The fighting arts of the Philippines are so vast and dynamic that few are able to grasp the true scope and essence of their training methods, techniques and fighting strategies. With this in mind, Mark Wiley, a renowned expert on Filipino martial arts, set out to write a book on the Filipino systems that would offer a structured comparison of 25 Filipino systems in terms of their training methods and progressions, fighting concepts, theories and strategies. In researching this book, Mark traveled to the Philippines a dozen times to meet and train with the masters and to uncover the secrets of these deadly arts. Profusely illustrated with over 500 photographs, this book reveals the incredible diversity of the martial arts which thrive today in the Philippines. Many of the photographs and much of the information in this book have never before been presented to the world at large.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Great Comparative Book:
This book gives an excellent insight into the various forms of Filipino Fighting Arts. It examines 27 different styles, giving a brief description of the history of the style, training progressions, training methods, fighting strategies and free sparring. The only downfall of the book is that due to the wide range of styles discussed, it does not go into depth on any of the styles. However, once you obtain this background, you can then select books that are more in depth on a particular style. I enjoyed see... more info
Good book, but not everyone is in it:
This is a very good book about kali and Filipino martial arts. I wish that there would have been chapters on Villebrille, John LaCosta, and Tuhon Leo Gaje, three of the main Filipino M.A. greats. Maybe in the next edition.
filipino fighting arts:
the book is very informative on filipino martial arts.some of the photos were hard to follow?? anyone who is interested in studing filipino martial arts will enjoy this book and the many different styles to choose from!!
A New and Different FMA book by Wiley...:
In the introduction of his third book, Author Mark Wiley states that his purpose is not to rehash materials already presented in his previous two books ("Filipino Martial Arts: Cbalas Cerrada Escrima" (1994), and Filipino Martial Culture" (1996)). Unlike his volume "Filipino Martial Culture", the focus of this writing is on 27 different specific Filipino arts, rather than the history of the masters or organizations which propagate them.
Wiley admits his work is not exhaustive, but it is (as I write) the... more info
