Marharlika Kuntaw Seminar

Saturday, December 5th, Brian “Buzz” Smith taught Marharlika Kuntaw (Way of the Royal Fist or Filipino Art of The fist) at the Innovative Martial Arts dojo. It was eight hours of great concept-based teaching. Buzz has a real knack for showing a technique and then describing the concept behind it and how you can expand that concept. It’s not about learning more techniques, but it’s about learning a concept that opens up more techniques just by nature of doing it.

We also learned some staff work, applying the same approach. Always attack in a way that doesn’t help power your opponents staff into your skull. Sound advice! As I’ve always discovered, the concepts are actually so simple that they tend to get overlooked. “It’s so easy!” was a common phrase at the seminar.

We all got to share an incredibly intimate moment as Buzz proposed to his long-lost, recently found (well, 2 years recent 😉 ) high-school love, Deb. What a great testament to the family of martial artists that have sprung up in Grand Rapids. Thanks for being our hub Sensei Pippin.