly grows wings and flies from the cocoon the cocoon itself becomes irrelevant and should be left behind, as it has accomplished its objective. Likewise as man is transcended into Warrior the limited drills which lead him through this transformation are to be left behind. In doing so the warrior is released to grow and learn from random exchange all the while dealing with the unexpected, where-by being forced to problem solve and give the most adequate response possible for a specific course of action. I`m not advocating to forget the drills but rather allow yourself to move on to a more realistic training environment not confined to looking back but rather looking forward in your development while drawing heavily from realism.

Let me expound on this a bit just so there are no misconceptions. In training drills such as &#8220;Labang-laro&#8221;, &#8220;Laro-laro&#8221;, &#8220;Pangilog&#8221;, &#8220;Patibong&#8221;, &#8220;Crosada&#8221;, &#8220;Sakay sa brazo at tapi&#8221;, and &#8220;Palosutan&#8221; to mention a few which we have in Lameco. The drills are great tools in programming the warrior in training what to do and when to do it. And if you focus and limit yourself to training only these drills you will become very good in their original form. However Punong Guro Sulite wanted more than for you as one of his students to just become &#8220;very good&#8221;. He wanted for his students to actually become better than he himself was, as this would allow him to grow along with his students. As he would have to interact with his students on a daily basis and the better the students reaction the more which would be required of Punong Guro Sulite in dealing with them in training.

In doing &#8220;Palosutan&#8221; for example the drill already allows for a certain amount of random exchange. Punong Guro Sulite would start us out with &#8220;Ikis&#8217; with various pieces of &#8220;Kilos paa&#8221; (footwork). As things would progress he would add in addition to &#8220;Ikis&#8221;, &#8220;tusok derecho&#8221;, &#8220;tusok taub&#8221;, &#8220;tusok tihaya&#8221;, &#8220;crosada&#8217;, &#8220;tusok sa kamay&#8221;, &#8220;hiwa sa kamay&#8221;, &#8220;pasok sa punyo&#8221;, &#8220;Tapi sa kamay&#8221;, &#8220;sunggab suklian&#8221;, &#8220;pintok&#8221;, &#8220;abaniko&#8221;, &#8220;pangilog&#8221;, &#8220;patibong&#8221;, &#8220;palibot&#8221;, etc&#8230; As he would take you to a different level he would remove all limitation and confinement from within the drill by allowing you to randomly exchange strikes based on opportunity in addition to changing range when the situation necessitates it. While working back into &#8220;Corto&#8221; range he would allow for advanced attributes to be used such as &#8220;enganyo&#8221; &#8220;matuwid na daan&#8221;, &#8220; ranging&#8221; (largo, medio, corto), &#8220;corralling&#8221;, while interrogating your opponents center line whereby allowing you to manufacture opportunities from within your opponents defenses. This took a standard drill with restrictions and added a sense of realism to it by allowing the student to experience a realistic series of random attacks leaving him to perceive, and respond appropriately under duress as he would have to do in a real life situation. There fore allowing ones training to brush up as close to reality as possible in a training environment without actually going to the street and fighting for life and limb.

Punong Guro Sulite came up with the drills in Lameco for one reason, to facilitate the students transition from Martial Artist to Warrior. The &#8220;Labang-laro&#8221; drills for example weren&#8217;t meant to be the &#8220;Gospel&#8221;, so to speak of Lameco, never to be tampered with. On the contrary he designed these drills, and there have been many deleted or approved upon by Punong Guro Sulite throughout my time with him, with the intent to package a combative response in a way where the basic student would be able to learn and later replicate in combat when the opportunity for it was presented. Punong Guro Sulite always allowed for the &#8220;unexpected&#8221; element in combat to present itself when the situation called for it, as this was the only way that you could develop a heightened combative awareness which was crucial to survival in dealing with life threatening crisis situations.

