Eskrimadors – Their Aging and Fading Filipino Martial Art, a 90 year-old Grand Master and Why I am Going to Study! (Includes Video!)

6Chris C. Ducker • 10th Feb 2010 • Uncategorized • arnis, eskrima, eskrimadors, philippine stick fighting

Location: New York, USA – Viewing / Reading Time: 8-9mins

On the evening of Saturday 30th January 2010, I was invited as a VIP guest to the World Premiere of a brand new, Filipino-made, documentary film called “Eskrimadors”, an inside look at the ancient and at time deadly Filipino martial art, Eskrima – also known as Arnis on a more international scale.

I grew up enjoying martial arts. I loved the movies from Hong Kong legends such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and later on in my late teens and early twenties, Jet Li. I even got involved, to a certain degree in the Hong Kong film industry in the UK in the late 90’s. And I also studied a few different martial arts (karate, wing chun and aikido), but never really got heavily occupied with any of them.

I have now lived in the Philippines for close to a decade and have, of course, been aware of the Arnis they teach the kids in school, or used to, rather, and the deadly challenges that used to be put together involving rival schools and masters. However, that was basically my knowledge level of the art. Until that night at SM Cinema 2, where a friend (who is also the film’s producer) invited me to attend the premiere of her latest work. And I have to say, I was blown away.

The film’s production quality was amazing and the editing was excellent. Not only this, but the camera work was nothing short of awesome (its tough filming this stuff in close quarters, I am sure, because its unrehearsed and unbelievably fast!). However, what got me more than anything else was the STORY behind the Eskrimadors themselves. And I don’t mean a script, I mean the REAL history behind what they went through. The challenges of being forced underground and then allowed to practice the art in the ‘open’ again, thanks to American rule, the late night, bloody, battles involving rivals from different areas of the city and many other up’s and downs.

Before the film was presented the audience was treated to several demonstrations (one of which I have included above, and can be found on my YouTube channel) from the various Eskrima / Arnis schools when the Cebu area (this is where the art originated from and where I have now been living for over 6 years), and we were even introduced to one of the founding fathers of the art itself, Grand Master Cacoy Canete, who is now 90 years old and STILL practicing and teaching the art that he loves so much. His demonstration alone was memorable enough, without the movies’ presence.

Following the film, all the masters and grand masters were award with Certificates if Recognition for a Lifetime of Devotion to the Art, which is fading slowly, but surely, as youngsters now prefer to play video games and more modern sports, such as basketball and soccer. This is hard for the masters to accept as they watch the once extremely popular home-grown martial art, which is now bigger internationally, in regards to schools, clubs and competitions, fading in the country where it was created.

This whole thing touched me, sincerely. So much so, that even though I am traveling at 35,000 feet as I write this post, on my way from Miami to New York on a four-city tour of the US involving meet-up’s with clients, prospects and other like-minded entrepreneurs – the moment I get back to Cebu in the middle of February, I will be looking up my producer friend and getting the contact details of one of the clubs, Doce Pares, that have been around since the early days (and who’s full-time school is just a five minute drive from my office), as I now want to go and learn this amazing martial art for myself, to add a real experience to my life journey (although the obvious strikes and subsequent bruises, I am going to receive from those sticks as a complete beginner, will be avoided whenever possible, I assure you!).

I also want to be able to pass it on to my two sons and my daughter (if she will put down her fashion magazines and log out of her facebook account!) to hopefully show them a little more of their Filipino roots and to be able to enjoy the pleasure that I believe I will get by beginning a brand new experience at my own ripe-old age.

So, wish me advance luck, and I will be sure to let you know as to when I begin, what its like to be taught by masters who have been teaching for decades, as well as what it feels like to no doubt get hit repeatedly by bamboo rattan sticks!!!

For a general explanation of Eskrima / Arnis, check it out on Wikipedia – no point in me even trying to tell you about the actually martial art itself at this moment, but I do believe a few of you, at least, might be interested enough to want to read a little more on the subject.

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