PTI Blog

WHY LEARNING THROUGH COMPARISONS?  This course is based on comparing the use of three categories of tools as weapons, the bowie knife, the kukri and the axe/tomahawk. My goal is to show you how to recognize both the pros and cons of each design and how to use them effectively, taking into account their strengths and weaknesses.

You may have noticed that I've added a large number of clothing items to the PTI store. Here's the why and how of this project.

 Notes on blade design for knifemakers: Bowie, Kukri & Hand Axe. Your bladed tool should be:1.  Legal in your area for its intended purpose.2....

It’s time for the senior instructors and I to begin planning next year’s schedule and curriculum. We need input from PTI members and others who have attended our camps. What would you like to see taught at the 2023 camps?

FROM TUHON JACK LATORRE: When first coming to the system in 1993 or so and seeing this chart, I was very excited to undertake this system.
When I started completing the first few curricular blocks, the design of each block made so much sense for both learning and application.

Here is Tuhon Jack Latorre’s introduction to his notes on set 3 of Espada y Daga. If you are attending Tuhon Jack’s classes on this subject during this year’s PTI Summer Camp, you would be well advised to study this page. It will give you some idea of the level of detail Tuhon Jack will go into on this subject.

Disarms in Pekiti-Tirsia are not taught as “goal” techniques in a fight. The goal is not to disarm an opponent, but to safely move past him, after reducing (even temporarily) his ability to pose a danger to you. A disarm is simply one tool in your toolbox to help you get to your goal.

The Golok of Indonesia is a large, stout knife, comparable in use to the Parang of Malaysia and the Bolo of the Philippines. While Google and Youtube will translate golok as “machete,” it’s really a different tool than what we in the west would think of when we use that term.

The purpose of this series is to learn how to learn; ie the teachnique of learning something new. One way human beings do this (especially when young) is by learning through comparisons. In this essay we will examine the differences in drawing three categories of weapons; the bowie, the kukri and the hatchet/tomahawk.

I first met Penchak Silat instructor Suryadi “Eddie” Jafri in June of 1978. He had come to watch a Philippine Independence Day festival in lower Manhattan because he had heard good things about Filipino martial arts and wanted to see if some would be demonstrated at the event.

For many years I have been diagramming Pekiti-Tirsia weapon techniques. I was even able to do this in the pre-desktop days, drawing by hand, since my diagrams were so simple.  However, I have not been able to create diagrams of empty hand techniques as easily. I really should do a better job on the empty hand end of things, so I have a request.