Sunday Practice - 10-30-2011

It was great to be back in the Park  for our weekly FCS Club of San Diego Group Practice, I believe not only for myself, but as well for those who showed up after last week's cancelled session that we were all eager to get back to practice and honestly I missed being at the Park sweating it with our Crew!  By popular request and demand we are now starting the group practices at 8:00am .  I like it, it's a little cooler ( not that San Diego has bad weather to begin with), but I'm up early anyways and I'm rearing to go!  So we started things off a little differently and a little more intensely, our warm up included running a couple laps around the basketball court, the idea being:  1) It'll warm us up, 2) an exercise in footwork and agility as we also did part of those laps, laterally and ran backwards, and  3) I can use the exercise!  LOL!  Yesterday's practice we covered the usual basics of footwork, strikes, and walls, for the beginners and newcomers, but we quickly went through this part as we also wanted to cover ground with some drills to improve coordination and speed, and also to more excitingly practice double baston siniwali for the newbies. When you're having fun and loving what you do, 2 hours goes by very quickly, for those who could stay a little longer, we also did some knife tapping practice.   

While we didn't have the high count of the last group practice which was a total of 15 participants, we did have a showing of two new faces, Marlon and 13 year old John, a big Welcome to both and we're glad to have you in!  Thank you All to those who participate and are becoming regulars to FCS Kali Club of San Diego, we like seeing the dedication and your support, and truly appreciate the time and effort you have made to be out there with us, we are building the foundation, and one day the regulars who stick with us can say you were part of the Founding members crew in San Diego. One last note, practice what we have covered, we want to show Manong Rich Verdejo how far we have come by the time he comes back down, the further along we have developed, the more he can present to us!

                                          Back Row: Marlon, Daniel, Erwin, Bernard, Ed, Jeremy

                                          Front Row: Angelo, John, Josh, Paolo

                                          Missing in this Pic:  Sergio and Glenda

                             

Maraming Salamat,

Erwin G.

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More FCS Gathering Sampling....

Listen to the words, this elaborates on the FCS Family and Legacy...


ECHO....

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A Sample of FCS Gathering & Camp

For those wondering what an FCS Gathering might look like, 

here is Tuhon Ray Dionaldo in action...

Video Source:   http://martialmatrix.ning.com/video/fcs-camp-n-gathering-revised 

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FCS Gathering Information - Winter 2012

Tuhon Ray Dionaldo has just posted the dates for the Winter 2012 FCS Gathering

The Filipino Combat Systems' (FCS) Family Gatherings give instructors and students from all over the world an opportunity to get together and get acquainted with the latest developments and innovations in the art. FCS is a system in constant evolution, making these events a learning experience not to be missed.

* Open to all styles and ranks.

*Florida's Premier FMA Event.

* Advanced training in The Filipino Martial Arts.

*Special training in close quarters stick fighting, knife fighting concepts, Sarong, Kerambit, and much more.

* Keep up with the latest developments.

*Special demonstrations by guest masters.

* Meet members of the FCS family from around the world.

* Training blades, sticks, T-shirts, sweat-shirts, books, videos, etc., available for sale at the event.

*Certificates to be awarded to new instructors.

What to bring:

Sticks, Training Blades (knives and swords), Training Kerambits, Sarongs

( We will have gear for sale at the event.)

The Next FCS Family Gathering will be Held:

January 9-12, 2012

FCS Headquarters

1910 Barton Park Road
Suite 1001
Auburndale, FL 33823

Gate Code: 1020#

Fri 6:00pm - 9:00pm FCS Instructors & Members Only Nite

Sat 1:00pm - 5:00pm (or whenever) Seminar

Sun 10:00am - 5:00pm (or whenever) Seminar

Cost: $120.00 Sat & Sun /  $70.00 one day 

What to bring: training blades, sticks, training swords, and sarongs

( Available for sale at the event.)

For More Information Contact:

 Ray Dionaldo:  Ray@fcskali.com

Hotels:

Days Inn Winter haven
1150 3rd St SW
Winter Haven, FL 33880
863-294-4451

Budget Inn Winter Haven

401 6th Street Northwest
Winter Haven, FL 33881
(863) 294-4191

Click below to find out more about the FCS Gatherings

FCS Gathering Reviews

For more information click as posted from:       http://filipinocombatsystems.com/id22.html






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Hi All!

