the last interview with Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo

i came across this article on Guro John Chow's website, who is the grandmaster of Andy Chan, TRIQUEST'S Kali Instructor. it is the last personal interview conducted before the legendary Filipino stick fighter passed away in 1997. after i read it, i wanted to write my thoughts on what i had learned from it, but i couldn't find any words that would be more enlightening than what "Tatang" said. how could i possibly? please enjoy reading it yourself.

Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo’s last interview before his death.

Conducted by Steven Drape, a teacher of San Miguel Eskrima under Urbano "Banoy" Borja who was a student of Momoy Canette.

This interview was conducted with Grandmaster Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo, along with his senior students Antonio Diego and Christopher Ricketts, on 29 July1997 in Manila, Philippines. At the time of the interview, GM Ilustrisimo had been ill for several weeks, so he was weak and had some difficulty talking. (As it turned out, his illness became worse and he eventually passed away in the fall of 1997.) We were accompanied by a live-in companion, who helped serve as a translator for some of the Grandmaster's answers.

GM Ilustrisimo lives in one of the toughest sections of Manila, near the docks. He was a merchant seaman for 35 years, and has spent most of his life in this same area. As an example of the respect people here give to this living legend, the story is told of a gang fight between a local Manila gang and a group of men who had come to Manila from the Visayan islands for work. At the height of the melee, with many men involved in the fight, "Tatang" walked right through the middle of the spot and everyone stopped fighting to let him pass. He is one of those rare men where legend may actually match reality.

This interview was conducted for Australasian Fighting Arts Magazine (AFAM).

AFAM: Erle Montaigue met you and wrote an article in AFAM in 1981. He told me that he was very impressed with you and your art. Have any of your training methods changed since 1981?
GM Ilustrisimo: The principles of the art have not changed, so of course it is the same.
AFAM: When you began teaching your students, like Tony Diego, you had certain ideas as to what they would learn by now. Have they reached your expectations?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yeah! Tony has been with me for a long time, since 1975. If you want to train with me, you must learn the old way. When we train, I will hit your hands, many times, so you learn. You must take the pain to learn.
AFAM: Tony Diego, you've been with GM Ilustrisimo for more than 20 years. Have you been satisfied with your training in the Art, and with "Tatang"?
Tony Diego: At first, he wouldn't teach me. He said that the Art was only for fighting. I kept asking and finally he accepted me. I've been very satisfied. I have never felt that I wanted to change, or stop training. At one time, I was a little frustrated, though, and I asked "Tatang" why I couldn't be more like him (in his ability). He simply answered, "You are you, you are not me." Everyone learns in a different way, so you must be satisfied with the result that you get. You can never be exactly the same as your teacher.
AFAM: Do you feel like you have mastered everything the grandmaster has to teach?
Tony Diego: Once I asked "Tatang" if he had taught me everything, if I had the complete system. He replied, "When a guest comes to your house and you give him food, you always give him the rice from the top of the pan. It's the best rice that everyone likes to eat, but you save for yourself the rice from the bottom of the pan. There it has become hard and crusty." I think that means that he taught me everything he could teach, but that there are things that he still has that are not teachable. Things that come from a person's experiences in life.
AFAM: Tony, you will retire from your job in a few years. Do you think that you will take on more students, expand your teaching?
Tony Diego: No, I don't think so. I have several students who have been with me for many years. Probably they will take over the job of carrying on, of passing on Kali Ilustrisimo.
AFAM: GM Ilustrisimo, your style of arnis impresses as one of the most natural for self-defense. Are your views still the same in that this Art should only be used for self-defense using straight-forward methods instead of more flowery techniques?
GM Ilustrisimo: The fancy stuff in arnis, all the flowery movements, is only for stage shows and demonstrations, not for real fighting.
AFAM: What is your advice to students who would wish to take up arnis nowadays in the Western world? It seems that today, the old ways of learning are fading, and more and more students want to learn tournament styles.
GM Ilustrisimo: Arnis is simple- 1-2-3 (demonstrating a 3-strike combination in the air). The tournament styles are different, not really arnis.
AFAM: How long do you feel a student needs to train to learn arnis, how many years?
GM Ilustrisimo: Only two weeks, you can master the techniques! Arnis is simple- 1-2-3 !
AFAM: Two weeks!?
GM Ilustrisimo: Study with me one hour every day and you can learn how to fight for tournaments. My students usually win in the tournaments. Remember, though, that training for tournaments is not training for real fighting. Wearing armor is bad for the Art, students don't learn well.
AFAM: Have your methods changed much as you have grown older?
GM Ilustrisimo: When fighting, you only adjust to your opponent, to what he does. As you get older, you must still adjust. Maybe you do something differently than when you were younger, but it is just an adjustment to the situation. Age is just one part of the situation.
AFAM: Does that mean that the inevitable physical decline that comes with age can be compensated for? Does someone's increasing skill and experience make up for declining physical ability?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes!

