The Filipino Martial Art
Escrima, an ancient martial art of the Philippines that was once banned and is still kept secret by many practitioners, lives on with a Honolulu grandmaster
Abraham Rosario (front) and Anthony Tanare (back)
work on perfecting their stick technique
Abraham Rosario, Jordan Adaro, Anthony Tanare
and Greg Leong
Student Jackson Welter shakes hands with the
grandmaster in a show of teamwork and
sportsmanship
in the jungles of Leyte from Faustino Ablin, a general in the Philippine Army who fought against the Spanish and then the Americans. At first Pedoy would only teach his son Eduardo, now the batikan, or head of the school; and Takahashi, his grandson. The Pedoy’s School is what Takahashi calls “a lineage art,” meaning only descendants of Pedoy can achieve mastership at the gold, or highest level. The highest level outsiders can attain is master chief in the red, or instructorship, level. So when Takahashi passes on the title of grand master, it will be to his son, Ty Keoni, who is now 20 years old.
Greg Leong, a financial adviser from Kahaluu, says he’s trained at other schools, but is drawn to Pedoy’s School because of the passage of teachings within the family. “Anytime you can find a direct lineage to the art ... the bloodline is strong and there’s no change in the style. It’s not watered down,” Leong says. “This style is real.”
Anthony Tanare, who is stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, grew up watching his grandfather practice escrima. Tanare has been taking the class for about two years and says he’s in better shape and has more energy to devote to his family. “It’s addicting,” he says. “I even teach it to my kids ... Once a week we do it together as a family, so it’s kind of a thing now.”
It’s also a family affair for new student John Girangaya, whose wife and three children are also first-timers. Girangaya says the workout was tougher than he expected, but that his training in Filipino dance helped.
“It’s like riding a bike,” he says. “I’m familiar with the movement, but it was intense, trying to get that body back into that motion. But once you get into that rhythm, it’ll start to pick up.”
Enrollment for adult and children’s classes is ongoing. Classes are held Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at the Fil-Com Center in Waipahu. For information, call 216-3211, or email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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