Philippine Showbiz Today 9
Jan .
October
22-Feb . 7 22 , 2015
- November 7 , 2017
Philippine Showbiz Today 9
Special Feature
hen we speak of
Wmartial arts and other methods of close combat , what immediately comes to mind are familiar Eastern disciplines like judo , karate , jiu-jitsu and taekwondo . In the Philippines , the martial arts discipline of arnis is popular and is taught in schools . But there are two lesser known martial arts disciplines that are slowly but surely being discovered by Pinoy martial arts aficionados : Pekiti-Tirsia Kali and Yaw Yan .
Pekiti-Tirsia Kali is a style specific to Filipino martial arts founded in 1897 and is the system of the Tortal family . The sole heir and guardian of Pekiti-Tirsia Kali is Leo T . Gaje , Jr . Pekiti-Tirsia Kali is strictly a combat-oriented system , as opposed to the common sport-focused style of judo , karate and taekwondo . It is a fighting system that focuses more on edged , impact and improvised weapons . Pekiti-Tirsia Kali has been adopted as the preferred combative training program by elite military and law enforcement units in other countries around the world .
Kali Grand Tuhon Leo T . Gaje , Jr . Origin and history
Pekiti-Tirsia Kali ’ s movements are based on the traditional blade art of the Philippines — Kali — which involves slicing swords in a circular motion , symbolic of the orbits of the moon and the planets . It also includes triangular movements symbolic of constellations in the night sky . During ancient times , Kali was taught in rituals that were then used pragmatically to survive against adversaries and wild animals .
The Visayan datus established a state in Kalibo , Aklan — this is sometimes cited as the origin of the name “ Kali .” Another reason is that a practitioner of Kali is trained in carrying a knife , which is called “ kalis .” Pekiti-Tirsia Kali was a family system that goes back at least four generations , starting with Norberto Tortal . Pekiti-Tirsia Kali was further developed and
Pinoy Martial Arts on the rise
improved during the years 1930 to 1936 by Norberto ’ s grandson , Conrado Tortal . The system of Pekiti-Tirsia Kali is currently headed by Leo T . Gaje , Jr ., the grandson of Conrado Tortal .
Gaje , Jr . introduced his system of Kali to North America after visiting the U . S . in 1972 . His style earned recognition and respect from major martial arts organizations such as the Jewish Karate Federation , the United States Karate Federation and the United States Karate Association International . The system of Kali has been an influence on the Dog Bothers , Dan Inosanto and other Filipino martial arts practitioners . Gaje , Jr . has since brought the Kali system to various European countries as well .
Pekiti-Tirsia is the only Kali system recognized by the Philippine government and is being used to train Force-Recon Marine Battalions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Special Action Force ( SAF ) contingent of the Philippine National Police ( PNP ).
Mick Alcaraz , a senior instructor of Pikita-Tirsia Kali Pilipinas Tuhon , has been practicing Kali for almost 10 years , said “ meron kaming culture bearer , yung aming head teacher na si Leo Gaje , Jr . Yung unang kaalaman ay ipinasa papunta sa amin sa pamamagitan din sa aming mga unang guro . Kasi at one point in time we were also students .”
“ It is not all about fighting . Yung Kali can also be expressed to entertain people . Puwede mo ipakita ang kakaibang likas na galaw ng Kali , how we handle the swords and the knives without really hitting or hurting people with these implements ,” said Alcaraz .
Jay Bataclan , a senior student of Pikita-Tirsia Kali Pilipinas Tuhon , said this type of discipline includes training on how to get close and how to quarter a person and paano mo kukulungin ng malapitan ang kalaban mo .
“ Hindi mo siya kailangan labanan ng malayuan but rather if you are familiar and you are confident na labanan siya ng malapitan , mawawala ang takot mo sa kanya . Malalaman mo kung paano siya ikukulong , alam mo rin ang ibang weak points at paano mo ikakapitalize sa mga weak points at weaknesses ng kalaban mo . Pwede rin kalabanin ang kalaban mo sa pamamagitan
by Jose K . Lirios PST Manila Correspondent
ng tools or kung walang tools yung empty hands ,” Bataclan explained .
All fighting ranges are integral parts of the Pekiti- Tirsia Kali system . But special attention is given to closing in to injure or to kill in closequarter combat . Integral to this is a coiled closequarter stance that allows evasion and generation of a powerful strike even in close range . Pikita- Tirsia Kali is all about quartering an opponent or “ cutting up into little pieces ,” emphasizing on destruction and counter offense while not getting hit .
The Pikita-Tirsia Kali methodology originates from offensive and counter offensive principles against attacks from all
ranges , angles and threat levels . There is less emphasis on purely defensive techniques per se as this is not seen as an effective strategy .
“ Kali is a physical movement and if you compare it with arnis , arnis is a stick-based sport . Kali first and foremost is a blade art that is instructive and sharpens the mind . Our training tools also include the yantok katulad ng ginagamit kapag naglalaro ng arnis ,” said Bataclan .
“ Every time we teach Kali we always tell our students that we should be proud of our culture and our art . Kali was a tool used by our ancestors and forefathers to protect the country from invaders . Kasi kulang tayo noon ng modern weaponry and we had to rely on what we had then to defend our country from foreign oppressors with any tool that was available .
“ Kali is also the Filipino ’ s best gift to the world kasi it is a language so to speak that is expressed physically , an energy that is imbedded sa kanilang dugo at laman ay lumipat sa ilang henerasyon hanggang umabot ito sa atin . Kaya kung papaano ang kanilang paggalaw noong araw , ang oras ng pagdigma iyon pa in ang expression mo sa ngayon . So it will always be easy for us , particularly Filipinos , to learn the art of Kali dahil atin ito ,” Alcaraz explained .
“ So itong philosophy ng Kali ay talagang buhay at katutubong kayumanggi . Sa mga forefathers natin ipinapakita nila noon through the blade art of Kali kasi wala talagang warrior class during pre-hispanic times . Noong unang araw , ang practice ng Kali ay napakatradisyonal . Yung tatay ang nagtuturo sa anak , yung lolo nagtuturo sa apo . Noong unang araw wala tayo mga gym , wala tayo mga facilities kung saan puwede mag-enroll ang isang Pinoy na gustong maging student sa practice ng Kali ,” said Bataclan .
“ Pero ngayon napakaraming exposure ng Kali sa pelikula dahil sa larangan ng pelikula naintroduce ang Kali in so many ways and so many times . On an international platform , kilala na ang Kali and there is a sense of universality dito na maganda at kinatataba ng puso ko na ibinihagi ito sa amin na malaman naming na sariling atin ito . In the large scheme of things , we have been a part of the spark para sa buong mundo na malaman ng tao na mayroon ganitong philosophy ,” said Alcaraz . ●
Actress-model Anne Curtis got Kali training for her upcoming action flicks