INTRODUCTION

This is a revised and expanded edition of my previous effort, Filipino Martial Arts: Cabales Serrada Escrima. There are several reasons why I have reworked the material. First, as evidenced in the Letter of Permit, Angel Cabales, the art’s late founder, initially asked me to write a series of six books on his art of serrada escrima. (His original outline for the series is presented in Appendix B). However, in that no Filipino martial art books had been published or distributed on a large scale in the United States in the ten years prior to my letter of inquiry, the publisher was unsure as to the sales potential of such a series. Therefore, the material for the proposed series was condensed into a single volume; space limitations restricting it from including training methods, advanced concepts, or fighting strategies.

Second, I was only nineteen years old when I began writing the aforementioned book (I am now thirty-one), and had not previously written anything. Since that time, though, I have done a great deal of writing—actually making it my profession—and feel that as a more seasoned writer I am now better able to present the art to the reader. I guess one could say that it was the request of my late teacher to write a book on his art that was the turning point in my life in terms of a career path.

Third, since the publication of the first edition in 1994, I have had the opportunity to travel to the Philippines a dozen times to conduct field research on escrima in general, and on Felicisimo Dizon, Angel Cabales, and the Doce Pares Society in particular. Much of this research has not heretofore been published. I have also had the privilege of meeting a number of the art’s most senior practitioners, among them Dentoy Revillar, Mike Inay, Rene Latosa, and Art Miraflor. And while these individuals have all since developed their own systems, they were gracious enough to share with me their individual recollections of the early history of Cabales serrada escrima in the United States. Moreover, I invited the art’s senior masters and instructors to submit essays in their own names to be included in this edition, wherein they could offer their individual perspective on Angel Cabales and his fighting art.

Fourth, given my full-time profession in publishing, my ongoing anthropological studies and research, and my wish to spend as much time with my family as possible, I am no longer an active escrima instructor. And while I still maintain my personal training several days a week, I only teach a few private pupils. What free time I do have is spent perpetuating the arts through research and writing. With this in mind, I wanted to take the photographic focus of this book off me, in an effort to promote instructors in the art who are actively teaching it. Thus, the technique photographs included herein feature a number of instructors of the art who trained with Grandmaster Cabales at different periods in time.

Fifth, while working as editor and publisher of a number of leading martial arts book and magazine companies, I have read, proofed, edited, and/or published hundreds of martial arts manuscripts. I am of the opinion (and I am not alone in this) that the old way of presenting the martial arts in terms of footwork, techniques, self-defense, and so on, in prefabricated, unimaginative, and disconnected ways, is no longer viable or useful. The martial arts reader has gone beyond such mundane presentations. But to better present an art, those elements that make it effective must be identified and duly addressed.

So what is it that makes an art effective? Is it the individual footwork, stances, strikes, blocks, counters, and disarms? Or is it the long hours spent training and sparring? The answer is: yes and no. Therefore, the sayings, “An art is only as good as its techniques,” and “An art is only as good as the individual practitioner,” are both narrow and limiting. Moreover, the question of what makes an art effective is perhaps the wrong question to ask. It would be more useful for the practitioner to ask the question, “How can I make this art useful for me?”

In general, an art eventually becomes “useful” to an individual—or an individual finally becomes able to effectively apply an art—only after an understanding of the interconnectedness and interrelation of each of the art’s individual components to the whole has been acquired (whether tacitly or explicitly). And the most direct way of coming to this deeper understanding of an art is by identifying the underlying concepts, principles, and strategies of its individual techniques and realizing how they relate to, and indeed depend on, one another. With this in mind, the phrase “An art, its techniques, and the ability of its practitioners to apply it effectively, are only as good as its underlying concepts, principles, fighting strategies, as developed and honed through its interconnected training methods,” is perhaps a more correct way of considering things.

I have therefore attempted here to present the art of Cabales serrada escrima in a conceptually-based format. To do this, I have refrained from illustrating set techniques that must be memorized against each of the system’s angles of attack. Rather, I have explained the individual defensive concepts in terms of how and why they each work and under what conditions they are best utilized.