(To illustrate this point, when Tony Diego first introduced me to "Tatang", he playfully attacked him. The grandmaster was holding two canes at the time, one to help him walk and a shorter rattan. Even though he does not see well any more, and he is 90 years of age, his reaction to even the playful attack was immediate, very fast and obviously exactly right to defend himself if the attack had been real. A very impressive introduction to the grandmaster!)

AFAM: Let's change directions now. In your lifetime, who were the best arnis players you can remember, the very best ones?
GM Ilustrisimo: Here in the Philippines, no one would fight me. I had fights in Singapore and in Jakarta with good players. The toughest one was in Singapore. I cut him across the right wrist and won the fight and $5000. I also fought in Calcutta and broke that man's right arm.
AFAM: Besides yourself, then, who here in the Philippines were the best fighters?
GM Ilustrisimo: My father, my grandfather and the brother of my father were all great fighters.
AFAM: So you learned from your father and uncles?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes.
AFAM: Who was Pedro Cortes? Did you learn anything from him?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, he was the sparring partner of my father, from Mindanao. His style was much like the Ilustrisimo style, same as my father's.
AFAM: What about some of the famous names everyone has heard about? People like Dizon, Villabrille, Cabales? Did you know them when you were all younger?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, we were all here in Manila. Villabrille was my cousin.
AFAM: Did you ever teach Cabales anything?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, but I didn't like his techniques.
AFAM: Did you ever fight with Cabales or the others?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, we played often, but none of them would fight me for real.
AFAM: So you had a reputation even then, when you were a young man. What other fights have you had?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes. No one wanted to fight me. In the early 50's, I had a real fight, not an arranged match, with a man called "Doming" here on Dock 8. He had a knife and I picked up a short piece of pipe from the ground. He died from a blow to the head with that pipe.
AFAM: I've heard that you have another nickname. "Dagohoy", is that correct?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, it is only a nickname.
Tony Diego: "Dagohoy" was a famous fighter from the island of Bohol who led the people in an uprising. He was a famous figure in our history, so people call "Tatang" this name as, well, a name of respect.
AFAM: Dan Inosanto is very well-known in martial arts circles. One of his teachers of arnis was John LaCoste. Did you know John LaCoste here before he went to the US?
GM Ilustrisimo: No, I didn't know him.
AFAM: What about the fighters from Cebu? The Canetes, the Saavedras, etc.? Did you know them, or ever fight anyone from Cebu?
GM Ilustrisimo: No, I never fought them, but I don't like their techniques. The Cebu fighters like to use the abanico techniques to the head. No good!
AFAM: In your style, you train to use a blade. Does that change how you use a stick?
GM Ilustrisimo: It's the same, no different.
AFAM: There was a famous match arranged once, between Joe Mena and "Cacoy" Canete. Can you tell me what happened?
GM Ilustrisimo: They began to fight but someone interfered and the fight was not resolved, no winner.
AFAM: I've heard that you began training when you were 9 years old. That would have been in about 1916. How was training different then, from the way it has become today?
GM Ilustrisimo: It was very different. It was only practical training then, learning how to survive.
AFAM: During World War II, you were a resistance fighter. There are several stories about you from that time. Can you tell me about some of them?
GM Ilustrisimo: Yes, I was fighting the Japanese. I killed 7 Japanese with my blade.
Tony Diego: There is a good story about that time. One night, "Tatang" and a friend had been drinking and were walking home when they came upon a single Japanese sentry. "Tatang" walked right up to the man and pulled his samurai sword right out of the scabbard, looked at it and put it back. The Japanese soldier was so surprised that he just stood there and did nothing, even though he had a gun.
AFAM: GM Ilustrisimo, you've had a long and eventful life. Is there anything you regret, or anything you would like to change?
GM Ilustrisimo: Nothing. I've been happy.
AFAM: Thank you for this interview and for the knowledge that you have passed along.

