Excerpt:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Remy Amador Presas is one of the most vibrant personalities in the martial arts. One of the Philippines’ premier stick fighters, Presas has become a national figure in his native country for his blending of the countless island combat styles into one system, which he named Modern Arnis.
Presas began his study of arnis at an early age, leaving home at 14 to pursue his interest in the fighting arts characteristic of his homeland. Presas ultimately synthesized important aspects from kali, escrima, tjakalele and arnis de mano into the art he teaches today. His travel throughout the Philippines led to the rise of arnis as a national sport, taught regularly in physical education classes throughout the country.
Presas left the Philippines in 1975 on a goodwill tour sponsored by the Philippine government to spread arnis to other countries. He arrived in the United States, conducting special seminars to groups as diverse as law enforcement agencies and senior citizens. The “Professor” (as his students affectionately call him) has been welcomed wherever he goes, demonstrating the daring techniques of the bolo and the bewitching twirl of double rattan sticks— the sinawali.
In 1982, Presas was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year for his devotion to teaching the art he loves. Years of refinement have given Presas a personal style that makes his seminars among the most popular at many martial art schools.
Presas currently resides in San Francisco, and he is actively involved with the formation of his International Arnis Federation (lAF), headquartered in Los Angeles.
Readers who are interested in furthering their studies in the art of arnis, or who have comments or questions about this book, are encouraged to write to the IAF at 4912 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to thank my excellent students who assisted me in the techniques photographed for this book; Jeffrey Arnold, Dan DiVito, Michael Replogle, Roland Roemer, Jr., a n d T o m Zoppi. My appreciation also to our patient photographer, Marcia Mack.
R.P.
Thanks to Michael for his invaluable assistance in the preparation of this manuscript— your contributions made the difference.
G.L.