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Instructors: Guro
Agapito Gonzalez (NYC), Guro Virgilio de Carvalho
(Nyack) Class Location: The
World Yoga Center, 265 West 72nd Street, New York,
N.Y., and Nyack Fighting Arts, 98 Piermont Avenue,
South Nyack, N.Y. Schedule: NYC:
alternate Saturdays, 2 - 3:30 PM, Tuesdays, 8:15 -
9:30 PM, Fridays, advanced only; Nyack: seasonally,
Saturdays 10:30am - Rates: $50 per
month for one class a week, $70 per month for two
classes a week For further information
contact: agabagua@prodigy.net
(NYC class), or virgild@optonline.net
(Nyack class) Visit our affiliated
school: Nyack
Fighting Arts
Introduction by Virgilio de Carvalho Pekiti-Tirsia was founded by Master Conrado B. Tortal in the Negros Occidental section of the Visayan Islands in the Central Philippines. It is based on a system of angles and takes after the early styles of Kali that were practiced by Philippinos (Kalimen) around the time of Magellan's arrival in the Philippines in the 16th century. One of these styles was called Pangamut and was practiced by the tribes of Lapulapu and Humabon. It consisted of eight strikes: two slashes each to the head, chest, and kidneys, and one thrust each to the head and chest. Pekiti-Tirsia encompasses many strikes and uses a system of triangular footwork in its training method. Its weaponry includes the stick, knife, sword, and empty hand in five primary categories: single stick (solo baston), double stick (double baston), stick and knife (espada y daga), knife vs. knife (daga y daga), empty hands (mano mano). Additional categories include kicking (sikaran) and staff (sibat). Other Philippino weapons are the club, lance, projectile, and whip. Techniques are learned in the Doce Methodos or 12 methods, which are the twelve subsystems of Pekiti-Tirsia. These include: Abecedario System, Tirsia Corto System, Tirsia Largo System, Panastas and Sungkete System, Clock System, Florete and Echekete System, Pekiti Disarma System, Pekiti-Pekiti System, Huego Tirada and Huego Toda System, Espada y Daga, Daga y Daga, Mano Mano and Sikaran. Today, the tradition of Pekiti-Tirsia is carried on by Master Leo T. Gaje, Jr., a direct descendant of Master Tortal. Master Gaje continues to teach Pekiti-Tirsia throughout the world and has left a legacy in the many schools and instructors in the Pekiti system. At the New York School of Philippino Martial Arts we try to hold true to the traditions embodied by Pekiti-Tirsia. Our training focuses on street-effective applications and techniques as applied within the systems of Pekiti-Tirsia. Through repetitive exercises students learn the principles of body motion, stick and knife fighting, empty hand combat, and the psychology of warfare and self-defense. Emphasis is placed on the small things, like basic footwork and strikes. Class structure is loose, number of students small, and our existence is the result of our dedication to the art.
Agapito Gonzalez On His Training Method Pekiti Tirsia is a Filipino martial art of blades, sticks, knives, empty hands, and combinations of these weapons. This particular system favors close quarters training over long distance or medium range. Since leading a small class I have been gradually modifying the training content of my Pekiti Tirsia. Initially, it was a hesitant approach not wanting to alter what was taught to me. Now it's an endeavor for diversity, flexibility, and realism. Still, the overall training progression and the "solo baston" outline taught to me by Tom Bisio is maintained. The modifications are from selectively added drills for isolated movements, and to further train the attributes that distinguishes Pekiti Tirsia from others. The main reasons for my approach are as follows: a feeling that certain weapon categories are not so necessary, I didn't receive the latest interpretation or "complete" Pekiti Tirsia system, my previous training in Wing Chun Kung-Fu seeps in, and exposure to fighting disciplines from the Philippines and from non-Philippino sources opened the gate to new ideas. These factors have steered me into my present experimental road for Pekiti Tirsia. At the advanced level I'm aiming to expand knife training, to build a repertoire of practical unarmed combat moves, and to reduce the single-stick category into an economical, highly effective stage. Exposure to weapons systems from divergent disciplines introduced me to their training methods, to their combat principles, and to a wide range of interpretations to moves similar in Pekiti Tirsia. The following are sources whose particular training methods I'm using to further enhance attributes in Pekiti Tirsia' training curriculum and fighting methods, and to practice under a slightly different perspective. Cadena de Mano has sensitivity drills of the left "alive" hand continually adhering to an equally adhering right arm holding a knife, basically similar to Wing Chun Kung-Fus Chi Sao exercises. I've incorporated Cadena de Mano's sticking arms exercises because, based on my Wing Chun experience, they will develop tactile sensitivity, enhance the reactive ability of a practitioner, reduce reaction time, and promote self-control while physically controlling an opponent. The tenacious offensive pressure, the continuous deflection, the angling and zoning, maintaining a firm body alignment throughout the positioning and repositioning, working on your sense of balance while pressed by your partner make the flow drills engaging yet intense. Many components, mentally, physically, and strategically are exercised and, when a single knife is involved, accentuated. I'm working with very rudimentary drills from Southern Praying Mantis that train arm sticking to arm in a continuous offensive-defensive cycle. One sequence involves the jolting force used to deflect a strike and to off-balance an opponent followed by an immediate strike. From a different perspective that same drill enhances touch sensitivity to feel the sudden energy, to quickly disengage and cover your partner's offensive initiative, and