Arnis Balite Seminar with PG Steven Dowd Sept 9

[Alex(ander Bautista Bayot France)]

FMA Event Notice:

What: Seminar on Arnis Balite (formerly Aguillon Arnis) by PG Steven Dowd
When: Saturday, September 9, 2006, 1 to 5 PM
Where: Greater San Francisco Bay Area, specifically the East Bay, more specifically: Pleasanton, CA.
Address: 4460 Hacienda Drive, Pleasanton. CA, (inside Club One Fitness Center)

If you have any FMA articles for him to publish, bring the articles with you.
If you have any FMA master you'd like him to interview, bring that person with you!
We can do the interviews over dinner, after the seminar.

Flyer is posted in the Arnis Balite website, http://www.arnis.balite.com

For the few of you who have not heard of PG Steven Dowd by now, he is the FMA chronicler of our time (publisher of FMA Digest) and the inheritor of Arnis Balite. Here's a snippet from the website:
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Punong Guro at Tagapagmana Steven Dowd commenced (his) training in the martial arts in 1971. He was appointed by the Aguillon family upon their father's passing away on January 8, 1991 to represent the family art known as Aguillon Arnis. In 1998 in talking with the son and daughters of Pundador Aguillon it was proposed and accepted that the family art would use the name of Arnis Balite their fathers nickname while he was a Champion Boxer before the war with Japan, which was Kid Balite...Pundador Manuel M. Aguillon was very selective in his teachings and often refused to teach individuals who did not have the attitude, discipline, or the spirit to represent his family's art...Being his senior student Punong Guro Dowd wishes to carry on his beliefs and the art as he would have done so himself.
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Alex(ander Bautista Bayot France)
Tel: (925) 924-4498, Cell: (925) 864-7477
PAMANA NG MANDIRIGMA (WARRIOR'S LEGACY)
"Preserve the Legacy, Add to the Legacy, Pass the Legacy on"
USA HQ for the Int'l Philippine Martial Arts Federation (IPMAF)

[Alex(ander Bautista Bayot France)]

Aside from my own grandmaster, GM Ernesto Amador Presas, I can't think of anyone more fitting to kick off my second "Spotlight on the Masters" seminar series than Punong Guro Steven Dowd, the chronicler of our times, publisher of FMA Digest, and a grandmaster in his own right.

(I know this is late, but I just thought of it last night:) Since he's going to be here in person, I am thinking of collaborating with him on an FMA Digest Special Issue featuring Northern California as a, not "the", Hot Bed of FMA Activity. We can do this too for other regions across the country(/globe?).

The feature would start with a brief (because it's already well-known) recap of the Stockton valley "manongs", the establishment of early FMA schools by Grandmasters Angel Cabales and Leo Giron, their early students, and so on. Then the feature would zoom to the present time and show the state of FMA in the state of (northern) California as it is now.

Along with the more well-known FMA personalities, such as "Living Legend" GM Ciriaco Canete (-- who I had the pleasure of hosting in my first "Spotlight on the Masters" seminar series a decade ago. Btw, for my second "Spotlight on the Masters" series I'm bringing up his good "friend" (smile) GM Crispulo Atillo. Regardless of what style, or system, or organization, or "side" you belong to, there are fantastic individuals like Cacoy and Ising that are a thrill to experience. I just want to provide others the opportunity to experience the same.)

Now, where was I? Oh yes, along with the more well-known FMA practitioners, I want to also highlight the lesser-known but equally dedicated teachers, schools, and students who are doing their part in the preservation, promotion, and/or evolution of FMA.

You know where all this is leading to, right? Right! My grandmaster's current project, the FMA Museum in the Philippines. He is holding an FMA Museum Fundraiser Banquet and Recognition Ceremony in April 2007. Come to that if you can. All are welcome! As far as stocking the Museum, there will be no shortage of items to put in. This special issue of FMA Digest would be just one of many items that will be placed there. I would like similar issues covering the rest of the world.

I also want to bring to light the hidden gems in this part of the country; For example, did you know there was a grandmaster-level individual with a very storied past quietly living in Antioch (or Pittsburg --I can never tell where one ends and the other begins) who passed away a few years back? He was one of only a few who actually had an official invitation from the U.S. government to come to the States to teach FMA! Sorry, if you don't know him already, you'll have to wait until the issue comes out. (smile).

So for those of you coming to this Saturday's seminar: if you feel your instructor deserves to be mentioned, bring him or her along to be interviewed. The schedule for the weekend is this (and Steven thought he's just coming in for a leisurely afternoon seminar... Little does he know I'm putting him to work as soon as he wakes up (evil smile)):

SATURDAY (September 9)

10 - 12 Noon:
Tournament Competition Training.
Coaches: Masters Rick Lafrades and Ed Farris, past (retired) IPMAF Chief Instructor for the U.S. (position no longer exists).
Attention seminar participants: You can join in on this (it's free) , while Steven interviews your instructors and other folks. (I'll film the interviews.)

Noon - 1 PM:
Quick lunch and get ready for PG Steven Dowd's seminar.

1 - 5 PM:
ARNIS BALITE SEMINAR --There will be no interviews at this time. This is to make sure that seminar participants get what they came for.

5 PM to whenever:
Continue Interviewing FMA practitioners in the Northern California. If the interviews go on too long, we can all go somewhere for dinner, Dutch treat --What? You think I got money?? I'll be lucky to have enough to pay for my own meal after this weekend. (smile)

SUNDAY (September 10)

Morning:
Whatever Steven wants to do! If you're nice to him, those of you who want to learn more about his system can probably make arrangements to meet privately with him at this time.

Afternoon:
Steven will probably head home while some of us will head to a...

Free USFMAF Judging and refereeing clinic (also good training for potential tournament fighters --as there will be mock matches with demos and tips given by the more experienced competitors and coaches) hosted by Master Darren Tibon. Make it to this too, if you're interested in FMA tournament competition. Next stop, Disneyland!

Alex(ander Bautista Bayot France)
Pamana ng Mandirigma (Warrior's Legacy or Warriors' Legacy --can't decide which)
4460 Hacienda Drive (inside Club One Fitness Center, ground floor of the Kaiser Permanente building)
Pleasanton California
Tel: 925-924-4498
Call me on my cell, (925) 864-7477, if you get lost!