Who
is Remy Presas?
By Paul O'Grady, M.S 
Grandmaster
Remy Presas is widely regarded as one of the foremost living
experts in Filipino martialarts. Modern Arnis, the system
he developed, is the largest Filipino martial arts in the world,
boasting students
from all points of the globe.
Grandmaster
Presas, or "The Professor" as he prefers to be called,
spent much of his youth in the mountains of the Philippines,
hiding from the invading Japanese army. His father was Lieutenant
Jose Presas,
a US army officer whose duty was to train the troops in the ancient
bladed arts of his native land.
The
Professor began training in martial arts at the tender age of
five. Filipino
tradition dictates that it is the duty of the grandfather to
pass on the family arts to his grandchildren. Everyday for
four years,
Remy's grandfather, Leon Presas, would teach him the intricacies
of Ochoo, the figure eight style and Palis Palis, the arts of
the pass. Remy learned quickly, moving and striking like a
natural.
During
his adolescence he devoured any and all styles of Arnis and kali. At
the age of twelve, he stowed away to Cebu to further pursue his
martial arts training. While there he stayed with his uncle Fredo,
who introduced
him the Balintawak style. There were two schools teaching this
style in the area. Remy began to learn the art under one of the
top ranked
practitioners, Timor Maranga.
Immediately
after participating in his first full contact tournament, Remy developed
a reputation as a devastating fighter. He more often than not would
finish matches by knocking his opponent out. After two years he caught
the eye of Anciong Bacon, the Grandmaster of Balintawak. Bacon asked
Presas to become one of his personal students.
The
Balintawak School and the rival Doce Pares held sway over all
the escrima clubs in the area. challenges were issued and regularly
met
by both sides. The skills of the fighters on both sides were
tested frequently in street brawls and in back alleys. Although
this training
helped Remy hone his stick skills to a razor's edge, he found
the senseless violence disturbing. "I began to change my concept," he
recalls, "I was doing fighting all the time, for real, not
sport. My reputation was that all the time if they spar with
me, there will
be blood. Soon no one will practice with me. I have a bad reputation.
So I thought to myself I should change my way."
With
the blessing of Grandmaster Bacon, Presas left Cebu to design
his own system of fighting that would emphasize self-defense.
His goal
was to turn the barbarism of the street brawls he had lived into
civilized contests for sport. "If you are the best, is can
be judged only through your work," he stated. "You
can not be the best if you only have a few students. I want to
spread
out the art."
At
that time Filipino martial arts needed spreading. The arts were
dying in their homeland for a variety of reasons. The influx
of foreign
arts like Karate or Kung Fu offered an exotic appeal and took
less physical toll. In traditional Filipino martial arts, the
cane was
considered sacred. Learning the art meant suffering repeated
strikes from the devastating rattan sticks. Presas revolutionized
the way
the arts were taught by using the cane as a target. His new style
of teaching and his new system, "Modern Arnis" helped
to preserve the traditions of the Filipino martial arts.
The
Professor began to teach his new arts at West Negros College. His
popularity grew until he became the first official ambassador of
goodwill for the Philippines' Department of Tourism. He spent nine
years traveling around the globe promoting his country's sport and
culture. He was eventually forced to flee the country because of
governmental pressure.
He
landed on the shores of America and stayed in the California home
of one of his former students, actor Dean Stockwell. He wasted little
time developing a plan to spread his art in the States as he had
in the Philippines. The seminar format, that has become a standard
way of teaching martial arts today, is the brainchild of Presas'
plan. He had always traveled from island to island in his homeland.
He simply continued sharing and learning while moving from state
to state.
Although
currently in his sixties, the Professor continues to travel and teach
with the same zeal he had in the early days. His warmth and personality
have made him one of the most beloved figures in martial arts today.
Black belt Magazine has twice elected him to their exclusive Hall
of Fame. Presas is the author of several definitive books on the
subject of Arnis and a fixture on the seminar circuit. His open and
easygoing teaching method embraces the skills of martial artists
from all styles. He is truly a unique individual and an asset to
all martial artists.
Paul
O'Grady, M.S.