The drills were second only to the true purpose of their existence and that was for developing the required movements wrapped in drill form in order to facilitate the learning process. It wasn`t the drills which were important to Punong Guro Sulite but rather the function that they supported and allowed to come forth through repetition that was the most important aspect of training. So&#8230; Just as the Butterfly flies from the cocoon the warrior is weaned off of his dependence of training in compliant drill format, allowing both to continue on while learning lifes lessons in a natural environment. Whereby experience itself is allowed to come forth interacting with the unknown element of combat and in doing so taking its place as lifes greatest teacher.

4) What 3 training tips can you share which proved to be effective in real-life situations?

A)~ Aggression both in training and fighting would be at the top of my list. However being aggressive in combat doesn&#8217;t mean being stupid and reckless while engaging your opponent. You still have to be a smart fighter, understanding that there is a right and wrong time to seize opportunities while all the time being at the ready for counter attacks. Aggression is one of the means by which you commit yourself to your decisions in the heat of battle and a way of seeing them through to the end at what ever the cost. Surprise is a great advantage in battle and lets be honest, not many people train as to deal with aggressive opponents.

It&#8217;s a fact that when given much time a man can achieve great things in the heat of battle while executing with a cool head. Take away the luxury of time and interject chaos and destruction in its stead and the advantage slips to your side of the conflict. Train as to embrace aggression as your friend and you place victory ever so close to your fingertips, always within reach while in combat. Once you commit you have to be able to follow the advantage through to the end and you can&#8217;t recognize any obstacle as being so great as to stop you from meeting your objective. Train as to understand aggression for what it is and you will more-so be placed in a position where you may use it to your advantage, yet keeping it from consuming you in the process.

Confident aggression is what we all need to realize in developing and meeting our greatest combative efforts. This enables us to either create (manufacture) opportunities or take advantage of existing ones already available to us under duress in combat. This can be obtained by how we choose to train. As iv`e stated in other writings the way that you train will be the way that you will fight. So in training once you start to aggressively interact with your training partner as to emulate a real situation with all of its inconsistencies you will better ready yourself to contend with realistic situations as they play out from second to second on the street. In training pursue your training partner as you would your enemy in the heat of battle and have him pursue you in like manner. This leaves very little room for misunderstandings or a false sense of combative effect as the way you will perform in training will be no different than the way that you would expect to perform in a real crisis situation. Naturally this advice is geared for the more serious minded student of the warrior arts. I`m talking about what will make you a better fighter not what will make you a more likable training partner. For the social martial artist disregard my writings as rantings from a crazed lunatic, but for the ones of you that want to better understand what it takes to survive combative crisis situations heed my advice as it can make you a better fighter and more importantly a survivor.

Training to become aggressive is more about proper training habits than anything else. Ones ability to form realistic achievable goals, mindset, and training with intention will go along way toward meeting this end. As you become more and more aggressive in your training sessions it will transcend from the training studio to the street when it is called upon in defending your life. The more that you understand aggressive behavior the less that you will be taken back when introduced to it on the street and the better you will be able to wield it in destroying your enemy. Know your enemy and you limit the potential element of surprise. But be forewarned that if you choose to eliminate aggression from your training it will consume you at the first opportunity on the street. As kindred spirits recognize each other you too will come to recognize aggression for what it is and more importantly use it to your advantage in combat.

B)~ A heightened sense of combative awareness would be second on the list with me. While in fighting range, training or otherwise, always be on the defensive and be ready to contend with any free radicals introduced into the situation at anytime. Never begin or end training drills in fighting range resulting in you dropping your guard for any reason while in that range. If you know that you are going to stop and adjust something or gather your thoughts than back out of range giving an extra 3 seconds of awareness on the situation in case your training partner, or enemy for the matter decides to pursue you. Always start your drills from out of range making your entry into fighting range and always put proper distance between you and the situation when you complete any drill. When you see weakness in your training partners defense expose it immediately and make him aware of it through your actions not your words. As you can tell me not to do something hundreds of times and I will make a note of it but hit me once and inflict the smallest amount of pain and you have my undivided attention on the matter from that point on. This type of training may seem brutal to some and just annoying to others but it will deliver the most effective results in the shortest amount of time invested.

