This weekend I had the privilege to participate in a martial arts seminar focused on Pekiti-Tirsia Kali, a fighting style specific to Filipino Martial Arts. Founded in 1897 by the Tortal family. The sole heir and guardian of this martial arts system is the 77 year old Leopold Tortal Gaje, Jr., who is referred to as the Grand Tuhon. Grand Tuhon Gaje, or "GT", as he was sometimes called, personally led the 2 day seminar, which was hosted at New Wave Martial Arts in Perry Hall Maryland by well known instructors and Pekiti-Tirsia practitioners, Bobby & Apolo Ladra.

Pekiti-Tirsia is strictly a combat-oriented fighting system, as opposed to sport-focused, style of Filipino Martial Arts such as Arnis. Pekiti-Tirsia focuses on the knife and machete/sword techniques, with these practiced movements translating into a ferocious empty hand system consisting of striking with the open hand, elbows and knees, as well as locking and throwing. As per standard practice with most styles of Filipino Martial Arts, the goal is limb destruction of your opponent, deconstructing their offensive and defensive capabilities and ending the fight. Unlike most styles, Pekiti-Tirsia features techniques meant to maim and kill from the start of a confrontation. Every movement is fast, tightly wound to avoid telegraphing, with focused strikes designed to be chained together to produce a large amount of damage in the shortest possible timeframe.

Having practiced several styles and systems of martial arts over the last 2 years, I found this training experience to be a bit different from the type of training environment that I'm used to. Pekiti-Tirsia Kali had not only been adopted as the primary combat training by elite Philippine military and law enforcement units, as well as similar law enforcement and peacekeeping organizations all over the world. Several of the 20-or-so participants were active duty military or law enforcement. As a result, the training was fairly regimented, with participants drilling single techniques in unison for 10-20 minutes before moving on to the next stance or strike.

Development of the "killer instinct" was reinforced as goal several times during the 2 days of training. Certainty that the moment you pull a blade or put your hands up in defense, your goal is to kill your opponent. While combat oriented training is not an unfamiliar aspect in my current training regiment, the utter destruction of your opponent is still presented as a matter of self defense. In this harsh world, it's kill or be killed. This was the first lesson we were taught by Grand Tuhon Gaje. A hard idea to grasp if you're into cardio kickboxing, and are looking to segue into true martial combat arts. While I highly recommend that people give beginner classes in Pekiti-Tirsia Kali or any fighting systems within FMA a try, I feel that seminar are not for casual practitioners. A rudimentary knowledge of the core movements and techniques found in the Filipino Martial Arts is a must, as well as an interest in the true combat applications of one's chosen art. Meeting these requirements, I can attest that my brief experiences in training with Grand Tuhon Gaje both intrigued and inspired me to continue in my studies of combat oriented martial arts. A very positive and rewarding experience, overall. I'll likely look to continue cross-training in Pekiti-Tirsia with The Ladra brothers at New Wave, when time and finances permit.

Thanks, Erique.