Master Bobby Taboada: Balintawak Arnis, Cebu City, Philippines

Grandmaster Bobby Taboada, one of the World's leading Arnis masters, teaching a Balintawak Arnis class as a guest instructor at the Nickelsticks Escrima Club, in Cebu City, Philippines.

Bobby Taboada was born and raised on the streets of Cebu city and got interested in the martial arts as self preservation, growing up in a very tough neighborhood with high crime. Bobby was introduced to Boxing at a very early age but it was as a teenager that he started to practice Shotokan Karate. He started to include Arnis training when he saw how effective fighting with a stick can be. Along with his close friend grandmaster Nick Elizar, they became one of the superstar masters of Balintawak Arnis.

This style of modern Arnis took its name from the street of its location, Balintawak Street, where the original Balintawak masters trained. The Balintawak style uses the single stick with the free hand used to employ defensive and offensive tactics to complement the stick. While both hands are also used for punching, including the stick hand, the free hand is used for blocking the opponent’s strike and unbalancing them. It is fast and dynamic and one of the most effective styles of modern Arnis today.

For more details see our post with the trailer.