PTI Blog

Here is a story of how bad Iron Palm training led to Tuhon Gaje creating a staff system for his friend Eddie Jafri. Includes a comparison between Pekiti-Tirsia Alphabito and the Tapada staff system.

Four fighting timing styles to help you understand what may work best for you.

One of the attributes that the original NYC Pekiti-Tirsia group from the 1970s was known for was our speed. Here are some tips to show you how we got so fast.

Like most of the advanced work in the Pekiti-Tirsia system, Espada y Daga is taught in techniques grouped around core principles specific for that weapon or the fighting style of the practitioner. These are divided into three levels or “sets” with each having a specific grip of the dagger.

Set 1: The daggers of both you and your opponent are held in Hammer grip.

Set 2: You are switching between Icepick and Hammer grips, while your opponent remains in Hammer grip.

Set 3: Both you and your opponent hold your daggers in Icepick grip.

Each of these three sets has a subset of 12 Attacks, 12 Disarms, 12 Contradas (“Counters”) and 12 Recontras (“Recounters”). This gives us 144 total techniques in Pekiti-Tirsia Espada y Daga.

An axe or machete, a small woodworking knife and a folding saw would serve you better if you have the room in your pack, but if you want to carry just one tool, a well balanced camp or bowie knife is a good option in many areas of the U.S.

If you do choose the One Tool Option, you will be in good company. Most indigenous peoples around the world carry just one blade and it is usually a big one, like a machete, bolo, parang, kukuri, etc. The men of these groups would traditionally go off on multi-day hunting trips with only one large knife. Remember, it's not the only thing they have to carry and weight carried equals calories used; so there is going to be a tradeoff between tools carried and ease of travel.

So yesterday I taught another Pekiti-Tirsia class and had a visiting guest take class.
To make a long story short, the guest didn't want their pic posted on FB for fear of being seen by their regular instructor…and then consequently being excommunicated for training with another instructor (me).

I am told that this is a common practice in the school they belong to.
I happen to know this is unfortunately a common practice among various martial art schools, not just FMA instructors.

I started training in the Pekiti-Tirsia system in February of 1975 and therefore, February of 2025 began my 50th year in the system. In addition, I started PTI in July of 1995, so  July of will be my 30th anniversary as President of PTI.
Here are some ideas I have to celebrate these events.

In 2019 I began planning a series of joint seminars I intended to start in 2020. The first was going to be a seminar focusing on the Pekiti-Tirsia system, with a look at the “classic” way I had learned the system in the 1970s and 80s, compared with the new methodologies being taught in the 90s and 2000s.

The instructor I chose to represent the newer methods was Jared Wihongi, based on several factors. He was a fellow law enforcement officer, a good family man and had a reputation for integrity and self disciple.

The 64 Attacks is a set that combined the first three years of basic training and timing drills Tuhon Gaje was teaching in the 1970s into one group of techniques and principles.

Grand Tuhon Gaje told us that he spent one full year as a child learning the Solo Baston Abcedario, learning one set of 12 attacks at a time, building up until he had all 144 techniques in the 12 sets. Let's say he started in January with the first set: 12 strikes learned and practiced over a month's time is not too much for most children to learn. In February, he would warm up with the first set and then begin learning the second set, which was a mirror image of the first set. (This is the general pattern for most of the Abcedarios, as the even numbered sets are the "lead" sets, with the next even numbered set its mirror image).