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AUSSIE ARMS
Author: Alan Swanton
AUSTRALIA was among a number of countries invited by Modem Arnis Grandmaster Ernesto Presas to take part in the second IPMAF (International Philippine Martial Arts Federation) World Congress and Tournament. Grandmaster Presas' style of Modem Arnis is practised in Australia, USA, Canada, Germany, Scandanavia, plus many other European countries, and is also gaining a following in places such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Philippines has many styles of Arnis, all of whom indicated they would be sending a team to the tournament.
The opportunity to train and fight in the Philippines drew an enthusiastic response from Australian Modem Arnis clubs in Dubbo, Blue Mountains, Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra. A ten-day training camp was offered as a preliminary to the tournament, although all the details were not exactly clear. By October 14th we finally saw a regimen~ of 22 green and gold tracksuited Arni~dors board the flight to Manila - not quite sure what they were getting themselves into, but all undeniably enthusiastic.
Full credit must go to Master Chris Traish (Australia's Modem Arnis President) for the months of planning and preparation he put into getting the team together. As the tour progressed Chris discovered he needed talents not only as a team manager, but also as interpreter, banker, travel agent, business negotiator, and general 'minder' for some of the more unruly members of the crew. Chris was often heard to comment how much easier his first IPMAF Congress was. Three years ago he only had to get himself there and back, seeing he was the only Australian delegate. Grandmaster Presas and some of his senior instructors met us at the airport with an airconditioned bus - a somewhat unusual species of vehicle in Manila. We were dazzled by the driver's ability to throw a full-sized coach through traffic with the dexterity of a top motorcycle rider. The traffic in the Philippines is an experience in itself...
Our training camp was located at Picnic Grove, Tagaytay City. Tagaytay is a semi-rural sprawl around the hills overlooking the magnificent Lake Taal and its vofcailOs, about 90 minutes' drive from Manila. Other groups started to arrive, from the USA, Middle East and Europe. The Australian crowd were soon busy with what could be called 'supplementary' Martial Arts training - basketball, touch football and handball games.
Serious training started by the second day. We were impressed with the very eclectic nature of modem Arnis. At its highest level it is a fighting system which allows its practitioner to move rapidly
between strikes with the cane or emptyhand techniques, locks and takedowns. It is a remarkably formidable and lethal attack and defence system, when demonstrated to its full potential. With one of IPMAF's most seasoned instructors, Master Christino Vasquez, we trained in striking patterns, cane disarms and locks and knife defence basics.
Master Rene Tongson showed us many of the classical forms of Arnis, and how to use the formidable hand-held dulo as part of it. With the Grandmaster's son, Ernesto 'Jan Jan' Presas In., we practised balisong and Bo twirling techniques. Master Samuel Dulay gave classes in breakfalls, . locks and takedowns, knife defence and Mano-Mano. (Mano-mano is hand-to-hand fighting). Here students learn to use open hand, fist and elbow strikes to duplicate the striking techniques which can be applied with the cane. Any volunteer who demonstrates with Master Samuel soon learns how effective strikes and locks can be when used together! Grandmaster Presas also made himself available to teach some of the classes.
Training was concentrated into morning and late afternoon hours. By midday it is very- hot and humid, so the only sensible response is to take a siesta. This gave us plenty of leisure time - long, leisurely lunches interrupted by the clicking of balisongs, forays into the countryside by jeepney, horse rides to the local landmark, the Marcos Sky Palace, and time to learn the kind of Filipino words not usually printed in guidebooks. Some big discoveries were made: a working telephone was found, and a hotel with a swimming pool and casino was also close by. The pool became a big attraction for the locals, as well as for us. Watching Australians became a star attraction at the Taal Hotel pool. We were mildly surprised that playing water polo with rubber thongs was such a crowd pleaser. We were even more surprised when Chris Traish won the dancing contest at the Taal Hotel's floor show.
People enjoyed their evenings as well.
