PTI Blog

  • LEARNING THROUGH COMPARISONS SEMINARS (1980 through the present)

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    The Learning Through Comparisons principle: There are great benefits to be had for both students and instructors when they experience different ways of solving the same problem. I first saw this during my teacher’s joint seminars in the early 1980s with Eddie Jafri and Guro Dan Inosanto.
    Posted in Learning Through Comparisons, TEACHING METHODOLOGY

  • KNIFE TESTING (part 1) : GET THE POINT?

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    KNIFE TESTING (part 1) : GET THE POINT? Help me design a process to test a blade’s thrusting ability for use in self-defense blades.Note: My overal...

  • FMA TRAINING TOOLS

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    A discussion of the pros and cons of various materials for training in Filipino Martial Arts, by Tuhon Bill McGrath

  • LEARNING THROUGH COMPARISONS PT 4: Bowie vs Kukri vs Tomahawk

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    LEARNING THROUGH COMPARISONS PT 4:
    Comparing speed and power between the Bowie, the Kukri and the Tomahawk. 8 videos with text. Tools used in this essay:  Cold Steel Leatherneck Bowie, Laredo Rubber Trainer, Gurkha Plus Kukri, Rubber Kukri Trainer, Trail Hawk and an Axe Head Cane cut down to the length of a Trail Hawk.
    Posted in AXE & KNIFE DESIGN, Learning Through Comparisons, TEACHING METHODOLOGY

  • 1996 PTI CAMP BROCHURE & CAMP PHOTOS

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    THE 1996 PTI CAMP The cover pages from the 1996 PTI camp brochure. The outdated contact info has been covered. . Inside pages with the camp ...
    Posted in Organization

  • HOW LONG HELPS SHORT

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    How long weapons, such as staff and spear, can help you develop speed and power with your shorter weapons, such as sword, stick, knife and hand.
    Posted in KNIFE TRAINING, pekiti-tirsia sword, SPEAR

  • How to measure Sticks, Swords, Knives and Spears in the Pekiti-Tirsia System.

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    I have been asked many times to give the measurements of the Pekiti-Tirsia long sword shown in the PTI logo. The information on the measurements was told to me many years ago by Tuhon Gaje. In this essay I will give the measurements for two swords, the long sword shown in the PTI logo and the short sword that Tuhon Gaje is often shown holding in the photos of him from the early 1980's. I am also including the measurements for training sticks and spears, as well as knives intended for use with Sak-Sak and Pakal grips.
    Posted in AXE & KNIFE DESIGN, how to measure a pekiti sword, pekiti-tirsia sword, sword

  • LEARNING THROUGH COMPARISONS: Part 3. Axe Head Design.

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    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.
    Posted in AXE & KNIFE DESIGN, Learning Through Comparisons

  • Notes on blade design: Bowie, Kukri & Hand Axe.

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath

    Bowie, Kukri & Hand Axe. Notes on blade designs for self defense for blade makers:

    (This essay is taken from several lectures I gave on these subjects for the New England Bladesmith's Guild).

    Your bladed tool for self defense use should be:
    1.  Legal in your area for its intended purpose.
    2.  Practical for use in the 99% of the time you will not be using it for self defense.
    3.  Have features that will help in a self defense situation, while not making the knife look like a “fighting knife.”

    Posted in AXE & KNIFE DESIGN

  • PROGRESSING THROUGH THE PTI RANK SYSTEM: A HISTORY

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    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.
    Posted in Organization

  • AN INTRODUCTION TO SET 3 OF PEKITI-TIRSIA ESPADA Y DAGA

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    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.

  • WEAPON DISARMS IN THE PEKITI-TIRSIA SYSTEM

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    First, some general principles:
    1. Train as if your opponent’s weapon is a sword. Therefore, your first move should not be to grab his blade.    
    2. A disarm is much easier to do if you first do some damage to the hand holding the weapon, or to the mind controlling that hand.

    Grand Tuhon Gaje would emphasize over and over again that you should not “hunt” for a disarm, but recognize the opportunity for a disarm once you get a disabling hit or cut to the opponent’s weapon arm or head. The reason the Disarma set is so large and has so many techniques, is that an opponent’s hand may be at different angles after you strike or cut him and therefore you need different disarms and angles of approach to successfully disarm him.
    Posted in DISARMS, TEACHING METHODOLOGY, Training