From: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com To: eskrima-digest@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Subject: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V8 #324 Reply-To: eskrima@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Errors-To: eskrima-digest-owner@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com Precedence: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest Wed, 18 July 2001 Vol 08 : Num 324 In this issue: eskrima: The MOTTs, The Renegade & Chuck eskrima: Re: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V8 #322 eskrima: Indonesia eskrima: Re: Titles: eskrima: Judo Gene eskrima: Kombatan seminars eskrima: . ========================================================================== Eskrima-Digest, serving the Internet since June 1994. 1300 members strong! Copyright 1994-2001: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The premier internet discussion forum devoted to Filipino Martial Arts. Provided in memory of Mangisursuro Michael G. Inay (1944-2000), 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 the online search engine for back issues of the Eskrima-Digest at http://www.MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "tim hartman" Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 18:17:43 Subject: eskrima: The MOTTs, The Renegade & Chuck I would like to say after everything I said about the IMAF steering board I still consider some are still my friends! The Modern Arnis world is a family. Sometimes dysfunctional, but a family never the less. I would like to say that of all of the MOTTs I think that Chuck Guass is the best of the group. In addition to being a good martial artist he is also a cop, this gives him an opportunity to apply the material he learns. He and I where Remy's primary demonstration partners for quite some time. He can give a punch as well as take one. The saying that comes to mind is "It's not how long you have been in the art, but how long you've been at the art". How many hours has someone logged. Chuck has been in many years and logged many hours, where some of the others have not. This has been my point the whole time. I have been in for over 18 years and trained it the whole time. The difference was that I started in a Modern Arnis school and the opened one myself. I cross train like everyone else does but I train Modern Arnis as my primary art, not a secondary art. Chuck is the same way. He has done other arts but switched about 8 years ago and has trained it with a passion. If I was just starting my training, I would want to train with Chuck! My problem is how the MOTTs where picked. I feel that not all the members got in on there own merit. Taking myself out of the mix there are more 5th degrees out there and have been for some time. Some of which are more active than the MOTTs. I think that everyone needs to find there own truth. You need to train with the MOTTs before condemning them. If you do then I suggest Chuck. This does not mean I think the others suck, I just think the Chuck has the most to offer. Yours Truly, Datu Timothy J.Hartman E-mail wmarnis@wmarnis.com School site www.wmarnis.com/school/ Federation site www.wmarnis.com M.A. Supplies www.warriorsden.com _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ From: Mike Casto Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 11:29:30 -0700 (PDT) Subject: eskrima: Re: Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V8 #322 << Have any folks here gone the route of slowly progressing from drill to free sparring rather than jumping right into the sparring? In other words, have you taken sombrada patterns and slowly added freedom to parts of it (the second attack may be a #1 or a horizontal slash at the feeder's choice, etc) until there is no pattern left. I'm wondering about the effectiveness of this rather than just jumping into free sparring right from the patterned drills. Which do you think would be the most effective, both in terms of bringing a guy up to sparring speed in minimal time, and which could produce a better fighter given lots of time? >> My instructor uses a combination of these. Personally, I think the combination is the most beneficial overall. If you go straight to all-out sparring, then true understanding of the mechanics takes longer to develop but reflexes are developed much quicker. If you go the developmental route exclusively, then understanding is developed quicker, but the reflexes are developed slower. I think using both methods helps cover all the ground in the shortest amount of time. But ... that's just *my* opinion. I would also venture to say that, like with so much else in the MA and in life, the "better" method is going to depend on the teacher, student, and setting. I think that given enough time, both methods will work. But I think that if someone is trying to quickly develop deep understanding of *why* the things work, the drilled progression is a better option. For someone who is trying to quickly develop a fighter, the "jump in and spar" is the better option. For someone who's trying to develop *both* of these abilities in the shortest amount of time, I personally think it's best to use both methods. Regards, Mike __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ From: "Marc Denny" Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 10:53:42 -0700 Subject: eskrima: Indonesia A Howl of Greeting to All: In this piece from today's WSJ we see themes that we have seen before-- and that swords and spears are present day relevant. Again, comments from this part of the world welcome. Crafty Indonesian Island Sees Crime Drop, But at What Cost to Its Reputation? By MICHAEL SCHUMAN Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL JEROWARU, Indonesia -- Islamic