From: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: eskrima-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V7 #490 Reply-To: eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest Wed, 18 Oct 2000 Vol 07 : Num 490 In this issue: eskrima: Re: FMA videos eskrima: Tatang Illustrisimo eskrima: . ========================================================================== Eskrima-Digest, serving the Internet since June 1994. 1100 members strong! Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource An open FMA discussion forum provided in memory of Suro Mike Inay, Founder of the Inayan System of Eskrima. Replying to this message will NOT unsubscribe you. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe eskrima-digest" (no quotes) in the body (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. To send e-mail to this list use eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com See the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) FAQ and online search the last five years worth of digest issues at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: abanico-video-knuettel@t-online.de (Dieter =?iso-8859-1?Q?Kn=FCttel?=) Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 00:51:51 +0200 Subject: eskrima: Re: FMA videos > From: "Allen Halfpop" > Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 22:47:56 -0500 > Subject: eskrima: FMA videos > > Dear Eskrima Digest, > > I was wondering what were some of the best filipino martial arts videos and books out on the > market. If somebody could post some reviews or links to website. I would greatly appreciate > it. Hi , check out my website http://www.abanico.de there you will find videos about Modern Arnis (7), Doce Pares (4), Jeet Kune Do (7), Rapid Arnis (2), Balisong (2) and of course Inayan Eskrima: Inayan Kadena de Mano (2), Inayan Serrada (2) and Inayan Sinawali. Soon to come are the 3 latest videos with Suro Mike Inay, that I produced with him this May: Reactive Knive Defense, Pressure Sensitive Nerve Areas, Inayan Larga Mano The first two are finished and a "prototype" is already with Suro Jason Inay to get final approval. Larga Mano will follow in the next 2 weeks. They will be available probably from November, at latest in December. Perhaps Ray can have a look at them and then post a revew to the digest. I leave it up to other members of the digest to comment the quality and contents of my ABANICO Video Productions. Best regards from Germany Dieter Knüttel ABANICO Video Productions http://www.abanico.de European Modern Arnis Representative http://modern-arnis.de ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 17:18:54 PDT Subject: eskrima: Tatang Illustrisimo Just forwarding an article that was sent to me... Ray - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Grandmaster Antonio 'Tatang' Illustrisimo - A Brief Profile Grandmaster Antonio Illustrisimo (1902 - 1997) originally came from Bantayan Island. He came from a family that has a very long history of martial and mystical tradition. His cousin, Floro Villabrialle, was the most famous Arnis master of Hawaii. His youngest uncle, Regino Ellutrisimo, was an Arnis master from Stockton, USA. Both men were mentioned in Dan Inosanto's book on Filipino martial arts. However, the most famous of his 4 direct paternal uncles, and the most powerful fighter of the 5 brothers was Melecio Illustrisimo, one of the most famous Kali masters of the Philippines of the early 20th Century, being influential in northern Cebu - Bantayan and Bohol islands. All his forbears were expert warriors and were known to posses strange mystical powers. Grandmaster Illustrisimo's students, fondly call him "Tatang" which means "grandfather". Tatang learnt Arnis under the tutelage of his father (Isidro Illustrisimo) and uncles (especially the famous Melecio Illustrisimo) in the old way. Footwork was one of the first things he had to master. As a tiny boy, he was put on a small table and his teachers would use sticks to beat his legs. He had to learn how to avoid the blows. He was also put on 3 half coconut shells in a triangular pattern and given the same harsh treatment. As a result he has mastered evasion and dodging at an early age. This is a training that Melecio Illustrisimo himself thoroughly mastered as he was said to have nailed one foot to the ground and challenge all and sundry to defeat him. No one could and that footwork is now called "Nail Footwork" in Illustrisimo Kali. These skills of evasive footwork have all been mastered by Grandmaster Antonio Illustrisimo. He learnt the solo and double baston, espada daga, daga, bolo (sword), dos manos (a long stick/sword - roughly equivalent to the Samurai's sword) and various "weapons of convenience". In particular, as a speciality, Grandmaster Illustrisimo is noted for is his expertise in bladed weapons. This expertise as a swordman is not merely from personal experience and practice, but is the legacy of his family art of Illustrisimo Kali which is a bladed art that stretches so far back in the family line that nobody could remember when it started. As a boy, the young Illustrisimo had a very tough, stubborn, determined and indominatable spirit. When he heard of a far country called 'America', he decided to go there - at the age of 9 years old! When his parents would not listen to his panderings, he 'took' some family money and a machete, and again, 'took' a small rowing boat and paddled out to the sea to what he thought would be America, not realising how far America really is. He fortunately chance across a ship. The sailors aboard were surprised to see a young boy rowing out in the sea. Out of curiousity, perhaps concern as well, there approached him and asked him where he was going. "I am going to America in this boat!" was the confident answer. The sailors rocked in laughter. They somehow persuaded him to come with them. Of course, he did not get to America. But he did sail to a few ports, still not quite realising that America is still very, very far away.......... At a port, he chance on a family friend who recognised him, but not wishing to betray the high ideals of this young boy, he took him to the south as that friend was a Muslim. There the young boy grew up - strong, determined, proud and skillful in combat as ever. He was adopted into a the royal court as an adopted son of the Sultan of Sulu. While in the South, he was priviledged to train in the the best of teachers that the royal court could have. He also trained with Pedro Cortes, another very famous master in the Mindanao region, who was used by the government to control the 'Rebelious South'. Then one day, he was drinking at a beer house, he got into dispute with another man. The man drew his sword to kill Tatang, but the defty young boy beat him to the draw and, with one stroke of his own sword, he cut off the enemy's head. The victim was left a headless man running wildly before collapsing. This would