"Modern Arnis: The Next Generation”

[Datu Tim Hartman]

There is a thread on Martial Talk (our affiliate site) on a Black Belt Magazine article titled "Modern Arnis: The Next Generation” http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28438

I would like to hear what people thought about the article.

[arnisador]

The suggested next generation leaders were:
Dan Anderson, Rick Lee Ward, Eric Alexander, Jaye Spiro, Tim Hartman, and Michael Donavan

Mr. Anderson has MA-80; Mr. Hartman heads the WMAA (with which I am associated). Ms. Spiro continues to teach Karate and Modern Arnis in Michigan, where she also studies Balintawak. I've haven't seen Mr. Donovan in a long time and do not know what he and Mr. Ward are doing.

But the 1998 article is long since out of date, and could not have anticipated the complications of the will and the rise of the Masters of Tapi-Tapi. The leaders of the now-current generation are, to my mind, in no particular order, Mr. Hartman, Mr. Worden, Dr. Presas, Mr. Delaney, Dr. Schea, Mr. Knüttel, and in the Philippines, Mr. Dantes and Mr. Dagooc . Others have either been much less visible, or have only a small group of follwers in their organization (mostly their own school), or are promoting an art that is no longer Modern Arnis but rather something influenced by it.

I don't see the field narrowing much. Mr. Hartman's organization is doing well. Dr. Presas' organization appears to be growing. Dr. Schea's group inherited many of the Professor's students. The art remains strong in the Philippines and in Germany (through the DAV). I look at what Dr. Presas' group and the group in the Philippines are doing, though, and I see fewer similarities and more differences than I might hope! The two IMAFs show no signs of reconciliation, and indeed Mr. Delaney seems intent on going his own way. The current generation has multifurcated, and won't be coming back together other than on occasion.

Is this a problem? Wing Chun, American Kenpo, and many many other arts thrive under numerous organizations. Most styles of Karate have multiple organizations. Some branches of Tai Chi have no heads and simply propragate themselves along from instructor to instructor. In and of itself, it's unsettling after the Professor's charismatic leadership of the art but not dangerous.

What could be problematic for the art? I wonder if someday Modern Arnis as a separately named art will disappear as it is fully merged into Mr. Worden's NSI program, for example. I have no idea if that would happen, but that's the sort of thing that could keep the Professor's impact going yet render it much less visible to future generations.

There are a lot of leaders of the current generation of Modern Arnis, and even more Modern Arnis practitioners who are leaders in the FMA more broadly even if they are not principally promoting Modern Arnis. In addition, there are many out there who are quietly teaching the art who are not 'leaders' in the global sense but who are indispensable nonetheless.

[arnisador]

I forgot Mr. Inocalla! I meant to include him.

[eskrimador]

The suggested next generation leaders were:
Dan Anderson, Rick Lee Ward, Eric Alexander, Jaye Spiro, Tim Hartman, and Michael Donavan

Mr. Anderson has MA-80; Mr. Hartman heads the WMAA (with which I am associated). Ms. Spiro continues to teach Karate and Modern Arnis in Michigan, where she also studies Balintawak. I've haven't seen Mr. Donovan in a long time and do not know what he and Mr. Ward are doing.

But the 1998 article is long since out of date, and could not have anticipated the complications of the will and the rise of the Masters of Tapi-Tapi. The leaders of the now-current generation are, to my mind, in no particular order, Mr. Hartman, Mr. Worden, Dr. Presas, Mr. Delaney, Dr. Schea, Mr. Knüttel, and in the Philippines, Mr. Dantes and Mr. Dagooc . Others have either been much less visible, or have only a small group of follwers in their organization (mostly their own school), or are promoting an art that is no longer Modern Arnis but rather something influenced by it.

I don't see the field narrowing much. Mr. Hartman's organization is doing well. Dr. Presas' organization appears to be growing. Dr. Schea's group inherited many of the Professor's students. The art remains strong in the Philippines and in Germany (through the DAV). I look at what Dr. Presas' group and the group in the Philippines are doing, though, and I see fewer similarities and more differences than I might hope! The two IMAFs show no signs of reconciliation, and indeed Mr. Delaney seems intent on going his own way. The current generation has multifurcated, and won't be coming back together other than on occasion.

Is this a problem? Wing Chun, American Kenpo, and many many other arts thrive under numerous organizations. Most styles of Karate have multiple organizations. Some branches of Tai Chi have no heads and simply propragate themselves along from instructor to instructor. In and of itself, it's unsettling after the Professor's charismatic leadership of the art but not dangerous.

What could be problematic for the art? I wonder if someday Modern Arnis as a separately named art will disappear as it is fully merged into Mr. Worden's NSI program, for example. I have no idea if that would happen, but that's the sort of thing that could keep the Professor's impact going yet render it much less visible to future generations.

