Japanese influence

[equilibrium]

Why were Japanese elements added to it? Was something lost in the process? Wasn't the system as he learned it complete enough in itself?

Why was a traditional art modified?

[arnisador]

Why were Japanese elements added to it? Was something lost in the process? Wasn't the system as he learned it complete enough in itself?

I don't know the answer. I do know that Prof. Presas truly enjoyed Karate and Judo, and I suspect that that was part of it--him sharing what he liked. Promoting and preserving the FMA was his true calling, but he also enjoyed the JMA.

There's also the fact that the JMA were more popular than the FMA in the Phil. at the time, and he may have understood that the JMA aspect would draw more people in.

Hopefully someone more knowledgable than I will chime in on this! It'd be a great question for Ernesto or Roberto Presas, both of whom also have some JMA experience, if I recall correctly.


Why was a traditional art modified?

Remember that even the wholly FMA aspects of Modern Arnis are, of course, modified, from the original Balintawak and Presas family system.

[robertlk808]

I always thought that it was his way of having people integrate it into their art. Since Karate was huge at the time the elements were added for people to easily identify / relate it to their movements and add Arnis into their personal development.

[JBrainard]

I do know that Prof. Presas truly enjoyed Karate and Judo, and I suspect that that was part of it--him sharing what he liked. Promoting and preserving the FMA was his true calling, but he also enjoyed the JMA.

There's also the fact that the JMA were more popular than the FMA in the Phil. at the time, and he may have understood that the JMA aspect would draw more people in.

That is my understanding as to his reasoning.

[arnisador]

I always thought that it was his way of having people integrate it into their art. Since Karate was huge at the time the elements were added for people to easily identify / relate it to their movements and add Arnis into their personal development.

I think that was very true in the U.S. where he catered mostly to those who did arnis as "the art within your art", but I'm not sure how important that factor was in the Phil. I just don't know so much about what happened before he came to the States!

[eskrimador]

Nothing is lost in the process. Creating or developing martial arts needs synthesis with other effective and existing arts. This was happened to the development of Modern Arnis. During 60's and 70's Japanese martial arts were plaquing the Philippines.That period most of the Filipinos from Luzon were in craze with karate, judo and aikido, except for most of the visayans, they have the stick fighting which was transmitted by their forefathers who developed eskrima/garrote during the Spanish campaign against Moros in Mindanao. Them too, became crazy on JMA but later they breed their arts and that are now FMA. GM Remy was a practitioner of combat judo and karate,GM Ernie was a practitioner of kendo aside from judo and karate.They choose to excel with their own martial heritage.Even today in RP most of the Modern Arnis practitioners still or before were practicing JMA,i.e. GM Tongson was a kendoka, GM Vasquez was a karate fighter before, even SM Dulay is an avid Shotokan practitioner before, G. Santos until today is an instructor of jujitsu, Anajao still propagating Goju Ryu and Kenjutsu in RP.And the way they move, it shows their arts which are blended and artistic.

[arnisador]

GM Tongson was a kendoka, GM Vasquez was a karate fighter before, even SM Dulay is an avid Shotokan practitioner before, G. Santos until today is an instructor of jujitsu, Anajao still propagating Goju Ryu and Kenjutsu in RP.

I didn't know that! I knew the Japanese arts were popular there, but I didn't know so many major FMAers were still so into them!

[hiddensnakehands]

cross-training with different arts is quite big among fma-ers here in the philippines, especially now that the urcc's gaining ground. it might be because they want to be ready for any situation.

some black-belts in my group are also practitioners of shotokan karate. i know it's not really japanese but there's also a guy doing bjj, a white belter doing muay thai, another one doing greco-roman.