D
DJAVULS OGA
Guest
I saw this on another site and thought you Modern Arnis guys would find it interesting.
PART #1
Kelly Worden
One of Datu Kelly Worden's greatest contributions to martial arts is that he has put the word "martial" back into martial arts. Mention his name outside of the Pacific Northwest and knife world, and people will look at you strangely and ask, "who is that?" Datu Worden began this path in boxing while he was a child. Through boxing, high school wrestling, and several styles of Karate, a firm foundation was built for the house that would later be called, "Natural Spirit."
My interpretation is; he had a house and in that house he had to be something that someone else wanted him to be; limited by stylized movement. Everything changed when someone handed him a master key to all of the rooms in the house and the man who possessed that "key" was Professor Remy Presas.
As far as I'm concerned Datu Kelly Worden is one of the most valuable people in the martial arts. Although no one man holds the truth, but if you are looking to find the truth, you'll be hard pressed to find someone who is better qualified at guiding you onto the path to find it out for yourself; because ultimately, only you can find it anyway.
Don Rearic
RealFighting
Well it's nice to meet you.
Kelly Worden
Thanks, nice meeting you too.
RF
You're known to have worked closely with Remy Presas.
Worden
Yes, actually I'm the first and highest ranked American that he promoted to Datu, that was in 1988. In Victoria Canada at the end of his life he offered me higher Dan Ranking but I refused. Years ago, when I was involved in the ranking aspect of the art of the art he had awarded me a 6th degree Black belt in conjunction with my Datu title.
Ranking in the Black belt method means close to nothing today, I don't even wear a uniform to train unless formally requested by someone I respect. Today in many systems including Modern Arnis it may be an issue of what color of "Brown your nose is" not what actual skill you possess or what you have achieved on your own. It is more important to me that he considered me to be his most knowledgeable instructor in America due to the nature of my progressive curriculum, the different master instructors aligned with my organization, and the aggressive Military Tactic Programs I instruct. No other Modern Arnis instructor has achieved recognition directly from the U.S. Military and instructed programs for as many years as I have. Professor Presas was extremely proud of having Modern Arnis being a key art in the U.S. Army Special Forces training regimen and Remy endorsed me for years as the blade master of Modern Arnis.
RF
When did you start with him?
Worden
I had been involved in American Boxing since the early 1960's, the martial arts since the early 1970's and started training with Remy Presas back in 1982. Prior to that I trained with and received Black Belt rank in Combat Arnis from Cui Brocka, one of Ernesto Presas' Master Black Belt Instructors. Cui had a big following in Europe, mostly Germany.
RF
Professor Presas experienced some problems in the Philippines before coming to the U.S.?
Worden
Yes, while out of the country on a cultural tour in Japan, a government controlled group called NARAPHIL (National Arnis Association of the Philippines) was formed to oversee all martial arts and Remy Presas refused to be controlled and manipulated by members of this group who were actually former students of his. Marcos appointed General Ver to oversee NARAPHIL and due to the nature of the political unrest the Government had seized Remy's diplomatic passport as well as his bank accounts, and Professor decided to leave. He snuck out of the Philippines on a civilian passport. There is much history covering this subject and even Remy himself has shared the information in interviews in some of the older Black Belt magazines. Remy was very smart with many close friends that supported his efforts to propagate Modern Arnis. Historically speaking Roland Dantes was Remy's closest friend and most trusted student over the years. Roland's father was the Brigadier General for all the southern Philippines, which is Mindanao and the islands in that area. Roland's father was also Muslim and a Datu within his community. There is an interview coming out in the very near future I conducted with Roland in the care facility room of Remy Presas while he was living. That interview was June 21, 2001, and will be featured in Inside Kung Fu. It covers a great deal of this subject and more.
Professor introduced Roland and I during his illness after brain surgery and we also became very close friends. Professor arranged for Roland Dantes to live with me during his stay here in the U.S. He just left my home again this year August 1, 2002, after a 1-½ month visit, and stays with me whenever he's in the U.S. Professor Presas and Roland Dantes befriended me as a brother and friend, probably because I do not waver from the truth and the truth is where it's at!
Remy never intended on letting the cancer take his life, he always said he was "recovering from brain surgery". Even the doctors close to him did not tell him he was dying. It made for a bad situation at the end because he became too ill to organize his system or his personal affairs before his untimely death. It seems he was cheated out of the opportunity to stabilize what now has become a political circus as far as the Modern Arnis lineage and the power struggle that exists today.
In the end, he had only enough strength to concentrate on trying to recover and trusted very few people. Roland is the Chairman of the Board for Arnis Philippines, the governing body for Arnis in the Philippines. Before passing, Remy confided in Roland that Modern Arnis had become a nightmare for him to deal with, he only wanted to think about the beauty of the art, not the political problems. Many factions have been created due to his unconventional methods of rewarding rank and giving titles. It seemed the only titles he really cared about were the Datu titles due to the cultural status and relation to the level of the art it represented. Sadly, Professor Presas failed to mention a certain Datu during his last audio public interview. This individual had fallen from his grace due to his political power playing. The situation caused quite a stir as the Datu even questioned Remy's own sanity in a public internet forum. Remy found out about these statements and was extremely offended. He felt stabbed in the back while he was down. This was a direct attack against Remy's personal decisions and judgment, which emotionally upset him, at least that's how Remy took it! It is every man's duty to make peace with a person who is facing death and during an unstable time as that, it is better if you do not make power plays against a dying man.
