True Art of Kali

     Suppressed for three centuries by Spanish Colonizers of the Philippines, it is only in the last half of the twentieth century that Kali masters have begun to teach their secret to the public.
     There are currently three types of Kali. One is an exhibition style which has largely non-functional movements. A second type is called sports kali but it has limitations which prevent a champion from being a true street fighter. Combat kali is the type taught by us and it allows its practitioners to defend themselves.
     An advantage of Kali is the seamless integration of its techniques. From using a dagger to a forty-inch pole to bare hands, the Kali practitioner employs the same movements with only minor modifications. In other martial arts, the techniques vary so widely from weapon to weapon, and from weapon to bare hands that one gets the impression of an arbitrary collection of several styles under one system. In contrast, the Kali practitioner can pick up any weapon at hand and use it effectively even though it may be the first time he has handled the weapon, because of the tight coupling of his techniques. But Kali is more than fighting. It is the education in motion.
     Kali improves your appearance, health and energy. It gives you self-confidence and a feeling of greater security. It releases your body, emotions and tensions and relieves you from stress. This is the art of warriors and kings of the ancient Philippines and you will hone your character on the warrior virtues of honesty, justice, and paradoxically peace. For the aim of the warrior-Kali practitioner is not to fight, but to keep the peace.
     Not frequently shown, Kali;s techniques are short, direct and economical. Many families still keep their combat styles secret. But some closed family maestros have begun to teach outsiders. Among them was Gran Maestro Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo. Tatang was perhaps the most respected Kali Gran Maestro in the world. Our school teaches Authentic Kali Ilustrisimo. A legend in his lifetime, he taught Kali Ilustrisimo, a style that has the slow and the fast, the hard and the soft, The frame of Kali Ilustrisimo is such that many Kali teachers now claim to teach the style. But the Kali Ilustrisimo techniques flow from a core of basic principles without which the movements are empty shells.
     You can literally count on your fingers the number of intimate discioples to whom Tatang has passed on those principles. The teacher of our school is one of those intimate disciples. The Ilustrisimo Style he teachs is thus in the direct line of the Gran Maestro.
     Kali Ilustrisimo is the most effective style of "real" Kali in contrast to theatrical or gymnastic Kali. Gran Maestro Antiono "Tatang" Ilutrisimo is conceded by Kali practioners to have been the premier grandmaster of Kali and is a true legend. When he was eighty-six years old, Gran Maestro Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo routed three armed men using only a Kali baton twenty-four inches in length.
     Besides Self confidence and being able to bring peace into your own life and those around you, you will also experience Discipline through development of endurance and flexibility.