Latosa Escrima
Martial arts systems cannot be developed overnight. The development of a system takes time, testing, and a solid foundation from which to start. Latosa Escrima had undergone over two decades of testing and developing before Rene Latosa would put his name to the system. It involves more than a name on some technique and adding a few extra twirls to make a system.
The Latosa Escrima System
The philosophy behind the Latosa Escrima system is very simple; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. For example, a technique does not work by itself unless combined with the concepts of balance, power, speed, focus, timing, and attitude. When combining these elements, the outcome or whole is far more effective then what would normally be the sum of the parts. This is the reason techniques, as practiced in the system, are only tools used to understand, accept and retain these ideas. The number of different techniques mastered by an individual does not increase his level of competence in this system. Techniques are only practiced moves until combined with the proper fighting concepts. The ultimate goal of the martial arts is to make your mental, physical and technical skills work as one. The goal of Latosa Escrima is to do this while producing a quality Escrimador who can think creatively and react responsively rather than giving people information overload. Escrima was the original name used under the flag of the Philippine Martial Arts Society. The name changed to Combat Escrima as the system was influenced by the concept of using power and combat reality. Combat Escrima relied on a single goal; winning. This goal proved to be a very valuable asset.
The intimidation factor of the name "Combat Escrima" was something the students felt they had to defend. However, just the goal of winning actually proved limiting in the progression of the system and future instructors. PMAS produced excellent fighters and world champions but failed to produce very many well-rounded instructors.
PMAS had the box recipe for producing competent fighters but failed to isolate the individual ingredients that make up the end product. Latosa spent his time developing training methods used to understand the reasoning behind the techniques and isolating the concepts of Escrima.
Present Focus
In the early stages of developing Latosa Escrima, the power techniques were key, and the idea of using concepts was secondary. As the concepts of power hitting: blocking hard, assortment of different weapons, balance and attitude became more dominant the system developed a new focus.
It was very important to feel positive and confident about what you knew.
This proved to be the advantage in a dangerous situation. This early stage of Latosa Escrima was effective and contributed to the fighting reputation of his students. In his classes in San Francisco, he taught each of his top students different conceptual styles with some specialization (long sticks, knives, double sticks, contact fighting, swords, etc.). His plan was to ensure that each of the students worked together. With each one having a piece of the puzzle, no one could claim they knew it all. The product, Latosa Escrima, did not seem complete. There was that missing element that connects and distinguishes the Filipino art from all other martial arts. It was not the techniques, since most systems techniques are different. It was not the ability to change from empty hands to sticks. What exactly was it? The search for the answer became the driving force in the developing of Latosa Escrima. It was concepts, and how they have to play an equal role in the effectiveness in the Filipino martial arts as a whole. Rene had always used fighting concepts combined with techniques. Techniques became the drills to learn the important concepts. Latosa is a firm believer in "using what works" in any given situation, however a person must understand the various risks (not what they did) as well as the advantages. He has basically empowered most of his top instructors to develop teaching formats from what he himself had been teaching and preaching. He is the visionary and the guide of the system. If any of his instructors feel that they have uncovered a new technique or concept, which cuts seconds without abandoning other attributes, Latosa has given them permission to incorporate it into their teachings.
The basic concept of the system rests with the idea of movement, balance, speed, power, focus and attitude. The bare bones of the system as far as techniques go, are what has become known as the box system. It consists of five interrelated movements, not blocks or offensive/defensive movements, but just movements. These movements may seem as if they fall into the definition of blocks, but what they actually become are interference strikes. The idea is to understand the movements then relating them to every concept studied in Latosa Escrima. With only five main movements the approach is simple, yet the varieties are endless.
Conclusion
Latosa, as an instructor was never one to hide or refrain from teaching what he had learned or developed. There are no secrets, nor any hidden agendas in Latosa Escrima. He believes that if one person holds back information, and the next person he teaches holds back information, eventually there will be nothing substantial left to teach. Rene feels that the idea to hold back information has to do with an instructor’s insecurity. The instructor would always have something to use against his student. The students of Latosa Escrima strive for creativity, innovation and working hard. Latosa Escrima shall always be in the constant state of development. As long as students continue to learn quality Latosa Escrima, the system will continue to develop. It is a progressive, challenging and adaptive system. The simple approach of learning conceptually will help the Filipino martial arts produce top Escrimadors for the future.