RF
What style did Remy teach?
Worden
He coined the term Modern Arnis. It was based off the concepts of Figure Eight, Rompida, crossada, sinawali, palis-palis, and the traditional arts he researched, espada-y-daga, Arnis de mano, Eskrima. Additionally Remy was also influenced by the Balintawak of Cebu, training directly under Rodolfo Moncal, Timoteo Marranga, Attny.Villasin and Grandmaster Venancio Bacon. There is no question Remy was influenced by other practitioners throughout his research of the arts. Early on in the development of Modern Arnis he had two very good friends, Dr. Lengson and Johnny Chiuten along with Remy Presas shared a great deal of information while integrating concepts from each others individual systems. Keep in mind Professor was schooled in Traditional Karate, and achieved 6th degree ranking, and black belt status in Judo. He further incorporated Aikido, JuJutsu, Sambo, and military applications of the Blade Arts into Modern Arnis. Remy was trained initially by his grandfather Leon Presas, and also trained by his father Jose B. Presas who was a lieutenant in the Filipino commando jungle fighters. Professor's father Jose, actually trained Filipino military men on their family plantation when Remy was a young boy, Remy would hide and watch them do Arnis.
RF
Stylistically, what is Modern Arnis like?
Worden
Remy put a great deal of emphasis on the ability to flow from one concept into the next. He considered Balintawak to be the deadliest art of all he researched and he formulated his art around that foundation. Tapi-Tapi or counter-to-counter tactics of single stick is an area of development that distinguishes the different phases in bridging the gap from long to medium to close quarter range. Applied properly the exchange fluctuates from distancing to closing engagements and back out according to who takes control of the trapping or controlling hand. Tapi-Tapi combines the concepts of hitting, blending, adhesion, trapping, disarming, locks, throws, and more during a fast and quickly executed give and take engagement. This method begins with a person feeding the action in either right or left handed versions and can quickly change into a free play drill or break away into actual free sparring. These concepts can be applied to empty hand but flow differently. Additionally the connection to the blade is very direct and neutralizes the counter-counter interplay with deadly results.
It seems every group of Presas students have a little different take on the training and concepts of what exactly they focus on. An example to highlight this might be the fact that many of the Modern Arnis people maintain a Karate curriculum in their school structure. This direction will also affect the outcome of how the style actually flows or does not flow for that matter. It seems that with Professor's gypsy lifestyle, on the move from seminar to seminar during his career, most groups were just adding to their overall curriculum whatever they could comprehend during his visit to their area.
Stylistically it's a compilation system based on single stick, double stick, knife, espada-y-daga, mano-y-mano or empty hand striking and joint manipulation I refer to as Presas Lock-Flow. Like all Filipino arts the concept of striking patterns are abundant throughout the art and training is separated into subsystems and referred to as traditional arts. A distinct element that stands out is the use of forms both solo stick and empty hand, referred to as anyo. As mentioned previously with the variety of different arts being meshed together with the Modern Arnis system the inability for some practitioners to perform the anyo with actual Filipino fluidity and mobility is almost disturbing.
Filipino form in many respects should embrace the essence of Silat flavored movement similar to the hidden dance of freeform blade play only with a structured pattern. Of course the foundation of the anyo should be structured to pass on the pattern but very few ever grow beyond the "hup-hup-hup" stages of expressing any actual progressive flow. I demonstrated the anyo to Professor many times and he was thrilled to see it come to life. At one time I asked if I could release the video tapes to introduce the essence of Filipino flair within the anyo and he responded by saying " Not now, if you do that, people will not buy my tapes," which were video taped and performed by students with a Karate background. During the time he was at the care facility in Victoria Canada. I gave a demonstration to the residents, he and Roland Dantes were eating lunch. Afterwards he told me to release the videotapes so everyone could see the progression as to where the anyo could take you into expressing the cultural connection of the art.
It is true Remy had a Karate background and fashioned the anyo to blend with the systems of that era, but it is also true Remy Presas valued the beauty of the cultural connection of what the Filipino arts offered and wanted the art to continue the progression, thus his acceptance to my interpretation of the anyo today! Those practitioners with Karate backgrounds and limited vision think I have changed things, but I did not and Professor knew it was just the beauty of flow. He states exactly that on his last audio interview we conducted the same day shortly after the demonstration, June 21, 2001. To expand a little more on that subject, the stick anyo can be executed with espada-y-daga, sword, double stick, knife, staff, empty handed, or as two person sets. Similar tactics can be extracted from the empty hand anyo by cross-referencing them into weapon sets. I have not changed anything, only expanded the applicable interpretation of the movements. Anyo offers the stability of repetition and the opportunity to expand insight into simplicity by adapting relative movements to different style applications or intent.