what is the cost of NOT training? possibly your life.

i am going to admit something personal about me. i am a closet doomsday-survivalist nutjob. when i lived in Florida and dealt with the horrible hurricane season of 2005 (year of the Katrina hurricane that devastated New Orleans), i spent half of my time glued to the weather channel, and the other half terrified of economic, infrastructure and - eventually - social collapse. 2 of the 5 major hurricanes blew right over my county, and the others made their presence known. my neighborhood didn't experience more damage than power outages, broken windows and dented cars from flying debris, but i know friends who lost their entire homes.

what was the most surprising thing to discover about what happens during extended periods of natural disaster is the extreme mental stress one goes through. when a hurricane approaches, all one can do is sit and watch the news and make sure one's prepared if it hits. it's like seeing someone shoot power a cannon in slow motion: it's coming, you just don't know how bad it's going to hurt. you worry about protecting your loved ones and possessions and your personal safety. in my circumstance, i was a single female living alone in my own house, with a father in poor health in another house across town, and my aging grandma and disabled aunt in still another home. when you have so much responsibility, the fascination and excitement of a big storm quickly turns to prolonged fear and stress. it was a difficult time for everyone.

don't worry, i'm going to tie this into my title soon.

when a hurricane makes a direct hit, high winds knock down trees onto power lines, causing power losses. depending upon the length of the storm, amount of debris on the road, and the number of power lines down, it can be a significant about of time before power is restored. as a rule, we always expected power outages. the first day is exciting, a bit like camping. when the storm quiets and the power is still out, then you start to get out your survival kit and feel pretty proud of yourself. by the third day, you get really bored. the fourth day is when social collapse sets in. people aren't eating decent food, the perishables are all perished. water may be running low. no one is working or making money. and the lights are off. when the sun goes down, the creatures of the night come out.

when you see people on the news who are standing in front of their shops or homes brandishing their weapons, yelling that they will kill looters, they are not isolated extremists. they are people who know from experience that there WILL be wolves at the door. during a 3-day power outage in my small Florida city, we debated taking shifts to watch over a friend's restaurant for fear of it being broken into and looted - because it had happened before.

when any disaster strikes, there are stages that occur. there will be loss of communications, damage of infrastructure, possible health pandemics and societal upheaval. but there are things you can do to be prepared. the first thing takes very little time: prepare your emergency kit. make sure you've got first-aid, water, and non-perishable food. the second thing takes a little more time: plan your response. how will you contact your loved ones? do you need to evacuate or remain at home? what is the route to the nearest evacuation shelter and how do you get there? and the final thing to can do to prepare is something that takes more time, and you can never have enough of it: personal defense.

see? i told you i'd get around to it.

if you're reading this blog, you most likely do martial arts and you agree with me. however, you probably know some friends who stick their head in the sand and refuse to take responsibility for their own well-being. they say things like "MMA is barbaric", "i would never carry a knife because someone would use it on me", "i don't like to get all sweaty", and "i'll deal with it when it happens, but it's not likely". and the BEST one "that crap won't work on the street".

