PTI Blog

  • 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

  • EDDIE JAFRI AND THE GOLOK (Crazy Eddie stories part 3)

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    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.
    Posted in AXE & KNIFE DESIGN, silat

  • LEARNING THROUGH COMPARISONS PT 2 DRAWING THE WEAPON

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath

    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.

    Posted in KNIFE TRAINING, Learning Through Comparisons, TEACHING METHODOLOGY

  • “WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION” (Crazy Eddie Stories part 2)

    by WILLIAM McGrath
    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.
    Posted in silat

  • Can you recommend a Graphics Program to Illustrate Fighting Techniques?

    by WILLIAM McGrath
    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.
    Posted in boxing, FOOTWORK, kali, panatukan

  • Understanding Distance Control and Timing through Drills.

    by WILLIAM McGrath
    The main factors that separate beginners from experienced fighters are the latter’s level of understanding of distance control and timing.
    Distance control in striking arts is usually accomplished via footwork: while timing is the ability to use specific elements of fighting at the correct time.
    Getting good at these skills helps you be in the right place, at the right time and using the right tools to accomplish your goals.
    Posted in FOOTWORK, TEACHING METHODOLOGY

  • BOWIE POINT- Preferred length and shape?

    by WILLIAM McGrath
    If I ever had to use a bowie knife for defensive purposes, I’d want to cut with maximum effect at the longest possible distance. This means putting the Center of Percussion (C.O.P.) as far forward as possible; while still retaining a functional, piercing point (1). Therefore, I’d want to have a relatively short false edge or swedge (2). For most of my bowies, it seems that a swedge length between 1/4 and 1/3 of the overall blade length strikes the right balance.
    Posted in AXE & KNIFE DESIGN, KNIFE TRAINING

  • PEKITI-TIRSIA EMPTY HAND VS KNIFE: OVERVIEW

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    The main purpose of Pekiti-Tirsia hand vs knife training is NOT to end the fight against a knife with your bare hands. The purpose of any good hand vs knife system should be to buy you enough time to make the fight your weapon vs his weapon as soon as possible.
    Posted in KNIFE TRAINING, TEACHING METHODOLOGY

  • THE PEKITI WAY: Teaching the Pekiti-Tirsia system, then and now.

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    Here are two lesson plans for teaching the Pekiti-Tirsia system; the Classical way, which Grand Tuhon Gaje learned as a child in the Philippines (...
    Posted in TEACHING METHODOLOGY

  • BOWIE KNIFE DESIGN: Trailing Point, Possible Origin and Uses.

    by Tuhon Bill McGrath
    . I’ve been interested in the bowie knife for several years now and and have been exploring the pros and cons of different designs. One element I...
    Posted in AXE & KNIFE DESIGN

  • BIG VS SMALL (BLADES) Does Size Really Matter?

    by WILLIAM McGrath
    Here is an article I wrote for the July 1999 issue of Inside Kung Fu magazine on the subject of knives for self defense use. I was specifically writing about a pet peeve of mine in the 1990s. Some instructors back then were teaching techniques developed in the Philippines and designed for use with a large blade, but were teaching the same techniques to their students in the West, who are carrying much smaller knives. My problem with this was expecting the small knife to be able to do the work of a much larger blade. Like much else in life: SIZE DOES MATTER!
    Posted in AXE & KNIFE DESIGN, KNIFE TRAINING