Kuntaw USA

n be sure exactly how Kuntaw and Kali originated, but it
has proven to be an effective fighting art." One - Kuntaw is derived from two words - kunsagrado, meaning 'sacred',
and hataw, meaning 'strike', thus Kuntaw - meaning 'sacred strike'. Taught to
Muslim royalties 'Maharlika' along with Kali and developed in antiquity by an
unknown person or persons. Two - that Kuntaw came from Kuntao, the 'o' being changed to 'w' to better
conform to the local dialect of the region. Kuntao traces its roots back 1500
years to ancient China. Legend tells of a Taoist Priest named Lama Darmon
who left the Shaolin Temple during the Mongols Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
and migrated to Indonesia. He was a master of Shaolin Chuan-fa 'Fist
Fighting', Tai Chi Chuan, and Pa Kwa Zen (Pa Kua Chang) 'Eight Diagram
Heaven'. With the heavy concentration of Muslims and the change in
language his art became know as Koon-Tao 'Fist Way' or Chinese Kun-Tao. Trading ships between the Philippines and Indonesia are presumed to have
introduced Chinese Kun-Tao. The Muslims adopted it and made Kuntaw a
secretive art taught to the Maharlika and thus Kuntaw concentrated in
Mindanao and the southern Philippines, which is predominantly Muslim. The
Maharlika trained in it alongside Kali. Here another transformation occurred
and the fist was dropped almost entirely, emphasis was kept to open hand
striking, soft defensive techniques, kicking, and groundfighting making
Kuntaw a distinctly Filipino art. There are few if any written records of this time period in the Philippines left,
training and history is passed down through family trees, thus the secrecy. First written records came in 1521 when Magellan arrived at Cebu island. Magellan involved himself in tribal disputes, him and many of his men died
at the hands of Datu (Chief) Lapu-Lapu of Mactan island, who were trained
in the Kali/Kuntawan way. The Natives were armed only with bamboo
spears, blow-pipes, and fire hardened sticks (kampilan). They made a good
showing of their skills against Magellan and his men armed with muskets,
swords, and wearing battle armor. To this day Lapu-Lapu is regarded as the
first Hero of the Philippines. The Spaniards eventually returned and with superior weapons and tactics,
such as converting tribes to Christianity and using them to conquer
neighboring tribes, they started their 400 year reign, 1565-1889. The
Muslims were never quite defeated and kept their faith intact and their skills
secret. Soncuya, a Spanish historian of this time period mentions Filipino
schools called 'Bothoan' that taught Kali and Kuntaw from the 13th century to
the start of the Spanish occupation. During the Spanish occupation many laws were imposed under the Royal
Decree of King Philip II in 1583. All forms of martial arts were outlawed as
well as the carrying of bladed weapons. Spanish was being taught in
schools and Spanish surnames were directed to be used by all native
Filipinos. The arts as seen were named Arnis de Mano 'Harness of Hand',
Espada y Daga 'Sword and Dagger" and Escrima 'Fencing'. The outlawing of training brought another major change in the arts. The
Filipinos devised the Moro-Moro plays depicting the conquering and
Christianization of the native Filipinos. Using sticks and wooden swords they
were able to disguise training as play acting. Sticks were widely available
and were used in the rice fields or jungles to search out snakes. Sticks
replaced swords and the stick fighting arts became predominant and
evolved to the present forms. Through the Moro-Moro plays Kuntaws' present advanced forms were born,
such as Singkilan, Maya, Sagayan and the Sayawans' (dancing). With
stickfighting arts evolving the hand and foot fighting arts became separate
entities again. The Kuntawan way predominated, but other arts such as
Sikaran (foot fighting similar to Savate), Gumol/ Buno (native wrestling)
appeared and ironically both are next to completely extinct. The Spanish occupation came to an end when Admiral Dewey sailed into
Manila bay and sunk the Spanish fleet during the Spanish/American war in
1898. During this change the Filipinos revolted and were finally subdued in
1901 with the capture of their leader Aguinaldo. Thus started the American
occupation, but with the goal of giving independence once the government
and people were trained to sustain themselves. This set the stage for the coming of present day Kuntaw. In 1901 following