the very first step to survival is physical and mental toughness. sure, you can get this from many sports. if disaster strikes and you have to walk 8km home over a mountain, you'll be fit enough to do so. if you need to help others, you'll be ready and able. but think what happens in that final phase of disaster - when society begins to tear apart and the wolves come out. this stage separates the sheep out from the flock and culls the weakest. if you haven't dedicated a good amount of time to your training, you will lack the situational awareness and ability to respond and you will become a victim. look at the videos from the disaster in Haiti. the wolves smell fear and it makes them stronger.

will your martial art work on the street? i believe that any martial art is better than none, provided you train correctly and honestly assess your own weaknesses. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will make you familiar with an opponent in your personal space, thus allowing you to react more clearly if you are attacked. Muay Thai will make you strong and give you good offense should you be forced to use it. Kali will teach you all about angles and distance and disarms. and for personal defense, Krav Maga will put you in the perfect position to learn to defend yourself in real life "street" situations.

if you are a fighter, you walk into a room and naturally assess the people in it. you do it on the street too, even if you don't know it. human facial recognition is faster than any computer, and that process involves body language too. people who do not practice martial arts - and even many non-serious martial artists - have a wall up in front of this ability. societal rules have forced us into "polite ignorance". we tolerate people invading our space, and become numb to it.

but true martial artists are aware. the other day, I saw Joe, the Triquest Krav Maga instructor, walking towards me on Queens Road at night. he had his hands in his pockets, which is a big no-no. i was about 50 feet away from him, so i decided to see if i could sneak up and surprise him (this was probably a really bad idea, in hindsight). well, when i got about 40 feet from him, he'd already assessed me as a threat, pulled his hands out of his pockets and assumed a VERY offensive stance. then he recognized me and smiled. i was impressed! at least Joe's not going to be jumped by any short drunk women any time soon.

i decided to write this today, because i've been fixated on Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption, and seeing how a natural disaster in an isolated country can affect the entire world. the latest news says that it hasn't subsided, and if it continues for another week, the economic impact will be $750billion USD. enough to topple many nation's economies. a collapsed economy means more people turn to crime. i know it's a big jump to be talking about societal collapse just a few days into a volcanic eruption on the other side of the world, but if you were half as much of a nutjob as me, you'd be worried too.

TRAIN HARDER!

can YOU be a fighter?

The Iceman. The Axe Murderer. The Prodigy. The Spider. Minotauro. these have become household names across the entire world. they are modern-day gladiators, supreme athletes and possess hearts of lions. the sport they participate in is condemned as barbaric in some societies and worshipped as the ultimate test of humanity in others. most of us can say that we took up the pursuit of martial arts because we were influenced by one of these true heroes. yes, i think Bruce Lee counts too. and most of us have, at some time or other, dreamed of becoming a professional fighter.

so what makes them heroes and us mere mortals? are we inherently different from them? were they born that way? do they fit into a common age/background/ability/fortune profile? can we - can anyone - become a professional fighter or is there some magic formula that we might never achieve?

rather than get philosophical, let's explore some facts.

what's age got to do with anything? i know i've been catching myself grumbling about being old and falling apart, especially since rupturing my ACL. then i read that Michelle Yeoh tore her ACL on the set of Crouching Tiger when she was my age, and she had to get surgery and almost immediately get back on set. that makes me feel like a real whiner. as for MMA fighters, age doesn't seem to be a limiting factor: GSP won his first professional fight at the age of 16. Dan Severn is 51 and will be fighting on April 18th in the UK. Renzo, Royce, Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock, and if we talk boxing, Evander Holyfield just won the WBF heavyweight belt at the age of 48!

