Bamboo Spirit Martial Arts Centre

Seminar at the United Martial Arts Center in Victor, NY

2012-01-30T11:21:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I taught a three hour Modern Arnis seminar at the Victor, NY location of the United Martial Arts Center. I covered quite a bit of material, including disarms, single sinawali, the 5 traps, one left vs. right tapi tapi technique and an empty hand example of the gunting concept. Elements covered at the seminar included slap off, pull off, joint locks, stick arm bars, body positioning, and proper structure. I had a great time teaching and interacting with the seminar attendees, children and adult alike. Some of us went out for dinner and had great conversations about martial arts, life and things in general before parting ways. One of the things that I enjoy most about the martial arts is the opportunity to meet new people and forming new friendships as I have this past weekend. I was quite impressed with the caliber and quality of people attending the seminar and hope to see them soon. Those in the Victor NY area have a gem in the midst with this outstanding school.

Upcoming Seminar at the United Martial Arts Center in Rochester, NY

2012-01-26T15:33:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, I will be teaching a three hour seminar at the UMAC at its Victor, NY branch from 12:30pm to 3:30pm and I’m looking forward to sharing the art of Modern Arnis and the commonalities between the different arts. This seminar came about as a result of a connection through the Stronger You dojo in Ottawa, which is an indication that friendships and connections in the world of martial arts cuts across borders! Here’s to new friendships, great conversation and good times! Given that jiu jitsu and Karate are taught at these two schools, I’m sure that we will have fun comparing the similarities.

Check out the UMAC website out at: Website

Seminar at Canadian Freestyle Karate

2012-01-24T10:39:00.001-05:00

On Friday, I went to Peterborough to conduct a series of Modern Arnis mini seminars at the Canadian Freestyle Karate school. The first took place at 1:30pm and was for staff members. They did quite well. I covered the 12 angles, basic block check counter, single sinawali, and sinawali parry. The remaining mini-seminars took place at 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30 respectively. I covered the same material in all of those mini seminars with minor variations depending on the age group and makeup of the classes. All in all, I covered the angles of attack, single sinawali double poking drill (stick and empty hand), a couple of disarms, redonda drill, basic block check counter, slap off/pull off, and a couple of joint locks. The main theme was to show the similarities of Modern Arnis to their karate background and to have folks enjoy swinging sticks! The material was well received. Ian’s hospitality was tremendous and the friendliness of the staff and students added to the enjoyment of the day. I hope to be back in Peterborough soon. A great time!

Learning Styles in the Martial Arts

2012-01-19T12:28:00.001-05:00

I believe that people have different ways of learning martial arts. Some learn with their ears (audio learners). Some students are “visual learners.” Then there are those who learn through a combination of audio and visual cues. One interesting thing that I’ve learned about the visual learners is that some need the instructor to demonstrate techniques while in a specific spatial orientation to them. To be more precise, some of the visual learners have an easier time processing information if the instructor and the student are facing the same direction. For example, if a student is learning the 12 angles of attack, some need to either stand by me or behind me so that they can replicate my movements. Not all visual learners need this specific spatial orientation in order to learn.

Having been born severely hearing impaired, I am a visual learner. I think that I rely on the visual much more heavily (as happens for the vast majority of deaf and hard of hearing people) than the hearing world. In a group setting, unless the instructor has an outstanding voice, I rely on the demonstration of the technique being taught and try it out on my training partner. I either know the concept behind the technique from previous experience or try to figure out the concept on my own if it’s unfamiliar. If I cannot figure out the concept on my own, I will hash it out with my training partner or ask the instructor in private. An example of this is when I learn pressure points. There is often a great deal of theory and explanations behind pressure point techniques. Many times, I do not get what the instructor is saying due to poor voice quality or the constant movement of his head which makes lip reading difficult. However, I often recognize the movement being taught and its application due to my years of training.

 Given my heavy reliance on visual learning, I often devour martial arts books that discuss history, theory, and applications. This helps to replace whatever verbal instruction that I might miss at a camp or a seminar. I’m not a big fan of the “how to” type of martial arts books as it does not really add to my understanding of what makes a technique work. Second, I watch tons of video and often use the slow motion or freeze frame functions of a DVD player to analyze the technique or motion being taught. Video has been a tremendous help in my learning process as a martial artist. I cannot emphasize how important video is to me. The only complaint that I have is that virtually 100% of martial arts instructional DVDs or YouTube videos are not subtitled or captioned as that would really add to the learning process. Somehow, I’ve managed!

