[Gregster]

I may be wrong, but:

1) Kali and Escrima stick training is not only great for learning how to use a blunt-force weapon, but the techniques are actually geared towards knife-fighting. By using sticks, rural practitioners miles from the nearest clinic with a guy who can suture knife wounds can train knife fighting hard without cutting each other a new asshole on a regular basis.

2) Escrima and/or Kali techniques are also designed to transition instantly to emtpy hand; the intent being to allow the fighter, if divested of his weapon in the middle of a melee, can continue the fight without skipping a beat.

I would love to learn Kali or Escrima; they look like great, no-bullshit arts. I first saw Kali in action in The Hunted and The Bourne Identity...yes, I'm aware Hollywood is not the best place to judge the merits of a **martial art; but I was fascinated by what I saw and *HAD* to know what it was. *REAL* Filipino arts seems to be straightforward, practical, and based around smooth transitioning and angling of attacks.

I used to live across town from a place called Trident Martial Arts Academy; the head instructor, Pat Tray, is an ex-SEAL and current CQB instructor for the Navy who appears to have forgotten more about kicking ass than most of us ever know-- Muay Thai, Machado BJJ, boxing, JKD, Pentjak Silat, Kali, Escrima, and so forth. Dude spars with the Dog Brothers, and is a certified bad-ass. I still hate myself for not finding a way to work in some training at his school.


**Lethal Weapon is, I believe, the movie that intro'd BJJ to movie-going audiences. I recall Mel Gibson likening it to "spiders fucking." Recall in the final fight he finishes Busey with a triangle choke.