GM Narrie Babao~Guro Richard Lamoureaux~Tuhan Lindsey Largusa

 GM Narrie Babao~Guro Rich Lamoureaux~Tuhan Lindsey Largusa

Grand Master Narrie Babao was in Las Vegas 9/4/12 with his lovely wife Zena Sultana Babao celebrating 37 years of marriage. I was invited by Tuhan Lindsey Largusa to attend an informal get together of instructors and friends here in Las Vegas at a Starbucks coffee house.

Grand Master Babao Arnis system was named after the late Buenaventura “Turing” Babao, the late father and original Arnis teacher to (GM Narrie Babao). Master Turing learned the Batangas Baston system of Arnis from Ka Juan, who once rode with General Miguel Malvar, the last Filipino general to surrender to the Americans in 1912.

At present, under the Babao Arnis system, he teache’s three separate systems: the Batangas Baston, the Villabrille-Largusa Kali, and the Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrido and Pangamot. Additionally, he teaches kuntao (empty hands), sikaran (kicking arts) and  panuntukan (Filipino boxing).

I would like to personally thank Tuhan Largusa for the invitation to meet GM Babao and the Master himself for sharing his knowledge of the Filipino history, culture and technique of his art.

 

Kali Destructions For Self Defense NOT Sport

What separates the art of Kali or FMA from many other styles and systems of Martial Arts is it’s use of destructions. In FMA the term “defanging the snake” is understood as the way to eliminate the opponents weapons. To defang, so the snake can not bite, is one of Kali’s most useful techniques. I remember classes with Dan Inosanto, when he would say ” Imagine Muhammad Ali with no legs or arms, all he would be is a stump, just bouncing around with no way of harming you”.  In FMA the practitioner knows hitting the opponents  hand will cause an immediate disarm, if he swings a weapon. Disarming  first, bends the fight in your favor. If you are armed and your opposition is not, odds of winning are now on your side of the encounter. In the Youtube Video we demo the use of the Gunting or scissor strike to the bicep. This technique stuns the muscle in the arm and makes it more difficult for the opponent to re-attack you with the same hand. If done correct it will produce numbness to the arm along with pain that will stop or slow down any further attacks. If you have a quick offensive  followup behind  the gunting, the opponent may not be able to defend your attack. If this method is used in MMA, I can see them changing the rules in a heart beat. It’s not sport, but good selfdefense.

Dan Inosanto Backyard Gym 1973

 

Inosanto’s backyard gym in 1973, before the opening of the Filipino Kali Academy in Torrance California. Many of Dan’s early student’s trained here. Ted Lucay Lucay, Chris Kent, Tackett and Poteet to name a few. This gym was in Dan’s backyard behind his house. It just goes to show that the school can be anywhere. The people in the arts are more important then the building with four walls. I’m sure the old crew have some great stories to tell that took place in this gym.