Thanks for bringing this back up!
I was aware of some of the controversy about the successor(s) of Professor Presas. My only real exposure to Arnis was from Tom Bolden and seeing some of Bram Frank's stuff, so I was going into this with an open objective mind. I really believe that, regardless of how one feels about Jeff Delaney, that I was treated with the utmost professionalism and respect. GM Delaney's knowledge was, to me, very impressive.
Prof. Michael Bates puts these together; I had contacted him via e-mail. He was a gentleman to talk with, and really did make sure that everybody involved had a great time! He helped me immensely with my arrangements to come down for the camp, above and beyond what was required.
When I arrived Lisa McManus took me by the hand (what a thrill!! I didn't realize that she was one of the instructors at the time) and introduced me around to everybod
Chris Sayoc and some of his 'boys' came down for a while; I was shocked to see what he can do with ordinary chopsticks (Hint: the guy across the room from him needed a mask!)..
Prof. Max Pallen was there for two days- man, is this guy impressive...the stick really is just an extension of his natural flow...how many times we heard him yell to his partner "Harder, Hit HARDER!" He was taking it for real, hard and fast, and made the counters look effortless!
Lisa McManus is as impressive and knowledgeable as she is beautiful. She's petite (although definitely has muscle) and can really make a guy "fall" for her really fast...
I think I will definitely pick up some of her videos- she's currently training some military outfit, I believe somewhere near her school which I think is in MA.
GM Jeff would come around to everybody, working with them until they understood what they were doing. NONE of the hard-core, kick-ass long-timers had any ego problems, they were always willing to jump right in and help me out. He could transition from stand-up locks to grappling- some of his basic takedowns seemed to contain some hints of Combat Tai Chi...pushes and ward-offs and such (these are applied excellently when you're as tall and long-limbed as Delaney). It was amazing to see how quickly and easily, in real-time, he would move from one lock to another, with and without a stick. Eventually, his partner would be tied up with no way out!
I had a great time, will do it again ASAP. This camp was more than worth the money (although I saved a bit by staying at a cheesey Motel 6). I actually left there feeling different, I can't explain how...I felt I really accomplished something.
Professor Michael Bates definitely knows how to make you feel important....an example: I had a problem with my motel, and it would have definitely affected my entire time at the camp. Prof. Bates solved it within minutes for me; he really had no obligation to do so- this to me seems to be the type of kind spirit Remy Presas's students are known for.
I was able to test; I seemed to pick stuff up pretty quick...some martial arts background, although mostly fencing and boxing. Still, I tested and passed (for a lower-ranked belt, as it should be).
Everybody made me feel welcome, and I really did learn quite a bit. I'm no arnistador, but I definitely got a little taste of the art.
