If you’ve got the heart, they’ve got the art!

When asked about martial arts, a man once said, "It’s not just self-defense, it’s about self-control, body discipline and mind discipline and breathing techniques. It involves yoga. It involves meditation. It is an art, not a sport." No, it was neither Bruce Lee nor Mr. Miyagi who mouthed such words. It was actually the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley. Was Elvis a martial artist? I don’t know. Am I? Not by a long shot, but I’m getting there.

Learning martial arts has become a passion for me that is both intense and practical. Being a single woman in the 21st century can be a dangerous thing. Not only do we have to deal with the problems that arise from family, career, fashion faux pas, and men, we also have to worry about our safety these days as well. In an age when women can come and go as we please, we put ourselves in danger every time we drive home alone or walk through a dark parking lot. It’s no laughing matter and all women should seriously look into self-defense to help them stay safe.

I believe the best answer to the safety problem is martial arts. Even better than relying on weapons that might accidentally conk out or run out is learning how to defend yourself with your own body. It’s more practical, more reliable, and not only will you invest in your safety but you’ll give your body a great workout too! This, along with my genuine interest, brings me to my (as of now) three-and-a-half-month foray into the pain-filled but extremely fulfilling world of mixed martial arts.

It’s almost anti-climactic that I get into this now. I took karate for a bit (meaning a month) as a child (a shameless product of the Karate Kid genre) but it never really became my passion and while I was more or less adept at it, the learning process (i.e. form and kata) took so long I didn’t really learn practical daily techniques. This time, I wanted something that could teach me traditional martial arts while at the same time arming me with practical information on how to defend myself in everyday situations.

I asked around as to what would be suitable for me, something practical but with a basis in traditional martial arts. In addition, I wanted to undergo weapon training as well. My brief venture into karate introduced me to the sai (three-pronged Chinese swords) which I chose because I liked Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (another shameless confession). I wanted to further study these but was at a loss on where to go until my good friend’s older brother said he had a friend who could teach.

That’s how I found myself at Olympian Taekwondo Training Center (OTTC) a couple of months ago. OTTC was the perfect place to train for while it specializes in Taekwondo (it’s owned and run by Taekwondo medalists Monsour del Rosario and Stephen Fernandez) every Monday and Wednesday evening is basically open to free rein training. Exceptional martial artists came and shared what they knew and trained with both beginners and advanced students. The amount of talent that gathers here is amazing and it’s a proverbial mine of information. That’s where I began my training and learned the basics of kickboxing.

Then, a couple of weeks into training, the one and only martial arts legend, Master Christopher Ricketts (Topher to his friends), passed by to visit his old students. During his unexpected visit there he must have noticed a genuine interest in the few pupils training that night and went around offering his much-coveted advice on certain moves we were practicing and trying to perfect. The session following he came again and, as my luck would have it, began offering training with his much-respected martial arts group, Bakbakan International.

Bakbakan International is a brotherhood of martial artists from different disciplines of martial arts. It is not representative of any single style. It’s a driving force in keeping practical and proven martial arts at the forefront of learning through selective membership steering clear of "paper" martial arts and focusing, instead, on justifiable self-defense. The ideas and knowledge exchanged between this diverse group create an enthusiastic foundation for the propagation of warrior arts in the Philippines and now around the world as well. Unfaltering in its dedication, Bakbakan maintains its reputation for being an association of dedicated and skilled martial artists, affiliation with them is not just involvement, it’s commitment.

You can imagine my honor at being given the chance to train with such excellent men and women. Recognized as the founder and chief instructor of Bakbakan, Master Topher is known both here and abroad as an experienced tournament and street fighter. He – with his teachers and peers such as his brother, action star Ronnie Ricketts, Tony Diego, Edgar Sulite, Rey Galang, and Alex Co – put together the best of the best in terms of combat arts combing their own versions of Sagasa Kickboxing, Kalis Ilustrisimo, Tulisan Knife-fighting, Sinawali double weapon fighting systems, Hagibis grappling, unarmed combat as derived from Karate, and Ngo Chu Kun Kung-fu. The result – a well-rounded fighter with a little bit of knowledge in everything. Their vast roster of diverse members includes action stars Ricketts and Mon del Rosario, journalist Mon Tulfo, Master Topher’s fast-progressing 14-year-old son Bruce "Lee" Ricketts, and Congressman Miguel Zubiri, among others.

Does it sound like it’s just for men? This misconception couldn’t be farther from the truth. From the moment I was lucky enough to join this esteemed group I’ve felt nothing but welcome. Bakbakan has done wonders in training women including specialized ground-fighting techniques for possible rape scenarios. These days, the ratio of women to men in the gym is pretty equal and I train alongside fellow female students.

So in the past three months what has Master Topher made of me (other than help increase my pain tolerance)? Well, I have to admit he’s become more than just a teacher, he’s become a mentor, an older brother, and a father-figure as well and has guided me on this journey of learning. Indeed, I’m honored to say Master Topher has become my good friend. He not only focuses on my progress as a martial artist, he focuses on molding my mind as well. Dedication and attention to individual pupil’s progress is a serious trademark of Bakbakan and students take the learning just as seriously.

"Bakbakan has in a way liberated me," Philip Yeung says. "Through it I’ve learned not to be restricted to just one style of martial art. Like Bruce Lee said ‘no art is the best art’."

Monsour adds, "Martial arts is a way of life. Through its movements you learn to express yourself thereby gaining self-knowledge. It ultimately becomes a way to preserve life rather than destroy life."

"It’s learning basic survival skills and building one’s mental and physical strength," Henry Atilano concludes.

Bakbakan training is serious business. Ego has no place in this group and there is no painful distinction between beginners and advanced students. The class isn’t just a group of pupils, it’s a group of friends as well. In fact, nothing is more fun than kicking back Chinese or Japanese food with everyone after an evening of intense training (Haf Chang and Isshin already know us by name).

In conclusion, what has Bakbakan taught me? It has not only increased my skills in combat arts but increased my patience, tolerance, discipline, and self-awareness as well (and all this in just three months!). As the Bakbakan saying goes, "If you’ve got the heart, we’ve got the art" and underneath my sweat and black and blue bruises, I know I’ve got the heart.

Bakbakan International trains every Monday and Wednesday at Olympian Taekwondo Training Center along Pasong Tamo Extension.

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E-mail the author at aquamarine_tranquility@ yahoo.com