I first met Jon Escudero, a master of Lightning Scientific Arnis, during a martial art training camp in Slovenia, back in 2010. He immediately struck me as a very nice, down to earth person, very easy and agreeable to talk to. However, what made him really gain major respect in my eyes was the way he moves and teaches his style, and especially seeing his students perform. In this case, Jon's students are a true testimony to his teaching skill. Therefore, I though a little bit of interrogation was in order...
OK, let’s start with
some brief introduction, i.e. cliché stuff – how did you get involved with
martial arts; and then how/why did you end up doing FMA?
The 70s and the 80s
were a great era for martial arts in cinema. Every cliché was pretty much
explored. Everything from Shaolin monks, to ninja and samurai found its
way to the big screen. So I think I just about watched every movie there
was with my father. As a kid growing up, these movies as well
as comics and books on fantastic and mythical battles sparked my interest
in the martial arts. There that many schools accessible or reputable
around that time so I just took what lessons I could in school as well as
fooling around with friends and classmates. I'll skip to college where
training took a turn for the serious. I was involved in establishing the
university Wushu club where I was active for several years until the day I saw
the university arnis club perform a demonstration. It changed my life.
This was this university club founded by Maestro Elmer Ybanez practicing
the LESKAS system, a Lightning Scientific Arnis group. It was the speed and
power that impressed me. I've seen many styles in the parks and
competitions in malls by then but, this style spoke to me.
Who were your FMA
instructors, and what was the training like?
The martial arts community in the University
was very small so it was just a matter of time until I joined them. In
the university club I trained with different people, but one of those who introduced
me to the training floor was Felipe Jocano, Jr. He was actually my
professor in one of my classes in the university. We struck up a
friendship and started training with him and the other guys in the university
club. It was Master Elmers club, but at that time he'd already moved to
the US, so I mostly trained with his seniors. People in the FMA will
know them as the younger generation of LSAI masters.
The group training was
very eclectic. Arnis was at its core, but we'd mix it up with a lot of
stuff. You see, apparently we all came from previous martial arts
backgrounds. I had my Kung fu, while others came from Karate, judo,
boxing, wrestling, jujitsu and Muay Thai and other athletic backgrounds.
What brought us together was the stick fighting.
A lot of time was
spent at the tire dummy working out various different speed combinations, power
combinations with different weapon combinations and other stuff. Of
course the partner training was interesting because the atmosphere was
different. Training was like a jamming session. You brought what
you knew to the table. We worked our core skills but whenever we thought
we were on to a good idea, we tried it out. We broke a lot of sticks and
gear this way. The group also cross-trained in other activities. We
ran together, got involved in wrestling, boxing , power-lifting. We
didn't concern ourselves with collecting techniques, what occupied our time was
training what we knew and making it work. This meant a lot of sparring time and
being on the receiving end of many hard knocks.
Eventually, the whole
group migrated to the Grandmaster. It was our transition into the GM's
methodology. He exposed us to a lot more
material. He basically threw everything
he had at us. We were also some of the lucky ones he took on demonstrations
abroad. It was the experience of a lifetime.
The learning experience under him was more than just what you could
learn in class. Many times eureka
moments would come from the conversations with him. Of course watching him teach was one of the
best ways to learn, and provided us insights into the development of Lightning.
During one of our
conversations in Slovenia, as a response to my comment on some interesting and
modern training methods you were employing, you mentioned “giving something in
return to the art”. What does it mean, how do you pay your dues, and why would
you want to do it?
There are some events
in life that can be called life-changing. Arnis is one of those things
for me. Martial arts is my passion. It is something I cannot see myself
doing without. Arnis has heightened that passion. It has brought me
many experiences and things that I'm very thankful for. I've met the most
interesting people, travelled to amazing places and done some pretty cool
stuff, so what's there to not be thankful for. Arnis changed my life.
So I think that's why I teach. To be able to share the knowledge,
understanding and joy of the art. I wouldn't be where I am if not for my
teachers. LSAI Grandmaster, Benjamin Luna Lema, and his legacy serve as
my motivation. So I give back to the art by teaching his system, keeping
his story and history alive in my students. Wherever I teach I tell them
about my roots. Whenever I teach someone, I tell them that they're
connected to a lineage and legacy and not to just a bunch of techniques.
If I understood
correctly, you have a two-prong approach to teaching LSA – traditional and
modern/tactical. Could you elaborate on the reasons for this division, common
traits and differences? Also, where does the sportive practice of FMA fit in?
That is correct.
It mostly has to do with training mindset. In a classical
curriculum, it is assumed that the student agrees to train in a planned
progression of ranks or levels advancing through different technique sets and
drills to develop the fighting attributes that the style or system deem
appropriate with the fighting philosophy of the style. It also speaks
about the readiness of the student in terms of physical and mental terms to
progress to more sophisticated techniques and applications. This is the long
term plan.
