Lately, I’ve been labeled a “traditionalist,” as if that means I want to freeze Modern Arnis in time and stop it from moving forward. Let’s be clear right from the start: that accusation couldn’t be more wrong. What is happening, though, is a growing trend of people trying to “patch” Modern Arnis by importing material from other systems – Balintawak groupings, PTK Sabayan, or whatever happens to be fashionable at the moment.

And that raises a serious question: why?

Modern Arnis already has everything it needs. The problem isn’t the art. The problem is incomplete training and a lack of understanding of its fundamentals. When someone feels the need to constantly bolt on techniques from elsewhere, it usually means they never fully learned what was already there.

Now, let me be clear – I believe in innovation. I believe in growth. And yes, I absolutely draw inspiration from other martial arts. Professor Remy Presas did the same thing throughout his life. The difference is this: he didn’t copy systems. He synthesized ideas through his own fundamentals, his own structure, and his own martial logic. That synthesis is what made Modern Arnis what it is.

That is the model I follow.

My applications today go further than what Professor Presas personally demonstrated. That’s not arrogance – it’s evidence of good teaching. He trained me well, and he passed far too early. His ability to teach wasn’t the limitation; time was. The fact that his students can continue to develop the art is proof that his foundation works.

If you look at what we’ve built within the World Modern Arnis Alliance, you’ll see that the core has never changed. The fundamentals are intact. The structure is intact. The innovation comes from within the system, not from outside patches.

When I teach Modern Arnis, I teach Modern Arnis.
When I teach Kombatan, I teach Kombatan.
When I teach Balintawak, I teach Balintawak.

And when I teach a blended system, it is clearly identified as such – the Presas Arnis program. That program exists to reconnect family systems and examine the roots that influenced Remy Presas’s master art, including Balintawak, Kuntaw, Sikaran, and others. There’s nothing hidden, nothing mislabeled, and nothing passed off as something it isn’t.

Words matter. Systems matter. Honesty matters.

Think about language for a moment. The English alphabet has only 26 letters, yet new words are added to the dictionary every year. Those words don’t require new letters – they come from rearranging and reapplying the same ones. That’s how Modern Arnis is meant to grow. We already have the alphabet. We don’t need to import new letters – we need to learn how to use the ones we have more effectively.

I stay true to Professor Presas’s teachings, his synthesis, his expressions, and his martial mathematics. From that foundation, I develop new applications. That’s real evolution.

There is no reason to steal from other systems. If someone feels compelled to do so, it usually means their foundation is weak. And the solution to weak foundations isn’t patchwork – it’s training. Real training. With people who actually know the art.

Many of us trained directly under Professor Presas, across multiple eras of his teaching. If someone doesn’t want to train with me, that’s fine – seek out others from those eras and fill in the gaps properly. But don’t disguise borrowed material as “advanced Modern Arnis.”

When I go to the Philippines, it’s not to collect techniques. It’s to understand where our material came from. Sometimes I see things that inspire new expressions, but those expressions still come from the same core principles.

Modern Arnis does not need to be preserved in a museum—and it doesn’t need to be patched like a broken machine. It needs to be understood, trained, and applied at a higher level.

You can’t do advanced mathematics without mastering addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. From those basics come algebra, geometry, calculus, and beyond. The same is true in martial arts. Fundamentals first. Everything else builds from there.

Modern Arnis is complete.
If it isn’t working for you, the art isn’t broken.

Just some food for thought.

Respectfully,
Datu Tim Hartman
Modern Arnis Tribal Chief

You Weren’t There, So Keep Your Mouth Shut

Let’s not sugarcoat it. Recently, there’s been a parade of people who never once stood in the same room as Remy Senior acting like they’re experts on what he could do. And now they’ve got the nerve to claim that Remy Junior has outdone his father – people who weren’t even there, never trained with the Professor, and now want to play historian. Well, here’s a reality check: you weren’t there, so keep your mouth shut.

I started training with the Professor in 1985. In all that time, I didn’t see any of his family members training with him. They hadn’t trained with him since he left the Philippines in the ’70s, which would’ve made them kids back then. So let’s not pretend they were there on the training floor.

There’s one particular loudmouth, who was about ten years old when the Professor passed away, claiming his twelve-year-olds could walk through Datu Dieter. That’s beyond ridiculous – it’s laughable. And when he got called out, he backpedaled, saying it was just a joke. Well, guess what? The entire thing was a joke.

And then he had the audacity to say that all of the Professor’s students – all the Masters and Datus – were a bunch of jokes. If you think all of us are jokes, I’m easy to find. Let’s cross hands and see who’s laughing. Normally, I wouldn’t care what someone yaps about on their own corner of the internet. But you poked your nose into one of my posts. When you do that, don’t be surprised if I respond. And if you’ve heard anything about me, you know I don’t back down.

So here’s the deal: you weren’t there, so keep your mouth shut. If you actually want to know what was taught, I’m here. Otherwise, let’s cut the fiction.

Datu Tim Hartman
Modern Arnis Tribal Chief

#modernarnis #filipinomartialarts #martialarts

What Happens When AI Ranks Modern Arnis?