There are many different types of awareness to be added to your arsenal and each will bring you closer to placing yourself in a more suitable position by which to defend yourself should you encounter a violent situation on the street someday. Controlling personal space is key in developing proper awareness. Once someone enters an area where he has access to inflict on you personal bodily harm you are to always note any and all movement within that area. If possible always position yourself just outside of the line of engagement. If an altercation arises at least your opponent will have to announce his intent by moving into range and this allows you some time to react and repel the attack. Whereas if you allow anyone within your personal space for any length of time you will have less time to respond as your opponent will already be in striking range should he decide to harm you in some way.

I`m not advocating that you become &#8220;twitchy&#8221; around those that you love and trust but use your better judgement and basic instincts to feel out each situation, but always allow room for retaliation should the situation merit it at anytime. I train my students to always be on the defensive in and out of class. If they get close to me in conversation at any time and let their guard down I will launch a simulated attack on them with my knife in order to get the lesson across to them in terms that they have no choice but to recognize. After awhile they become very aware to the possibility of attack when around me at any time as well as others with whom they communicate with in day to day life. If you can`t trust your Instructor who can you trust? Punong Guro Sulite would train me in the same vein and looking back it was probably one of the better advanced attributes that I developed under his tutelage.

C)~ The third thing that I would rate as being at the top of the list would be environmental training. To be effective we have to train in order to deal with the environment that we find ourselves in on a daily basis and where we are at the most risk of attack. The way that you will fight in a wide-open space will be different than the way that you will be forced to fight in an enclosed area with limited space for movement. As a primary training function always train to fit the environment that you are confined to everyday. As well allow your weapon load out to assist your state of necessity if possible in the areas that you frequent the most. For example stage items or actual weapons in those areas that you find yourself at during most of the day such as in your work place. You could place a cane close to your desk at work or an umbrella in its stead if a cane is too obvious. Load up your work area with heavy pens or place a letter opener within your reach while working at your desk. If you are into construction work items such as nail guns, screwdrivers, hammers, and chisels are very destructive and natural to your work environment. At home or in your car stage actual weapons in areas which will be accessible to you in your time of need such as close to your bed, shower, front door, back door, kitchen, etc&#8230;

If you spend a lot of time in an automobile dedicate time working out in confined areas. More importantly spend some time actually training in your car as to give you critical insights as to what the actual advantages and disadvantages are in this specific environment. If you spend the majority of your time in bars train in a crowded environment with access to ashtrays, barstools, pool sticks, billiard balls, beer bottles, beer mugs and anything else that surrounds you in your area of duties. Train to defend against these things as well as fighting with them. Its better to know the advantages and disadvantages of potential weapons &#8220;before&#8221; encountering them in an altercation than it is figuring them out during the altercation itself when it will be too late to distinguish from the finite differences.

As well if you spend time on the beach train on sand (both wet and dry)&#8230; If you spend a lot of time in winter conditions train while wearing various coats and gloves while on slippery terrain (Ice and snow)... If you spend a lot of time in wet conditions train with walking sticks or umbrellas dressed in rain gear (ponchos, boots, rain suit)&#8230; If you spend a lot of time in Jungles train in confined areas that are dark and damp while being wary of things hanging down from the jungle canopy or sticking up from the jungle floor. If you frequent a lot of restaurants familiarize yourself with utilizing eating utensils as weapons such as a fork, steak knife, stem of a broken wine glass, a shard of a broken plate wrapped in your napkin, table cloth, etc&#8230; As well train on hills, in phone booths, in ally-ways, on gravel, grass, concrete, in areas of limited lighting, train facing the sun, utilizing the sun to blind your opponent, etc&#8230; Anything that is possible in a realistic situation has to be addressed by you in your training sessions as well. For if it can happen in reality it has to be addressed in training in like manner in order for your training to be aligned with reality.

