On
June 2-4 the 2006 The 5th Annual World Modern Arnis Alliance
Training Camp was held in West Seneca, New York.
One
of the first instructors was Master Hiroki Kimura, a Shorinji-Kempo
and Kendo instructor from the Buffalo area. Kimura taught some
extremely effective pressure point techniques. I’d seen
a number of these before, but Master Kimura showed slightly different
angles of application that made a number of the techniques much
more effective. He had me screaming in pain, which is one of
the finest compliments I can give the man.
Guro
Paul Janulis taught his bolo program for intemediate to advanced
martial artists. Janulis, an articulate and energetic instructor,
had camp members practice single and multiple threat line exercises.
Using “Smak-Stiks,” students formed up and fed pre-arranged
attacks to a each other in an assembly line fashion. Students
on the receiving end had to evade and counter-attack, attempting
to “crash and orbit” in an effort to get behind their
attackers. Paul had multiple hand-outs for the students with
information on the history of the bolo as well as an outline
for his period of instruction. Outlines like this are a rare
thing at seminars. Students--who are data hogs--are quick to
scarf them up.
Punong-guro
Rick Manglinong reviewed his double stick methods, which was
helpful for veterans of previous camps. Later in the camp he
tuaght empty hand striking and trapping methods that were based
on the double stick techniques. I talked to Rick off the mat
and he said he teaches his younger students the empty hand methods
first, and then later puts a stick in their hands. Either way,
his linking of the stick and hand techniques is extremely practical
and a useful tool for any instructor.
Datu
Tim Hartman taught Balintawak stick fighting techniques required
for 2nd and 3rd dan rank in the WMAA curriculum. The instructors
present were able to polish their skills while picking Tim’s
brain and clarifying small points. The section was well structured
for beginners, however, and the information wasn’t over
anyone’s heads.
NAPMA
president Rob Colasanti gave the school and club owners two highly
professional presentations on marketing and developing their
programs. Colasanti is a glib and confident lecturer with outstanding
presentation skills. His thesis, essentially, is that we can
teach martial arts professionally and without compromising our
standards...and make a living at it.
The “headliner” for
the camp was Lameco Escrima’s Guro Roger Agbulos. Agbulos
was one of the personal students of the late, great Edgar Silute,
founder of Lameco. Roger is a bright, charismatic, and funny
man. He started out the seminar by sparring Smak-Stiks with one
of my black belts, Eric Charles. Eric--no slouch with a stick--quickly
came to appreciate Roger’s method. Roger taught a long
range method of stick fighting that emphasized efficiency. Students
were cautioned to keep their elbows in and to not telegraph strikes
by large movements or “loading” of strikes. When
sparring with Eric he’d take advantage of this. Eric would
raise his elbow, and Roger would nail Eric on his “load.” On
the second day Roger taught the camp members long range, medium,
and short range knife fighting techniques. Students learned to
close the gap on an opponent and finish them with a movement
that literally had them hip to hip with their attacker.
Saturday
evening’s traditional banquet was catered by Dave Monolopolus’s
Market in the Square grocery. The meal was excellent, consisting
of two entrees, various salads, potatos and rolls. The killer
for our waistlines was the dessert: little mini-cheesecakes and
creampuffs that set people’s eyes rolling when they popped
them into their mouths. Being a member of the board of directors
and a black belt, I showed great self-control and discipline.
I only ate twenty of them.
The
5th Annual WMAA camp was a good opportunity for instructors and
students from around the country to network, socialize, and share
their knowledge of the martial arts. Like all the camps before
it and those to follow, it was a time to grow the art; and to
let the art grow within us.
Photo
Gallery is
available at MartialTalk.com
