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Remy A. Presas' Modern Arnis

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This page is dedicated to Modern Arnis, one of the standalone programs offered at Tye's Kung Fu. We currently provide weekly classes in Remy Presas' Modern Arnis, with the following schedule: Sundays from 10:30am - noon in regular workshop-style classes
The location for these classes is the basketball court area of the central park at Kings' Park in Springfield, VA.

We also have a library of free Modern Arnis training materials available on our Youtube channel, some examples:

My journey with Modern Arnis began in 1992 when Guro Eric Alexander introduced me to this art. From 1993/1994 onwards, I had the privilege of studying under Professor Remy A. Presas himself, as well as many of his advanced students. While I value my time with all of them, my most cherished memories are of training directly with Professor Presas. Throughout the 90s, during my training in Texas, I often served as the primary demo-dummy for the Professor. Although it involved enduring bountiful pain repeatedly, I am grateful for those experiences as they helped me refine my techniques. In total, I participated in 18 weekend training camps and attended over 30 seminars with the Professor, accumulating over 500 hours of his guidance - enough material to work on for a lifetime! I dedicated myself to personal practice and taught regular, dedicated classes, constantly immersing myself in the material. Professor Presas' contributions, both as an instructor and in personal exchanges, have profoundly influenced my martial arts journey, not just in Modern Arnis but beyond.

I progressed through the colored ranks primarily under Guro Eric's guidance until I reached the green belt level. With Guro Eric's blessing, I transitioned to training directly under Professor Presas. Under his guidance, I tested for and achieved the rank of Lakan (black belt, non-probationary) in 1995, followed by testing for and acheiving Lakan Isa (1st-degree black belt) in 1996. I was asked to test again in 1997, and Professor Presas awarded me the rank of Lakan Dalawa (2nd-degree black belt) in Modern Arnis, which was my final promotion under him before his passing. Unfortunately, due to multiple surgeries, I couldn't undergo the testing for Lakan Tatlo (3rd-degree black belt), despite the Professor's enthusiastic requests in 1999 and 2000. Following his passing, I did not actively pursue additional ranks. However, in early 2015, I received unexpected recognition from the World Modern Arnis Alliance (WMAA) as Lakan Tatlo in Modern Arnis. During my trip to the Philippines in 2016, I had the honor of testing in Hinigaran, Professor Presas' hometown, and I was awarded the rank of Lakan Apat (4th degree) in Presas Arnis, Kombatan, and Modern Arnis. It's worth noting that I have never sought or asked to test for rank, and I will continue to adhere to this approach.

At the encouragement and insistence of Professor Presas, I established the TAMU Modern Arnis Club at Texas A&M University in 1995. Later, I expanded its reach to include a separate commercial club off-campus. Even after earning my PhD in Nuclear Chemistry, I have remained committed to training, teaching, and conducting seminars. Importantly, I continue to learn and refine my skills in Modern Arnis.

When I teach Modern Arnis, I emphasize the concepts of flow, real-life applications, disarms, and joint work. I have found that my training in Modern Arnis has also enriched my understanding and application of kung fu, resulting in a beneficial cross-pollination of techniques. One of the most valuable training tools in GM Presas' system is Tapi-Tapi, with its variations, free-flowing nature, change-ups, and practical applications — it is truly wonderful. Of course, we explore the full range of other drills and their variations, incorporating applications, follow-ups, empty-hand translations, guntings, disarms, counters, striking styles, locks, reversals, takedowns, pins, and more. Some of this root work includes:

    the 12 Basic Strikes
    the Basic Blocks
      sweep (stick-up and stick-down), umbrella (inside and outside), cutting
    Striking Styles
      labtik, witik, tusok, punyo, banda-y-banda, rompida, taas-baba (up-down), abaniko (largo & corto, single- and double-action), piguro de otso, double zero X, pabilog (arko), harada, pelantik, duplete, etc
    Sinawalis
      Single Sinawali, 4-ct Single, Double Sinawali, Pera-peral Sinawali ("Cowboy"), Reverse Sinawali, Heaven 6, Earth 6, 4-ct Double, X Sinawali, and on and on.
    Anyos (forms)
      empty-hand, opposite hand, single cane, knife, double cane, cane+knife, double knife, and staff
    the Flow Drill
    "Dance of Pain"

      Flowing effortlessly from joint lock to joint lock while inserting throws, takedowns, pins, come-alongs, etc.
    Palis-Palis
    Abanico
    (Corto, Largo, Double Action (4 ways), etc)
    picture by Bea Knuettel, Dortmund, Germany Single Dagger
    Espada-y-daga
    the 6-Count Drill (Anim na Bilang), the Box Drill (10-Count), and Abaniko Sumbrada (10-count)

      same-side, opposite, mis-matched, and inserts
    Tapi-Tapi
      Abecedario, obstruction removal, L vs. R, R vs. R, crossovers, knife, empty-hand, and inserts

in addition to these, Guro Martinez and I have developed other useful training tools, including:

    the 14- and 18-Count Drills
    the Range Drill
    various Lock-flow Drills

We firmly respect all of GM Presas' teachings, and by extension we support as many of the various Modern Arnis organizations as we can, especially those we have interacted with. This list is constantly expanding because so many out there are doing a great job of sharing their piece of GM Presas' vision. In no particular order, we support and are members of:



Also, check out the Modern Arnis Board in the Discussion Forums Area!

Also, check out these Arnis Sticks!


Pix from various seminars...

Tye and Professor Presas
Professor Presas and I

Dance of Pain
Guro Eric Alexander working with Guro Raymond Montoya

Tapi-Tapi
Guro Anding DeLeon and Professor playing Tapi-Tapi



since Dec 12, 1998
  
Tye's Kung Fu
Last Updated: Tuesday, 27-Jun-2023 22:28:34 EDT, by Tye W. Botting