American Freestyle Karate • Modern Arnis • Self-Defense

MODERN ARNIS (Modern Arnis 80)

Arnis is a term used for describing the Filipino martial art utilizing a single stick, double set of sticks, stick and dagger and empty hands.

Modern Arnis is an eclectic (made up from elements from various sources) style. Professor Presas traveled around the Philippines for many years studying various types of Filipino martial arts. He assimilated these arts into his existing body of Martial Arts knowledge. Modern Arnis is in some ways a generic term for Professor Remy Presas' personal interpretation of Filipino martial art.

Modern Arnis contains many parts. There are empty hand forms, stick forms, Filipino Jujutsu, grappling, kicking, Sinawali Boxing, stick and dagger, knife, double stick, single stick, anti-stick grabbing, as well as combinations of all the parts mentioned. Professor Presas likes to say it's all covered in three forms of "play": Espada y Daga (sword or stick and dagger), Sinawali (a double stick weaving pattern), and solo baston (single stick).

Professor Presas was trained in the family style of Arnis, Presas Style by his grandfather. This style included the Blade Art of the Presas' family, the Palis-Palis. After leaving home at age 14, Professor Presas first studied under Rodolfo Moncal and Timoteo Maranga, and then graduated to Grandmaster Venancio "Anciong" Bacon in Cebu. From Bacon he learned and mastered Bacon's Balintawak eskrima (eskrima = fencing), a counter for counter style known for aggressive counter attacks. Balintawak and Presas Family Arnis are the foundations of Modern Arnis. Other Filipino martial arts masters taught him as he grew up.

Prof. Presas was also an avid practitioner of Shotokan Karate and Judo. He studied Kendo (Japanese sword fighting). He studied Kuntao Silat (an empty hand art) and Filipino Dumog (wrestling style). In his quest to learn he became obsessed with learning the guiding principals of Filipino martial arts. As he taught he mastered the concepts that make up the core of Filipino martial art. He called it "The art within your art." All this blended together and started to be distilled down into what would eventually be called Modern Arnis. In 1957 Professor Presas established Modern Arnis and he was officially declared the father and founder of Modern Arnis by the Filipino Government.

When Professor Presas arrived in America, he traveled all over the country teaching Modern Arnis to any and all who would listen. Prof. Dan Anderson first met Prof. Remy Presas in Oakland, California in 1979. He began training with him the following year. Prof. Anderson was promoted to Lakan Isa (1st Degree Black Belt) in Modern Arnis in 1982. He continued training with Prof. Presas, often traveling cross-country to do so, eventually achieving the rank of 6th Degree Black Belt on June 28, 1992. He further received the title of Senior Master from Prof. Presas in 1995.

Prof. Anderson teaches what he calls "MA-80 System of Modern Arnis" or "Modern Arnis 80." "Modern Arnis, as I learned it from Prof. Presas, stressed several elements, the most important being the concept of "The Flow." All I have done is taken his art, discerned the fundamental principles which underlie it and put them into a systemized form that will eventually lead the student to developing his or her own flow. This is the legacy my teacher passed on to me and so I pass it on to my own students." The title "Modern Arnis 80" has two meanings. 1980 was the year Prof. Anderson began his training with Remy Presas. Additionally, if you take the number 8 and place it on it's side, you get the symbol for infininty. Prof. Remy Presas taught countless variations of technique application, creating the apparancy of an infinite number of actions one could take in any given situation. Taking the 8 and separating it from the 0 creates the philosophical viewpoint of the possibility of anything (8) to the simplicity of the moment (0). This is the viewpoint behind the training of technical application.

Prof. Presas passed away in the fall of 2001 and Prof. Dan Anderson is one of a number of instructors who are keeping his art of Modern Arnis alive in their instruction. Prof. Anderson was honored by the World Head Of Family Sokeship Council as a 2002 Hall Of Fame recipient as Founder Of The Year for his creating the Modern Arnis 80 system. In 2003 he received from Grand Master Wally Jay (Small Circle Jujitsu), Dr. Maung Gyi (Bando), Datu Bong Jornales (Arnis Sikaran) and Gat Puno Abon Baet (Harimau Arnis) recognition for founding Modern Arnis 80 and an 8th Degree Black Belt in that form. Prof. Anderson now has a martial arts discussion forum at the CSSD SC website. You can reach it by going to: http://cssdsc.com/phpbb/