Not sure what's wrong with my link to Facebook on this blog page, but here's the link to find the FCS Kali West Coast Facebook Fan Page, be sure to "Like" us inn Facebook as well.

"

"Like" our FCS Kali West Coast Facebook Fan Page as as well.

Maraming Salamat,

Erwin G.

Pictures from the FCS Kali 1st San Diego Seminar - July 9-10, 2011

In case you haven't noticed from the Photo Gallery tab on the blog...

FCS Kali 1st San Diego Seminar 
with Tuhon Ray Dionaldo and Marie Lanoy
July 9-10, 2011

Support the Fight Against Breast Cancer: Calendar Vixens Fund Raiser

FCS Kali West Coast would like to support the Calendar Vixens for such a worthy cause.


A Message from Manong Rich Verdejo:


Pre-Order your Calendar!  :) Hit up my hero, Vanessa L Melendez Has fought in the ring and now fighting to save bOObies!

A group of REAL girls (not models) that want to help our community by fund raising for FREE breast cancer service

Here is a quick rundown of what they're trying to accomplish as a team.
... ... ...
We are going to coordinate and create a 2012 Calendar featuring my girlfriends and their friends. This will be a sexy/artistic expression of empowerment, liberty, life, beauty and confidence! Beautiful diverse girls that have all been affected by Breast cancer in some way.

The calendars will go on sale Oct 21st 2011.

CLICK HERE to Order your calendar.

ALL proceeds will benefit local non-profit organization Family Health Care Centers or Greater Los Angeles, Inc., (http://fhccgla.org/index.htm) in providing FREE mammograms and check ups to those of whom are less fortunate and cannot afford these services.

Profile Pictures

This one is for the Nana's we've lost...

By: Calendar Vixenshttp://calendarvixens.com/calendar-countdown/



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Thank you All for Today's Turn Out... and the pebbles grow...!

My mind is in a little of a blurred state, it's been a long last 48 hours for me,  I had to work a Saturday shift yesterday (solo), and worked extended hours, and to top it off I'm On call for work, however despite all of this I indulged myself in a late Saturday night session of FCS Kali with our Manong Rich, Bernard, my son, and myself up in Temecula, then we drove back early this morning for Group Practice.  It was worth it, anytime I can learn from someone that has great experience and knowledge, and whom I respect more and more as I get to know him, it's worth it in more than my words can explain.  Mng. Rich gave us some drills and exercises to practice and we quickly introduced then in Group Practice this morning.

First a couple of apologies, to my drill partner Jesse this morning - a thousand apologies for the errant stick blow to of course of all  the worst places on the arm the funny bone!  That taught us two lessons, firstly the giver needs to be a little more careful, and secondly the receiver -be ready for anything.  Although for the rap tap on the knuckles from my stick, that was yours, that'll remind you to practice your side wall block!   LOL! Although Jesse, you have an awesome redondo, very powerful!  If it's any consolation, somehow I got a knuckle/hand bruise from holding the stick while you were practicing your strikes.

This morning we stressed some more foot work drills based off the male-female training formation. Over the weeks and hours of practice I'm feeling my footwork being much better than when I first started, but still plenty of room for improvement.   The more and more we practice the stick drills and hand to hand drills, the more I fully understand how critical the footwork plays into everything, this was evident  as I practiced with partners today, and I hope those newest in our Group see the light in this.  Correct foot and body positioning help create your defensive and offensive postures by creating those openings or creating the personal space for block.  With the rhythmic beat of the carenza drums, it's easy to feel the the foot work drills as seemingly light and elementary, but it is a lot more demanding than it appears (how many of us were breathing heavy after all the footwork drills?), for some it is a martial arts resemblance of a Zumba step, and while this may make the drill fun, we are really looking for the ready warrior, cat like movement of a predator, so mind that thought for those who were at practice today!

I forgot, my second apology for the group and my blog readers, we forgot to take a group picture today, it was another good turn out and we were very pleased to see returning faces and some new ones.   First a big welcome back to Glenda, Paulo, and Jeremy, with busy schedules and commitments the last couple of weeks they were able to make the session this morning.   An equally loud shout out to Gustavo, Daniel, Angelo, Elma, Jessie, and their son JR, glad to see we haven't scared you guys off, great to see the commitment to learn and support FMA!  Finally a great Welcome to first time visitors Rico and his son Nico.   Bernard, Ed, Tony and myself Thank You for checking our club out and what we have to offer, we're hoping to see a continued return by all 15 of us!

... and the pebbles grow...!