the ceasing of hostilities with America an adventurer from the Tausog tribe of
Mindanao - Yuyong Huenyo Lanyada came north to Luzon island to seek his
fortune. He settled in Ogbon, Nabua, Cam Sur, which is close to Naga city
and the Mayon volcano, in Albay province, Bicol region. This was an
exceptionally fertile area close to the Abaca river and lakes Buhi and Bato. He changed the spelling of his name to better conform to the local dialect to
- Yuyong Henyo Lanada. In 1905 Yong Iban Lanada was born and in 1936 the present day
GrandMaster - Carlito A. Lanada was born. The art of Kuntaw was passed
from father to son as tradition dictated. In 1942 World War II was in progress
and the Japanese occupied the Philippines. Yong Iban by then was well
known for his Kuntawan way and was nicknamed 'Pilato', after Ponce Pilot,
and became a commander in the Filipino guerilla fighters movement. Training his men in the Kuntawan way and trading sticks for bolos brought
out the deadly Kali side of Arnis. Carlito then 6-9 years of age was used as a
messenger carrying messages in coconuts to guerilla leaders. To this day
he still remembers those nightly runs and the effectiveness of his families
Kuntaw. The conclusion of the occupation and war in 1945, started the real training
for Carlito. His Lolo (Grandfather) Yuyong passed away in 1946 and his
father became his mentor in the Kuntawan way. Carlito traveled with him
when he went to local betting matches. Usually bets were in sacks of rice
and rules/types of weapons if any were formalized before each match, many
of which were death matches. He watched as his father won countless
matches and his fame continued. Thus came his drive for training and
knowledge in the martial way. Once of age he took the spirit of his Lolo and
journeyed north in 1957 to find his fortune. He settled in Olongapo city outside the U.S. Naval base, Subic Bay. By now
other arts were arriving, Karate styles from Okinawa and Japan, Moo Du
Kwon and Tae Kwan Do from Korea, and various Chinese Kung-Fu styles. To date his Kuntaw had been characterized by the use of the open hand and
feet in combination with holding and locking techniques, it was a complete
and effective guerrilla fighting style used in connection with Kali. Viewing,
studying, and applying the various techniques available he saw the use of
the fist and the formalizing of an art to proliferate it. With this in mind he
formed the Philippine Karate/Kung-fu (Kuntaw) Association in 1957. Being innovative and wanting an eclectic art he kept the soft catlike moves of
his forefathers legacy and incorporated the best techniques he could find
and developed hard style, thus comes the closing of the circle and the return
of the fist art. Kuntaw is a hard/soft style with 43 distinctive forms, 86 basics,
Arnis as its weapon, 7 lower belt levels, 5 black belt levels, 3 Master levels, 1
GrandMaster, and 1 Great-GrandMaster (retirement level). This hard/soft
combination gives rise to numerous avenues of response to any kind of
attack. Locks, throws, joint manipulations, sweeps, and punishing blows
used in conjunction or simultaneously with a myriad of blocks characterizes
Kuntaw today. To date his father had introduced the predecessor forms
H-form 1, 2, and 4 and Sayawan forms 1, 2, and 4. The advanced forms
Singkilan, Sampaguita, Mayon and Ibon-Limbas (Aguila) Eagle form were
kept for the higher levels and specifically for family. Carrying this further he
organized and perfected the forms X-A/B 1-5 (performed left then right side),
added H-form 3, 5 and Sayawan 3, 5 and Maya for the beginners to study
and perfect techniques. Advanced forms added were Kuntaw 1-3, Sagayan
1-3, Silangan, and Naga (Narra). Blows are directed to vital points, this art is called Sapol. Out of the 108
recognized points on the body. Kuntaw stresses 36 major points that can be
easily struck, grabbed or twisted for the greatest effect. These are further
defined into one of the following categories: Vital - cause grave damage or
death, Secondary - cause serious injury such as internal hemorrhaging,
breathing difficulties or break bones, and temporary - cause pain,
numbness, or loss of breath. Power is what will make your blows effective. Kuntaw recognizes two types
of power, external force and inner power (Kusog pang lo-ob), which is called
Chi for Chinese arts and Ki for Japanese arts. External force is that power developed from constant practice of technique