How do you learn? What kind of learning style do you employ? What can instructors do to improve your experience? Let’s get some feedback in the comment box below!

Upcoming Seminar in Peterborough, Ontario

2012-01-18T19:50:00.001-05:00

I have been invited by Ian Cameron of Canadian Freestyle Karate to give a series of mini seminars on Friday in Peterborough, Ontario. I am pleased with the opportunity to share the art of Modern Arnis to those who are interested in it. Professor Presas always noted that Modern Arnis was the "Art within the Art" in that it often helped to improve your base art. In my case, I have increased my understanding of traditional Karate kata as a result of my Modern Arnis training and many others have commented that they have had similar experiences as well. Implicit in Professor's approach was his acceptance of various martial arts as he studied various arts before developing Modern Arnis. I look forward to my day in Peterborough!

Here is a brief clip from two years ago that gives a glimpse as to what Modern Arnis is about.

If you would like to experience Modern Arnis, contact me. We have classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights at the Legends Community Centre. Private lessons are also available. Come join Bamboo Spirit and start training in Modern Arnis!

It's Easy!

2012-01-17T17:20:00.000-05:00

As the title of the video indicates, the art of Modern Arnis is easy, beginning with learning the 12 angles of attack. To learn more, come join Bamboo Spirit Martial Arts!

Master Gauss' Martial Arts Center

2012-01-11T22:52:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I attended the Grand Opening of Master Chuck's new dojo in Westland, Michigan. Guests travelled from all over the country for this event. They came from Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor, North Carolina, Chicago, Detroit, and Toledo. The dojo is the culmination of a lot of hard work and, more importantly, a life long dream for Master Chuck. He has expressed to me that he hopes to honor Professor Presas' vision and legacy by teaching the art of Modern Arnis. I should note that two Masters of Tapi Tapi (Master Chuck and Master Ken Smith) and two Master Instructors (Master Roland Rivera and myself) were there. I am very humbled every time I am in the presence of Master Chuck, Master Ken and Master Roland as all three possess skill and knowledge far beyond mine. More impressive is that they are all great gentlemen and a pleasure to work with.

The day started with a small gathering in the lobby area of the school where Master Chuck gave a small talk before the "big reveal." As the below pictures depict, the main window of the lobby was covered up. With much emotion, he had a couple of students pull the covering down to reveal a beautiful dojo. What an awesome moment that was!

We then transitioned into a four hour VIP seminar where various aspects of Modern Arnis was taught. Each Master taught for one hour and collectively, their teachings highlighted elements of stick fighting, pressure points, karate, judo, jiu jitsu, joint locking and takedowns. It was a tremendous training opportunity for all concerned. We took several breaks to take advantage of food and drink that was available at the back of the dojo.

We then had a one hour break between the VIP seminar and the actual Grand Opening to relax and clean up the dojo and to set up three stations (Modern Arnis, Arnis de Mano and the MACH program) spread throughout the dojo. As various guests began to come in for the grand opening, we went back into action. The Masters demonstrated various aspects of Modern Arnis to the guests to show the real world self defense applications of the art. I distinctly recall being on the receiving end of some painful joint locks courtesy of Master Chuck. Master Ken demonstrated a beautiful pressure point knockout on one of Master Chuck's students.

After the grand opening ended, we all went out to a sumptuous dinner at an Italian restaurant called Antonio's where food, conversation, and camraderie reigned supreme. A fantastic time indeed.

The school is a state of the art facility with an incredible spacious training area. The front lobby with a reception desk and a flat screen television hung on the wall.

The next series of pictures (and I concede that they are not exactly professional quality) do not truly do justice to the dojo/training space itself.

A fantastic weekend! I look forward to training with Master Chuck in this dojo!

Grand Opening of Master Chuck's Dojo

2012-01-05T15:19:00.002-05:00

This Saturday, January 7th, will mark the Grand Opening of Master Chuck Gauss' new Dojo which is located at:

5950 North Hix Road
Westland, MI 48185

The Grand Opening will be taking place from 3pm to 6pm. Prior to the Grand Opening, Master Chuck will be teaching an invitation only VIP seminar from 10am to 2pm and I'm looking forward to participating in this seminar and learning more of the art of Modern Arnis from this phenomenal martial artist, teacher and friend.

See Master Chuck's website for more details:

Master Chuck's Modern Arnis

Furthermore, he now has a Facebook Page. To keep up with the latest news and developments, click on the below link and click "like" on his page:

Master Chuck's Facebook Page

Finally, enjoy this video!

