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
