Paeng Ferrer (09 Sept 2010)
I shake my head and I sigh in disbelief. A group of adolescent girls guffaw at me. They laugh because I miss a roundhouse kick pad work. I was 12. It was my first taekwondo lesson.
My father took me to a martial arts class for a father and son activity. It was 1995 and the closest school is in Cubao. Because of the girls laughing and the distance of the dojo, we only lasted two sessions. However, perhaps my father didn’t know, I immediately loved martial arts after that.
Nevertheless, it took me 14 years to take up martial arts again. I did not bother with the velvety breeze, tranquil trees, and high spirited joggers in UP Diliman. I was attentively looking for persons carrying long black bags. I followed them to the meadows beside the lagoon. Suddenly, I saw people jumping around and hitting each other with sticks. I figured, “what better way to start my martial arts journey than with Filipino Martial Arts (FMA).”
The Arnis practitioners were divided into two groups. The first was practicing intermediate exercises while the second was a bit more complicated. There were instructors for each cluster. I sat beside a tree and spied for a little while. I anxiously came up to the teachers during their break. They introduced themselves as Mr. Jeff and Mr. Brando. The former is in his youth with long braided hair. The latter is a clean-cut guy wearing eyeglasses and mountain bike shorts. They explained that they are from Lightning Scientific Arnis – International (LSAI). It is a school founded by GM Benjamin Luna Lema just before the Japanese War (also see our facebook account: Academia LSA). I promised to return for the next session.
Like many martial arts school, the teaching style revolves around repetition in order to gain muscle memory. However, I am extremely zealous bordering fanatical that I do not mind going through the activities. I am eager to learn how to grip the weapon, block, and strike properly. I fancy acquiring blisters and calluses. I push myself to exhaustion during conditioning exercises. I buy a lot of sticks, stick bags, practice daggers, training attires, etc. Occasionally, even outside work outs, I find myself hitting the air pretending I have sticks like a madman.
Once in a while, I stumble on something amusing in Arnis classes. It sort of defines me in a humorous way. It is providential that my favorite Arnis move is the umbrella block. It’s meant to stop a vertical attack to the head. The only problem is that I grew up in the boy band generation. I couldn’t help but notice that payong is like a boy band dance step. It goes like this:
1. Start with standing position. Hold the stick parallel to the ground with both hands in front of your hips.
2. As your opponent strikes you, block it by moving your cane above your head. Do this with your right hand. The stick should stay parallel to the ground but a bit leaning to the left. This will allow the assaulting weapon to slide away.
3. At the same time, deflect the attacker’s hand with your left hand.
4. Additionally, shuffle to the right to get out of range.
It’s a simple yet effective defensive move. But for me, it somehow becomes natural to sing a boy band song. I reckon it helps me keep my rhythm. Honestly.
A couple of months ago, I was fortunate to have witnessed the Lema Cup. It’s an Arnis competition in honor of the Grand Master. Early Saturday morning, I went to an edifice in the university. I witnessed, for the first time, various individuals from different LSAI chapters.
The fighters are in the center of the room. They wear protective gears like head coverings and groin guards. They clasp padded sticks. One is blue and the other is red, depending on their corners. Each player is unique. One of them is tall, the other short, one is bulky, one is slender, young, old, etc. In the same way, each fighter has a different strategy. One immediately goes for the head, the other hunts the opponent’s hand, somebody targets the legs, someone attempts to land as many combinations as possible, another one strikes then clinches, and so forth.
There are eight players. Each represents a different school. Two fighters battle at a time. There is no weight category. The fight starts after the salute. Three judges score the match from different angles. They raise either a blue or a red stick. This signifies which player lands a clean strike. After the points were tallied, the guy who went for the legs won. Our team did not triumph but it was an ecstatic day nevertheless (click here to see videos of Lema Cup 2010).
“It’s like we are standing before a mountain,” Mr. Brando told me after a class. It has almost been a year since I first approached LSAI in UP Lagoon. Yet there is still so much to unearth in the FMA terrain. Some people claim that studying martial arts encourage violence. Conversely, many of my classmates say that it gives them a sense of self-reliance. Thus, they move more peacefully when confronted.
There is another major advantage I obtain from Arnis. It is being able to share in the great history of our forefathers. I hear war stories from the Japanese period, the Macabebe’s, and the various weapons of our ancestors. My father was correct to think of martial arts as a father and son bonding activity. As a bonus, I am able to re-connect to the generation of my father’s father as well.
Lastly, in simple terms, I go to Arnis classes because I take pleasure in the company. So here’s to my teachers and classmates – PUGAY! ***