Escrima History
Escrima, Arnis, Kali are just a few name used to describe the martial art brought to the United States by Filipinos.
Whatever name it goes under, the art has had a long and savage history, dating back to 1521 when Spanish rule first came to the Philippine Islands. Before colonization by Spain, Escrima was taught as a recreational activity, along with reading, writing, religion and Sanskrit.
The Spaniards had a hard time imposing their rule on the inhabitants, who wielded their bolos, daggers and sticks with fierce and deadly effectiveness. Not until they brought in reinforcements and firearms could they affect any semblance of order.
In the seventeen hundreds, when Spanish rule was firmly secured, the teaching and study of Escrima was banned (in the same way as the Japanese overlords banned the ownership of weapons on Okinawa). The carrying of a bolo (a long bladed weapon similar to a machete) or dagger was also forbidden. These orders were imposed in an attempt to "civilize" the spirited Filipinos.
Escrima then became a clandestine art (as did the art of Karate on Okinawa) and was practiced in secret. When it re-emerged it went unnoticed by the Spaniards. It had been set to native music and performed as it was, without weapons; the movements resembled only a harmless dance. This "dancing" even became popular with the rulers and demonstrations were given in public at fiesta time.
The real Escrima had not died though, as the Spanish soldiers found out every time there was a revolt. From generation to generation, the many different regional styles, collectively termed Escrima, were kept alive, being handed down from father to son over the centuries.
When Spanish rule ended and the Americans took over in 1898, the ban on the art was lifted. Friendly competitions were then conducted in public at fiesta's but the teachers never "opened their doors", so to speak and Escrima remained a semi-secretive activity.
The country was to see a lot more martial arts action in the ensuing years. When the war came, the Japanese invaded the Philippines and a lot of Filipinos worked alongside the Americans in guerilla units. Many of these owed their lives, in countless close-quarter engagements, to their Escrima training, the custom issued machete closely resembled their native bolo. This is an art that has been well and truly tested, over a long period of time in actual combat.
After the war, many Filipinos had emigrated to the USA, needless to add, Escrima went with them. Most of the immigrants went to Hawaii and California. Of these that went to California the majority settled in Stockton and it is from there that Arnis / Escrima has surfaced onto the American martial arts scene.
The "discovery" of Escrima, along with the widespread use of the Nunchaku weapon, must be credited to the late Bruce Lee. His portrayal of the use of the "double sticks" in the movie "Enter the Dragon" and the unfinished "Game of Death" brought the art of Filipino Stick Fighting out into the open. Bruce Lee was taught Escrima by his student and friend, Danny Inosanto who had in turn been trained by a distinguished Escrimador (the title given to practitioners of the art) in Stockton, California.
The Filipino Martial Arts is virtually unknown to the general public because of it’s late entry into the mainstream martial arts world. What hasn’t helped the popularity growth of Escrima is the stigma attached to how it is taught. Escrima is noted for using weapons, usually sticks, as the primary tool to learn the basic concepts of the art, with the secondary focus being the empty hands. The idea of just picking up a stick or any weapon is a scary thought, and avoiding rather than exploring the beauty of the art seems safer and is less time consuming.
Learning Escrima as taught by Rene Latosa
Latosa developed his unique style of Escrima using the fighting concepts from several of his well known instructors and from his family system taught to him by his father. He developed a teaching system using concepts instead of techniques, to ensure a high level of retention among the students.
What is misunderstood most about Escrima is the idea that the stick is only a tool used to learn the art's basic concepts. Actually, the stick represents using any type of object, as well as the empty hand to protect yourself. What you have is a truly unique system which students learn to master weapons while concurrently learning how to use empty hands. In most other martial arts systems, the line of progression is to master the empty hands before you can go on to learn weapons.
Using a stick to learn the martial arts unearths a visual fear of getting hurt or hurting someone (especially in the hands) while training. This is especially true when an individual has had no previous martial arts training. There is also that “mental picture”, or fear of an attacker taking your weapon and using it against you. Nevertheless, weapons seem scary and rightfully so. There are right and wrong; safe and dangerous; methods of teaching students how to handle and respect weapons. The same rationale holds true for other day to day type of activities such as learning how to drive, wiring a lamp, swimming, flying a plane, jogging, weight lifting, cooking and other skills. Doing something in the wrong way can spell disaster. Learning Escrima is as safe as the instructor who teaches the art.
