Balintawak goes CrossFit
(c) Atillo Balintawak Germany
After learning the Filipino martial art of Atillo Balintawak Arnis Eskrima from Grandmaster Crispulo Atillo and his father Vicente Atillo in the Philippines, Guro Dieter Roser started teaching it to his fellow Law Enforcement Officers and still – some 30 years later – continues to do so.
Demanding dedication and excellence from himself and his students, he keeps honing and refining his skills and teaching method. Using up every spare minute of his time to make his colleagues‘ day-to-day work on the streets as safe as possible, and all the while living and breathing his passion for Balintawak, he is setting a remarkable example for his students. Employing Balintawak’s highly effective close-range one-on-one training methodology Guro Roser’s teaching is demanding and rigorous yet tremendously rewarding. The exciting practice speed of Balintawak’s stick, blade, and empty hand techniques is used to facilitate the student’s capability to deal with different kinds of attacks and develop the ability to counterattack instantly, explosively, and decisively.
Through constant pressure being put on the student, the nervous system is trained to respond quickly to the stimuli presented by the instructor, thus enabling advancedpractitioners to demonstrate and perform at dazzling speeds.
Training begins with thoroughly learning the basic methods of attack and defense and the respective body mechanics, and then quickly progresses to the individual free flow practice lead by an advanced student or the instructor. Starting with the first stages of the Pakgang Agak exercise (a form of controlled sparring) up to a level of being able to practice Cuentada – countering the counter – in which both training partners try to overcome each other’s defenses and counter each other’s attempts at attacking and counterattacking. After mastering the basic framework of the style, students are encouraged to find the way of performing the art that best suits their body type, strengths, weaknesses, and mental attitude, as well as to start teaching. Aristotle is being quoted as to having stated the following: „Teaching is the highest form of understanding.“ Passing on the art to others gives the advanced student an even deeper insight into its core working principles.
In addition to being a family man first and foremost and fulfilling his regular teaching commitments, Guro Dieter Roser gives several open seminars every year during which he demonstrates and teaches Balintawak to people who are interested in experiencing it. These seminars also provide an opportunity for him to take a close look at the progress his direct students‘ pupils have made in order to ensure an ongoing process of quality instruction. He also maintains a friendly, cordial relationship with his own teacher, Grandmaster Crispulo „Ising“ Atillo.
(Fabian Junker 2012)
balintawakstuttgart.wordpress.com 