does it take lots of money? okay, we all have some financial responsibilities. if you're a Gracie, from the very beginning you were in an optimal position to dedicate yourself to martial arts. but then there's the "up from the gutter" stories like Mike Tyson. you could spend thousands of dollars at a pro-fighter's camp, or live for next to nothing in Thailand. so unless you have 4 kids at home to feed, you can probably afford to train and live a fighter's life. and if you have 4 kids to feed, you probably shouldn't be doing it anyway.

is it luck? Lyoto Machida sure has all the right things on his side from the very beginning: he was born in Brazil to a Shotokan karate master and began training in karate at the age of three. luck of the draw has certainly put him in a unique position. as for the unlucky, look at amputee Kyle Maynard who is a bjj fighter, or Muay Thai champ Baxter "One Arm Bandit" Humby. these guys didn't let the ultimate in misfortune keep them from what they wanted to do.

is it all about having the natural ability to be a fighter? sure, we see guys who show up at the gym after us, and seem to get better than us overnight. we look at them and say "damn, he's talented". but there's a problem with this thinking. when we compare ourselves to someone who is talented, we are causing harm in two ways. they first is that by saying someone is talented, we are disrespecting their efforts and achievements. the second way is that we give ourselves an excuse to not be our best because we don't measure up.

so if all things are equal, what does it take?

a good team. for every one fighter, there's ten supporting him. there's the coach, or coaches, who have put in years dedication before you came along. there's the guys you train with, learn with, drill with. there's the higher level guys who hand you your ass and make you work for it. there's the lower level guys who keep your spirit alive when you see the excitement of combat anew through their fresh eyes. and there's your support group: your spouse, family and friends who listen to you, care for you, and love you.

and then there's the cheerleader. that would be me. i'm only training in my head at the moment, but i will always be there for my brothers and sisters to give you support and encouragement. i will scream "bridge!" when you're on the mat, and "hands up!" when you're in the ring, and i don't care who looks at me funny, or leaves comments on your youtube fight videos about "the annoying girl in the background".

so, can YOU be a fighter? just look at the people around you. hell yes you can.

加油 TRIQUEST 加油!!!

K-1 MAX announces new fighters

"While K-1 has not yet made the official announcement, It's Showtime has gone public with news regarding the 2010 MAX Grand Prix. No less than 4 fighters of Team IT’S SHOWTIME have been invited to participate with the final 16 of the K-1 Max tournament. These fighters are: Giorgio Petrosyan, Gago Drago, Chahid Oulad El Hadj and Pajonsuk. This year, the final 16 of the K-1 Max tournament will be divided into 2 separate events. The first event will be held in July and the second one in September. The big final will be held at the end of October." - Fraser Coffeen, 6 April, 2010.

Buakaw (on the right) is expected to retire, and Thailand's Pajonsuk (on the left) will be his "Thai replacement". But he is a surprise choice, because many people think he is not at K-1 level. He is 29 years old, he was knocked out in his last fight, and he just returned from a break from Muay Thai boxing. However, I think he's a great choice. Pajonsuk is bigger than Buakaw. He won the gold medal in Chinese Sanda at the 2002 Asian Games and his recent break from Muay Thai was to focus on boxing: he competed in the 2008 Olympics. He's a warrior who is not afraid to challenge himself.

今年16強將分開兩次打，首戰於今年7月，次戰於今年9月，final 8 則於今年10月底。

前 3人均屬 K-1 max 選手，實力高，被選定絲毫不奇怪，但 Pajonsuk 這位前泰國拳王則是非常地使人驚訝。Buakaw (在右边)预计退休和泰國的 Pajonsuk (在左边)將是他的 "泰國replacement"。但是他是驚奇選擇，因為許多人民認為他不是在K-1水平。 他是29歲，他在他的前次戰鬥被击倒了，並且他從從泰拳擊的一個斷裂回來了。然而，我認為他是一個巨大選擇。 Pajonsuk大于Buakaw。他获得了在中國Sanda的金牌在2002亚运會，並且他的從泰拳的最近斷裂是集中于拳擊： 他在2008奧林匹克競爭了。 他是不害怕向挑戰的戰士。

