by Mark V. Wiley. Available through Amazon.com and all commercial dealers with alternate reviews at Amazon.com. 375 pgs, B&W photos, 5 sections/27 Chps, about 5 pgs of techniques for comparison.
Love him or hate him, this is probably Wiley's best book so far, it's also one of the most comprehensive attempts at researching the FMA. I say "attempt" as some feel that Wiley has omitted many details and excluded other masters from this book. Honestly though, recording the exploits and interviewing all the famous escrimadors in the world would take at least 3 volumes.
The BD
Pt. 1-2 (History, background, weapons and construction, philosophy)
Pt. 3 (Contemporary Masters, 18 masters and styles covered)
Herminio Binas/Binas Dynamic Arnis
Angel Cabales/Cabales Serrada Escrima
Carlos Escorpizo/Escorpizo Arnis
Ramiro Estalillia/Rigonan-Estalillia Kabaroan
Ray Galang/Hagibis
Meliton Geronimo/Sikaran
Leo Giron/Giron Arnis Escrima
Antonio Illustrisimo/Kali Illustrisimo
Carlito Lanada/Kuntaw Lima-Lima
Porfirio Lanada/Arnis Lanada
Benjamin Luna-Lema/Lightning Scientific Arnis
Amante P. Marinas/Pananandata Marinas
Christopher Ricketts/Sagasa
Edgar Sulite/Lameco Eskrima
Bobby Taboada/Balintawak Arnis Cuentada
Sam Tendencia/Tendencia Arnis-Hilot
Raymond Tobosa/Tobosa Kali/Escrima
Florendo Visatacion/Vee Arnis Jitsu
I won't lie, I usually skip the history section of most FMA books because I feel that's another subject that can and is covered in more detail in other books.That is the history of the country of origin, not the specific history of a combat style. Wiley does make an interesting division about what modern and classical styles are particularly regarding footwork. This is a subtle subject and lots of folks have differing opinions, ranging from genetics, battle terrain, weapons technology, fight strategy, styles being blended, instructors with incomplete knowledge, and the fact that combat changes.
This book goes well with any FMA book and video out there and gives insight and background to all related material. Then again it's bibliography has just about every FMA book ever written. I liked this book more than "Filipino Martial Arts" and Wiley's older books. The bibliography is pretty extensive, there's very few books on FMA that aren't there and a lot of them are rare, though some of you forumites have them.
I can only think of 2 books that don't appear that should. In any case, I don't know of any flaws in the book regarding style mainly because I've never studied under any of the masters in this book.
However, the chapters on Ray Galang and Christopher Ricketts were interesting, I honestly did lump them together as having the same style. The chapter on Sikaran had some pretty bold claims in it's ideas
on empty hand fighting and Sikaran's acceptance among the mainstream kick oriented martial arts. The Illustrisimo and Luna Lema chapters were interesting, the latter showing more personality than in his book. The P. Lanada and A. Marinas chapters were wild, I'm surprised that controversy hasn't been brought out in the MA mass media. The remaining chapters on Masters Tendencia, Tobosa, and Visatacion were good, heck they were necessary even if they were brief.
Love him or hate him, this is probably Wiley's best book so far, it's also one of the most comprehensive attempts at researching the FMA. I say "attempt" as some feel that Wiley has omitted many details and excluded other masters from this book. Honestly though, recording the exploits and interviewing all the famous escrimadors in the world would take at least 3 volumes.
The BD
Pt. 1-2 (History, background, weapons and construction, philosophy)
Pt. 3 (Contemporary Masters, 18 masters and styles covered)
Herminio Binas/Binas Dynamic Arnis
Angel Cabales/Cabales Serrada Escrima
Carlos Escorpizo/Escorpizo Arnis
Ramiro Estalillia/Rigonan-Estalillia Kabaroan
Ray Galang/Hagibis
Meliton Geronimo/Sikaran
Leo Giron/Giron Arnis Escrima
Antonio Illustrisimo/Kali Illustrisimo
Carlito Lanada/Kuntaw Lima-Lima
Porfirio Lanada/Arnis Lanada
Benjamin Luna-Lema/Lightning Scientific Arnis
Amante P. Marinas/Pananandata Marinas
Christopher Ricketts/Sagasa
Edgar Sulite/Lameco Eskrima
Bobby Taboada/Balintawak Arnis Cuentada
Sam Tendencia/Tendencia Arnis-Hilot
Raymond Tobosa/Tobosa Kali/Escrima
Florendo Visatacion/Vee Arnis Jitsu
I won't lie, I usually skip the history section of most FMA books because I feel that's another subject that can and is covered in more detail in other books.That is the history of the country of origin, not the specific history of a combat style. Wiley does make an interesting division about what modern and classical styles are particularly regarding footwork. This is a subtle subject and lots of folks have differing opinions, ranging from genetics, battle terrain, weapons technology, fight strategy, styles being blended, instructors with incomplete knowledge, and the fact that combat changes.
This book goes well with any FMA book and video out there and gives insight and background to all related material. Then again it's bibliography has just about every FMA book ever written. I liked this book more than "Filipino Martial Arts" and Wiley's older books. The bibliography is pretty extensive, there's very few books on FMA that aren't there and a lot of them are rare, though some of you forumites have them.
However, the chapters on Ray Galang and Christopher Ricketts were interesting, I honestly did lump them together as having the same style. The chapter on Sikaran had some pretty bold claims in it's ideas
on empty hand fighting and Sikaran's acceptance among the mainstream kick oriented martial arts. The Illustrisimo and Luna Lema chapters were interesting, the latter showing more personality than in his book. The P. Lanada and A. Marinas chapters were wild, I'm surprised that controversy hasn't been brought out in the MA mass media. The remaining chapters on Masters Tendencia, Tobosa, and Visatacion were good, heck they were necessary even if they were brief.