Eskrima Kombat

bsc

In the video above, Guro Mike Pana of Bayani Warrior offers many solid tips. Of all of the Filipino Martial Artists out there, I feel that Guro Pana has a realistic appreciation of real-world weapons, and one of those is the club.

Many FMA are focused on the stick, but if you pick up a hammer, a wrench, a steak sauce bottle, and so on, they won’t handle like a stick –they will handle like a club. The short heavy stick (the club) is a weapon long ignored by the traditional FMA, but the club is not only more like expedient weapons, it also has the advantage of being compact and therefore more easy to conceal, as well as being more effective at very close range.

The prison yard knife attack is a grave threat. As simple as it is, it’s very difficult to counter. This is an example of how simple techniques accompanied by commitment to their execution get results –unfortunately, in this case, for the bad guys. You should include this in your training, and kudos to Guro Pana for doing so.

As I looked at Guro Pana’s video again, I realize he is focused on dealing with a long range counter to the prison yard knife attack. A long distance counter is best.

In my view, I have come to see most martial arts as being based in mutual combat, with both combatants being known to each other and squaring off at a certain distance. Increasingly I see street combat being a situation in which I may not know who my attacker is –or attackers are– and they may initiate an attack at a range that is uncomfortably close.

My response video below should not be viewed as a criticism of Guro Pana. I urge anybody with the opportunity to study with him to do so –I know I sure would. It’s just that for every scenario there are multiple options and dozens of potential responses. No sooner had I finished recording the video than other possible responses popped into my head.

Did you see the ASP P12 telescoping baton until I drew it? It’s a very low-key weapon, and one that I carry all the time when I can legally do so. This means I almost always have a club with me. I’m also wearing a neck knife, which presents other options.

 

PS. I neglected to credit Master Ed Planas, who when we trained in the knife always stressed the move to the outside.

bsc

bsc