As a bit of an experiment, I asked both ChatGPT and Gemini the same question:

List the top ten living, active, teaching Modern Arnis instructors, ranked by relevance, influence, lineage, and active involvement.

Here’s what came back.

ChatGPT’s List – Modern Arnis

• Datu Tim Hartman – Head of the World Modern Arnis Alliance; one of the most active Modern Arnis instructors worldwide, with sustained organizational leadership and seminar impact.

• Punong Guro Craig Mason (Canada) – Consistently producing instructors and black belts with strong international reach.

• Punong Guro Tye Botting – A central figure in preserving and advancing Modern Arnis; widely respected as a technical instructor and mentor.

• Punong Guro Chad Dulin – Actively teaching and expanding Modern Arnis, with strong lineage and growing influence.

• Master Richard (Rich) Parsons – Senior Flint-lineage instructor continuing to teach and influence through instruction and seminars.

• Dieter Knüttel (Europe) – One of the most relevant Modern Arnis instructors in Europe, with ongoing international leadership.

• Chuck Gauss – A long-standing instructor who remains relevant through experience, mentorship, and continued teaching.

• Kenny Smith – Senior instructor actively teaching and mentoring within the Modern Arnis community.

• Rodel Dagooc – Teaching Modern Arnis with direct Filipino lineage, respected for authenticity and cultural connection.

• Remy Presas Jr. – Son of the founder; actively teaching and representing Modern Arnis, with relevance rooted largely in lineage and seminars.

Gemini’s List – Modern Arnis (Deep Dive)

• Datu Tim Hartman – Head of the World Modern Arnis Alliance and one of the most active global figures today.

• Grandmaster Dieter Knüttel – Head of the German Arnis Association and leader of the largest European Modern Arnis contingent.

• Chuck Gauss – Senior instructor still teaching at major seminars.

• Datu Kelly Worden – One of the original Datus appointed by Remy Presas, actively teaching his Natural Spirit progression.

• Datu Shishir Inocalla – Teaching internationally and integrating Modern Arnis with traditional Filipino healing.

• Master Brian Zawilinski – Active in preserving the art’s history and technical precision.

• Rodel Dagooc – Head of the Dagooc Arnis System and a close student of the founder.

• Remy Presas Jr. – Leader of MARPPIO, continuing his father’s legacy.

• Master Rich Parsons – Increasingly prominent within the WMAA and Balintawak-influenced Modern Arnis.

• Guro Tye Botting – Frequently featured at global seminars and known for technical depth.

Then I Expanded the Question

I also asked both platforms to rank the Top 10 Living Filipino Martial Arts instructors overall, across Kali, Eskrima, Arnis, and related systems.

Again, there was overlap—and divergence.

Some names appeared consistently. Others surfaced because of media exposure, seminar visibility, or organizational footprint. A few required fine-tuning once real-world context was applied.

That’s not a criticism of AI.
Honestly—it did pretty well.

What interested me most wasn’t whether the lists were right or wrong, but why certain names kept appearing, where the lists aligned, and where lived experience told a more complete story.

A number of names showed up because of Bobby Taboada’s influence, which makes sense. Many Modern Arnis practitioners—including myself—trained with him, and a lot of Professor Remy Presas’ students went in that direction after he passed.

Others appeared because their impact came through interviews, online discussions, and preserving history, rather than constant time on the teaching floor. That contribution matters too—it just looks different.

The takeaway?

AI can recognize patterns, visibility, and influence.
But it can’t fully weigh lived experience, lineage nuance, or what’s actually happening on the training floor.

AI is a tool.
But experience, history, and context still matter.

I thought the comparison was worth sharing.

Datu Tim Hartman
Modern Arnis Tribal Chief

Grandmaster Titles in Modern Arnis: Authority, History, and Earning the Title

Let’s set the record straight. I absolutely recognize the concept of Grandmaster titles. What I do not recognize is the rewriting of Modern Arnis history to justify protocols that never existed while Professor Remy Presas was alive.

While Professor was alive, he never issued the title of Grandmaster to any of his students. Not one. He was the Grandmaster of the art. In Modern Arnis, Grandmaster was a position, not a rank-based title. It wasn’t something you were promoted into over time. There was one Grandmaster—Remy Presas.

That distinction matters.

Modern Arnis was created by Remy Presas in 1957, when his brothers Ernesto and Roberto were just kids. As they grew older, they helped shape the future of the art. Each brother eventually formed his own distinct system—Ernesto with Kombatan and Roberto with Arnis de Mano—but all came from the Modern Arnis chassis.

Here’s the issue we see now in the U.S.: it seems that any time there’s a promotion to 8th degree or higher, people are automatically assuming the Grandmaster title. I have a real issue with that because that wasn’t the protocol for Remy’s art. That’s a Kombatan protocol, not a Modern Arnis protocol.

This confusion is part of why we need to be clear about where these traditions come from. The assumption that an 8th degree black belt in Modern Arnis is automatically a Grandmaster is simply not how Remy’s system worked.