It is hoped that this method of presenting this art will allow the diligent reader to realize that regardless of a technique’s expression or combination, as long as a movement does not breach the prescribed concepts, principles, and strategies of the art, it is still Cabales serrada escrima. Therefore, there is truly no need to memorize between three and fourteen single-stick counters for each of the twelve strikes—as is the standard—for an understanding of what makes one type of counter more effective against a particular type of attack. This allows the practitioner to move freely and effectively, without having to remember or to build into muscle memory a preset defensive technique for every possible attack. And since there are far too many types and combinations of possible attacks, there is simply no way to memorize counters to all of them. Thus, by extending the concept of “angle of attack” to the concept of “method of counterattack,” one can learn to freely maneuver within the art and practice a single defense against many types of attacks from the onset.

With this in mind, the book is divided into six sections, each building on the previous one and presenting a different facet of the art in relation to the whole. Part One briefly outlines the contemporary history of escrima in general to the development and perpetuation of the Cabales serrada system in particular. Part Two gives the reader various “keyholes” through which to view the art, by offering personal accounts of students’ training with Cabales at different points in time. Part Three lays the foundation of the physical art by discussing the fundamental body positions of the art, the concept and methods of controlling distance, the dynamics of blocking and striking, and an analysis of the system’s twelve strikes. Part Four describes and illustrates the art’s core single-stick defensive methods, while Part Five describes and illustrates the art’s core empty-hand defensive system. Part Six illustrates drills for developing coordination, reflexes, timing, and distance, in addition to discussing the mindset necessary when facing an opponent. The book concludes with an Afterword, and two Appendices for those who seek further information. It is hoped that this new material sheds more light on Angel Cabales and the history and development of Cabales serrada escrima by offering the reader a broad perspective.

I am grateful to Tuttle Publishing for allowing me to write this revised and expanded presentation of Cabales serrada escrima, and to all who were involved in its publication. It certainly was not an individual effort. I extend my deepest gratitude to the late Antonio Ilustrisimo, Antonio Diego, Modesto Madrigal, Jose Mena, Abner Pasa, Fred Lazo, Krishna Godhania, and Abondio Baet, for sharing with me their insights into the history of escrima in general, and for relating to me their firsthand stories of their interactions with the Doce Pares Society, Felicisimo Dizon, and/or Angel Cabales in the Philippines.

To Leo Giron, Dentoy Revillar, Art Miraflor, Mike Inay, Rene Latosa, Frank Rillamas, J.C. Cabiero, Darren Tibon, Jerry Preciado, Ron Saturno, Khalid Khan, Carlito Bonjoc, Jr., Anthony Davis, Sultan Uddin (Kimball Joyce), and Alan McLuckie, for sharing with me (at various times over the past 15 years) their anecdotes and insights into Angel Cabales and his art in the United States.

To Gabriel Asuncion, Carlito Bonjoc, Jr., Vincent Cabales, Sr., Vincent Cabales, Jr., Anthony Davis, Joe Gastello, Michael Keyes, Frank Lile, Art Miraflor, Jasen Posadas, Jerry Preciado, Anthony Rillamas, Frank Rillamas, Ron Saturno, JoJo Soriben, Darren Tibon, and Stanley Wells for posing for the technique photographs illustrating the techniques presented herein.

To Tony Somera (heir apparent of Giron arnis escrima) and Joel Juanitas (Bahala Na historian), for working together with me to extinguish 30 years of bad blood between the escrima groups of Angel Cabales and Leo Giron, for helping to bring the serrada masters together for our 10-year reunion, and for taking the technique photographs for this book.

To Chuck Cadell, Khalid Khan, Art Miraflor, Jerry Preciado, Darren Tibon, Tony Somera, Alan McLuckie, Carlito Bonjoc, Jr., and Rene Latosa, for allowing me to reproduce photographs from their personal collections.

To Gilbert Johnson, Dan Inosanto, and Jane Hallander for their early writings on Angel Cabales and serrada escrima. It was their stories that inspired me to seek out this man and study his art.

And to Alexander D.C. Kask, for giving me an unbelievable window of opportunity.

Thank you all.

—Mark V. Wiley
Towson, MD