Relationship Between The Presas Family Art & Modern Arnis

[Dan Anderson]

Much has been said about he relationship between balintawak and Modern Arnis but not much has been said about the relationship between what his grandfather and uncle taught him and Modern Arnis. I find that equally as interesting.

It is a well known story about how Prof. Presas peeked through the nipa hut to watch his grandfather teach the Philippine guerillas bolo material and then cutting off a branch and banda y banda-ing the hell out of the bushes. His grandfather catches him and tells him he will teach young Remy. In the video interview with Joe Rebelo, Remy told the story of when he first met up with balintawak, the Rodolfo Moncol group.

I joined to the balintawak and I am almost 14 years old and I fight them. The reason those people accept me, one person told me, "I will accept you because you have a stomach (guts). They said you are welcome to join because I fight...my style of fighting is cutting, you know, the figure 8, banda y banda cut. I will not stay close. I will cut. I will move and cut again. I don't want to come close. That is my style and their style is close quarters. It's two kinds. But because of my quickness they could not grab me and I always cut. I always hit. And that's why the...old guard of balintawak people, they said, "I will adopt this kid. The kid have the ball(s), have the stomach."

It is interesting to me the blend of the close quarters work and the distance work contained within Modern Arnis. Bram Frank has researched it far more than I have but there it is, in the Prof's words.

Yours,
Dan Anderson

 

[Datu Tim Hartman]

It is a well known story about how Prof. Presas peeked through the nipa hut to watch his grandfather teach the Philippine guerillas bolo material.

I could be wrong, but I remeber Remy telling me it was his father who taught the guerillas. The rest of the story is the same that I've been told.

:asian:

 

[Pete Kautz]

Professor tells this story on one of the videos in the Ohara / Black Belt Magazine 3 tape series he did. On the video he states it was his father teaching the guerillas. He relates that after seeing this he was copying their movements and his grandfather then started to teach him.

Best of all,

Pete Kautz
http://modernknives.com
http://alliancemartialarts.com

 

[Datu Tim Hartman]

Professor tells this story on one of the videos in the Ohara / Black Belt Magazine 3 tape series he did. On the video he states it was his father teaching the guerillas. He relates that after seeing this he was copying their movements and his grandfather then started to teach him.

Best of all,

Pete Kautz

That's what I remember.

:supcool:

 

[Dan Anderson]

Yes, you're correct. That's what happens when I post rapidly and don't take my time. Thanks.

I was...little boy. I see my father train the army soldier(s). Because my father will not teach me, I will practice outside by myself, also. When my grandfather find out I am doing that, he said, "Remy. I will train you."

Joe Rebelo video interview.

Yours,
Dan

 

[arnisador]

I've heard the "watching my father" story from him.

It would be great to know more about how the family art entered into Modern Arnis. Perhaps his brothers know?

 

[Dan Anderson]

From actual interviews I know that the figure 8, banda y banda, espada y daga, and palis-palis are from his grandfather (references being video interview by Joe Rebelo, radio interview by Kelly Worden, video tape "Modern Anris - Palis Palis, Advanced Disarms And Trapping," Inside Kung Fu magazine).

The sinawalis came from Dr. Guillermo Lengson.

The twirling came from Cacoy Canete. It is possible that he redonda X movement came from him as well but that is pure speculation on my part.

Yours,
Dan Anderson

 

[Mark Lynn]

When GM Ernesto came to Dallas in 03/02 (I forget which year he was here) I asked him about his art Kombatan and his background. He told me that GM Remy's grandfather taught Remy but that his father didn't teach him.

Also he said his father taught him (GM Ernesto) the style of holding the stick in the middle with your hand and using it that way. His father didn't teach much footwork (GM Ernesto added that aspect to his art).

In GM Remy's first tape series he talks about the Umbrella (Hirada) motion, and about how his grandfather use to strike downward at his head in a low building so they would use the hirada in a squating type motion. Anyway one student of Hock's went and trained with GM Ernesto while visiting family in the Philippines, and he told us how they practiced that drill all around the floor.

FWIW
Mark