The Modified Tapado

The technique of fighting wherein somebody bludgeons somebody with a stick or cane must have come from people who settled the island now called Panay. These seafarers from somewhere in Malaysia or Indonesia had iron tools and weapons, which means they were in Iron Age culture. Logically, we can surmise that in real combat, these people did not fight with sticks and canes. Instead, they wield weapons wrought from iron. The use of sticks, canes, and batons, therefore, were merely training weapons replacements for their actual weapons for mayhem, much like kendo was for the training of Samurai warriors. Now Samurai warriors are non-existent, except in Japanese tradition and history, but kendo flourishes. Similarly, Filipinos don't fight with bolos, machetes, and kampilans anymore, since guns are readily available; yet, the training weapons remain.

Unlike the Japanese of the 15th century, however, the settlers of the island of Panay, did not have the Japanese political experience. While the Japanese in their medieval period got their sword-fighting techniques through actual encounters (the baptism of fire), the settlers of Panay hardly fought among themselves. They had no reason to. To begin with, territory was not much of a problem, politically speaking. The original inhabitants, the aeta or the ati or pygmies were not interested in the lowland area or lands near the sea. Unlike the settlers, the aeta had no boats, and being hunters for centuries, they are strangers, even inimical, to agriculture. In fact, they "sold" a big part of the island of Panay for a pittance, much like what the American Indians did to Manhattan Island when they "sold" it to the Dutch. At those periods in history, it was a matter of who were civilized and who were not. And so after the "sale," the aeta laughed their way to the bank in the wild, where they could, with their puny bows and arrows, hunt wild pigs, deer, monkeys, and lizards.

Modified Tapado Instructors Clinic on September 24, 2005 in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines Standing L-R: Dominador Villaluna Jr, Founder/Chief Instructor of A1 Contra Cargada Arnis and Tapado Instructor trainee;Vicente Siason Jr.,Grandmaster of Modern Pekiti Tirsia arnis, winner of the World Arnis Championship openweight division 1995 at Cebu, Phil and Tapado instructor trainee; Drobel Castillo, Tapado instructor trainee; Henried Lamayo, Pekiti Tirsia instructor and Tapado advanced instructor and Tony Aguirre, Modified Tapado Int'l Consultant and Junior Instructor Sitting L-R: Dominador Ferrer (85 years old), Grandmaster/Founder of Kalantiao Defense Society and Tapado Senior instructor; Mike Vasquez, author and headmaster of Modified Tapado; Jose Valencia Tan, Modified Tapado Senior instructor and authorized representative of Modified Tapado, Calif., USA and Ric Barraca, Tapado Senior instructor and 5th Dan Karate Blackbelter

Filipinos are so taken with the training stick and cane that by late 18th century, a young, Filipino male would be deemed inadequate, not only to other men but to young marriageable women as well, unless he had trained under an arnis master or grandmaster. The knowledge of the science of self-defense was in fact one of the marks of a rural gentleman, making arnis popular then as now. Some old arnis teachers even remember their grandfathers' canisters of weapons behind the main door, ready for practice in self-defense and offense, or to show off the moves they had mastered.

As time goes--as it always does--a few aficionados pitted their method of fighting against those who would pick up the gauntlet. In the fullness of time, many methods or styles cropped up, especially among the rural folk, for it was in the rural areas where the pace of life was slow. With such a milieu, many found time to spare. This is the reason why many styles of arnis were conceived in rural areas. The city folk, on the contrary, had a lot to do with their time, but they recognized the ability of those who were known for their prowess. Thus, a number of students--even masters--of arnis were from the cities.

The original inhabitants did not have any hand on the development of fighting techniques now known as arnis, escrima, baston, yaming, or whatever other names this stick-or-cane-fencing will go under. The aetas were a peaceful, shy people. They certainly had a lot of reasons to be. Their Stone Age culture guaranteed their extinction, while the Nuclear Age guarantees the extinction of the forest. So, there is no such thing as indigenous fighting techniques, like tode in Okinawa when we speak of karate.

Modified Tapado instructors demonstrate different tapado overpowering striking techniques for advance sparring while headmaster, Mike Vasquez looks on.

The Filipino martial art, unlike the art of the sword in Japan, has never had "a baptism of fire." Some Filipino martial artists seem to believe that arnis was used by Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan who got into the history books by killing one the greatest navigators of the 16th century and of the world. Lapu-Lapu, however, did not use sticks or canes to ward off his native enemies and their Spanish allies.

Going back to the original and true purpose of arnis, which is nothing more than a training art, it is surprising to see how it developed into so many styles of just as many masters. Talks circulate that other styles are but imitation of other style. This may be so because no style in art or in science ever got out complete from a vacuum. Every human discovery is a product of previous ones. As it stands today, arnis is now represented by many styles, making it a bundle of complexities.

Dominador Villaluna and Tony Aguirre show the Kambiada (gear shift) technique of the Modified Secondary Overpowering Stage

Tapado, for example, is thought of as an imitation of oido style of arnis. Grandmaster Romeo "Nono" Mamar never denied his studies under an oido master, but what he created is something different. To begin with,Mamar increased the length of his weapon considerably. Though he employs the stop-hit principle, which is the usual ways of all arnis style, Mamar added something that is original in the art of stick or cane fighting--the pigar. Furthermore, the sparring procedure of tapado is unique in itself. The winner knows he won, and the loser knows he lost, but no one got hurt, despite the employment of maximum force and power unleashed in each strike.