leader Tuan Guru H.M. Sibawayhi has four wives, a religious retreat so isolated it lacks electricity -- and an organization that is usurping the authority of the state itself. In a mere two years, Mr. Sibawayhi's community security force, the Pamswakarsa Amphibi, has amassed 270,000 members who scour the rice-farming villages on the island of Lombok with swords and spears, hunting for crooks. The bald 54-year-old guru calls Amphibi a "miracle baby." Police and community leaders describe Amphibi as something else -- vigilantes who sometimes beat, even kill, the criminals they catch. Amphibi has become so big and powerful that the government is struggling to control it. The self-styled force is "too large to just get rid of them," concedes Jonny Yodjana, the brigadier general who was in charge of Lombok's police force until May. Mr. Sibawayhi's home-grown militia provides a glimpse of what this troubled country of 210 million people may become. In the wake of the 1998 fall of Suharto, who ruled Indonesia unyieldingly for 32 years, the country's government has deteriorated into chaos. The democratically elected president, Abdurrahman Wahid, is facing impeachment by the national parliament, and the bickering among Jakarta's political elite has paralyzed policy makers. The result: The power of formal government is in decline, and in its place, local groups like Amphibi are becoming more and more influential. Across this sprawling archipelago, from separatists in the restive provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya, to Muslim fundamentalists seeking Islamic law, local leaders are taking advantage of the disarray to assert their own authority. Amphibi's fast rise shows the magnitude of the challenge Indonesia's leaders face in trying to put the country back together again. "It's very unclear what is the authority of the state and what is the authority of the people," says Mahrum Leo, headman of the village of Janapria, where, as is common in Lombok these days, an Amphibi "police post" dominates the center of town. "Law has become disorder." Amphibi's beginnings were much more humble. In early 1999, a group of farmers, led by another religious figure, approached Mr. Sibawayhi with an idea to form a simple community patrol to stamp out the debilitating crime in the ramshackle village of Jerowaru. He deliberated with his peers for several days, gave his blessing, and created the Pamswakarsa Amphibi. "We were concerned about the society," the guru says, sitting cross-legged on a wicker-and-thatch platform. Amphibi became a phenomenon. Villagers all over Lombok -- and even neighboring islands -- desperate to stop the endemic looting of livestock and homes flocked to join up. Handicrafts exporter Marju, an Amphibi district chief based in the town of Praya Timur who, like many Indonesians, uses only one name, says he signed up two years ago because "we care about the community. It's very safe here now." Amphibi also played the role of social reformer. Herman, one of Mr. Marju's top lieutenants, was once a criminal himself, having stolen more than 2,000 goats. The 40-year-old joined Amphibi because "I wanted to change my life," he says. "Now, I'm afraid to commit crimes anymore." Another inducement was Amphibi's offer of life insurance and help organizing funeral rites for members and their families -- highly valued but expensive benefits for Indonesians. For these perks, members pay a signup fee of about $10 and roughly 10 cents a month in dues. Amphibi slowly, perhaps even unintentionally, began to take over some of the police's responsibilities, despite Mr. Sibawayhi's insistence that Amphibi's role is merely to assist authorities. Some townsfolk are reporting crimes to Amphibi instead of the police. "People turn to Amphibi because they don't trust the state," says H. Ahmad Taqiuddin Mansur, a member of the provincial assembly with Mr. Wahid's political party. "There is a strong perception that Amphibi can do everything that the formal institutions cannot handle," says Mr. Leo, the village headman. Police here, 1,120 kilometers Indonesia's capital, are stretched thin. M. Riza, the chief of a police district in central Lombok, says he lacks the resources to provide full security on his turf. He has only 14 officers to patrol 12 villages with 54,000 people. "Sometimes we ask the community security forces to promote security" at public events, he says, adding that the two parties enjoy "good cooperation." Mr. Marju is less charitable: "The police have no action. They just sit and collect their salary from the government." Police bristle at that assertion, and insist that Amphibi isn't usurping their role. But even Mr. Yodjana, the police chief, says, "ever since Amphibi was set up, crimes like cow stealing in villages have vanished." Even amid its rising influence, Amphibi has maintained its simple, pastoral image -- much like Lombok itself, a quiet island of rice patties where horse-drawn carriages still compete with cars. Amphibi's epicenter is Jerowaru, a village that lacks private telephones. (Reaching the security force from outside Jerowaru entails calling the town's one public pay phone and hoping that a member walks by.) Its headquarters is a run-down red concrete and wood building. Inside, the central committee leaders chain-smoke Indonesian tobacco-and-clove cigarettes in old T-shirts and worn pants. On duty, members wear bright orange vests with the Amphibi seal -- two crossed swords over a crocodile -- on the back. Some members believe the vests have magical powers that make them impervious to bullets and knives. In some ways, Amphibi is organized like any other rural police force. It has offices in many villages marked with the Amphibi name. Members go on nightly foot