Maraming Salamat,

Erwin G.


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Warrior-Poet

The Warrior-Poet is the ancient tradition of dedication to developing the body and the mind as one.

The Shambhala teachings of Tibet, the chivalrous knights of medieval Europe and the ancient Greek warriors are all examples of this proud tradition.

The Warrior-Poet retains a mysterious and ancient aura, a member of the leadership class who guides with wisdom and courage. They are defined by their dedication to their crafts of warfare, and intellectual study and reflection.

The Warrior-Poet learns to develop the mind and the body as one, using each to guide the other. The Warrior-Poet is also a spiritual warrior. The Warrior-Poet understands their true relationship to the heaven and the earth. They understand that they embody the heavenly representation to the earth, and the earthly representation to the heavens.

In other words, it is up to the Warrior-Poet to balance the cruel realities of the earth, while living by the standards of the heavens.





Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_warrior-poet#ixzz1aldciXah




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FCS Kali Club of San Diego - Group Practice - October 16, 2011

To All,

If anyone is interested we will again be practicing at Heritage Park, Chula Vista off East Palomar, around 9:00 am by the basketball courts this Sunday (10/16/2011).

Please bring your sticks if you have them.

Thank you,
Erwin G.


Where:  Heritage Park, 1381 East Palomar Street
               Chula Vista, CA 91913-4802
               Near the Basketball Courts


When:   10/16/2011 - 9:00am

EVENT ALERT: Guro Roger Agbulos LAMECO ASTIG COMBATIVES SEMINAR - Granada Hills, CA

Guro Roger Agbulos LAMECO ASTIG COMBATIVES SEMINAR

Time	Saturday, November 5 · 1:30pm - 6:30pm

Location	North Valley Aikikai 16901 San Fernando Mission Blvd. Granada Hills, CA 91344

Acquiring the physical skills of the Filipino Weapon Arts is not enough to provide you the edge in the ring or on the street. Functionality, efficiency and non-telegraphic striking based on the principles of Economy of Motion are among the strategies covered in this workshop seminar.

Broken-flow combination strikes, pre-emptive strikes, counter strikes, intercepting strikes, footwork integration, timing, distance control, feinting, stick sparring, knife sparring, practical hand-to-hand and empty hands vs. knife self-defense techniques, and many more.

Special guests instructors will be appearing to provide demonstrations of their martial arts specialty.

Cost: $35 at the door. $25 early registration
Call 818-891-1454 or email: astiglameco@yahoo.com

**** LIMITED SPACE! DON'T MISS OUT!!!! ****

Guro Roger Agbulos is a featured instructor in the following international released books/dvds:
WARRIOR ARTS OF THE PHILIPPINES - written by Reynaldo S. Galang
MASTERS OF THE BLADE - written by Reynaldo S. Galang
KAPPAP COMBAT CONCEPTS - published by BLACK BELT PUBLICATIONS
KAPPAP COMBAT CONCEPTS DVD - by BLACK BELT PUBLICATIONS

EVENT ALERT: TLM / ELITE WARRIOR SEMINAR - Auburndale, Florida

Event Details

Time: November 12, 2011 at 10am to November 13, 2011 at 7pm
Location: ISHI-DO MARTIAL ARTS / FCS KALI INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS / TLM's FIGHTING CHANCE
Street: 1910 BARTON PARK RD. ,SUITE # 1001
City/Town: AUBURNDALE, FLORIDA, 33823
Website or Map: http://www.blunttrama.ning.co…
Phone: 1-863-660-1020, 1-407-814-1864, 1-239-645-2490
Event Type: tlm / elite warrior seminar
Organized By: STONEY, JEFF MOLDOVAN, NATE HILL, MARK EDWARD CODY, TRAVIS DeVITA
Latest Activity: 7 hours ago