Picnic Grove supplies no night life, and a lot of the group enjoyed old-fashioned pastimes like playing cards, talking to each other, and having endless debates about the role of tournaments within Martial Arts. And some debates are endlessly circular! For those who found this sort of recreation too strenuous, there were always plenty of cases of cold San Miguel at a small shop just outside the gates. After realising that lOO pesos (approx $5) could easily buy a round for 20 people, this little tin shop Qecame increasingly popular with many of us. We often speculate if its charming owner earned enough in ten days to retire on. But every crowd has its stayers; she probably earned every centimo for staying up so late at night.
The World Congress, like many things in the Philippines, became largely an informal affair wedged in between training, leisure time, and San Miguel evenings. It was a time to share opinions and styles, a time to appreciate other cultures as well as just their approaches to Martial Arts. Techniques are easily forgotten if not practised, but the friendships formed in learning techniques are something you can carry for a long time.
Thanks to the efforts of Chris and his 'negotiating team', Australian rules were adopted as the official system for this IPMAF tournament. At the time of our arrival tournament rules were still being discussed between the different groups. We gave a demonstration of the fighting and scoring system used in Australian Modem Arnis tournaments. Points are awarded essentially on a hit without being hit method; striking areas are clearly deliniated; the referee is supported by a mobile comer judge who makes definite flag signals according to the strikes he saw. The Filipino groups were impressed by the clarity and simplicity of the system, which also enables a person to learn to referee quickly and competently. In the process, Chris was appointed as Head of the Technical Committee for Modern Arnis, a role which indicates the esteem he holds within the Presas organisation.
Tournament Day was rescheduled to Thursday, October 24th. This provided some complications for the two members of our team who had not yet arrived. They had to change airlines a few times to make it to Manila.
The days prior to the tournament shifted the focus to sparring training, and the practice of forms, or Anyos. The Anyo is a kata performed with single or double cane. A competitor may also do a classical Espada YDaga anyo, using the single cane and a knife. Australian training methods were again very popular, as we demonstrated how timing and distancing can be improved by practising with a variety of rubber weapons. (There will be a lot of rubber knives in Saudi Arabia after Richard and Jake Flores get home. We wonder if they will come up with a working prototype for a rubber balisong ... )
The tournament itself was held inside the sports gym at Santa Tomas University, an old and picturesque college which dates back to the earliest days of Spanish colonialism. Manila is a tough place to stage a tournament. Once you get off the bus, you have to wade through a wall of hot, humid smog. It's one of the world's most congested cities. The weather inside the gym was only a slight improvement on that outside.
Like most Philippines sporting events, there are a lot of preliminaries before the actual tournament. Speeches were made by visiting dignitaries, guest grandmasters gave obligatory demonstrations, team parades were held, oaths of sportsmanship taken, and the Manila City band played on. (Somet~mes over the commentary). Arnis is taught. within the university system in the Philippines, and at a number of colleges, most of which entered teams. Grandmaster Presas organised a crowd-pleasing display of weaponry and Modem Arnis forms, calling on a number of his Australian students to assist.
The Men's and Women's Anyo competition saw some great Australian wins.
Judging was always very close, and leading competitors were continually required to have extra play-offs to settle tied points. Overall winner in the Women's Anyo was l2-year -oldLeura schoolgirl Sarah Hedgemen, who was unanimously selected as a World Champion, and won the crowd over with a mastery of technique which was phenomenal to watch. In second place was Sarah's close rival, Karla Edwards, another Blue Mountains person in impeccable form. Third place was awarded to Onesown Karate star, Aida Jones, a top competitor from Newcastle.
It was down to the wire again in the Men's Anyo, with continual playoffs between the leading Australians. Mark Ahem (one of the Brothers Grimm of the Blue Mountains) won the World Championship. Close behind him was Sydney's veteran Koshiki Contact Karate fighter, Paul Gifford, in 2nd place. Dubbo' s Shaolin Kung Fu and Modem Arnis instructor, John Bond, was awarded 3rd place.
