Who was the first Westerner to train in Fillipino Combat Arts?

KK, I though Burton was a Savateur and Western sword master.

Hard to say, it could be a GI or a perhaps one of the employees of the British gun company (Charter Arms I think) that was established before the war. Maybe a Hawaiian native or someone from Stockton area of Californian.
 
Well, I don't know the history of the FMA in the US all that well, but as I understand it, Angel Cabales is known as the father of FMA in the US. What I understand is that he was just about the first FMA grand master to teach the FMA openly, so it may well have been one of his first students. There is a list of GM Cabales' master certificate holders in Mark Wiley's book, and it may well be one of them.

It gets pretty technical though, trying to figure out who was "western" enough to be GM Cabales first "western" student. Suro Inay was born in the US, but GM Cabales may have taught other Filipino-Americans privately before he started his school.

But as student pointed out, there were probably some westerners in the PI who learned about it one way or another.
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[This message has been edited by Steve Harvey (edited 09-28-2000).]
 
Smoke, you're right, Burton was an expert in the Spanish, Sicilian, Neapolitan, Italian, and French systems of Fencing, the English and French (Boxe Francaise) systems of Boxing, and he was also a recognized expert in an Indian method of unarmed combat.

Wherever Burton traveled, he would explore the local styles of food, sex, drugs, mysticism, and martial arts. Burton's Natural System was the fighting style he developed, based around the unique principles and advantages of Western Fencing and Boxing, but designed to fluidly adapt to and counter any style of fighting.

 
Good Question. Also about what year are we talking here to?

Narrowing that down to the East Coast, who was the first instructor who started teaching out in the East Coast, I heard that it was Remy Presas. That he was the first to teach Americans and that the others followed.
 
Originally posted by the Khazar Kid:
Smoke, you're right,

Wherever Burton traveled, he would explore the local styles of food, sex, drugs, mysticism, and martial arts.
Click to expand...

WOW .... I never get around to the mysticism!
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Dave.

 
Thanks KK, I'm still learning about the guy though. BTW, did you know Burton Richardson, is also the name of a Hollywood game show announcer?

Donna, I think on the east I think the place to look is in the south. Filipinos and a lot of other folks were in Mexico and traveled back and forth. There was a small Filipino community in Louisiana that mostly worked in the fishing and shrimping industry before color photography.

It's even possible that a Westerner pre Civil war learned some FMA. There are accounts of Indonesian's traveling to San Francisco before the war. Everybody remembered the kris they carried.
 
Hello Everyone,
As to who was the first westerner to train in the FMA? During the late 1800's and early 1900's the USA occuppied the Philippine Islands, although they were never able to subjugate the Moro's of Mindanao(no one truely has), after WW2 many filipino individuals moved to the island of Hawaii and worked on the sugarcane and Pineapple plantations(of course bringing their native arts with them) It isn't until the late 60's and early 70's do you really see the teaching of the FMA become popular. Some notables are Leo Giron, Regino Illustrisimo, John Lacosta, Floro Villabrille, Dionisio Canete, Mr Lopez, Amante Marinas(1973 opened a school), Leo Gaje, and of course Dan Inosanto. But although he did not practice FMA Theodore Roosevelt did enjoy English singlestick fighting in the Whitehouse as early as 1905. He also practice Jujutsu/Judo, but was worried he would be injured after being thrown around and locked up so many times. Just some tid bits
Train Hard, it is the Way!
Steve
 
Sir Richard Burton in his 'Book of the Sword' has a listing of Filipino weaponry. he was aware of them even if he may not have trained in the system.

--Rafael--
 
Most of the articles I have read speak of eskrima being pretty much practiced in secret. GM Angel Cabales was at first very reluctant to teach anybody his art, western or otherwise, but eventually opened what was acknowledged as the first public FMA school. Villabrille was in HI earlier than this, but did he teach any westerners?
 
Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) Adventurer/Secret Agent/Writer

Great question and answers. I would be hard pressed to imagine that Captain Burton's travels after taking him across Europe, China, India, the Middle East, Africa, South America & North America that he had not ventured to the Philippines, yet I can not find any reference to indicate that he had.

Burton's works including originals and translations can be accounted for in the bibliography An Annotated Bibliography of Sir Richard Francis Burton by Norman Penzer. Burton authored several books on edged weaponary including The Book of Sword, A Complete System of Bayonet Exercises & A New System of Sword Exercise for Infantry. Translations of The Kama Sutra, The Perfumed Garden and The Arabian Nights. Also his original works include Vikram and the Vampire, Falconry in the Valley of the Indus, Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El-Medina and Meccah, Two Trips to Gorilla Land, The Gold Mines of Midian and Across the Rocky Mountains to California.

If you like Burton check out his two compatriots; The Sword and the Centuries, by Alfred Hutton (1901) & Schools & Masters of Fence, by Egerton Castle (1885).

I have been looking for further information of Teddy Roosevelt and his jiu-jitsu practice. I know that it was mentioned somewhere in his personal writings to his children but not much more besides that.
 
Did Jim Bowie, Jean LaFitte, Juan Seguin, etc. train in Fillipino Combat Arts? There were Fillipinos in Mexico and Louisiana at the time.
 
Who was the first American to train in the filipino arts, There is a guy who's name I believe is Hartford or something like that. I think he trained dureing one of the wars, Vietnam or something. I think that was his name. Alot of Americans trained while over seas dureing a war. They would train on break. The filipino arts were used dureing WW2, by the filipino soldiers. Have you ever heard of the term Leathernecks, it was because of the filipinos.

breaker


 
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