Mitchell Badelles
Martial artist, Balintawak
Travel writer
IT WAS a great night. The breeze was cool, and Canterbury League’s Club Christmas pageantry was in full colour.
I was really excited. Jimmy Pimentel, himself part of a Guinness world record by refereeing 45 of a 120 round boxing match by Anglican priest Father Dave Smith, had organised a meeting between Australia’s Sikaran Arnis Master Jessie Diestro and the USA’s Balintawak Arnis Grandmaster Bobby Taboada.
Jimmy had said to me earlier that he’d convince both Master Jess and Grandmaster Bob to display their art at the club’s gym. It should result in spectacular photos.
Jim was having coffee and GM Bob was having a fruit salad at the food lounge when Master Jess arrived.
After formal greetings, eager to get the meeting of FMA greats to happen, Jim almost immediately said, “Let’s go to the gym!” Master Jess, part of Canterbury League’s Club’s security said, “Sorry Jim, it’s now 9pm, the gym’s closed.”
But still, my excitement was not disappointed. Being with Jimmy was already a bonus. Here I was, sitting with Filipino Martial Art’s impressive people. Australia’s Jess Diestro was inducted in Australia’s International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) Hall of Fame.
And Grandmaster Bobby Taboada was also inducted in the USA’s World Head of Family Sokeship Council (WHFSK).
For non-martial artists, being inducted in their respective ‘Hall of Fame’ means that the international community, around the world, has nominated and approved of their induction after careful examination of their personalities and achievements.
I would liken it to the Queen handing out a knighthood. Knights are protectors of truth and justice. Here we have two people who are protectors and preservers of Filipino Martial Arts and Culture, passing it on to Filipinos and other peoples in their respective realms of influence.
Here I sat with two of the warm, nice, congenial, and deadly pinoys, I have ever met. Listening to these two, I learned that they got there only by hard work and determination.
Jess pestered his FMA teacher as a kid. His teacher refused to teach him at first. But Jessie’s constant request to be trained bugged the teacher so much that he relented, after noticing that Jess was already mimicking movements, peering from behind a bamboo slat fence.
Jess also learned from the same teacher that the kid’s game he played, which was commonly played in Mindanao, “kundisi”, which is called “siatong” in Visayas, was really “espada y daga”, the Filipino knife and sword.
Just like in the movies, because Jess couldn’t pay for the training, Jess fetched water the old provincial way. Go to the ‘poso’ (deep well pump) with two 20-litre ‘taros’ (tin cans of cooking oil) carrying it with a pingga across his shoulders.
This of course increased his strength and improved his balance. He also did the gardening and other menial jobs.
Bobby Taboada learned Balintawak through similar circumstances. Bobby also pestered his FMA teacher as a kid. His teacher also refused to teach him at first.
But Bobby went too far and displaying the rashness of youth, he boldly challenged Teofilo Velez to teach him Balintawak Arnis and in return Bobby would teach him what he knew.
The 19 year old thought that his height, combined with his boxing, karate and kung fu techniques would prevail against an older, smaller man. His disrespect soon led him flat on his face at a nearby pig sty with a bloodied nose.
Bobby was hooked, he begged to be taught and not having any means of paying for the training, he cooked, cleaned and did other menial labour for Mr Velez and his family.
His enthusiasm also played part in him volunteering for any public demonstration of the art, along with leading challenges against anyone who said that Balintawak Arnis was weak and ineffective.
Bobby as a kid was a bit cocky, “hambugero”. He always volunteered for demonstrations, because he knew that all attention would be on who the Grandmaster partnered for demonstrations.
It got to a point that Bobby was only taught the most basic of movements, simple blocks and counters, for a year.
It was during one of these demonstrations that Grandmaster Velez started hitting Bobby hard and started drawing blood again. The pain snapped Bobby out of his fear and soon none of Grandmaster Velez’s blows could land on Bobby.
Thinking that he finally was better than his teacher, Bobby grabbed hold of Mr Velez stick hand to try and control it. No one knew that Mr Velez was also adept with his left hand.
Grandmaster Velez simply used his left hand with the stick, and Bobby soon experienced more blows to his head and body.
The crowd loved the demonstration and cheered wildly, congratulating Mr Velez on skilfully disabling a much bigger and stronger Bobby. Bobby loved it too. People were talking about him.
Later on, Velez asked his three sons why they didn’t teach Bobby how to lift and clear someone else’s hand if they were holding him. His sons said, “It was your instructions, pa, Bobby is a show off!”
Velez, impressed with Bobby’s determination, soon started teaching him all that he knew. One day while cleaning the floor, Bobby told everyone present in the room that he would honour Velez and spread Balintawak Arnis around the world. Everyone laughed, and the rest is history.
Grandmaster Guillermo ‘Bobby’ Taboada has established Balintawak Arnis in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, and now Europe. He now preaches respect for everyone else. And going for every opportunity to learn and improve one’s self in demeanour and in Martial Arts.
One final question needs to be asked: “How did Master Jess and Grandmaster Bobby know each other? Simple, the world is really a small place. They share a common friend; and speak the same languages – Tagalog, Cebuano and English. They also both have a passion for Filipino Martial Arts and both are proud ambassadors of the art.
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Links:
Jimmy Pimentel Guinness World Record reference: http://www.thefilipinoaustralian.com/news/index.php/2012/04/10/pinoy-journo-in-new-guiness-record-for-boxing-priest/
Master Jess Diestro ISKA Hall of Fame reference:
http://thefilipinoaustralian.com/sports.php?subaction=showfull&id=1176863238&archive=&start_from=&ucat=33&
Grandmaster Bobby Taboada WHFSC International Hall of Fame reference:
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1GPRDVecy4B0uFeGrfeOkeFOEmTooLlLYLawdE23JV0A