Update on Ajax Program

2012-01-04T14:11:00.000-05:00

There are THREE (3) spots left to fill in to get up to the minimum requirement of 8 participants for the program to go forward.

To find information on this program, click on:

Town of Ajax Guide
Go to "Adults and Seniors" and then click on "General Programs." You will then see a PDF version of this. My program is listed on page 2.

The program will cover the basics and is intended as an introductory program.

Participants do NOT need to be a resident of Ajax to register for the program.

See the video below!

Latest Video

2011-12-28T20:05:00.001-05:00

This video is a short demonstration of the material that I hope to teach in a youth program beginning in February of 2012 in Ajax. The material that I will be teaching are quite similar to techniques common to karate, tae kwon do, judo and jiu jitsu and is designed for self defence rather than competition.

While this is a demonstration of what I hope to teach in this particular program, I teach this in my twice weekly program (Tuesday and Thursday nights) at the Legends Community Centre in Oshawa. Come join Bamboo Spirit to learn how to defend yourself!

Stronger You in Ottawa

2011-12-27T10:12:00.001-05:00

I have been travelling to teach at Stronger You about 7 times per year since August of 2008. This connection occurred as a result of an e-mail introduction between Renshi Janet Heffernan and myself by Master Gaby Roloff. This is a great school and has even better people. This wonderful school is located in Nepean, just outside of Ottawa and has several programs. The core of Stronger You is karate and other programs include Modern Arnis, Wushu, Defendo and fitness classes. This dojo has adult, children and special needs programs and a great staff. In addition, Stronger You has a thriving after school program. This is a great family oriented dojo.

If you are looking for Modern Arnis training in the Ottawa area, I would strongly encourage you to check out Stronger You. The Modern Arnis program has grown steadily in terms of numbers and skill level since I first visited in August 2008 and the students are incredibly enthusiatic about the art.

Finally, Stronger You will be hosting the 1st Annual Ottawa Modern Arnis Camp on the weekend of April 19-22nd, hosting various Masters of Tapi Tapi such as Master Chuck Gauss, Master Gaby Roloff, Master Ken Smith and Master Brian Zawilinski. Further details about this camp will posted in the near future.

Below is a group photo of the 1st Annual Stronger You retreat, which took place in August of 2011.

Share your experiences with Stronger You in the comment section!!

For further information about Stronger You, check out:

Stronger You Website

Community Centre Program in Ajax

2011-12-22T15:07:00.001-05:00

On Saturday January 14th, I will begin teaching an introductory Filipino Martial Arts program through the Town of Ajax at Westney Heights P.S. These weekly Saturday classes are scheduled to take place from 10:30am to noon. To participate in these classes, one must register with the Town of Ajax.

Click on:

Town of Ajax Guide

Go to "Adults and Seniors" and then click on "General Programs." You will then see a PDF version of this. My program is listed on page 2.

If possible, please spread the word if you know of anyone in the Durham Region who might be interested.

The program will cover the basics and is intended as an introductory program.

Good news: You do NOT need to be a resident of Ajax to register for the program. If you want to partake in this program, you need to register as they will not permit non-registrants to participate.

If you have any questions regarding this program, please feel free to contact me.

Latest Episode of "Enter the Dojo"

2011-12-14T20:17:00.002-05:00

More of this hilarious martial arts parody. Enjoy!

Warrior Arts of the Philippines Fundraising Event

2011-12-12T20:47:00.004-05:00

On Saturday December 3rd, I participated in the "The Warrior Arts of the Philippines Fundraising Event" along with Master Rollie Descargar, Master Oliver Garduce, Guro Ramon Villardo, and Grandmaster Marc DeLeon. A very worthy cause was the beneficiary of this event.
All proceeds went to a charity called "The Adapted Program for Children and Youth with Developmental Exceptions and Special Needs." Kyud Archie Luz of “Undisputed Martial Arts” and Guro Ramon Villardo did a fantastic job of organizing this event. About 45 to 50 people participated in this event.

Each instructor taught for an hour and 15 minutes, with an hour lunch break (with fantastic Filipino food provided at a reasonable cost). I was the first up to teach and taught a 2 vs. 1 stick drill with the hopes of transitioning to a right vs. right stick technique and then to a left vs. right stick technique. I progressed as far as the right vs. right stick technique. The participants did very well with the material I taught. With 15 minutes left, I decided to shift to one of the Modern Arnis ground techniques (step to deltoid tendon) and joked about doing a “hands free” arm bar, which got a good chuckle from the audience.