have normally been 'okay' under the rules of that Islamic society, but since it was complicated by his being under the influence of the drink (much frown upon), he was 'exiled'. He was 17 years old then. He returned to his parent's place. They had not seen him since he left as a young boy (this indicates his spirit of determination and independence - and his courage to live away from home without his parent's guidance) and thought he was dead. They were over-joyed to receive a telegram saying he was returning. But they couldn't recognise him. A proud young man in Muslim dress walked towards them from the ship and it was only when he greeted them that they realised it was him. He soon left to become a sailor, but when he had the opportunity, he would continue to train in the fighting tradition of his family line. Tatang used to hang around "rough places". He is well known amongst the wharfs and bars. That was where he fought many times and honed his fighting skills. I have met many Arnis masters who are very good in what they do, but some of them privately admitted to me that even they are extremely careful when going to such areas that Tatang frequents because fighting and killing in bar/street fights is very different, and much more dangerous, than fighting an Arnis dual. His life as a sailor gave him the opportunity to travel from place to place. This provided opportunities to contest fighters from other far-off regions - America, India, Europe, Australia..... He fought on many occassions, and was never defeated. For example, he responded to a grandmaster match in Singapore to competed against a great Indonesian Penchak Silat grandmaster. The Indonesian climbed into the ring, warmed up, all ready to fight, but when he faced Tatang, he simply refused to fight and surrendered. Grandmaster Illustrisimo said that is the highest art - to defeat an opponent without fighting him. Tatang was said to have used his 'orascion' or spiritual power to overcome the opponent. Grandmaster Illustrisimo thus won the prze money of $10,000. (Note:- Indonesian masters are experts in the use of spiritual power to overpower their opponents, but in this instance, Tatang's power must have overwhelm his expert opponent). Grandmaster Illustrisimo used to participate in Arnis matches in the fiestas in the local barrios occassionally when not at sea. However, due to his fondness for the blade, and his reputation as a fighter-killer, not many masters would dare to fight him. He only knows how to fight naturally - without restrictions - something that is not very comfortable for other masters. The only rule is the terms of defeat - - when to stop the fight. He laments that he had to accept fights during his travels to practise a little of his art. eg. He fought a master in Calcutta. He also had some fights in the Middle East. Grandmaster Illustrisimo, however, had lots of practice during World War II where, as a guerilla, his boss often sent on missions to kill both Japanese soldiers and local conspirators. He is said to have killed groups of people at a time. So reliable were his services that his code name in the guerilla movement was 'The Executioner'. In Manila, Grandmaster Illustrisimo lived in Tondo, near the wharf area which was a very rough neigbhourhood. Intimidation, robberies, muggings, fights and killings were common. Together with his friends (some of whom are well known to Western students of Arnis - Floro Villabraille, Jose Mena and Felicissimo Dizon), he fought these muggers, bullies and intimidators whenever they caused trouble. This 'Gang of Four' joked that since they were cleaning the docks of these troublemakers for the Police, they are in fact the 'De Facto Dock Police'. Grandmaster Illustrisimo hung around his friends whenever he was not at sea. Occassionally, he would spar with them. Accounts independently related by various old sources who hung around them confirmed that Grandmaster Illustrisimo had sparred wih Felicissimo Dizon quite a few times and was more than a match for him. It is also said that mutual Arnis friends wanted to arrange a formal match (ie. prize fighting) between Grandmaster Illustrisimo and Felicissimo Dizon. Grandmaster Illustrisimo, being a seasoned prize fighter, readily accepted. But the great Dizon turned down the offer citing that Grandmaster Illustrisimo is a larger man, a taller man with a longer reach, and thus they are in different categories and should not be matched. (Dizon was a formidable fighter with few defeats, most notably of which was from the great Illaus Romo. Also, a scheduled match between Dizon, Delphin Lopez and Cacoy Canette did not eventuate also because Dizon failed to turn up - according to Cacoy Canette). While sojorned in Manila in the late 1930s, a young lad around 15 or 16 years old called Angel Cabales, became a staunch student of Felicissimo Dizon. A few years later, he left for USA (1939) and became internationally famous as the founder of Cabales Serrada Eskrima which is very widespread in USA. Grandmaster Illustrisimo used to frequent bars in the rough areas of Manila. He often got into fights in such hotspots. He had been arrested at least 17 times for killing, but he was always lucky to prove his innocence as self defense and was released every time. The last time he killed was when he was over 90 years old. He nearly went to jail for that. Grandmaster Illustrisimo retired from sea-faring in his advanced years, but not from active practice. Even in his old age, he received challenges from young fighters eager to build a name for themselves by unfairly bumping off an old man, but he survived and gave them a hiding instead. In his advanced years, Grandmaster Illustrisimo was partially blind, but he can still spar with his students using real bolos (swords) and exert control not to harm them. How does he "see" the student's incoming bolos when he cannot properly see ordinary objects is still a mystery to most, but Dan Inosanto mentioned in his book that (Illustrisimo's cousin) Floro Villabrille's favourite master was a blind princess. (Some sources indicate that this 'princess' was actually not blind, but partially blind, just like Tatang. And not a princess of Samar, nor Princess Josephina. Also, this story later as changed by later generations to 'main' teacher instead of 'favourite' teacher - in the sentimental sense, not favorite as 'best' teacher). ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 17:19:49 PDT Subject: eskrima: . ------------------------------ End of Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V7 #490 **************************************** To unsubscribe from the eskrima-digest send the command: unsubscribe eskrima-digest -or- unsubscribe eskrima-digest your.old@address in the BODY of an email (top line, left justified) addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2000: Ray Terry and the Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.