Guros Carl and Allain Atienza came to the Upper Darby Sayoc Kali school on 2/1/03 to give a
seminar on various aspects of Atienza Kali, specifically blade and empty hand. The seminar was
a progression from blade vs. blade to empty hand vs. blade to empty hand vs. empty hand. The
seminar ended with us doing a Mass Attack drill, one person vs. three. My apologies to Atienza
Kali if any portions of my notes are inaccurate. It was tough to work out and try to keep notes,
especially given the depth of material.
First off, the Atienza brothers (Guro Darrell couldnt make it) put on an awesome seminar. They
freely gave out a ton of material, mingled with the seminar attendees, and worked on the material
with us. They would often also give impromptu demos of various other aspects of Atienza Kali,
including sword, double sword, and stick fighting. Three of their instructors, Rue, Steph, and
Jamie also came to our school, helped with the seminar, and worked with the attendees.
We started out with footwork, with Guro Carl telling us that the Atienza Kali footwork is based
on the hourglass - two horizontal bases with diagonal lines connecting the bases - basically a
male and female triangle. The hourglass has five points to it - top left and right, the middle point,
where the diagonal lines make the X, and bottom left and right. We started out working the
outside of the hourglass, always facing forward, keeping the head level. Working the outside of
the hourglass was a progression from male to female triangle and vice versa. We also worked
side steps and laterals, ducking (dropping down to a crouch at certain and/or all of the points of
the hourglass), and rounding the top. Rounding the top was a type of anti-grappling footwork,
which Guro Carl told me could also be worked by walking/shuffling/running the octagon. Last,
we worked on the hit and run footwork, basically working up one side of the hourglass. I believe
the hit and run is crucial in multiple attacker scenarios.
Guro Carl demoed footwork on the hourglass while striking with a sword, stick, and at one point
a baseball bat. He advised us to make sure to use correct body alignment with the strikes to
avoid undue stress on your joints.
Next we worked a distance drill, using the Atienza Kali principal of Attack the Attack and
working the ADPs. The distance drill involved each opponent facing each other, with a blade,
and working on footwork while looking for an opportunity to close or enter. One thing I noticed,
especially when working with Guro Carl or Allain, was how hard it was to keep track of their
body position. Their footwork is so fluid and fast that my head was constantly on a swivel. Guro
Carl told me that they always try to keep their head disappearing from the opponents sites, to
keep the opponent disoriented and unable to counterstrike. I also noticed that the Atienza Kali
people there always worked to get to my back, which I believe is partially a function of their
emphasis on defending against multiple attackers.
We were shown ADP 1-5, which I believe are: ADP1 = paint brush or continuous striking on one
side of the X, ADP2 = broken chop to slash, kind of like Sayoc Kali jab to flywheel; ADP3 =
slash to circular slash, ADP4 = back edge slashing or hooking, and ADP5 = thrust to twist out
and slash. We worked these patterns and long and medium range, blade on blade, free flowing.
The Atienza Kali people, especially at long range, are very observant as to the reflective response
you give to any attack.
One thing I noticed through Guro Carls presentation (he presented the material for the majority
of the seminar) was his attention to targeting. Much like the Sayoc Kali that I have studied, Guro
Carl discussed targeting specific areas for effect. His instruction used specific medical
terminology and, whenever I was working out with him, I noticed that his hands were always
moving to a vital point or nerve cluster.
We next spent some time working on side stepping and applications of this footwork against
straight thrusts and high slashes (usual angle one attack for many kali systems). When your
opponent thrust, for instance, the side stepping gets you off the line of the thrust and turns your
hip for an ATA strike against the attacker. One of my favorite applications was side stepping
into the inside, left hand striking the attackers blade wrist, right hand thrust/slash to bicep and
then using ADP4 to hook under the arm while ducking under, and ending in arm bar/dislocation.
Empty hands worked a lot of entries, outside, inside and split entries. There was a lot of material
in that part of the seminar, too much to go over in these notes. Also included in this portion was
footwork to avoid being taken down, especially from someone charging straight in. This brought
up some GET (groin, eyes, and throat) training, which had us digging into each others eyes and
throats to avoid a takedown. (Nobody seemed to want to work on the groin material.)
We ended a long day of training (six hours) working on Mass Attack. After instruction on body
shielding and a discussion on the mass attack training we worked on a scenario that involved one
individual vs. three, no restrictions on movement (save do not hit the mirrors). The speed was
slow and all three were instructed to attack - that is not to lay back, could not use projectiles, no
punching, etc. In fact, the attackers could only straight thrust for the purposes of the drill. Guro
Carl explained that this was a low level taste of the drill, with each side giving up attacks,
actions, etc., that would normally be available to them. Since it was a training exercise, everyone
should work within the drill and see how each person reacts when alone. Having three guys
come at you, even in the controlled environment of that drill, certainly produces huge amounts of
adrenaline and was an eye opening experience. Those who dawdled to try and really
engage/dispatch an attacker, were usually quickly overwhelmed.
At the end of the Mass Attack drill we congregated for a bit and went home exhausted. The
Atienza Kali people (especially Guros Carl and Allain) are not only world class martial artists
and instructors, they are class people. At lunch time we all went to the local pizza parlor and the
Atienza Kali people mixed with everyone and basically shot the BS, trading war stories, etc., (I
especially enjoyed Guro Carls stories about how Tuhon Chris used to torture them as kids). The
Atienza brothers, like their students, are extremely approachable and more than willing to share
their material with anyone who has an open mind. Plus they move and flow like lightening. I
highly recommend training with the Atienzas.