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Event Description

• THE " TLM / ELITE WARRIOR SEMINAR" ,,,,THE 12TH AND THE 13TH OF NOV. " IS A GO ".... 
•  $80.00 FOR THE TWO DAYS, WITH MARK, JEFF, NATE, TRAVIS, AND STONEY....
• OR $50.00 FOR ONE DAY.
• START TIME WILL BE AT  10:00 AM, TILL WE COVER THE DAYS MATTERIAL,
• DAY TWO WILL BE THE SAME.
• NO LATE STARTS, NO BEER, NO BULLSHIT, JUST REAL LIFE INFO. AND HARD WORK......
• END OF THE SECOUND DAY WILL BE OPEN FOR QUESTIONS FROM STUDENTS FOR ALL 5 INSTRUCTORS, WITH REAL NO BULL SHIT ANSWERS..... WE WILL OFFER A CERTIFICATION COURSE FOR JEFF'S TLM PROGRAM IN THE NEAR FUTURE.....
• I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS WHOLE PROGRAM, PLEASE PASS THE WORD.... 
•  LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF FUN FOR ALL, AND REAL WORLD SURVIVAL SKILL SET'S FOR ALL....
• OPEN TO ALL AGE'S, GROUPS, GENDER'S ,AND ANY ONE BLIND, CRIPPLED, OR CRAZY, WE WILL TAKE THEM ALL.
• HOO-YAH GOOD GUY'S, AND I SEE SOME REALLY BAD DAYS FOR THE BAD GUY'S OF THE WORLD...... I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL THERE. DO NOT MISS THIS TWO DAY " TLM / ELITE WARRIOR SEMINAR ".........
•  "MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR'S BELOW " !!!
  
  

FCS Kali Club of San Diego - Oct. 9 Sunday - "Have we heard the pebble drop...?"

I enjoy the time I am in now.... and what I hope to be witnessing.... What do you ask am I talking about...?  The state of geopolitics in the world today, the economy, our nation...?  Nope none of these....!

Don't you love when you feel you are at the right place at the right time?  The time when you are on the verge of something coming together, or something big coming along...?  This is the moment in time I enjoy watching and if I can be a part of it... yes being part of history I want to be there, great or small, personally or publicly, it doesn't matter, it's these times that make part of life beautiful...

I'm hoping for my FCS Kali Club of San Diego, we are about to witness the beginning of something.  Our humble little club is still at it's very infancy, but we proudly move forward in the quest that one day we will be all that we hope for it to be.   There is a scene from one of my all time favorite movies about one of my heroes, its from the movie "Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story", if I recall the scene this is where Bruce Lee is talking to his wife Linda in their newly started kung fu studio, almost broke and just starting out, Bruce drops a stone or pebble in the middle of the dojo floor and asks his wife, "did you hear that...?"   Linda looks at him and wonders where he is going with it, and he explains, that it's like a pebble or stone in a pool of water, when you drop it in the water a small ring or wave forms and expands outward.   That scene really refers to one of his philosophy, here is the quote...

"I don't really worry about the reward, but to set in motion the machinery to achieve it. My contribution will be the measure of my reward and success. When you drop a pebble into a pool of water, the pebble starts a series of ripples that expand until they encompass the whole pool." - Bruce Lee

...and this is what  I hope I am seeing with our small group here, FCS Kali Club of San Diego and FCS Kali West Coast.  

So before I get too deep... It was a beautiful morning, perfect San Diego weather, anyone in our area knows what that means... very light wind, very light clouds, sunny and around 70 degrees.... paradise!   :)  Today we had newcomers show up that we were very glad to see and welcome.  A couple came from our core member's Tony and Ed's circle of martial arts circle, a couple of old friends, and a father and his son came out to participate and see what our club and group practice was all about.  For the freshest members of our group, I am sure there was some information overload that we shared with them, but something for them to take home, process and practice and hopefully come back for more next week and to become a core member of our club.  This is what we want to see, for those who come out, to first enjoy what we have to offer and gain, and secondly inspiration, passion,  or dedication to the Filipino Martial Arts. This is a chance for all we invite right now to become a part of something early on.  It was a great day of practice, and I like the feeling I am beginning to get, are we about to see the beginning...?   

"Have we heard the pebble drop...?"

Maraming Salamat,

Erwin G.

                                           FCS Kali Club of San Diego Group Practice - Oct. 9th, 2011
                                                  Top row: Angelo, Daniel, Bernard, Ed
                                                  Second Row:  Sergio, Tony, Josh, Gustavo, JR, Elma, Jesse
                                                  Photographer - Erwin

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FCS Kali Cali: Manong Rich Verdejo - "...Stock up on duct tape..."