Remy modernized the art, meaning he worked hard getting it accepted back into the Filipino culture as a mainstream system not just practiced by underground barrio fighters, urban gangsters, or hoodlums. We must acknowledge it's original purpose was a killing art, not self defense. Remy changed that intent and technical appearance exposing it worldwide. Remy received high ranks in the arts that were respected during that time. Japanese arts such as karate, judo, and aikido and once he reached those levels he stabilized Modern Arnis so it was systemized, incorporating a structured ranking system. Remy really was a renegade and took a lot of the heat for making the transition into mainstream martial arts.
RF
What does Remy's style look like?
Worden
Remy himself was extremely fast and could close on an individual in an instant. An important factor in his skill was that he was actually left handed and most the people he instructed were right handed giving him strong ambidextrous attributes. Remy could lock someone up and control them without even looking at them, just utilizing his highly refined sensitivity.
Wally Jay says, "Remy was the fastest person I have ever known at putting someone down with controls and locks." That's quite a comment since Wally Jay has known so many dynamic martial artists. Keep in mind, the only persons Wally has spoken so highly of in this manner was "Bruce Lee and Remy Presas!" The fact that Remy was immersed in teaching and refining his art almost every day for the last 50 years has much to do with his personal development. Remy was known to travel worldwide and teach several seminars per week, crossing sticks with a great number of skilled practitioners, thousands of people called Remy Presas their teacher. Interestingly were some of the things he would say during an instructional engagement.
For instance if someone shifted off line and forced Remy to respond instinctively he might say, "My God, I didn't know I knew that!" Additionally a common response was, "You are teaching me," and "You got it Baby." Of course, then he would lock you up and dump you on the floor! Remy would switch from left to right weapon control without even a break in the flow, few were faster than Remy at that, none that I ever meant! I have witnessed Remy tie up and control up to four to five people all in his grasp, controlled with finger locks and slamming into one another, hopping around in immense pain, he understood and controlled a person's pain threshold to the point of knockout. Without a doubt, Remy Presas could see a technique once and immediately integrate it into his system, thus "the art within your art."
Modern Arnis was devised to be a complete system, integrating the cultural connection of the Filipino arts and the ability to adapt and make your foundation art more functional for self-defense. Modern Arnis has the functional value of traditional Filipino concepts Abaniko (fanning of the stick), Palis-Palis (passing of energy), Banda y Banda (horizontal slashing or striking), Rompida (diagonal slashing or striking), SakSak (thrusting), and other principles extracted from the stick work, offering a great deal of adaptable translation and flow based qualities. All these concepts are interactive depending if the intent is to strike, lock, throw, control, disarm, slash, stab, attach, or disengage.
Additionally, Modern Arnis blends attitude or energies to make the stick the knife, the stick the sword, staff tactics that translate to empty hands tactics, and extract or apply wing chun trapping functions into a Filipino flavor. Properly applied you can find the power and fluidity of boxing, the structure of karate, the control of Aikido/ JuJitsu, the trapping of wing chun, the dumog-grappling of judo/sambo, and the kuntao-Chinese/ Indonesian influence integrated into Arnis. Modern Arnis draws from that connection; it really is a complete art.
RF
Was Balintawak part of Doce Pares?
Worden
No, not at all. At one time the Balintawak founder Anciong Bacon was a part of that same group. In the early 1930's, things changed and that group disbanded and Anciong Bacon went his own direction, as did Doces Pares. Balintawak was actually a street where Venancio "Anciong" Bacon instructed his students in Cebu City. Originally it was not a style. The group was known as the Fighters from Balintawak Street.
History is so speculative, and I'm not a historian, there are others much more knowledgeable than I. I personally concentrate on establishing the art and actually making new history here in America. There is some very accurate history now coming available on the internet. Try this location for an accurate account of that era: http://www.necopa.de/index.html
In general though, here is a nice story from the past shared with me by a friend, Celestino Macachor in the Philippines and endorsed as fact by Roland Dantes:
DIRECT FROM THE PHILIPPINES, PROFESSOR PRESAS AND GM CHIUTEN PLAN A DUEL! Kumusta Datu Kelly,
Grandmaster Johnny Chiuten told us about how Professor Remy Presas challenged him and how it was aborted by Doctor Lengson who convinced Prof. Presas that it would be foolhardy to continue the duel because GM Chiuten at that time had a more powerful weapon. Doc Lengson warned Prof. Presas that he could hit GM Chiuten first maybe two or four times but that would not be as telling as when hit with GM Chiuten's steel whip even with only a single hit. So GM Chiuten promised to accept Prof. Presas' challenge again in the future with the same weapons to level the playing field, but he had to go back to Cebu. When GM Chiuten returned to Manila to take Prof. Presas challenge again, Prof Remy asked him: "Whom did you train with?" When GM Chiuten told him of his masters, first with GM Teofilo Velez, Atty. Villasin and eventually with GM BAcon. Prof. Presas just shook his head and told him it's useless fighting since they both trained with the same teachers. That's how they became good friends.
Celestino Macachor (This following section is from Roland Dantes) Hi there Brother!