Master Rollie Descargar next taught elements of the Bais Tres Mano system by exploring defenses against an overhead strike (#12 strike to use Modern Arnis terminology), emphasizing proper angling footwork in executing techniques. His techniques were very smooth and logical. I was impressed by Master Rollie’s humbleness during his presentation.

Shortly before, Guro Ramon invited Datu Tim Hartman to give a 20 minute guest presentation focusing on the Modern Arnis/Balintawak slap off/pull off techniques and a couple of variations. One of my students, Terence, served as Tim’s uke during this presentation. Guro Ramon expressed his appreciation to Datu Tim upon the completion of his presentation.

After a delicious lunch, Master Oliver Garduce gave a very entertaining presentation of his art, giving us a sampling of various Kombatan techniques as well as his outgoing personality. Among the techniques he taught were double sticks and empty hand translations thereof, espada y daga and a couple of nice ground techniques.

Master Oliver then turned the stage over to Guro Ramon who did a great job of teaching effective knife defenses derived from the Kali Illustrisimo/Bakbakan system. He then taught us a solo drill using Illustrisimo footwork that is very effective for largo/sparring range. He illustrated how various moves can be used against an opponent.

The last presentation of the day was by GM Marc DeLeon who showcased his Taagan-Kawala Martial Arts. He taught a mixture of techniques from his system, including defenses against an overhead attack, emphasizing the largo range aspect. He also taught defenses against a knife attack.

As can be seen above, the participants of this event got a nice overview of the similarities and differences amongst the different FMAs being taught at the event. More important, however, was the camraderie among the instructors and the participants who were all working toward raising funds for a worthy charity for developmentally challenged children.

The evening was capped off by presentations of beautiful certificates of appreciation to the instructors as well as to their assistants/ukes and a group photograph. A great day.

Bamboo Spirit Testing

2011-12-02T15:40:00.001-05:00

I tested several students last night for various ranks and they all did very well. Congratulations to Ryan, George, Ed, and Eugene on achieving Level 3 (low blue) in Modern Arnis. In addition, congratulations to Robbie for his promotion to Level 5 (low green) and to Joel for his promotion to Level 6 (high green). Below is a montage video of last night's testing.

Testing Video

December Class Schedule

2011-11-30T22:51:00.001-05:00

Hello, I have gotten the class schedule for December squared away with the Legends Community Centre. The usual times apply.

(1) Thursday, December 1, Room 4.
(2) Tuesday, December 6, Room 4.
(3) Thursday, December 8, Room 4.
(4) Tuesday, December 13, Room 4.
(5) Thursday, December 15, Room 4.
(6) Tuesday, December 20, Room 4.
(7) Thursday, December 22, Room 4.
(8) Tuesday, December 27, Room 3.
(9) Thursday, December 29, Room 3.

See all of you there!

Reminder

2011-11-29T14:04:00.001-05:00

A reminder that the "Warrior Arts of the Philippines Fundraising Event" is taking place on Saturday at Undisputed Martial Arts from 9am to 5pm. I have been invited, along with 4 other instructors to teach a portion of this event. Each of us will have an hour 15 minutes to teach something from each of our respective systems. I have been informed that Filipino food may be served at this event and that there will be cultural events lined up for all of us. Most importantly, this event will benefit "The Adapted Program for Children and Youth with developmental exceptions and special needs." This is a great cause.

For more information, please check out the facebook page for this event at:
Facebook Page

Study of Modern Arnis

2011-11-23T15:29:00.001-05:00

As has been alluded to before, Modern Arnis has a very broad knowledge base and can be broken down into parts to be studied as follows (1) traditionals; (2) Balintawak roots; (3) empty hand translations; (4) joint locks (5) ground controls and (6) study of the anyos (forms). On top of all this, one must not forget the "the flow" and the concept of "counter for counter."

The traditionals would consist of espada y daga (crossada and palis palis) and movements such as figure 8, reverse figure 8, banda y banda, rompida, double zero, reverse double zero, abanico double action, abanico hirada, planting rice and so on. Then you need to consider Professor's study of Balintawak and its' influence on Modern Arnis, particularly in the tapi tapi that he taught in the decade before his untimely passing. When you fuse the traditionals with the tapi tapi, you are playing with a vast amount of material. Yet another layer is added when left handed material is factored into the equation.

