Promoting
Kombatan and the Filipino Martial Arts.
The
Filipino Martial Arts have always been a very prominent part of Philippine Culture.
Long before foreigners arrived on the 7000 plus Island nation the natives
have developed a very effective form of combative arts. Kali, the so called
`mother` art of the Philippines from which the Modern Filipino Martial
Arts derived, has a long and varied and bloody
history.
The combative arts that was developed by these `savages` were so effective that the 300 hundred plus years the Spaniards were on the Philippine Islands,
the whole island was never totally conquered. In fact it was in Philippine Islands that the famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan met his untimely death - killed with fire hardened stick.
At one time Kali, also known as Arnis and Escrima
(Spanish words only), was a dying Art. This was due in part to suppression
from the foreign invaders that happened to be in place at that point in
time. Also because many of the old filipino martial arts masters were not willing to teach it
out in the open. Many practiced in secrets with only close family members
and friends away from the `enemies`.
With great efforts by Filipino instructors, masters and grandmasters, names such as Inosanto,
Giron, Leo Gaje,
Bustillo,
Taboada,
Villasin,
Canete, Illustrisimo, Cabales, Villabrille, Largusa,
Marinas, Ernesto Presas of KOMBATAN and Remy Presas, Luna, Sulite, Bacon, Lema, the
Filipino Martial Arts has become very popular abroad and once again in the Philippines.
Many students/instructors from other styles of different countries have seen the effectiveness and the practicality of
the Filipino Martial Arts that they have added it into their own curriculum or taught them as seperate
arts. Click for more links
