Balintawak

Book excerpt: The most popular form of indigenous self-defense in the Philippines continues to be Balintawak eskrimaand for good reason. The martial art was created by Anciong Bacon, and he taught the fighting technique to Ted Buot. In this guidebook, author Rad Maningas shares what he learned while training with Buot from 1979 to 2006. During those sessions, no other students were present, and the author learned the tradition, techniques, and history of Balintawak. Now he passes down those teachings to other students and aspiring students so that they can appreciate and use this simple-looking, beautiful, and effective form of self-defense. Buot taught the technique just as it was taught to him by Anciong, which is believed by many to be the purist line of Balintawak. The style differs from other forms of eskrima in key ways, including relying on the left hand to lead. Whether you are a beginner or advanced eskrimador, this guidebook will help improve your eskrima and take it to another level.