strike before he or she recovers. By playing Cadena de Mano at an aggressive stage I noticed that as one's knife attack is defended in a particular way a position is assumed by both participants similar to one of the exercises from Southern Praying Mantis. From that brief moment one or both can perform the jolting drill to deflect or to aggressively remove the protective barrier for entry. Like Cadena de Mano, practicing the Southern Praying Mantis drills develops proper body alignment, constant arm engagement, and familiarity to stress and how to respond under pressure. As in Wing Chun Kung-Fu, one progresses from single arm exercises to two arm drills. After comprehensive practice in the double sticking arms stage of Southern Praying Mantis and of Cadena de Mano's daga y mano format one eventually reaches a level whereby both arms perform independently of each other. One defends while the other attacks. Although independent of each other, both mutually work for each other. Reflexes are honed, responses are instinctive, and, eventually, techniques are executed without thinking. The all out sparring of Eric Knauss, who has a background in Pekiti Tirsia, reminds me not to be lax in my training. It galvanizes me not only to prepare for the Huego Tirado stage but to intensify and to progressively structure my particular training methods toward a realistic level of fighting in preparation for any extreme confrontation. Sometimes one can slip into complacency. A painful, humiliating beating will open your eyes and shatter any grandiose illusion or silly deception about yourself and your martial arts training. Hopefully, with opened eyes, I can teach my students practical and efficient fighting skills, mental and physical preparation, and well-conditioned tools for survival. One way to discover one's shortcomings and strengths is through intensive and extensive sparring. This is also one way of improving what was practiced and to find out what is practical and what is flowery to you. From Chris Sayoc's particular knife fighting system the anchoring principle in one of his drills caught my attention. It's where the elbow of the knife carrying arm is generally held close to the body during certain close-quarters flow sparring patterns. Similar in structure is the immovable elbow theory of Wing Chun which has influenced the structure of my Pekiti Tirsia knife fighting, self-defense, and empty hand drills. The anchoring principle and the immovable elbow theory of Wing Chun are both guiding factors in the economy of motion idea and in the structural efficiency of offensive and defensive moves. Thailand's Muai Thai's way of delivering an extension kick is reasonably added to Sikaran's series of kicks so as to add extra power and penetration as an option. My understanding of Pekiti Tirsia's Sikaran is that, because it is within the arena of knife of sticking fighting, it is delivered with a snap, like a whip, that quickly recovers before being slashed or smashed. Thus, it is secondary in power compared to Muai Thai, and primarily attacks nerve points and sensitive areas below the waist. The addition of some Muai Thai's training to develop powerful kicks doesn't hurt. From Indonesia's Pentjak Silat some styles use footwork to quickly tie up, to sweep, to leverage, or to break an opponent's legs. Their basics are structurally the same as the triangle stepping of Pekiti Tirsia but their emphasis and clarity are very beneficial. A few have a systematic progression that teaches entering, trapping, sweeping, etc. Again, some are helpful training methods for my single stick and empty hands categories. The similarities are striking thus easy to play. Also, from Pentjak Silat are the simple and clear principles for upper body control and manipulation. Their explanation and demonstration help to clarify why certain techniques work and help to improve the effectiveness of others. The knowledge shared by Jeet Kune Do proponents, whether flavored by Filipino martial arts, the Indonesian combat systems, Wing Chun, or other fighting disciplines, generates an analytical approach to one's personal martial training. It motivates me to consider effectiveness, efficiency, preparation, flexibility, practicality, and versatility throughout my course. Just like the Dog Brothers' "Gathering" the Ultimate Fighting Championship and their offshoots splashed cold water into the faces of complacency, self-delusion, and stubbornness. The art of take downs and ground grappling has reemerged as important for the well-rounded martial artist. Although Pekiti Tirsia has take downs while armed I would like to expand it further in the knife category and in single stick fighting, and practice ground grappling in the empty hands section. It won't be as in depth or technically precise as the styles that exclusively specialize is grappling, throws, and joint manipulation take downs but such knowledge and experience are quite helpful. Topado, Arnis Lanada, San Miguel Eskrima, Syoc Kali, Inayan Serada Eskrima, Lema Scientific Arnis, Cabales Serada, Inosanto, Bustillo, Eric Knauss, Ron Harris, Nate Defensor, Emperado's Kajukenbo, and more have presented me with an idea, a training method, a question, a possibility, food for thought, an understanding. Because of their close geographical proximity to each other the martial arts indigenous to the nations of Southeast Asia have common threads in application, structure, approach, and strategies. That's why I feel comfortable adding some methods without compromising the essentials of Pekiti Tirsia. I may perform Pekiti Tirsia without a pronounced Wing Chun flavor but it doesn't detract from its essence. The outline of Pekiti Tirsia as taught to me by Tom Bisio and Leo T. Gaje is still unchanged. There's just more to learn and more to work with.
Articles by Agapito Gonzalez:
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Tuhon Leo T. Gaje, Jr.
(right) demonstrating, Great Gorge, NJ,
1981 Central Park,
1981 |
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