Kali/Escrima is a weapons-based art from the Phillipines. Training develops footwork and movement thru the use of single &*double stick, and knife, including many others. Filipino Martial Arts The Filipino Martial Arts is an effective system of self-defense that has been developed and proven on the battlefield in warfare. While primarily known for its techniques with stick and knife, it is an all encompassing art including unarmed fighting, such as boxing, grappling and kicking; as well as training with a wide variety of impact and edged weapons including stick, knife, staff, throwing and projectile weapons. Drills from the arts of Kali, Escrima and Arnis develop attributes in the student such as speed, agility, footwork, timing, body mechanics, distance and range awareness and coordination on the left and right sides of the body. The Filipino Martial Arts taught at the xxxxxxxx Academy focus on the following areas: Single Stick/Sword Double Stick/Sword Stick/Sword and Dagger Single Dagger Double Dagger Empty Hand including punching, kicking, trapping and grappling Staff Flexible Weapons The LaCoste-Inosanto blend system, taught to us by Guro Dan Inosanto, is a system developed by him based on his many years of study with over 25 different Filipino masters in Kali/Eskrima.
So, I'll pose the questions again... what are folk's experience with the Inosanto Blend. Personally I studied it for about a year. While I think it's extremely good at translating to open hand, I don't feel that some instructors really focus on weapon tactics enough. But this gets into a broader problem that I've observed with people in the Inasanto down line: Dan and his immediate students are excellent martial artists. Unfortunately as you get futher removed from the core on the instructor chain, the level of quality isn't maintained. But this is frequent problem with these types of organizations. Inasanto Blend Kali influences my openhand work far more than it influences my weapons work. For that I've choosen Pekiti Tirsia to be my core. - Matt
Studied it for 6 years under one of Inosantos full instructors here in the UK. My overall impression of it now (some 10 years down the line) is that it's the complete antithesis of Lee's Jun Fan in that it is more concerned with drills and accumulation of technique rather than application.
I studied JKD/Kali with Ralph Jones in Kent. The primary FMA at that time was Lacoste/Inosanto blend.
The opportunity here locally for me is at one of Inosanto's sister schools where he frequents often. So, I hope I won't have that "diluted" training. I'll be getting it pretty close to the horses mouth. That's interesting that empty hand is emphasized over weapons. I didn't see that although I only attended two classes. I prefer empty hand/weapons divided equally. I hope what you meant by empty hand is panatuken along with lots of single stick disarms and locks? I'd like to know if the L-I blend is flowery with lots of siniwalis or is it paired down emphasizing only practical application?
I didn't mean to suggest that empty hand is emphasized over weapons. Rather, I think the material moves more easily into an open hands structure than other FMA I've been exposed to. Note that your milage may vary. My bigger issue, and again I was being taught by a 4th gen teacher (though certified in Inasanto's downline) was that stick fighting or stick knowledge was emphasized over blade knowledge. Also that in general drilling was emphasized over tactical movement. Ironically I was just talking about this off the board with someone. I can immediately think of a number of sombrada and sinawalli I still practice from my time in Inasanto blend. I really can't think of a particular pattern I associate with Pekiti outside of knife tapping. However, all of my strategy and tactics are Pekiti. And I apply those concepts to the patterns I learned from the Inasanto system. I don't regret the time I spent with the Inasanto Blend. But I didn't start to really understand the FMA until I began learning Pekiti. - Matt
My expeariance with Bob was very different, he trained a lot of Pekiti, along with many other styles such as Doce Pares, Balitawak etc, he showed some of the Inosanto Blend but because of the Pekiti and such, I went more down this line of training which in turn led to me travelling to the PI to train with the Masters. Bob, has a unique knowledge of FMA that few realise. The problem comes around when some 3rd and 4th Generation instructors come around, the seem to take everything as gospel and dont try and test everything untill it works or not as the case may be, and they dont seem to research other avenues to see what the FMA is all about. They seem to think that because one senior instructor does it this way, that this is the way it should be done, regardless of the fact that their own body, build, mechanics and attitude may determine that they need to find another way to make a technique work, and many dont even know why they are doing a particular dill. Shame realy because the top guys are very good, it just seems to lose something with some people 2 or 3 generations down the line.
You know, I haven't agreed much with what you've said over the years but you're bang on with that. Why has Bob got a unique knowledge of the arts? How is it more unique say than yours for example?
I've trained in it for 1.5 years with 2 different instructors... felt like an accumulation of drills and disarms from different systems without indepth, that's my personal experience. It didn't give me any solid foundations...
Nice to see you agree, and if you know me like many others do you will know I prefer people to either agree or disagree because it is there own opinion, not the opinion of others (including those higher up the ladder than them). It tells me that you are a person with your own mind and it is this sort of thing that makes a good martial artist. (why be the lamb being led to the slaughter, when you can be the sheppard taking them there) His knowledge comes from years of research from every available source, rather than relying on one source, he never takes anyones word as gospel, he has always looked for better and more efficient ways to do things, that is one thing that he did install in me, and for that I owe him a lot. If it was not for Bob then I would never had the privellage or taken the oppertunity to train with so many great Masters. Is his knowledge of the arts more unique than mine? I don't know, I think it is more likely that each and everyone of us is unique in our own way. Thank God for that though otherwise the world would be one hell of a boring place. Best regards Pat