Regarding that incident about GM Johnny Chiuten and the late Professor. THAT IS ALL TRUE BROTHER. This is one true story that I forgot to tell you last year...it was the late Doc Lengson who intervened in that aborted challenge because he was "Kumpadre" (almost like brothers) to both of them... Master Chiuten in his early years was always researching on all forms and styles of martial arts...he even went to Hong Kong and checked out all the schools then and, I wouldn't use the word challenge. He would ask the sifu or master of that school that he wanted to enrich his knowledge of martial arts...and if they could have a comparison. That would be the right terminology.
For Master Johnny is truly a very good, honorable, respectable person aside from being a true grandmaster. In fact my brother Johnny Pintoy and I call him the encyclopedia of martial arts. But then to this day he remains humble quiet and unspoken. Unless he knows you better. He is not at all a martial artist who has a violent temper, no way!
Hopefully, sometime in the near future, I would like us to visit him in the small beautiful island off Cebu, called Bantayan Island where he lives. A couple of years back, I brought my wife Cheryl to meet him there and we had a nice holiday. Did I tell you, remember when I was with Prof. Remy last year in Victoria? After I told him about my visit with grandmaster Chiuten with my wife, Remy brightened up and said, "I wish I can recover from this ailment soon so that we can go to visit him again." he added, "if ever you get the chance to visit him again, please ask him if he still has that 35 millimeter footage he took of me and the late grandmaster Anclong Bacon," "try your best Roland," he said. "that is a very rare footage and a very important part of the history of the Philippine martial arts."
Prof. Remy added, do you know kumpadre Roland, that we (Remy and Johnny Chiuten) are the only living original senior masters of Balintawak? Now with Pareng Remy gone, grandmaster Chiuten is now the only one alive out of the original group!
You know brother Kelly; to this day master Chiuten's name in martial arts in the Philippines is the most respected one. There was even someone from the states who went to the island to try him out (in a respectful way) and twice master Johnny brought him down, but master Chiuten did not seriously injure him. That's how he is. This guy went to mainland China and studied further for two years to improve his style and then went back to test his skills against master Chiuten. To his dismay, he was defeated again. There are so many more stories I can tell you about master Chiuten, we'll just have to leave it at that for a while.
Your brother, Roland Dantes
RF
That is very interesting; did Professor Presas want to keep developing Modern Arnis?
Worden
Yes, of course, if he didn't progress his system, he himself would be bored. That's the gift he gave me, he gave me the gift to blend and correlate the system according to how I felt it was feasible and functional. That is why he created the Datu level instructors to expand and continue the progression (Research and Development) of Modern Arnis. This statement was published in Inside Kung Fu August 2001 issue of "Filipino Martial Arts Magazine" in an article written by Dr. Jim Sullivan. The magazine was released in June or July 2001 while Professor was alive and he confirmed the contents of the article as accurate! The Filipino arts are breakdowns of sub-systems, in Modern Arnis, single stick and empty hand is your main goal, double-stick, knife, espada-y-daga, (sword and dagger) and staff become your sub-systems. Systems and styles are really a question of intent, what is the intent of that style? One style may be to hit you, wing chun is to remove a barrier and hit you. Aikido and Jujitsu, what's the intent? To control you with locks or throws and to position and manipulate you. Simple as that, style is flow, intent, and method of physical interaction.
For fighting arts it should be simple, direct, and functional for each individual's needs and capabilities. Going back to the historical stuff, there's so much folklore and lack of historical documentation within the Filipino arts that it's pretty hard to find specific facts and truth. You really have to go beyond the face value of what is told as far as historical stories and legends. Who influenced martial skills during a specific era? Better yet, who didn't influence the arts of the Philippines? I will repeat I am not a historian and do not have the time to do extreme research. The Philippines were a melting pot throughout history, the Spanish were there, the Chinese were there, the Japanese were there, karate, silat, judo, kung fu so on and so forth.
RF
The Spanish were there for 333 years, so anyone saying there's no influence from fencing has to be dim.
Worden
How could it not? Whether anyone makes reference to it or not, if you can make a reference to Spanish fencing you just have a bigger base of knowledge to draw and learn from. You're really complimenting what has been presented or your adding depth so it becomes a better teaching tool.
RF
So he changed or progressed a lot of things system-wise?
Worden
He took concepts and progressions of techniques and altered them to fit accepted commercial aspects and brought Arnis into the karate systems, jujitsu systems and martial arts from 1957 on. Remy, always accepted you, the student, for what you had and figured any addition to your art the Philippine arts could compliment would give you a deeper understanding. Here in America he became great friends with Wally Jay and George Dillman and together they toured the world presenting their seminars as the "Big Three." It is common knowledge the three exchanged ideas and concepts to broaden the knowledge of all their individual arts. He established a market no one else was tapping into, the seminar market. What has been established as acceptable teaching through seminars should be directly credited to Remy Presas as a historical president, no one comes close to him in that arena.
For example, it's okay if you do Taekwondo, just add the sticks and you'll understand your Taekwondo that much better. In the Modern Arnis format it's okay if you do karate or other arts. Remy did not try to change those who didn't have the vision to see the difference. He just accepted you and offered people his art. Additionally if you operated a structured school with a specific style he felt he was reaching more people by embracing and instructing the leader who would draw their students into Remy's Modern Arnis format.
