The stunning footwork of today's greatest fighters, including Muhammad
Ali and Mike Tyson, may have been the product of Filipino fighting
principles honed on the island of Hawaii.
By Lilia I. Howe
Over the years, there have been many valiant attempts to link Asian
fighting arts to modem spoils and/or forms of combat. Most of these
can be charitably described as "reaches" or pure speculation. However,
in one case, there is strong historical evidence that a Southeast
Asian fighting system may have had a profound effect on Western boxing
specifically the Filipino martial arts, known variously as kali
escrima and arnis.
Background
Despite the aura of mysticism an "ancient" lineage gives a fighting
art, Western boxing predates most Asian martial arts. Pugilism was
practiced in a refined art form in ancient Greece several hundred
years before the birth of Christ, whereas most classical Asian systems
evolved after the birth of Christ. Many arts, such as karate, are
products of the 20th century.
Although there has been some speculation that the Greek arts were the
origins of refined Asian combative principles, the stronger evidence
suggests that India was their place of origin. Spreading northward
into China across the Himalayas, the Indian miartial arts evolved into
what we now know as chuan fa (fist way). At the same time, sailors,
merchants, and traders carried their knowledge of fighting arts south,
throughout the Mahajapayit empire, a vast chain of islands consisting
of modern-day Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, and the Philippines.
Western pugilism evolved in a similar fashion. The Greek culture had a
profound influence on the Romans, who conquered the known world.
Hand-to-hand fighting was regularly practiced by soldiers and
gladiators, who required a knowledge of how to stay in combat when
disarmed. This evolved into the sport of boxing.
East Meets West
By the beginning of the 20th century, Western boxing was both a sport
and an art form. Fighters would generally chamber their hands in a
straight-up position; fists pointed upward covering the face, elbows
tucked into the body, the fighter would drive his blows in an
"uppercut" into the body of his opponent Old pictures of such greats
as John L. Sullivan depict this fighting stance.
Fights consisted mainly of "exchanging blows." One fighter would
strike the other, then the other would hit back, and this process
would go until one fighter lost consciousness or was too hurt to
continue.
As anyone who has ever seen even an amateur boxing match knows, the
boxing of today is radically different. Boxers generally employ a
45-degree angle positioning of the hands, and jabs and crosses are
driven to the target. Sophisticated footwork patterns often save the
day, and, rather than exchange blows, a defensive strategy of drawing
and countering and blocking and countering is used.
"Gentlemen" Jim Corbett is generally regarded as the first scientific
boxer. Not a powerful puncher, he defeated Sullivan using footwork,
evasions and timing. Corbett's successes caused boxers to approach
their art with a new respect for strategy over power. This created
fertile soil for the most significant event in the history of Western
pugilism.
Boxing changed drastically in a cultural exchange during the early
1900s in one of the greatest ethnic melting pots in history -- Hawaii
-- a relatively lawless territory. Fights frequently occurred, and
one's survival often depended on one's toughness. Asian immigrants
passed on their knowledge of martial arts to their sons, hoping it
would ensure their survival.
Since fighting skills were so highly valued, Hawaii produced many fine
fighters. One such fighter was Lucky Lucaylucay, amateur boxing
champion of Kaui and Honolulu, son of Buenaventura Lucaylucay, a
Filipino immigrant who had become the professional boxing champion of
Kaui and Honolulu.
Lucky Lucaylucay saw the melding of Filipino martial arts and Western
boxing firsthand. "I remember, there were two types of boxers in
Hawaii in the `20s," he recounts. `There were the Americans, who held
their fists at an angle, used footwork, bobbing and weaving, and used
continuous motion in their techniques instead of just `trading hits.'
"The English style of boxing would almost always lose to the Filipino
style. It was just vastly more sophisticated."
Lucky maintains that the Filipino style of boxing is a direct
derivative of Filipino pananh-kan (pugilism). "Filipino arts start
training with weapons because it's more likely you'd be attacked with
weapons. The empty-hand motions come from weapons moves. In the case
of boxing, the hand moves come from the moves of the dagger.
"In the Philippines, the preferred method for knife fighting is with
the blade pointed downward. If your practice is based only on empty
bands, you can take punches, so your strategy is sometimes based on
taking a punch. On the other hand, if your practice is based on knife
fighting, you have to become much more sophisticated with your
footwork, evasions and delivery because one wrong move could mean
death.
