As the philosopher Alanis Morrissette once espoused, "Isn't it ironic, don't you think?" that I spent 3 years of my youth in the Philippines, have crossed path with so many Filipinos, and have always had a love for the country, yet had not heard of Eskrima until this past year? And of course, I'm fascinated with it.
I studied Shotokan in my middle school years into high school. As an adult I began practicing Kenpo. Fortunately, my instructor comes from a background that has a smorgasbord of influence, one being Kali. When I was introduced to the Rattan Stick, I fell in love.
Practicing open handed martial arts is fine, but playing with sticks makes the movements that much more exciting. I've only hit myself in the head once, so far. Donatello was always my favorite ninja turtle anyway.
Living on the east coast, the opportunities to train with others is limited and can be difficult. California is closer to the source, while Maine might be the farthest from it. Geography isn't my strong suit, so forgive me if I'm wrong.
So, I've spent time learning on my own, finding videos on YouTube, reading books and articles, and practicing the drills unguided. This is liberating and clumsy at the same time. I'm a visual learner, so some of the videos I've seen are very helpful, but discussion about the movements and how they breakdown to practicality is not immediate if at all.
Whatever the effort to learn, it's all been worth it for the past 6 months. As a practice, working with the sticks has been a good physical workout and a great form of meditation. Attempting to work both hands especially requires my full attention to avoid breaking a window, pipe, or skull. The history of the art is a fascinating one and it has struck me as the most practical one that I've learned about.
As I learn more I hope to discipline myself to document as a means of reinforcing my education and sharing with others who are interested.