patrols, and some are part of "detective units' that investigate crimes and collect evidence. Each group of 51 members is allotted a single walkie-talkie that connects them to other units in the vast, island-wide force. "The destiny of the organization was to become this big. People can feel the benefit," says Mr. Sibawayhi, during a break from chopping wood on his retreat. But, according to police and other community leaders on Lombok, that success has come at a high price -- human-rights abuses. They accuse Amphibi members of beating suspects and argue that the security force's proclivity to violence is causing some unnecessary deaths, of both civilians and Amphibi. "The criminals are scared to commit a crime, but the example of taking the law into their own hands has created another problem," the police's Mr. Yodjana says. The incident that has done the most damage to Amphibi's reputation took place in the village of Parempuan Timur at dawn one January day. Different players in the events of that morning tell competing versions of the story, but in the end, eight Amphibi members lay dead, and both the organization's leaders and village authorities were shaken. Write to Michael Schuman at michael.schuman@awsj.com. ------------------------------ From: "hudginsg" Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 10:20:07 -0500 Subject: eskrima: Re: Titles: I need some help from the digest. You opinion (flame) is welcome. I have only one legitimate ranking, a nidan in isshinryu karate. (well two if you count the sixth kyu I got in Shotokan years ago.) My efforts in the FMA are limited, you know, seminars and working out when ever I can with other people in the FMA. (Which is rare because I am out in the middle of no where FMA wise. No instructors for a couple of hundred miles or so. ) I do not have any students, but do assist with the ladies kick boxing class at the local Yoshukai Karate studieo. I have a Juris Doctorate (JD) and a Masters of Law in Taxation (LLM in Taxation) Which is more appropriate as a title, and which should I use? Dr. Master Hudgins? Or Master Dr. Hudgins? Should I have these ladies call me "Master Hudgins" or "Doctor. Hudgins" or Master Doctor Hudgins or Doctor Master Hudgins? Under which title will my sometimes students learn faster? Under which title will my students better be able to "whip ass".? Which title will help them throw a better jab, punch, and round house kick. Which title will create an aura of mystic and help draw in more students? Which lurkers out there are going to flame me because I am trying to make a point. ;-) IMHO Titles other than "Mr". , "Sensei", "Guro" "Sifu", etc belong in resumes or paragraphs at the end of the flyer or in descriptive explanations. Even if you are "Grand Master", anything other than the basic terms is a little much. Example: Mr. Hudgins is a graduate of Auburn University obtaining his degree B.A. Degree, later attending Samford Univerisity where he obtained his J.D. and a Masters in Taxation at the University of Alabama. Or Mr. Soandso received his instructor certificate from xxxx. Later the title of Guru supremeo was bestowed upon him by ____________. I would be proud to have any title bestowed upon me by any martial artist and I would include that information in communications, but not as a title to be called by it. Should I be referred to as "Student" Hudgins? Or because my instructor gave me the rank of Ni-Dan should I be called or use the rank as part of my title? Ni-Dan Hudgins? I am not knocking the title/ rank ... only the way it is used. It should be used in restraint. IMHO this applies to what ever title you have. just G. Hudgins No title. ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 15:16:33 PDT Subject: eskrima: Judo Gene Watching the movie Kickboxer 2 on cable. "Judo" Gene Lebell (The Man in Pink, http://www.maninpinkjudogene.com) is playing the ref for a kickboxing match. He brings the participants out to the center of the ring, turns to one and says, "Ok, Vargas, none of your wrestling bulls#*t". Sorry... it just cracked me up... Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: Jkm918@aol.com Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 18:45:30 EDT Subject: eskrima: Kombatan seminars Greetings all! Please mark your calenders and pass along the information that Grandmaster Ernesto Presas will be presenting seminars on Kombatan Arnis: September 8,9 in Milwaukee Wisconsin Contact Lt. Dennis Davidson - (414)-774-2939 (mornings) September 15, 16 in Kalamazoo, Michigan Contact Jeanette Morris - (616)-372-1444 jkm918@aol.com Prices for pre-paid registration are $100/both days, $50/one day. Door price $120/both days, $60/one day. Instructors call for special rates. Also, Sifu Mark Stewart will be presenting a one-day seminar on Jeet Kune Do and LucayLucay Kali September 1st at the Kalamazoo Martial Arts Academy, 326 Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo Michigan 49007. 11am - 1pm JKD 2-4pm Kali Cost is $35. Contact Tim Greenman - 616-349-1128 ------------------------------ From: Ray Terry Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 17:17:27 PDT Subject: eskrima: . . - -- Ray Terry raymail@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com ------------------------------ End of Inayan_Eskrima/FMA-Digest V8 #324 **************************************** To unsubscribe from the eskrima-digest send the command: unsubscribe eskrima-digest -or- unsubscribe eskrima-digest your.old@address in the BODY (top line, left justified) of a "plain text" e-mail addressed to majordomo@hpwsrt.cup.hp.com. Old digest issues are available via ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com. Copyright 1994-2001: Ray Terry and the Martial Arts Resource Standard disclaimers apply.