History
History of Modern Arnis and Tribute to Grand Master Remy Armador Presas
In Remembrance
of Soke Fred Givens
History of Modern Arnis and Tribute to Grand Master Remy Armador Presas
The art of Modern Arnis was formed by Professor Remy Armador Presas, who was
born on December 19, 1936. Grandmaster Presas began his martial arts training at
the age of 5 under his Grandfather, Leon Presas, who taught him the arts of Ochoo
and Palis Palis. During his childhood, Professor Presas would devour everything
possible on martial arts, and hence at the age of twelve, he stowed away to Cebu,
Philippines to further his training. In Cebu, he stayed with his Uncle Fredo and
was introduced to the Balintawak style, training under Timor Maranga. After two
years of training under the art of Balintawak, the Grandmaster of Balintawak, Anciong
Bacon, took an interest in Remy, and asked him to become a personal student. However,
after some insight on how martial arts were used in senseless violence, Grandmaster
Presas left Cebu with the blessing of Grandmaster Bacon to design his own system
of fighting that would press the primary use of martial arts: self-defense, in order
to achieve his goal of turning the barbaric nature of martial arts into a civilized
sport. He desired to spread his art, stating "If you are the best, it can be judged
only through your work. You cannot be the best if you only have a few students.
I want to spread out the art."
Traditional arnis training often strike to body as target which sometimes cause
serious injuries. Grandmaster Presas revolutionized teaching the arts by using the
cane as a target, creating a new system called "Modern Arnis", ultimately preserving
the old traditions of Filipino martial arts. His popularity grew so much that he
became the first official ambassador of goodwill for the Philippines’ Department
of Tourism, spending nine years traveling across various countries, introducing
Filipino sports and cultures.
In 1970, Master Presas was asked to go to Japan to introduce Arnis to the Itago
Police Academy. At this time, Arnis was being taught in Filipino school systems,
thanks to the establishment of the Philippines Arnis Association founded by Master
Presas. While out of the country, all Pilipino martial arts were taken over by General
Fabian Ver. If Grandmaster Presas had stayed in the Philippines, he would have been
in great peril and hence left the Philippine Islands for the United States.
During Professor’s stay in the United States, he taught thousands of people and
formed the International Modern Arnis Federation. He named seven Masters of Tapi-Tapi
who are top-notch Arnisadors to help spread the art of Modern Arnis. In his final
days, he named Dr. Randi Schea to be his successor to continue to carry out his
vision.
Sources:
Hubbard, Bob. "Tribute: Professor Remy Armador Presas." Martial Talk Magazine. Aug.
2003. 30 July 2005.
http://www.martialtalk.com/magazine/archives/082003/remytribute.htm
Brophy, Lee A. "The history of Modern Arnis." Tapi - Tapi Times 2 (2005): 1-2. 30
June 2005
http://www.modernarnis.net/news/newsletter/TapiTapiTimes0605.pdf
In Remembrance of Soke Fred Givens