I loved the way Professor translated stick movements into empty handed movements such as block check counter, de cadena, sinawali boxing, reverse sinawali boxing and other material. I have discovered quite a few connections between the above and my kata movements from Chung Do Kwan TKD. Many times a light bulb would go off when I see a connection.

Add in the influence of Professor Wally Jay through the joint locks. I remember one seminar where Professor used me as uke for the standing center lock. Oh man, talk about painful. My fingers were not right for about a month after that. Professor's joint locks were incredible and he had beautiful flow. He also insisted that we learn the ground control techniques of Modern Arnis, which has been expanded by the various Masters.

Lastly, he insisted that we know the anyos (forms) of Modern Arnis. There are some who just go through the motions of the anyos and are content with the partner training drills of Modern Arnis. I think that is doing themselves a disservice in this regard. The anyos contain a great deal of self defense techniques ranging from joint locks, sweeps, throws, standard and reverse sinawali boxing, guntings, grappling moves and countermoves. It would be well worth the time to learn the anyos and spend time on them.

The most important lesson, however, that Professor left with us was learning how to make connections between various concepts. "Making the connections" is probably one of the most fundamental underlying concepts of Modern Arnis. If you don't have this, then all you have are tons of unrelated material. Learn to connect the material and you'll be much better for it!

Enter the Dojo Episode 5

2011-11-18T16:01:00.001-05:00

The martial arts parody continues! Yet another hilarious web based episode! Enjoy!

Enter the Dojo Episode 4

2011-11-16T20:25:00.001-05:00

December 2011 Filipino Warrior Arts Fundraising Seminar

2011-11-15T09:06:00.001-05:00

I've been invited to teach at a "December 2011 Filipino/Warrior Arts Fundraising Seminar" at Undisputed Martial Arts on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

This will be a day long event....from 9am to 5pm, with a lunch break. 5 instructors will be teaching 1 hour 15 minutes each. Along with me, (1) Guro Ramon Villardo (Bakbakan/Kali Illustrisimo), (2) GM Marc DeLeon (Kuntaw/Taagan Arnis/Kawala Martial Arts/Buno/Sikaran), (3) Master Guro Oliver Garduce (Punite/Kombatan), and (4) Master Rollie Descargar (Bais Tres Manos/Kalis Silat Kuntaw) will also be teaching.

The funds for this seminar will be going to charity, more specifically "Adapted Program for Children and Youth with Developmental Exceptions and Special Needs." As well, this seminar will be promoting an upcoming FMA Tournament in the spring of 2012 (March) - "The "Gathering of Warriors (Mandirigma)"

More information can be found at:

http://www.bakbakansibukan.com/seminarsworkshopscamps/

Please consider marking your calendar for this day and coming out!

Announcement from Master Chuck Gauss

2011-11-14T13:35:00.001-05:00

Announcement from Master Chuck Gauss
The relevant portion of this exciting announcement:

As many of you know, I am opening up a state of the art dojo. For this historic event, we will be hosting an invitation only VIP seminar. Attendees will be captured in a group picture that will forever be enshrined on the dojo wall. Check your email for more details. Don't miss out on this momentous occassion!
Starting in January, I will be holding workshops once a month on Saturdays. Scheduled six to eight months in advance, we will focus on a single concept and breaking it down in detail so students will have a thorough understanding of the technique. No matter your current level, I guarantee you will benefit from this unique training opportunity.
On February 4th, we will be holding the first ever mini camp at the new facility. Registration will be $150 at the door. If you preregister by January 20th, a discount of $25 will be applied. Michigan Camp will be held from June 21-24. The cost of this four day extravaganza will be $350. A preregistration discount of $25 will be available until June 1st. If you preregister for BOTH camps (February mini-camp and Michigan June camp) before January 25th, the cost will be $400, a savings of $100.
Finally, I'd like to mention how proud I am in the growth of my students. With their growth in skill, self-confidence and personal development, they are all following the path in becoming true martial artists.
Be inspired and keep training. See you soon in class.
Master of Tapi-Tapi,
Chuck Gauss

Episode 3 of Enter the Dojo

2011-09-10T12:54:00.000-04:00

More of this ongoing martial arts parody. Enjoy!

Episode 2 of Enter the Dojo

2011-09-09T12:46:00.000-04:00

Here's more of the martial arts parody: "Enter the Dojo." Enjoy!

Martial Arts Parody- Enter the Dojo (Episode 1)

2011-09-08T13:16:00.002-04:00

My wife and I have enjoyed this parody of a martial arts school, which is, sadly enough, pretty accurate. It's quite funny though. Enjoy!