World Original Teovel's Balintawak Arnis Group

Home Blog Photos Video Music Calendar Reviews Links

WOTBAG

Oct 23, 2008

Characteristics of WOTBAG Balintawak: The basic core of Balintawak training, is a reactive ‘counter to counter’ style and is taught virtually and is more effectively learnt ‘one on one’. The student is taught defensive and offensive techniques, where at all times there needs to be a coach to guide the student through their moves from the very basic to the advanced. A level in the latter parts of the students training will be reached where the student and instructor ‘give and take’ all the techniques of the style. Initially, for the beginner, Balintawak can seem to be a very defensive style. When the instructor attacks, the student will learn to defend with a block and counter with a ‘single’ strike. This is where other styles argue that their systems are better as they learn to counter with multiple strikes. Balintawak is different. Balintawak considers that an opponent will defend effectively your counter strike and counter your counter. A lot of Escrima schools do not consider that an opponent will defend themself properly to a counter. But what if they do? Of course if the opponent does not defend properly then they leave themself open to multiple strikes. Balintawak however, pays due consideration that an opponent may be skilled and that every move has a counter and that every counter has a counter. It is simply timing that plays the major role between skilled Escrimadors. Outline of Instructions of the WOTBAG style: The student is taught twelve basic strikes, then taught basic blocks and counters to these strikes. The instructor will then attack in the ‘12 basic strikes’ and the student will block and counter this series. Later, as the students timing, control, speed and footwork combine properly, the instructor will then attack with ‘At Random’ strikes and then later will introduce stronger and faster random attacks which are sometimes called ‘Pak Gung’. The 12 Basic Strikes, At Random and Pak Gung are only the beginning. They are the basic foundation or platform of Balintawak and can be a very enjoyable free style, free flowing, free wheeling form of play.The style with a twelve strike base and incorporated forward and back foot movements and has an impresive array of disarms. WOTBAG Twelve Basic strikes; #1 left temple, #2 right temple, #3 right ribs or elbow, #4 left ribs or elbow, #5 stomach thrust, #6 right chest thrust, #7 left chest thrust, #8 left knee, #9 right knee, #10 right face thrust, #11 left face thrust, #12 head and solar plexus.