What is Traditional n Tactical Combat Arnis?

The TnT lineage comes from 3 branches (or we call them rivers) of Filipino Martial Arts, as follows:

• Modern Arnis under IMAFP (International Modern Arnis Federation Philippines, under Grandmaster Cristino Vasquez and Grandmaster Rene Tongson)
• CSSDSC (Common Sense Self-Defense Street Combat, under Grandmaster BramFrank)
• WEDO (War Eskrima Death Offensive, under GrandmasterJesus Pallorina and Grandmaster Frank Sobrino)

TnT seeks to combine the knowledge and application skills of these 3 different styles of Arnis. Its purpose is to find the path that integrates the traditional fighting arts of the Filipinos with the contemporary usage necessary for today's world. It also seeks to integrate diverse motivations for learning martial arts, so that the specific goals of various students - be it self-defense, combat offensive (military), law enforcement, personal protection, art and culture -can be satisfied. 

TnT is open to incorporating a variety of FMA styles, for indeed, none of them contradict each other. The Filipino fighting culture is blessed with a tremendous variety of styles and systems, all of which may appear different and separate at first glance, but are actually capable of being integrated into a personalized fighting style for every practitioner.

The key is: Recognition. Recognize what constitutes a threat. Recognize the opportunity to flee or the ability to manage a sinister situation. Recognize the necessity to engage. Recognize the difference between a self-defense situation from a combat situation. Recognize and follow the laws that govern the society where you live and operate. But when you do engage, recognize with absolute sharpness and without hesitation the opportunity to attack, counter, deflect, go with or against the flow, inflict necessary and/or maximum damage, and so on. And always follow-through. But recognize also when to stop. 

IMAFP brings us the lineage of the late Grandmaster Remy Amador Presas, founder of Modern Arnis. Through Modern Arnis we seek to understand and apply the art of self-defense. It represents our freedom-loving and justice-protectionist character. Here we learn the art, from the Classical Arnis and Tres Puntas Abaniko taught by Grandmaster Rene Tongson, to the more contemporary applications taught by Grandmaster Cristino Vasquez. We are also guided and supervised by the Modern Arnis Council of Grandmasters in the Philippines, all of whom serve as our inspiration, and our source of answers when in doubt, our resources when in need. IMAFP is our link to a worldwide family of Modern Arnis practitioners, all inspired by the enduring legacy of Professor Remy. 

CSSDSC teaches us the value of moving along a scale of escalating and de-escalating conflict. Grandmaster Bram Frank teaches us, among many other things, how to move up and down this force continuum. It could be that "less-than-lethal force" is all that you need to take charge of a situation. It is not always necessary to apply "end techniques" though you must always be prepared to do so. Sometimes, the way to end a fight is simply to stop it. The key is recognition. And most of all, CSSDSC teaches us to handle bladed weapons, wherein we really cut. It is also through CSSDSC that we get involved in learning firearms, thereby completing our ability to understand the range of the weapons hierarchy. CSSDSC is also a "train the trainor" program, for it is in teaching others that we gain deeper knowledge and understanding. "Teach what you know", GM Bram would say, "and always seek to know more."

WEDO teaches us the value of offensive action. The tenet of Grandmaster Jesus Pallorina is: "Train defensively, fight offensively." WEDO also teaches self-defense, restraining and controlling, as well as LE tactics. But its major value to us encompasses two perspectives. Firstly, it is the combat aspect of fighting which is highly tested by decades of use, from the time of World War II when GrandmasterPallorina wielded the bolo as a young guerilla warrior, and thus highly valued by the military elements in our group. WEDO is brought to us by Grandmaster Frank Sobrino. A soldier in our group says: "what Sir Frank teaches me could save my life in the field." Secondly, the value of WEDO is its link to the traditional knowhow of Filipino fighting arts, such as Dumog (groundfighting), Panuntukan (boxing and empty hand styles), spiritual and cultural aspects that guided the old masters, such as the oracion (sacred prayer), indigenous fighting arts such as those from Panay and Antique, and more. Grandmaster Frank Sobrino encourages us to "find our wido", that unique ability within each person, that which separates his fighting style from that of others, that which comprises his warrior personality encompassing all the ingredients plucked from the various styles he has learned. 

From these 3 rivers of the great watershed known as Arnis, we derive our guidance and supervision. And we are eternally thankful to our grandmasters for enabling us to develop continuously as fighters, warriors, and freedom-loving individuals. 

Membership in TnT