There are a lot of leaders of the current generation of Modern Arnis, and even more Modern Arnis practitioners who are leaders in the FMA more broadly even if they are not principally promoting Modern Arnis. In addition, there are many out there who are quietly teaching the art who are not 'leaders' in the global sense but who are indispensable nonetheless.







With regards to Modern Arnis practitioner in the Philippines, actually the group of Mst Dagooc and Mst Dantes are small compare to other silent but big goups. Here in the Philippines, modern arnis is the most popular and most numbered arnis style ranging from combative schools to sports competitive schools of modern arnis. IMAFP is in existence, but not totally covered all Modern Arnis practitioners that still identifying themselves to the legacy of Prof. Remy. This is for many reasons why. Such as politics, personal differences, etc. But with these troubles, Modern Arnis practitioners here are united in the sense that they carry the teachings, dreams and attitude of the Father of Modern Arnis with regrads to training , propagation and development of Arnis.

[arnisador]

Interesting! Are these other groups organized, or mostly indiovidual schools?

[eskrimador]

They are organized. They have members, goverment registration, schools and gyms. Their basic training program are the same with what the Founder taught in the Philippines during 70`s. As you know when Prof. Remy migrated to US there are big vacuum for those students he taught, and most of them keep teaching what they learned. Very few of them shifted to other styles. Others gave names to their group but still identifying with Prof. Remy.

Frankly speaking, politics and differences on personal basis is always a way of life in the Phillippines, not excluding the Martial Arts groups or we called `tribes.`

And, what only differences with US practitioners from most of the local practitioners is the Tapi Tapi system, in which the Founder developed it there (US). And when he revisited RP during late 90`s only very few guys trained with him such as the group of Bambit Dulay, Joel Anajao and Shirshir Inocalla with regards to Tapi Tapi. And most of the old guards, when they saw the demonstration of Tapi Tapi,are apathetic to this system. Ironically, the old guards from Ernesto Presas group are the guys who propagate it. The group of Dulay and Anajao and other renegades from IPMAF/Kombatan.

After the Founder`s death, there are regrouping happened among the Modern Arnis practitioners. And this regrouping still on its way. The IMAF Philippines is trying its best to unify all these people but as I said, politics, some sort of personal differences and regionalism still infecting the initiative. But even with this problem, modern arnis is still growing and developing in the country.

[kruzada]

The World Family of Modern Arnis has succeeded in uniting some of the most prominent MA organizations around the world. Perhaps this is a turning point towards the re-unification of Modern Arnis.

http://www.wfma.info/main.html

Here is a list of members copied from the WFMA website;

WFMA
Members



http://www.wfma.info/Members/images/IMAFP_logo.gif (http://www.imafp.com/)INTERNATIONAL MODERN ARNIS FEDERATION PHILIPPINES (http://www.imafp.com/) (IMAFP)

Represented by:

Senior Master Cristino Vasquez
Senior Master Rene Tongson (http://www.wfma.info/Biographies/senior-master_rene-tongson.htm)
Senior Master Bambit Dulay (http://www.wfma.info/Biographies/senior-master_samuel-bambit-dulay.htm)
Master Salvador Demaisip
Dayang Ginalyn Relos
Dayang Edessa Ramos
http://www.wfma.info/Members/images/DAV_logo.gif (http://www.modernarnis.de/)DEUTSCHER ARNIS VERBAND (http://www.modernarnis.de/) (DAV-GERMANY)

Represented by:


Senior Master & Datu Dieter Knuettel
Guro Sven Barchfeld
Guro Philipp Wolf
http://www.wfma.info/Members/images/CSSDSC_logo.jpg (http://cssdsc.com/)COMMON SENSE SELF DEFENSE / STREET COMBAT (http://cssdsc.com/) (CSSD/CS-USA)
Represented by:

Senior Master Bram Frank
MODERN ARNIS 80 (http://www.danandersonkarate.com/) (MA 80-USA)
Represented by:

Senior Master Dan Anderson
http://www.wfma.info/Members/images/IMAFP-russia_logo.gif (http://www.modernarnis.ru/)REGIONAL ARNIS FEDERATION (RAF-RUSSIA)
Represented by:

Guro Alexander Pisarkin
ARNIS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION (AIA-PHILIPPINES)
Represented by:

Senior Master Rodel Dagooc
MODERN ARNIS / CRUZADA (PHILIPPINES)
Represented by:

Senior Master Jerry De La Cruz
MODERN ARNIS FRANCE (FRANCE)
Represented by:

Guro Laurent Hittler
http://www.wfma.info/Members/images/IMAF_logo.gif (http://www.modernarnis.net/)INTERNATIONAL MODERN ARNIS, INC (http://www.modernarnis.net/) (IMAF-USA)
As Guest Member:

Master of Tapi Tapi Brian Zawilinski