PART #1
Kelly Worden
One of Datu Kelly Worden's greatest contributions to martial arts is that he has put the word "martial" back into martial arts. Mention his name outside of the Pacific Northwest and knife world, and people will look at you strangely and ask, "who is that?" Datu Worden began this path in boxing while he was a child. Through boxing, high school wrestling, and several styles of Karate, a firm foundation was built for the house that would later be called, "Natural Spirit."
My interpretation is; he had a house and in that house he had to be something that someone else wanted him to be; limited by stylized movement. Everything changed when someone handed him a master key to all of the rooms in the house and the man who possessed that "key" was Professor Remy Presas.
As far as I'm concerned Datu Kelly Worden is one of the most valuable people in the martial arts. Although no one man holds the truth, but if you are looking to find the truth, you'll be hard pressed to find someone who is better qualified at guiding you onto the path to find it out for yourself; because ultimately, only you can find it anyway.
Don Rearic
RealFighting
Well it's nice to meet you.
Kelly Worden
Thanks, nice meeting you too.
RF
You're known to have worked closely with Remy Presas.
Worden
Yes, actually I'm the first and highest ranked American that he promoted to Datu, that was in 1988. In Victoria Canada at the end of his life he offered me higher Dan Ranking but I refused. Years ago, when I was involved in the ranking aspect of the art of the art he had awarded me a 6th degree Black belt in conjunction with my Datu title.
Ranking in the Black belt method means close to nothing today, I don't even wear a uniform to train unless formally requested by someone I respect. Today in many systems including Modern Arnis it may be an issue of what color of "Brown your nose is" not what actual skill you possess or what you have achieved on your own. It is more important to me that he considered me to be his most knowledgeable instructor in America due to the nature of my progressive curriculum, the different master instructors aligned with my organization, and the aggressive Military Tactic Programs I instruct. No other Modern Arnis instructor has achieved recognition directly from the U.S. Military and instructed programs for as many years as I have. Professor Presas was extremely proud of having Modern Arnis being a key art in the U.S. Army Special Forces training regimen and Remy endorsed me for years as the blade master of Modern Arnis.
RF
When did you start with him?
Worden
I had been involved in American Boxing since the early 1960's, the martial arts since the early 1970's and started training with Remy Presas back in 1982. Prior to that I trained with and received Black Belt rank in Combat Arnis from Cui Brocka, one of Ernesto Presas' Master Black Belt Instructors. Cui had a big following in Europe, mostly Germany.
RF
Professor Presas experienced some problems in the Philippines before coming to the U.S.?
Worden
Yes, while out of the country on a cultural tour in Japan, a government controlled group called NARAPHIL (National Arnis Association of the Philippines) was formed to oversee all martial arts and Remy Presas refused to be controlled and manipulated by members of this group who were actually former students of his. Marcos appointed General Ver to oversee NARAPHIL and due to the nature of the political unrest the Government had seized Remy's diplomatic passport as well as his bank accounts, and Professor decided to leave. He snuck out of the Philippines on a civilian passport. There is much history covering this subject and even Remy himself has shared the information in interviews in some of the older Black Belt magazines. Remy was very smart with many close friends that supported his efforts to propagate Modern Arnis. Historically speaking Roland Dantes was Remy's closest friend and most trusted student over the years. Roland's father was the Brigadier General for all the southern Philippines, which is Mindanao and the islands in that area. Roland's father was also Muslim and a Datu within his community. There is an interview coming out in the very near future I conducted with Roland in the care facility room of Remy Presas while he was living. That interview was June 21, 2001, and will be featured in Inside Kung Fu. It covers a great deal of this subject and more.
Professor introduced Roland and I during his illness after brain surgery and we also became very close friends. Professor arranged for Roland Dantes to live with me during his stay here in the U.S. He just left my home again this year August 1, 2002, after a 1-½ month visit, and stays with me whenever he's in the U.S. Professor Presas and Roland Dantes befriended me as a brother and friend, probably because I do not waver from the truth and the truth is where it's at!
Remy never intended on letting the cancer take his life, he always said he was "recovering from brain surgery". Even the doctors close to him did not tell him he was dying. It made for a bad situation at the end because he became too ill to organize his system or his personal affairs before his untimely death. It seems he was cheated out of the opportunity to stabilize what now has become a political circus as far as the Modern Arnis lineage and the power struggle that exists today.
In the end, he had only enough strength to concentrate on trying to recover and trusted very few people. Roland is the Chairman of the Board for Arnis Philippines, the governing body for Arnis in the Philippines. Before passing, Remy confided in Roland that Modern Arnis had become a nightmare for him to deal with, he only wanted to think about the beauty of the art, not the political problems. Many factions have been created due to his unconventional methods of rewarding rank and giving titles. It seemed the only titles he really cared about were the Datu titles due to the cultural status and relation to the level of the art it represented. Sadly, Professor Presas failed to mention a certain Datu during his last audio public interview. This individual had fallen from his grace due to his political power playing. The situation caused quite a stir as the Datu even questioned Remy's own sanity in a public internet forum. Remy found out about these statements and was extremely offended. He felt stabbed in the back while he was down. This was a direct attack against Remy's personal decisions and judgment, which emotionally upset him, at least that's how Remy took it! It is every man's duty to make peace with a person who is facing death and during an unstable time as that, it is better if you do not make power plays against a dying man.