Even after Remy passed away, Ernesto made it very clear that he did not have the authority to promote anyone in his brother’s art. That boundary existed then. It’s being blurred now.

This confusion also shows up when people misunderstand authority versus acknowledgment.

Let me give you a real-world example. I was teaching in Germany at Dieter’s East Meets West camp. Dieter asked me to sign as a witness on diplomas for two of his students—8th-degree black belts who, under the DAV protocol, carried a Grandmaster title.

Dieter knew exactly how I felt about these titles and wanted to explain his organization’s approach. I told him plainly: it’s not a big deal.

Why?

Because my signature on someone else’s paper is not an endorsement of rank or title. It’s a witness signature—nothing more. It carries no authority unless it’s on my organization’s paper.

Professor Remy Presas did the same. He signed diplomas as a witness. When people tried to pass those papers off as official rank endorsements, he shut that down. If it didn’t come on his paper, it didn’t come from him. Same rule applies with me.

And let’s be clear: I ask these questions of everyone, regardless of style. The universal question: What have you done to earn the title? Titles should be about contribution, not just time. We see people with a handful of students calling themselves Grandmasters, and it waters down the meaning.

So let’s keep the history clear and the standards meaningful. Modern Arnis was Remy Presas’s creation, and Grandmaster was a position he held. That’s how we honor his legacy.

Respectfully,
Datu Tim Hartman
Modern Arnis Tribal Chief

#filipinomartialarts #modernarnis

Are belts in martial arts just a money grab?

This is a question I hear all the time.

Most often, it comes from one of two places: the backyard martial artist, or someone who trained for a short time, walked away, and decided to do their own thing. And while everyone is entitled to an opinion, if you’re passing judgment on instructors who charge for testing or belts, there are some real-world factors you need to consider first.

Let me be clear right up front: I absolutely understand that there are schools out there whose business model revolves around selling belts. I’m not pretending that doesn’t exist – we’ve all seen it.
What I am saying is this: just because a school charges a testing fee does not automatically make it a McDojo, and it doesn’t automatically mean it’s a money grab. That kind of blanket thinking ignores how legitimate schools and organizations actually operate.

Now let’s talk about one of the most basic – and often overlooked – factors: the cost of the belt itself.

When I was coming up, belts cost three to five dollars. No big deal, right? Except at the time, that was my hourly wage at my day job. Fast forward to today, and basic color belts start at $10, with many costing $20, $30, or more. And the cheaper belts? They’re cheap for a reason. They’re poorly made and don’t hold up.

If a belt is meant to represent years of effort – like a diploma – I want it to reflect that effort.

I also hear, “Well, what if it’s only a couple of people?” When I only had a handful of students, I didn’t worry about it. I absorbed the cost. But once you’re testing 20, 30, 40, or 50 people – multiple times a year – that adds up fast.

Let’s do the math.
Fifty people at $10 per belt, three or four times a year, is $1,500 to $2,000 annually. Over ten years, that’s $15,000 to $20,000 coming straight out of your pocket just to promote others.

The knee-jerk response is usually, “That’s what tuition is for.” But tuition already goes toward rent, utilities, insurance, equipment, and maintenance. Those costs don’t disappear. I remember when I had a 3,000-square-foot facility and paid $1,500 a month in rent. Promoting a large group of students could cost me the equivalent of an entire month’s rent.

Over the years, I’ve gone back and forth on including testing fees in tuition. Ultimately, I found it wasn’t the right move if I wanted to keep tuition reasonable. Yes, some schools include everything – uniforms, equipment, testing – but they’re charging $400 or more per month, when the national average is closer to $160. If someone walks into a school and hears $400 for their first month, most are already thinking about the exit.

There’s also another layer to this conversation that often gets ignored.

I’ve always belonged to an organization. That means a portion of testing fees goes to headquarters. That’s my role now. When members of our organization test, a portion of that fee supports the organization itself. That’s not a money grab – it’s how the organization functions.

I intentionally separate my school finances from the organization. The organization maintains a website, promotes active schools, lists events, and supports growth. Those funds have allowed us to develop new territories. For example, my initial trip to Brazil was funded by the organization – and thanks to the hustle of our Brazilian director, that investment was paid back in full.

If this were about padding my pockets, paying for vacations, or buying cars, I’d understand the criticism. But that’s not what’s happening.

With our overseas members, we recommend charging organizational membership and testing fees—but I don’t take a dime of that. Instead, I encourage them to reinvest those funds into strengthening their region and their education, whether that means virtual classes or traveling to headquarters for deeper training.

I know not everyone will agree with this, and that’s fine. But more often than not, the loudest critics are backyard martial artists or people who were burned once and now assume every school and organization operates the same way.

I’m always open to real dialogue. I’m willing to change my mind – if the other person is willing to give me the same opportunity. That’s how conversation becomes dialogue instead of a monologue. Even if we ultimately agree to disagree, at least we walk away with a better understanding of why each side thinks the way they do.

That’s how disagreements stay intellectual instead of turning personal.

Respectfully,
Datu Tim Hartman
Modern Arnis Tribal Chief

#martialarts #modernarnis #filipinomartialarts