Everyone is mindful of the fact that very few people walk around with a stick in their hands, so the art doesn’t apply to them. However, as stated before, the stick only represents forms of weapons such as a set of car keys, a fountain pen, a newspaper, a water bottle, your cell phone as well as your empty hands. The idea that people can only use their fist or a kick to effectively fend off your attacker is something you may see on television or in the movies. The truth of the matter is, knowing how to use these concepts may save your life or the life of your loved ones. The beauty of Escrima is that there is very little difference when using your empty hand and using a weapon. There is a smooth transition between the two because the art is taught using concept instead of techniques.
Like in everyday life, we never know what to expect. We never know who we are dealing with that day, what business deals we have to make, decisions that have to be made, so we have to react with the ability to be flexible and rationale in what we do. In the basic survival skills the same applies. What are the attributes of an attacker? An attacker comes in any shape or form. They could be stronger than you, faster than you, have knowledge of the martial arts, and could be a veteran in street fighting just to name a few attributes. An attacker can attack from the front, but usually it will be from your blind side. If you hit your attacker with your hands or with a kick, you may end up hurting yourself more than your opponent, or if you don’t execute the defensive attack with any strength, it wouldn’t stop the person anyway. A weapon on the other hand has no nerve endings, bones or skin, and unlike your hands and it doesn’t hurt or feel pain. Think of it, if you don’t have the same strength as your attacker, you might not be able to stop the attack. In the same setting, if you had used an object like car keys and you hit your attacker in the face, this may allow you the time to run or call for help. The harder the object, the more damage the weapon will do against your opponent with less applied strength. Hitting an attacker with a weapon, especially if it will save your life or someone in your family, is warranted. That is the harsh reality.
Training in the Filipino art of Escrima teaches a person to use everyday objects as a weapon or in more civil terms, “leveling the playing field”. Escrima teaches the basic and logical concepts in using weapons (focus, speed, timing, distance, power, balance and transition). These concepts are so logical and pure that a person can actually use them in living their everyday life. For example, the most important concept is balance. Balance is the foundation of Escrima as well as most tasks we perform throughout our lives. Knowing how to obtain it, and when you get off balanced, how to get it back. Balance is a key that opens the other concepts necessary in the martial arts. Balance is truly multi-dimensional. Think of balance in terms of learning how to ride a bike. There is more than just getting on, peddling and keeping the bike upright. The bike has two wheels, and the main objective is to keep it going forward by balancing the front wheels against the stationary back wheels while moving forward. If there is too much weight to the left or to the right, the bike will tip over. The rider must be able to balance their focus to make sure they don’t ride into a ditch or a tree, and also looking ahead at the cars on the road, people walking, plus being aware of what is coming up from behind. So far that seems pretty easy but now there is an issue of speed and controlling speed so that the fast approaching tree won’t be the collision point. And what about those traffic lights? Eventually there has to be a time to stop. This is the braking point, which also has to be balanced. When there is sudden braking applied to the front of the bike, there is a chance the rear of the bike could easily become the front of the bike, or even flip over. If there is too much brake in the rear and not any pressure on the front, this may not be enough to stop. All these tasks have to be balanced or it becomes unsafe to ride a bike for both rider and everyone else who occupies the road. If you look closely to this objective of riding a bike, the Escrima concepts are exactly the same. There is the balance which becomes the foundation of the system. Speed, timing and distance is the element of execution as to when you can hit your attacker. Power is driven by the foundation of balance, dictated by the distance and the speed of the attack or offense movement. Your focus is expanded to look at the person as a whole rather than just focusing on the on coming attack. In other words if you look too much at one hand, you may never see the other hand. Transition is the ability to use a comb, brush or keys without radically changing any physical movements you already know. The objective is to neutralize the situation, not focus upon whether the attacker throws a right hands or a left hand, the main objective is to nullify the attacker.
Escrima makes use of concepts as the main catalyst of learning and increasing the rate of information retention. In Escrima, techniques are used as a device to practice concepts. Techniques teach a person how to apply the concepts in a practice setting. Concepts are applied as needed, in various circumstances and this provides more flexibility and adaptation in the execution. This is Latosa Escrima. |