RF
What style did Remy teach?
Worden
He coined the term Modern Arnis. It was based off the concepts of Figure Eight, Rompida, crossada, sinawali, palis-palis, and the traditional arts he researched, espada-y-daga, Arnis de mano, Eskrima. Additionally Remy was also influenced by the Balintawak of Cebu, training directly under Rodolfo Moncal, Timoteo Marranga, Attny.Villasin and Grandmaster Venancio Bacon. There is no question Remy was influenced by other practitioners throughout his research of the arts. Early on in the development of Modern Arnis he had two very good friends, Dr. Lengson and Johnny Chiuten along with Remy Presas shared a great deal of information while integrating concepts from each others individual systems. Keep in mind Professor was schooled in Traditional Karate, and achieved 6th degree ranking, and black belt status in Judo. He further incorporated Aikido, JuJutsu, Sambo, and military applications of the Blade Arts into Modern Arnis. Remy was trained initially by his grandfather Leon Presas, and also trained by his father Jose B. Presas who was a lieutenant in the Filipino commando jungle fighters. Professor's father Jose, actually trained Filipino military men on their family plantation when Remy was a young boy, Remy would hide and watch them do Arnis.
RF
Stylistically, what is Modern Arnis like?
Worden
Remy put a great deal of emphasis on the ability to flow from one concept into the next. He considered Balintawak to be the deadliest art of all he researched and he formulated his art around that foundation. Tapi-Tapi or counter-to-counter tactics of single stick is an area of development that distinguishes the different phases in bridging the gap from long to medium to close quarter range. Applied properly the exchange fluctuates from distancing to closing engagements and back out according to who takes control of the trapping or controlling hand. Tapi-Tapi combines the concepts of hitting, blending, adhesion, trapping, disarming, locks, throws, and more during a fast and quickly executed give and take engagement. This method begins with a person feeding the action in either right or left handed versions and can quickly change into a free play drill or break away into actual free sparring. These concepts can be applied to empty hand but flow differently. Additionally the connection to the blade is very direct and neutralizes the counter-counter interplay with deadly results.
It seems every group of Presas students have a little different take on the training and concepts of what exactly they focus on. An example to highlight this might be the fact that many of the Modern Arnis people maintain a Karate curriculum in their school structure. This direction will also affect the outcome of how the style actually flows or does not flow for that matter. It seems that with Professor's gypsy lifestyle, on the move from seminar to seminar during his career, most groups were just adding to their overall curriculum whatever they could comprehend during his visit to their area.
Stylistically it's a compilation system based on single stick, double stick, knife, espada-y-daga, mano-y-mano or empty hand striking and joint manipulation I refer to as Presas Lock-Flow. Like all Filipino arts the concept of striking patterns are abundant throughout the art and training is separated into subsystems and referred to as traditional arts. A distinct element that stands out is the use of forms both solo stick and empty hand, referred to as anyo. As mentioned previously with the variety of different arts being meshed together with the Modern Arnis system the inability for some practitioners to perform the anyo with actual Filipino fluidity and mobility is almost disturbing.
Filipino form in many respects should embrace the essence of Silat flavored movement similar to the hidden dance of freeform blade play only with a structured pattern. Of course the foundation of the anyo should be structured to pass on the pattern but very few ever grow beyond the "hup-hup-hup" stages of expressing any actual progressive flow. I demonstrated the anyo to Professor many times and he was thrilled to see it come to life. At one time I asked if I could release the video tapes to introduce the essence of Filipino flair within the anyo and he responded by saying " Not now, if you do that, people will not buy my tapes," which were video taped and performed by students with a Karate background. During the time he was at the care facility in Victoria Canada. I gave a demonstration to the residents, he and Roland Dantes were eating lunch. Afterwards he told me to release the videotapes so everyone could see the progression as to where the anyo could take you into expressing the cultural connection of the art.
It is true Remy had a Karate background and fashioned the anyo to blend with the systems of that era, but it is also true Remy Presas valued the beauty of the cultural connection of what the Filipino arts offered and wanted the art to continue the progression, thus his acceptance to my interpretation of the anyo today! Those practitioners with Karate backgrounds and limited vision think I have changed things, but I did not and Professor knew it was just the beauty of flow. He states exactly that on his last audio interview we conducted the same day shortly after the demonstration, June 21, 2001. To expand a little more on that subject, the stick anyo can be executed with espada-y-daga, sword, double stick, knife, staff, empty handed, or as two person sets. Similar tactics can be extracted from the empty hand anyo by cross-referencing them into weapon sets. I have not changed anything, only expanded the applicable interpretation of the movements. Anyo offers the stability of repetition and the opportunity to expand insight into simplicity by adapting relative movements to different style applications or intent.