UFC 112 this coming Sunday

UFC 112 - billed as "Invincible" - looks to live up to it. there will be not just one, but TWO titles up for grabs: Middleweight and Lightweight. a spectacular Welterweight fight makes it a show not to be missed. it's the first event to be held in the Middle East, in the Jiujitsu Mecca of Abu Dhabi, whose Sheiks have supported the immense growth and popularity of Brazilian Jiujitsu and most recently the growth of MMA in China through the Art Of War events. so, if you don't stay up too late on Saturday night at Fong Ji May or make the decision for "just one more" in Wanchai, then plan on joining us to watch the show aired live.

Thomas' homeboy Paul Taylor will be one of the first fights on the card. he's been in the UFC for about 3 years, and his record has been 3 wins and 4 losses, with all but one of those fights going to decision. this time around, he's matched up with John Gunderson who is much lighter and shorter, and fighting in only his second time in the Octagon. so it looks good for Paul, right? don't be so quick to root for homeslice. Gunderson's got an impressive record of 22-7-0 with 5 KOs and 15 submissions. it will be an interesting fight given these two guys' stylistic differences. i'm not calling this one. at least not until i see them enter the ring.

Renzo Gracie. Matt Hughes. how do you even begin to assess the coolness of this fight? Renzo travels to Abu Dhabi 10 times a year, yet amazingly this is the first time in the UFC (he was fighting in Pride when the Fertita brothers first approached him after they bought the organization so he couldn't join). Hughes has been fighting in UFC since UFC 22. neither of these guys asked for the match up, so UFC has definitely got a magic recipe for success. personally, i like to see Hughes spanked at every available opportunity, but i don't discount his supreme abilities. still... i'll go on record... WAR RENZO!!!

the Prodigy is back in the ring! BJ Penn defends his Lightweight title against Frankie Edgar. how'd this guy get a shot at the title? well, he's beat guys like Tyson Griffin, Hermes Franca and Sean Sherk. and in last December's finale of TUFF 10, he RNCed Matt Veach. but BJ Penn hasn't lost a Lightweight fight in 10 years! i don't really see him giving that belt away now, but anything's possible in MMath. BJ Penn, win by some totally awesome jiujitsu technique.

for the Middleweight championship, Demian Maia finally gets a shot to take the belt from Anderson Silva. the Spider has 10 wins in the Octagon and is billed as the pound-for-pound best fighter. he is currently tied for the most title defenses, and only one of those went to a decision. if he wins the next fight, he will make a new record for the longest title holder. Demien Maia has won 4 "submission of the night" awards in the UFC, won the Abu Dhabi submission championship in 2007, fights with Wandy's camp and has only lost one fight in his professional career. he's had some very impressive fights, but the Spider's list of defeated opponents reads like a high-paid hitman: from Shooto to Pride to Cage Rage to UFC, he's downed the likes of Carlos Newton, Dan Henderson, Thales Leites, Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin. the Middleweight division has seen some great match ups and tremendous talent, and this fight will hopefully bring more excitement. i would really like to see both of them stand up for a while but Demian will be sure to be careful. he might do better to try his ground game. but this is Anderson Silva we're talking about. he's a phenom. and after this fight, i think he'll remain on that level. Silva by KO, 2nd round.

The new blog, here it is!

Genuine Mixed Martial Art Academy in Hong Kong with experienced, qualified instructors.

TRIQUEST Classes:

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
SUBMISSION/NO GI
MIXED MARTIAL ART(MMA)
FILIPINO KALI (STICK, KNIFE, SWORD FIGHTING)
THAI BOXING
KRAV MAGA - IKMF(ISRAELI COMBATIVE/SELF DEFENSE SYSTEM)
RUSSIAN KETTLEBELLS TRAINING (IKFF)
YOGA