What after?

[gagimilo]

OK guys, my question here comes out of simple curiosity, without any intention whatsoever to cause potential arguments about what is better/original/truer...
Namely, I understand that GT Gaje was Tuhon Bill's first and longest "operating" teacher of FMA, but I was wondering if the latter did learn from/under any other guro's, especially after they went their separate ways?

[TuhonBill]

OK guys, my question here comes out of simple curiosity, without any intention whatsoever to cause potential arguments about what is better/original/truer...
Namely, I understand that GT Gaje was Tuhon Bill's first and longest "operating" teacher of FMA, but I was wondering if the latter did learn from/under any other guro's, especially after they went their separate ways?


I wasn't the first, but I probably was the longest continuous student at the time of our break.

That being said, Leo didn't seem to have any problems with his students studying any other arts. He himself trained in other arts. When I was about 16, he had us train over the summer with a kuntao teacher named Edwin Renonos and when I was 17 Leo met Penchak instructor Eddie Jaffre and had us do dual training in Pekiti and Penchak until Eddie went back to Indonesia in '83. In the mid 90's I also attended three seminars with Dr. Mung Gee (military knife, UN police baton, and my favorite, a yoga class which really helped by back).
As I recall, Tom Bisio began his training with Momoy Canete soon after the 79 tournament in Cebu and Leo had no problem with that.
Overall, I don't think Leo ever had any problem with a student training in another style (he occasionally had disagreements with other Filipino masters and wouldn't want you training with that particular man, but the style had nothing to do with it). Look at all the styles out there now that have been influenced by Leo's teaching and include some Pekiti in their curriculum. I don't think that would have occurred if he had a problem with people cross training.

Regards,
Tuhon Bill McGrath
www.pekiti.com

[TuhonBill]

I wasn't the first, but I probably was the longest continuous student at the time of our break.

That being said, Leo didn't seem to have any problems with his students studying any other arts. He himself trained in other arts. When I was about 16, he had us train over the summer with a kuntao teacher named Edwin Renonos and when I was 17 Leo met Penchak instructor Eddie Jaffre and had us do dual training in Pekiti and Penchak until Eddie went back to Indonesia in '83. In the mid 90's I also attended three seminars with Dr. Mung Gee (military knife, UN police baton, and my favorite, a yoga class which really helped by back).
As I recall, Tom Bisio began his training with Momoy Canete soon after the 79 tournament in Cebu and Leo had no problem with that.
Overall, I don't think Leo ever had any problem with a student training in another style (he occasionally had disagreements with other Filipino masters and wouldn't want you training with that particular man, but the style had nothing to do with it). Look at all the styles out there now that have been influenced by Leo's teaching and include some Pekiti in their curriculum. I don't think that would have occurred if he had a problem with people cross training.

Regards,
Tuhon Bill McGrath
www.pekiti.com (http://www.pekiti.com)

PS. To more directly answer your question: I haven't trained with anyone else since the break. Not from a lack of desire, there are some excellent instructors out there, I just don't have time these days.

[gagimilo]

Thanks for your open and honest answer. It never appeared to me that GT Gaje had any problems with "outer" people, I was simply wondering about your own personal background... It was not in order to give any "evaluation" of what you do (hell, who am I to even do so about anybody?), but rather to try and get some understanding of what your teaching may consist of. Speaking of which, did you make/introduce any novelties in your curriculum (mostly in the sense of teaching methodology), comparing to what you learned over all those years with Mr. Gaje?