Remy modernized the art, meaning he worked hard getting it accepted back into the Filipino culture as a mainstream system not just practiced by underground barrio fighters, urban gangsters, or hoodlums. We must acknowledge it's original purpose was a killing art, not self defense. Remy changed that intent and technical appearance exposing it worldwide. Remy received high ranks in the arts that were respected during that time. Japanese arts such as karate, judo, and aikido and once he reached those levels he stabilized Modern Arnis so it was systemized, incorporating a structured ranking system. Remy really was a renegade and took a lot of the heat for making the transition into mainstream martial arts.
RF
What does Remy's style look like?
Worden
Remy himself was extremely fast and could close on an individual in an instant. An important factor in his skill was that he was actually left handed and most the people he instructed were right handed giving him strong ambidextrous attributes. Remy could lock someone up and control them without even looking at them, just utilizing his highly refined sensitivity.
Wally Jay says, "Remy was the fastest person I have ever known at putting someone down with controls and locks." That's quite a comment since Wally Jay has known so many dynamic martial artists. Keep in mind, the only persons Wally has spoken so highly of in this manner was "Bruce Lee and Remy Presas!" The fact that Remy was immersed in teaching and refining his art almost every day for the last 50 years has much to do with his personal development. Remy was known to travel worldwide and teach several seminars per week, crossing sticks with a great number of skilled practitioners, thousands of people called Remy Presas their teacher. Interestingly were some of the things he would say during an instructional engagement.
For instance if someone shifted off line and forced Remy to respond instinctively he might say, "My God, I didn't know I knew that!" Additionally a common response was, "You are teaching me," and "You got it Baby." Of course, then he would lock you up and dump you on the floor! Remy would switch from left to right weapon control without even a break in the flow, few were faster than Remy at that, none that I ever meant! I have witnessed Remy tie up and control up to four to five people all in his grasp, controlled with finger locks and slamming into one another, hopping around in immense pain, he understood and controlled a person's pain threshold to the point of knockout. Without a doubt, Remy Presas could see a technique once and immediately integrate it into his system, thus "the art within your art."
Modern Arnis was devised to be a complete system, integrating the cultural connection of the Filipino arts and the ability to adapt and make your foundation art more functional for self-defense. Modern Arnis has the functional value of traditional Filipino concepts Abaniko (fanning of the stick), Palis-Palis (passing of energy), Banda y Banda (horizontal slashing or striking), Rompida (diagonal slashing or striking), SakSak (thrusting), and other principles extracted from the stick work, offering a great deal of adaptable translation and flow based qualities. All these concepts are interactive depending if the intent is to strike, lock, throw, control, disarm, slash, stab, attach, or disengage.
Additionally, Modern Arnis blends attitude or energies to make the stick the knife, the stick the sword, staff tactics that translate to empty hands tactics, and extract or apply wing chun trapping functions into a Filipino flavor. Properly applied you can find the power and fluidity of boxing, the structure of karate, the control of Aikido/ JuJitsu, the trapping of wing chun, the dumog-grappling of judo/sambo, and the kuntao-Chinese/ Indonesian influence integrated into Arnis. Modern Arnis draws from that connection; it really is a complete art.
RF
Was Balintawak part of Doce Pares?
Worden
No, not at all. At one time the Balintawak founder Anciong Bacon was a part of that same group. In the early 1930's, things changed and that group disbanded and Anciong Bacon went his own direction, as did Doces Pares. Balintawak was actually a street where Venancio "Anciong" Bacon instructed his students in Cebu City. Originally it was not a style. The group was known as the Fighters from Balintawak Street.
History is so speculative, and I'm not a historian, there are others much more knowledgeable than I. I personally concentrate on establishing the art and actually making new history here in America. There is some very accurate history now coming available on the internet. Try this location for an accurate account of that era: http://www.necopa.de/index.html
In general though, here is a nice story from the past shared with me by a friend, Celestino Macachor in the Philippines and endorsed as fact by Roland Dantes:
DIRECT FROM THE PHILIPPINES, PROFESSOR PRESAS AND GM CHIUTEN PLAN A DUEL! Kumusta Datu Kelly,
Grandmaster Johnny Chiuten told us about how Professor Remy Presas challenged him and how it was aborted by Doctor Lengson who convinced Prof. Presas that it would be foolhardy to continue the duel because GM Chiuten at that time had a more powerful weapon. Doc Lengson warned Prof. Presas that he could hit GM Chiuten first maybe two or four times but that would not be as telling as when hit with GM Chiuten's steel whip even with only a single hit. So GM Chiuten promised to accept Prof. Presas' challenge again in the future with the same weapons to level the playing field, but he had to go back to Cebu. When GM Chiuten returned to Manila to take Prof. Presas challenge again, Prof Remy asked him: "Whom did you train with?" When GM Chiuten told him of his masters, first with GM Teofilo Velez, Atty. Villasin and eventually with GM BAcon. Prof. Presas just shook his head and told him it's useless fighting since they both trained with the same teachers. That's how they became good friends.
Celestino Macachor (This following section is from Roland Dantes) Hi there Brother!