5) What changes have you incorporated in your teaching that are different from the way you yourself were taught? Aggression, Hard contact, perception / reaction&#8230;


I can`t say that I have made any changes in specific as combat is an individual thing. On the contrary I train my students in the exact same manner as Punong Guro Sulite trained me. The way that Punong Guro Sulite trained us allowed for personal development and growth based on individual experience. So in a sense he trained all of us as individuals as he didn`t want 1,000 students in his &#8220;exact&#8221; image but rather he wanted 1,000 uniquely different &#8220;reflections&#8221; of his image based on our own individual strengths and preferences as warriors. He had an uncanny ability to look inside of each of his students and see what was in need of being added, taken away or reconfigured. As he made the necessary adjustments and &#8220;improvements&#8221; over time a warrior was created and allowed to come forth not so much in his image but rather through his works.

I teach as I fight with much aggression, manufacturing and taking advantage of any and all opportunity, with the mindset to complete my objective of survival at whatever the cost in doing so. I am in the fight until death itself robs me from the battle and if the situation necessitates me to take life and limb I am prepared to carry it through in protecting self or those closest to me. When I teach I do my best to pass on these sentiments and in training if I see opportunities I will take them as to keep my students always on the aggressive and in the mindset that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Cause and effect are great tools in life and must not be over looked in preparing one for combat vas well. No one will stand in combat and let you kill them without resistance and so it should be no different in your training sessions. In training I will not allow one of my students to stab or cut me without my challenging and answering his attempt. If he is successful in his attempts it will not be because I allowed it to happen but rather because the student made it happen against a resistive opponent, just as it would be in a real situation.

In hindsite I agree with how and why Punong Guro Sulite presented and taught Lameco to his students as it simply garnished the quickest most thorough results in developing effective real time capabilities for combat. He basically presented the &#8220;combative situation&#8221; in and of itself for exploration as a model for training. He taught not to fill his students heads with useless dead series of technique but rather he trained us to recognize the situation for what it was and armed us all with the necessary tools as to follow the situation where ever it goes and to end it quickly with positive effect, all the while protecting life and limb under duress against a resistive opponent. I can`t think of anything that was not addressed in the method by which Punong Guro Sulite chose to train us, so I pay him the highest respect by emulating his teaching methods to my students in like manner. In doing so I have seen the same essential results in my students as I saw in my self under his tutelage and ever so watchful eye.

6) If you were the one conducting this survey, what 3 questions would you ask other than the above? And what would be your answers those questions?


I feel that you have done a wonderful job in your queries and have covered everything in great detail. After reading this response to your line of questioning I&#8217;m sure that one will get a clear concise vantage point of what Lameco is and why it has become so popular as has our Founder and Chief Instructor Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite. Great job Gus! It was a total pleasure in doing this for the betterment of Lameco and Punong Guro Sulite. Thank you my Brother for coming forth with this survey as to serve our founders purpose, I`m sure that Punong Guro Sulite would more than agree with what you are doing and wish you great success in your efforts in his name. Ang tapat na kaibigan ay higit pa sa kayamanan&#8230;

7) What would you like to see happen for Lameco Eskrima?


As I see it now Lameco is split into 3 major groups: The Philippine group, Punong Guro Sulites` Private Students (California) and the Backyard group (Glendale). My desire is for all three groups to unify in spirit and come together as one family whereby uniting the Brotherhood of Lameco Eskrima International in the name of our Founder and Chief Instructor Punong Guro Edgar G. Sulite. There can be no divisions amongst us if we are going to succeed in our goals of survival while promoting and propagating Lameco Eskrima to future generations to come around the world. We have to bring ourselves together United in one voice and unified in our Founders name with one purpose in mind, that being the survival of Lameco Eskrima International.

At some point in time I would like to see the eldest son of Punong Guro Sulites` (Don-don) Edgar Sulite jr. be given charge of Lameco Eskrima International and be allowed to further continue the passionate work begun by his father in 1981. I hope that one day all of this can be achieved, until than we carry on doing what each of us can, all for the sake of keeping a great mans dream alive by passing on the legacy of Lameco Eskrima to all that seek it out the world over.

Pagkatapos ng babagan ay marami ang matapang&#8230;

Mabuhay ang Lameco Eskrima!
Guro Dave Gould.


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