Gumagalang,
Kevin Blake
Kayan Tatlo Guro Katapunan
Sayoc Kali
seminar on various aspects of Atienza Kali, specifically blade and empty hand. The seminar was
a progression from blade vs. blade to empty hand vs. blade to empty hand vs. empty hand. The
seminar ended with us doing a Mass Attack drill, one person vs. three. My apologies to Atienza
Kali if any portions of my notes are inaccurate. It was tough to work out and try to keep notes,
especially given the depth of material.
First off, the Atienza brothers (Guro Darrell couldnt make it) put on an awesome seminar. They
freely gave out a ton of material, mingled with the seminar attendees, and worked on the material
with us. They would often also give impromptu demos of various other aspects of Atienza Kali,
including sword, double sword, and stick fighting. Three of their instructors, Rue, Steph, and
Jamie also came to our school, helped with the seminar, and worked with the attendees.
We started out with footwork, with Guro Carl telling us that the Atienza Kali footwork is based
on the hourglass - two horizontal bases with diagonal lines connecting the bases - basically a
male and female triangle. The hourglass has five points to it - top left and right, the middle point,
where the diagonal lines make the X, and bottom left and right. We started out working the
outside of the hourglass, always facing forward, keeping the head level. Working the outside of
the hourglass was a progression from male to female triangle and vice versa. We also worked
side steps and laterals, ducking (dropping down to a crouch at certain and/or all of the points of
the hourglass), and rounding the top. Rounding the top was a type of anti-grappling footwork,
which Guro Carl told me could also be worked by walking/shuffling/running the octagon. Last,
we worked on the hit and run footwork, basically working up one side of the hourglass. I believe
the hit and run is crucial in multiple attacker scenarios.
Guro Carl demoed footwork on the hourglass while striking with a sword, stick, and at one point
a baseball bat. He advised us to make sure to use correct body alignment with the strikes to
avoid undue stress on your joints.
Next we worked a distance drill, using the Atienza Kali principal of Attack the Attack and
working the ADPs. The distance drill involved each opponent facing each other, with a blade,
and working on footwork while looking for an opportunity to close or enter. One thing I noticed,
especially when working with Guro Carl or Allain, was how hard it was to keep track of their
body position. Their footwork is so fluid and fast that my head was constantly on a swivel. Guro
Carl told me that they always try to keep their head disappearing from the opponents sites, to
keep the opponent disoriented and unable to counterstrike. I also noticed that the Atienza Kali
people there always worked to get to my back, which I believe is partially a function of their
emphasis on defending against multiple attackers.
We were shown ADP 1-5, which I believe are: ADP1 = paint brush or continuous striking on one
side of the X, ADP2 = broken chop to slash, kind of like Sayoc Kali jab to flywheel; ADP3 =
slash to circular slash, ADP4 = back edge slashing or hooking, and ADP5 = thrust to twist out
and slash. We worked these patterns and long and medium range, blade on blade, free flowing.
The Atienza Kali people, especially at long range, are very observant as to the reflective response
you give to any attack.
One thing I noticed through Guro Carls presentation (he presented the material for the majority
of the seminar) was his attention to targeting. Much like the Sayoc Kali that I have studied, Guro
Carl discussed targeting specific areas for effect. His instruction used specific medical
terminology and, whenever I was working out with him, I noticed that his hands were always
moving to a vital point or nerve cluster.
We next spent some time working on side stepping and applications of this footwork against
straight thrusts and high slashes (usual angle one attack for many kali systems). When your
opponent thrust, for instance, the side stepping gets you off the line of the thrust and turns your
hip for an ATA strike against the attacker. One of my favorite applications was side stepping
into the inside, left hand striking the attackers blade wrist, right hand thrust/slash to bicep and
then using ADP4 to hook under the arm while ducking under, and ending in arm bar/dislocation.
Empty hands worked a lot of entries, outside, inside and split entries. There was a lot of material
in that part of the seminar, too much to go over in these notes. Also included in this portion was
footwork to avoid being taken down, especially from someone charging straight in. This brought
up some GET (groin, eyes, and throat) training, which had us digging into each others eyes and
throats to avoid a takedown. (Nobody seemed to want to work on the groin material.)
We ended a long day of training (six hours) working on Mass Attack. After instruction on body
shielding and a discussion on the mass attack training we worked on a scenario that involved one
individual vs. three, no restrictions on movement (save do not hit the mirrors). The speed was
slow and all three were instructed to attack - that is not to lay back, could not use projectiles, no
punching, etc. In fact, the attackers could only straight thrust for the purposes of the drill. Guro
Carl explained that this was a low level taste of the drill, with each side giving up attacks,
actions, etc., that would normally be available to them. Since it was a training exercise, everyone
should work within the drill and see how each person reacts when alone. Having three guys
come at you, even in the controlled environment of that drill, certainly produces huge amounts of
adrenaline and was an eye opening experience. Those who dawdled to try and really
engage/dispatch an attacker, were usually quickly overwhelmed.
At the end of the Mass Attack drill we congregated for a bit and went home exhausted. The
Atienza Kali people (especially Guros Carl and Allain) are not only world class martial artists
and instructors, they are class people. At lunch time we all went to the local pizza parlor and the
Atienza Kali people mixed with everyone and basically shot the BS, trading war stories, etc., (I
especially enjoyed Guro Carls stories about how Tuhon Chris used to torture them as kids). The
Atienza brothers, like their students, are extremely approachable and more than willing to share
their material with anyone who has an open mind. Plus they move and flow like lightening. I
highly recommend training with the Atienzas.
Gumagalang,
Kevin Blake
Kayan Tatlo Guro Katapunan
Sayoc Kali