Regarding that incident about GM Johnny Chiuten and the late Professor. THAT IS ALL TRUE BROTHER. This is one true story that I forgot to tell you last year...it was the late Doc Lengson who intervened in that aborted challenge because he was "Kumpadre" (almost like brothers) to both of them... Master Chiuten in his early years was always researching on all forms and styles of martial arts...he even went to Hong Kong and checked out all the schools then and, I wouldn't use the word challenge. He would ask the sifu or master of that school that he wanted to enrich his knowledge of martial arts...and if they could have a comparison. That would be the right terminology.
For Master Johnny is truly a very good, honorable, respectable person aside from being a true grandmaster. In fact my brother Johnny Pintoy and I call him the encyclopedia of martial arts. But then to this day he remains humble quiet and unspoken. Unless he knows you better. He is not at all a martial artist who has a violent temper, no way!
Hopefully, sometime in the near future, I would like us to visit him in the small beautiful island off Cebu, called Bantayan Island where he lives. A couple of years back, I brought my wife Cheryl to meet him there and we had a nice holiday. Did I tell you, remember when I was with Prof. Remy last year in Victoria? After I told him about my visit with grandmaster Chiuten with my wife, Remy brightened up and said, "I wish I can recover from this ailment soon so that we can go to visit him again." he added, "if ever you get the chance to visit him again, please ask him if he still has that 35 millimeter footage he took of me and the late grandmaster Anclong Bacon," "try your best Roland," he said. "that is a very rare footage and a very important part of the history of the Philippine martial arts."
Prof. Remy added, do you know kumpadre Roland, that we (Remy and Johnny Chiuten) are the only living original senior masters of Balintawak? Now with Pareng Remy gone, grandmaster Chiuten is now the only one alive out of the original group!
You know brother Kelly; to this day master Chiuten's name in martial arts in the Philippines is the most respected one. There was even someone from the states who went to the island to try him out (in a respectful way) and twice master Johnny brought him down, but master Chiuten did not seriously injure him. That's how he is. This guy went to mainland China and studied further for two years to improve his style and then went back to test his skills against master Chiuten. To his dismay, he was defeated again. There are so many more stories I can tell you about master Chiuten, we'll just have to leave it at that for a while.
Your brother, Roland Dantes
RF
That is very interesting; did Professor Presas want to keep developing Modern Arnis?
Worden
Yes, of course, if he didn't progress his system, he himself would be bored. That's the gift he gave me, he gave me the gift to blend and correlate the system according to how I felt it was feasible and functional. That is why he created the Datu level instructors to expand and continue the progression (Research and Development) of Modern Arnis. This statement was published in Inside Kung Fu August 2001 issue of "Filipino Martial Arts Magazine" in an article written by Dr. Jim Sullivan. The magazine was released in June or July 2001 while Professor was alive and he confirmed the contents of the article as accurate! The Filipino arts are breakdowns of sub-systems, in Modern Arnis, single stick and empty hand is your main goal, double-stick, knife, espada-y-daga, (sword and dagger) and staff become your sub-systems. Systems and styles are really a question of intent, what is the intent of that style? One style may be to hit you, wing chun is to remove a barrier and hit you. Aikido and Jujitsu, what's the intent? To control you with locks or throws and to position and manipulate you. Simple as that, style is flow, intent, and method of physical interaction.
For fighting arts it should be simple, direct, and functional for each individual's needs and capabilities. Going back to the historical stuff, there's so much folklore and lack of historical documentation within the Filipino arts that it's pretty hard to find specific facts and truth. You really have to go beyond the face value of what is told as far as historical stories and legends. Who influenced martial skills during a specific era? Better yet, who didn't influence the arts of the Philippines? I will repeat I am not a historian and do not have the time to do extreme research. The Philippines were a melting pot throughout history, the Spanish were there, the Chinese were there, the Japanese were there, karate, silat, judo, kung fu so on and so forth.
RF
The Spanish were there for 333 years, so anyone saying there's no influence from fencing has to be dim.
Worden
How could it not? Whether anyone makes reference to it or not, if you can make a reference to Spanish fencing you just have a bigger base of knowledge to draw and learn from. You're really complimenting what has been presented or your adding depth so it becomes a better teaching tool.
RF
So he changed or progressed a lot of things system-wise?
Worden
He took concepts and progressions of techniques and altered them to fit accepted commercial aspects and brought Arnis into the karate systems, jujitsu systems and martial arts from 1957 on. Remy, always accepted you, the student, for what you had and figured any addition to your art the Philippine arts could compliment would give you a deeper understanding. Here in America he became great friends with Wally Jay and George Dillman and together they toured the world presenting their seminars as the "Big Three." It is common knowledge the three exchanged ideas and concepts to broaden the knowledge of all their individual arts. He established a market no one else was tapping into, the seminar market. What has been established as acceptable teaching through seminars should be directly credited to Remy Presas as a historical president, no one comes close to him in that arena.
For example, it's okay if you do Taekwondo, just add the sticks and you'll understand your Taekwondo that much better. In the Modern Arnis format it's okay if you do karate or other arts. Remy did not try to change those who didn't have the vision to see the difference. He just accepted you and offered people his art. Additionally if you operated a structured school with a specific style he felt he was reaching more people by embracing and instructing the leader who would draw their students into Remy's Modern Arnis format.