with the proper use of the hip (balakang) and body (katawan). This is the
bodies physical strength derived from weight training and dynamic tension. Proper use of weights is taught and dynamic tension, which is part of the
advanced forms. Inner power (Kusog pang lo-ob) is that power developed from practice of
forms (anyo), breathing techniques (langhap), and meditation
(pagnilay-nilay). The combination of these in conjunction with proper body
mechanics and technique lead to this amazing power. This is why it takes
many years to master and is taught at the advanced belt levels. Mastering
external force is a good lead-in to this art. Kuntaw Arnis (Kali) (formally Bugtungan), sometimes referred to as Kuntaw
Lima - Lima (Five - Five), is the weapon art taught to students brown belt and
above. Students are giving time to learn proper body mechanics first before
giving a kampilan (stick), this way they can concentrate on the kampilan,
which is an extension of the arm. There are 25 basics consisting of 5
strikes, 5 thrusts, 5 blocks, 5 disarms, and 5 locks, this the reference as
Kuntaw Lima - Lima. Five basic forms and two advanced forms are taught. Numerous techniques are derived giving rise to a myriad of responses with
any kind of kampilan. In 1966 GrandMaster Lanada was rewarded by his peers the title of
'Youngest Filipino Martial Art Founder', in 1968 his organization became a
founding member of the World Union of Karate-Do Organizations (WUKO),
and in 1970 he became one of the founding members of the Philippine
Karate Association. He changed the name of his organization to Maharlika
Kuntaw Association, honoring the Filipino Muslim royalties from which
Kuntaw came from. In 1974 he changed the name to Kuntaw ng Pilipinas
following his award for work in the Filipino martial arts by then President
Ferdinand Marcos, thus completing the formalization of Kuntaw as a
completely Filipino national art. With the closeness to the American base he trained many Americans and
other foreigners, as well as many Filipinos who migrated to other countries. These Kuntawistas went to such countries as America, Saudi Arabia, Japan,
England, United Arab Emirates, Canada, and many other countries to
establish schools of their own. Thus in 1979 he held the inauguration of the
International Kuntaw Federation (I.K.F.) thereby uniting all members of
Kuntaw worldwide. To date the Kuntaw Temple in Olongapo City is being cared for and run by
his eldest son Carlito A. Lanada, Jr., and GrandMaster Lanada has moved to
America with most of his family and bases the I.K.F. main headquarters in
California. Within a few years of coming to the U.S. he had garnered the
highest award by being a recipient of the Presidential Sports Award as a
Martial Arts GrandMaster in 1993. GrandMaster Lanada has completed his
book 'KUNTAW - The Ancient Filipino Martial Arts' in January of 1995 and has
commenced compilation of an advanced book on Kuntaw. In 1996 he was
inducted into the Martial Arts Museum of America and the International
Karate Hall of Fame. Kuntaw has come of age, from obscurity to international renown. In 1997 he
founded a new worldwide organization - World Unified Council of Martial
Arts, with 5 other GrandMasters. The future is bright, his students and students-students are performing well
and taking top places in any tournament they enter, either forms or sparring. Next step - to continue his life's dream as instilled in him from his father and
mentor Great-GrandMaster Yong Iban Lanada (deceased 1982) and to pass
on the legacy of Kuntaw to his kids, grand-kids, and all his devoted
Kuntawistas.
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Kuntaw Lima-Lima-Kuntaw lima-lima is a Filipino Martial art also known as “Kuntaw arnis”. “Kuntaw” is the generic name for hand and foot fighting techniques, and “lima” (of “five”) refers to the number of weapon form used by practitioners who have reached brown-belt level or above. “Lima-Lima” together means “complete”. The system is heavily influenced by Kuntaw and use the hands, feet, and elbows, as well as a dagger or stick. Techniques aim to parry, deflect, and redirect an attack. Students learn 25 basic moves- five strikes, five thrusts, five blocks, five disarms, and five locks and are encouraged to develop their physical strength through weight training, dynamic tension, and body mechanics. The art has a history of secrecy- being passed on from master to disciple- but is now often taught openly.