This tremendous journey started in 2007. I had been training some Kali with Mike Williams (always working on increasing my martial arts knowledge) when he mentioned that one of his grandmasters was coming to the United States and would I like to host a seminar at my school. Now those of you that know me know I love to train in all styles of martial arts so to me this seemed like a great opportunity. Little did I know how great of an opportunity it would be. A date was set and I informed all my martial arts students and friends about this historic event.
The day arrived and Grandmaster Tuhan Nene was at my school. At 5’2” and around 125 lbs, he would not appear as an imposing person until you felt his essence. Then it was like being in the presence of a predator waiting to pounce on its prey. Totally relaxed but ready for anything. With the ease and grace that he moved, it belayed his 70+ years of age. With a grip of steel, he would manhandle young men in their 20s. On that day he taught me his original 12 strikes with the baston as well as a few disarms, and I was hooked. The essence of the style intrigued and enthralled me totally.
A few years later I had the opportunity to go to the Philippines and train directly with Grandmaster Nene. I slept off and on during the 22 hour flight over, catching up on reading and watching the latest movies(not too many martial arts ones). After an uneventful layover in Manila we took the final leg to Negros landing at the Bocolade Airport and we were warmly greeted by Grandmaster Nene. All showing proper respect we boarded an open air bus and we were off on the adventure of a lifetime. Leaving behind the more modernized city of Talisa, we headed off into the mountains and jungles of this Island Nation (I made it sound ominous for mental imagery–cool, huh?).
The trip by bus took about 2 hours up into the mountains, past sugar cane fields and bamboo houses, down dirt roads and finally across the metal bridge to our destination, Buanos Aries resort. During WW2 the resort was actually one of the local headquarters of the occupying Japanese forces. After the war, it was turned into a more pleasant spot. There were 2 pools available, fed by the spring water off the mountain. It was very refreshing. There were also little shops to buy water and snacks. There was also a local “Starbucks” a small coffee shop where you could get a fresh cup every morning, and drink it in a little seated area that served as our breakfast area. Breakfast consisted of fresh mangos, sweet sticky rice, and rolls.
We would normally spend 2 hours training in the morning and 2 hours late afternoon, to avoid the heat.
The first round of training was heavily focused on footwork, striking patterns, angles of attack and disarms with the major weapons of Dekiti Tirsia Siradas Kali. SGM Nene is a stickler for details and would make sure everyone was as close to perfect as possible. Line drills utilizing the 12 strikes with an array of weapons, along with different ranges and disarms made a great start to a great day. For the second session we would warm up, run the basics and then explore a wider range of information from some of the more esoteric weapons, such as the karambit and wasik (hand axe). I like to say training kali is like peeling the layers off an onion, and in the second session we would peel off a lot of layers.
The in-between time is when we would go sight seeing. The transportation we were using at the time was either a motorcycle, or a buggy attached to a motorcycle. Usually I was in the buggy hanging out the side filming with my camera . On one of our first adventures we traveled up into the mountains to see two beautiful places.
The first was a mountain view of the area we were in. Sugar cane fields dotted the country side, and you could see many of the villages.
The second part was a jungle falls setting that looked like something right out of a movie. The water cascading down hundreds of feet to disappear at the bottom of a deep ravine.
On another day after the first session, we took a trip to one of the nearby villages where we had a chance to meet and mingle and we were entertained by a group of children practicing their dancing skills. In this village we were also able to visit the stable of fighting roosters (game cocks).
Winners are treated like kings, losers were dinner.
One of the delicacies I had the pleasure of trying was Balute. Balute is a fertilized duck egg about 21 days into the cycle which is boiled and served so it is a half developed duck. Much of the time in-between sessions was spent by the pool, in our cabin/room, or on the patio overlooking the resort. On the last morning before the flight out, we went to Grandmaster Tortal’s daughter Mimi’s house outside Talisa. This is a more Western-style house that in the states we are used to. There we had a delicious brunch of food we were used to and some we were not. We were also treaded to a short demonstration of Dekiti knife defense drills by Mimi’s 2 sons and Grandmaster Tortal. Then all too soon it was time to get to the airport and be homeward bound.
I’ve been back to Negros several times since, each time more fascinating than the last. I hope to make it a yearly trip starting Summer 2023.
Editor’s Note: For more exploration into the world of Filipino Martial Arts, you can also check out author Mark Warner’s other articles!
"One of the greatest things in the martial arts is the transmission of knowledge to the next generation." - Tashi Mark Warner
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