In sparring, the Australian contingent didn't quite manage to sweep the field in the sarne way, although that could be a matter for debate. It was a tough,long and gruelling afternoon. Three rings were in progress, and nearly all senior Australian competitors were constantly judging and refereeing, as well as fighting in their own bouts. There were over 60 competitors in the Men's division and close to 100 competitors all up, and it was largely up to Chris Traish to supervise the draw.
Big Jeff Allen steamed through the opposition for his shot at the World Championship, with an unbeatable combination of height, reach and superb timing. Unfortunately, Jeff also slowed the tournament down considerably when he demolished fellow Australian player, Michael Darcy . Jeff's strike was a definite highlight, but it broke the guard on Darcy's headgear in the process. There was .llO replacement equipment available, so this bout unintentionally reduced the tournament to a two-ring event.
All matches were decided over three one-minute rounds. The men's final saw some familiar battles between some familiar faces from all previous Australian Arnis Championships. Being 'tall and hefty' (if I may quote the FiIlipino daily press) wasn't quite enough for the other member of the Brothers Grimm, Michael Ahearn. He had to settle for fourth place. An ecstatic crowd cheered when a local student, Reynante Dominguez, achieved third place, showing a formidable combination of speed and technique to outclass many taller opponents. The crowd watched the final battle for the championship with anticipation. By the third round it was over. Jeff Allen was ahead on enough points for the World Championship, while Chris Traish had to settle for 2nd place. It wasn't necessarily the sec-
ond time Chris came second fighting Jeff, but it was his second time coming second at a World Championship. Chris almost took the World Championship on his last visit to Manila.
The Juniors' Division saw a victory for local sparring favourite, Ernesto Pres as Junior. Second and third went to local high school students, Jason Nalzaro and Roan Duno. The Australian team's junior entrants, Sarah Hedgeman and 14-yearold Troy Pearson, didn't quite make the finals, despite some superb efforts. The Women's Sparring pulled a few surprises. Some controversial decision points were awarded, which saw the elimination of favourites Karla Edwards and Aida Jones, while other Australian contestants Anna and Eva Begovic and Ann Ahearn, didn't make the finals either. The Women's Championship went to Philippines Lyceum student, Shelia Pulido, who was almost overwhelmed by her supporters after the event. A real surprise was Dana Livermore, a relative Arnis novice from Newcastle, who showed the ability to win second place. Shelia Calesa and Lerma Acosta, two schoolmates from Philippines Central College, finished third and fourth.
The jubilant Australians were awarded an additional trophy to go with the ten awards they gained during the day. This was a Teams Trophy, for the overall effort the Australian contingent put into ensuring the tournament was a success.
With the event finally over it was a time for relaxation and celebration, and time for a few splits within the team. 'The Wild Bunch' parted company and jubilantly headed off for a few days' hard drinking in the allunng bars of Manila. (Let these people remain nameless, but any readers familiar with some of the personalities on the Australian team could possibly work it out!) The rest of us settled for slightly less hazardous diversions such as a day-long bus trip around Manila, a trip down a mountainside by jeepney, a look at an active volcano, and getting stranded in a lake while a mechanic swam over from a passing boat.
Our last day in Manila saw us pursuing cheap shoes, buying curios for home, contemplating the amount of exotic weaponry Sydney Customs would tolerate, and attending a feast and blessing in Grandmaster Presas' new gym. We left Manila late Sunday night, October 27th. We took home a lot more than ten trophies and three world championships. There was a lot more to take away, besides the occasional San Miguel hangover.
We took home a lot of good times, good training, and good friendships, the things which Martial Arts always needs to remember as its basic goals. We gained a lot of appreciation of the spirit of the Filipino people and their committment to their unique fighting arts. We hope that we gave something of ourselves in return, and we know that a lot of people in Tagaytay will associate us with something a little more than clip-on koalas.
We sincerely thank the Filipino people for their hospitality. And to our team manager Chris Traish, a public thanks from all members for the work you did to put it all together. We know the big job is just around the comer: IPMAF have selected Australia as the location for their next world Congress and Tournament.
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