Eskrima - Visayan Style Filipino Weapons Fighting Art

Concepts and exercises of the Visayan Style of Eskrima - a Filipino Blade fighting art - in a friendly, non-aggressive environment. The class will cover movement, footwork, evasion, striking, blocking, etc.

Wednesdays @ 7:30pm

Click here to sign up for class!

The Visayan Style of Eskrima was created by Maestro Sonny Umpad.  After years of training in traditional Filipino arts including Eskrima & Kali, Sonny took the bold step of creating his own system.  The full name of the style is “Visayan Style Corto Kadena Larga Mano Eskrima”.  Corto Kadena means “short” and “continuous” or “flowing”.  Corto refers to both economy of motion and close range.  Strikes and blocks are compact, explosive, and powerful.

This tight structure gives an opponent little warning about oncoming attacks and makes it easier for the students to protect themselves.  Sonny based his art on the blade.  In his hometown, blades were the instruments of choice for self-defense and conflict resolution.  Witnessing many real fights with blades as a boy left a deep impression on him.  Sonny felt that it was easier to go from blade to stick than from stick to blade.  Of course, his art works with both.  The Maestro left specific instructions to his students regarding the direction his art would take after his untimely death, and through all of us, the art will continue.  Even after leaving this world, Sonny felt that his art was more important than egos, stylistic differences, and personality conflicts.  He dreamed of a united community of martial artists working together to preserve the treasures we inherited from our grandfathers who taught us the art.  He respected anyone who sincerely wanted to learn this incredible art.

Links to Maestro Sonny Umpad and Visayan Eskrima:
http://www.visayaneskrima.org
http://visayaneskrima.org/articles.html
http://www.fmadigest.com/Issues/special-editions/2006/Special-Edition_Maestro_Sonny-Umpad.pdf
http://dogbrothers.com/pages/multimedia_umpad.htm

Gregory Manalo has been a practitioner and ambassador of the Visayan Style Eskrima for over 10 years. He is a certified instructor and has been teaching workshops all over the Bay Area with different cultural, theatrical, youth and fighting arts groups. Manalo is proud and forever gratefull for each second spent with the late Maestro, teacher, artist, father figure and friend, Sonny Umpad. It is Greg’s intention to share and preserve the arts as Sonny has shared it with him.

Jay Jasper Pugao has been learning, teaching & growing with the Visayan Style Corto-Kadena Eskrima under the tutelage of the late, great, highly sought, & world renowned Maestro Sonny Umpad for over 10 years.  A certified instructor, Jay Jasper has been teaching classes & providing Filipino martial arts workshops to youth, adults & community organizaitons all over the Bay Area.  He is willing to bring it to wherever it is requested.  Please come with an open mind, positive & ready to work/play perspective, and some comfy clothes.  We keep it focused! We keep it fun!