The tactical class is
a concentrated class, something like a high-intensity immersion in techniques
with simple mechanics. In this class we work with the tactical baton,
folder and Dulo-Dulo. We also work hand to hand as well as empty hand
against weapons. The class focuses on short quick techniques that can be
learned fast, built on the gross motor sets to bring quick results.
Nothing too fancy, twirly or sophisticated in terms of motor
coordination. Mostly it's the use of repeating strikes at different
angles with substitutions such as punches or kicks or other attacks of
opportunity.
The funny thing is, in
the end, there are no shortcuts. We somehow meet up in the middle.
Students in the classical class are curious about the dynamic mix on
non-standard techniques in the tactical class, and the tactical class sees the
value of learning the foundation of the techniques and how it improves their
applications and execution.
When it comes to the
training methodology, what segments/fields of the contemporary sport training
do you find relevant to training/learning FMA, or weapon-based martial arts in
general?
I go back to the core
attributes - speed, strength and stamina. Do sports that compliment your
training. It doesn't even have to be a martial art. Training hard
at martial arts can lead to some form of burnout, so sports or games with
similar movements can be a welcome break, or even refresh you. Badminton
is one of those sports great for developing agility and smashing power. Table
tennis is also great for fine motor development. Sprinting is wonderful for
developing linear speed, track plyometrics also develops multidirectional
bursts and movement. Doing these drills with variable amounts of resistance and
over different durations might well redefine your game.
In mentioning your
name with other LSA practitioners (like Bob Park or Shaun Porter for example),
they frequently respond with phrases like “excellent methodology”, “good
curriculum”, “nice teaching system” and similar. So, what is your take on
forming a sound FMA curriculum – what does it consist of; what are the
principles and logic behind making it as such?
LSA in general
embodies an impressive body of knowledge. What changed for me though is
that I stopped teaching people to memorize stuff. Instead, I broke things
down into redefining why we move the way we do in LSA and show how it does not
work against our natural instinctive reactions. By doing this we are
establishing a fighting philosophy or in simpler terms, determining our goal
and defining our task (which in this case is ending a fight in the swiftest,
most efficient and safest manner available). Understanding this helps us
frame how we learn technique, as well as answer the question of WHY we do
stuff.
You have to ask
yourself, are you creating fighters or dancers? What I learned was, you
become by doing. So my classes have more and more involved sparring and
this is supplemented by the classical material.
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| Logo of Jon's school |
You have taught in
both the Philippines and abroad. Are there any significant differences between
the approach to training among the people back home and in western world?
That is an excellent
question. It is also one of the most interesting experiences I've had. I've
learned teaching abroad. It is easy to take for granted cultural
differences and miscommunication can happen a lot of times. And it's easy
to base your expectations on what you are accustomed to as well as on
assumptions based on culture. So all in all it's been a very eye opening
experience.
The most significant
experience, I think, is that you have to represent more than just your style.
In the Philippines it's easy to be very focused and specific to your
style because representatives of other systems come in handy readily since you
are all in the same country. Outside, they often do not have this
background information, so a lot of effort must be put in to educating them on
the differences and similarities, histories, personalities. Terminologies
and language can be challenging to teach and explain. To me, it's not
just about teaching the fighting aspects, but it's also an education in what's
Filipino.
What makes a good
instructor?
For me it's about
balancing the needs of the student with the needs of the style. Students
come for many different reasons. Health, fitness, love of martial arts,
self defense, or national pride. An instructor should know what
experience he's offering and stick to it, put the effort, put his heart into
it. A good teacher doesn't teach halfway.
What makes a good
student?
Hard work impresses
me. Diligence and perseverance impresses me, sometimes stubbornness as
well. Initiative is a good trait to have, definitely. Being a good
athlete is an advantage or having the talent for it, but for me, it's only a
plus that they should use wisely. I’ve seen talented people be overtaken
by diligent and hardworking students.
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| Jon and his wife/partner Neta |
Where do you see the
place and practice of FMA in ten years? Where would you LIKE to see it?
I definitely want to
see more FMA in the mainstream. I don't think there's anything wrong with
hoping FMA becomes a household word like karate or kung fu. It deserves it's
place in the sun. I'm glad that it has been formally recognized as the
Philippine national sport. Maybe now the traditions, efforts and contributions
of the Grandmasters will get some recognition.
Any closing words?
In closing, I dunno…
I can keep going on and on and on. But to wrap things up nicely, to
me the martial arts is a path, and this road is only as long as you can walk
it. I'll do what I can to promote the FMA, and for as long as there is a
student out there, I'll teach.