Last Sunday we were privileged to have Manong Rich Verdejo finish out the weekend with us after our FCS Kali Demo the day before, he stayed the next day and joined us in our Sunday morning Group Practice.   It was great to get some instruction and valuable insights from Rich on some basic technique and showed he us some new drills and exercises.   One of them we were most impressed with was one involving the eskrima stick.   Mng. Rich displayed to us how much speed and power can be drawn from an innocent enough rattan stick.   Below are some pictures of an exercise he showed us... the pictures do not do the demonstration justice,  if I get permission to show the video I'll post it later. (Video has been posted below the pics.) As you will see, the power generated from the whipping action of the eskrima eventually decimates the hardened rattan stick...  I loved the advice of Rich... "...stock up on duct tape...".  LOL!    Thank you Mng. Rich for the instruction and the memorable demo exercise with the eskrima stick, I'll need to have my Auntie ship us some more sticks!

                                                              " Better get the duct tape... "

Video:

                                



Maraming Salamat,

Erwin G.
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The History of Kali and Escrima

The History of Kali and Escrima
 by: Michael Smith

Filipino Kali is the martial art of stick fighting. Hard, bamboo sticks are used for defense and to attack. They have made this particular fighting style into a unique and deadly martial art form.

Kali Practitioners are first taught weapons fighting before hand to hand combat, differentiating itself from other martial art styles. A student in any other Asian Martial Art is expected to master hand to hand combat before moving on to weapons.

A definition of Kali would be: A Martial Art specializing in the use of two baton-length sticks, with techniques adaptable to empty-hand or edged weapons.

The word "escrima" originates from the Spanish verb "escrime", meaning to fence with a sword. Escrima is thought to have originated during the Spanish occupation of the Philippine Islands. Escrima is often used synonymously for Arnis and Kali.

Kali is an ancient term used to signify the martial arts in the southern Philippines. This martial art style is known as Kali-Silat. During the occupation by Spain, it was forbidden to practice Kali.

Studies of dance forms in the Philippines show the influence of Kali. Kali martial arts movements are ingrained in all the hand gestures and footsteps of the dances. These Kali patterns are not to be seen in the dances of India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Japan, Pacific islanders.

Both men and women were taught martial arts in the Philippines. Combat was a fact of life and used against neighboring tribes, warlords and foreign occupiers.

Kali, Ecrima or Arnis stick fighting was developed over a period of many centuries. The people of the Philippines fought constant foreign invaders during this time. Each struggle against a new culture added to the Filipino Martial Arts as Kali warriors developed techniques to counter, combat and integrate many foreign styles. More than 100 different Filipino Martial Arts styles developed, which can be grouped into three complete self-defense systems which utilize sticks, swords, empty hands and other weapons. The systems are called Northern, Southern, and Central.

In Kali the assumption is always to use the edge of a blade, be it sword or knife. Kali employs many techniques, including strikes, stances and weapons handling, which have influences from China, Arabia, Indonesia and Spain.

The Southern islands, where influenced by Arab missionaries and became know as (Moro Filipinos"), fierce Moslems who violently opposed foreign peoples on their native land. During the American occupation in the early 1900s, Moros, marked by tiger-eyes and red headbands - signifying a resolve to kill until killed battled American trrops.

The Moro's we so ferocious that the American soldiers found their .38-caliber pistols ineffective. As a result the .45-caliber pistol was designed as a knock down weapon specifically to deal with the Moros. The American militray term "leather neck" comes from fighting the Moro's during this time. American Marines would wrap their necks in leather to keep from getting injured by the Kali warriors.

In 1935, the Philippines were occupied by the Japanese during World War II. Known for close-in, hand-to-hand combat with bolo knives, Filipino troops established themselves as fierce guerrilla forces.

Following the war, many Kali practitioners migrated from the Philippines to Hawaii and California. They lived close together, working as farm laborers and practicing their martial art in secret.

After years of secrecy the old Kali masters started to teach a younger generation the beautiful and deadly Filipino Martial Art. Its sad to say that the older generation of Kali masters believe the martial art is dead in the Phillipines.

Todays Kali practicioner shows respect to the art by the use of a visual salutation. They touch the closed fist of their right hand to their forehead and the open palm if the left hand to their heart.

Some of these masters of Kali who have continued the art are Angel Cabales, Regino Ellustrisimo, Leo Giron, John LaCoste, Ben Largusa, and Floro Villabrille.

For additional information and other Martial Arts articles visit:http://www.allmartialarts.info

About The Author Michael Smith holds a Black Belt in Korean Hapkido and has trained in Karate, Kung Fu and Kick Boxing. Learn the secrets of the worlds most popular martial arts. Visithttp://www.allmartialarts.info Today!

This article was posted on October 07, 2005


Original source from:  http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_130.shtml


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