"Filipino boxing is exactly like knife fighting, except instead of
cutting with a blade, we strike with a closed fist. There have to be
some modifications. For example, you need more power in striking with
the fist, so we stand close and use a whip like motion to deliver
power."
As the saying goes, "You can't argue with success." Thus, as
servicemen and visiting boxers experienced the Filipino boxing
strategy, they were quick to adopt the techniques. What once was a
static "toughest guy" contest, soon incorporated such concepts as
combinations, follow-ups, angling and flowing _concepts familiar to
any practitioner of Filipino martial arts.
"If you look at the old English way of boxing, there was no blocking,"
says Lucky. "There's no control. I used to watch my dad and Kid Moro
(a Filipino boxing champion) fight, and their control was so superb
they used to spar without gloves, use full-power blows, and they could
stop a fraction of an inch before a blow made contact. There was never
an injury."
The JKD Connection
Lucky's son, Ted Lucaylucay, is well-known in martial arts circles as
one of the most knowledgeable exponents of not only Filipino martial
arts, but Bruce Lee's fighting concept of Jeet Kune Do. Ted points out
that many of Lee's theories on boxing were later found to apply to
Filipino martial arts.
"In Filipino martial arts, there is no rigidity," according to Ted.
`The individual adapts. The techniques are Just the ladders that take
you upward in your training. You develop your own style after a while.
This is why the Filipino arts lent themselves to boxing so well. They
already existed as a process of adapting, so a Filipino martial artist
could just shift his training to the requirements of boxing.
"I have had the opportunity to experience many different martial arts,
and my Filipino background helped me with boxing, silat, muay Thai
,JKD, and so on. I could see the angles of attack, body positioning,
and balance."
Float Like an Ali-bangbang, Sting Like a Bubuyug?
The Philippines have produced many famous boxers, such as Kid Moro and
Pancho Villa, but without question, the greatest fighter ever to come
out of the islands was the late "Flash" Ellorde, former world
lightweight champion. Ellorde was the first to use the "dancing" style
of footwork later made famous by Muhammad Ali.
"I can't say for certain whether Flash taught Muhammad his footwork,"
says Ellorde's sister, Jacinta Perez. "I know they were close and when
Muhammad came to the Philippines he stayed with my brother. What I do
know is that that particular style of footwork is from escrima, and it
originated with Flash.
So he either taught it to Muhammad, or Muhammad picked it up after
others started imitating Flash's style."
Ellorde came from an impoverished childhood in the Visayan Islands
region of the Philippines. His schooling was neglected, so he had to
start school later in life. Because he was older than the other
children. they made fun of him, and he soon dropped out of school.
"Flash was very self-conscious about his illiteracy," according to
Jacinta. `lie knew that he had absolutely no chance m this world
unless he made it as a boxer. So from a very early age, he was
determined to make is as a boxer.
"He practiced night and day, and became very good. However, our father
had been the escrima champion of Cebu, and he refused to teach Flash.
In the Phillippines, fathers usually didn't pass the art on to their
sons.
"One day I said to Flash. `If you want to learn from dad, give him a
couple of glasses of wine and get him happy. Then tease him; push him
around a little. You'll learn what he knows.
"So Flash would sit and talk with our father and serve him wine then
he'd start teasing him. Our father would get up and defend himself and
come at Flash using his escrima, and Flash noticed his intricate
footwork, the way he'd angle his body' how he'd seem to just float
gently, then explode with power.
`This was the style Flash used in the ring. Quite often, other
fighters couldn't lay a glove on him. Of course, all of the great
fighters came to watch each other fight, and pretty soon others were
using Flash's footwork. But no one was better at it than Muhammad
Ali."
Therefore, East truly did meet West in one of the most unlikely
places, the boxing ring. It just might be that even today, when
Holyfleld lays a challenger flat, whether or not he knows it, most of
his technical skill originated in the rice fields of the Philippines.
Lilia I. Howe is a frequent contributor to Inside Kung_Fu and Inside
Karate Magazines.
NOTE: This was originally published in Inside Karate. Posted 3/24/13 as of 12/1/99 to mirror my old archives, however, I didn't have the exact date I posted. I noted on the archives that I posted this article sometime after 11/24/99 and before 12/11/99 so I will use 12/1/99 as the date.
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