The Secrets of Kalis Ilustrisimo: The Filipino Fighting Art Explained (Tuttle Martial Arts) [Paperback]

Antonio Diego (Author), Christopher Ricketts (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tuttle Martial Arts | Publication Date: June 15, 2002

One of the world's most effective fighting systems, presented by two of its most prominent teachers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; 1 edition (June 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804831459
• ISBN-13: 978-0804831451
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #793,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars mistaken review by that Hawaiian guy, August 30, 2004

By 

Dokleng (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secrets of Kalis Ilustrisimo: The Filipino Fighting Art Explained (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

The book is OK as an introductory overview. The first guy who made a review was mistaken because despite all the videos and books circulated by authentic arnis/eskrima masters, they were never meant to impart more than a little peek into the art. For sure, they never meant to teach through books or videos, hence don't be surprised if this book is just 200 or so pages.

It's true that the Kalis Ilustrisimo masters learned by watching and videotaping Tatang Ilustrisimo. Most westerners like the first guy assume that arnis/eskrima has to be taught like a course or school subject. Sorry, but wrong. Arnis/eskrima is often self-learned in the Philippines by watching and training a few times with a few masters on sporadic instances. What makes them different from the much-looked down upon "seminar student" in the USA is that in the Philippines, you back up your training with LIVE and REAL sparring. Whereas in the US, they just attend seminars and collect certificates, videotapes, and photographs but don't spar w/o armor. Some masters and grandmasters here in the Philippines learned by just watching others practice or teach, and by imitating the moves and making them their own, AND THEN proving these techniques in sparring.

The students of Tatang didn't split up. Sagasa is not a school of Kali Ilustrisimo practitioners; it's a kickboxing style taught WITHIN and AS AN INTRINSIC PART OF Bakbakan International. Although not all Ilustrisimo practitioners are members of Bakbakan, they all interact together to this day since they all know each other personally.

Lastly, just because the late GM Villabrille was a great fighter, DOES NOT mean that he's incapable of telling tall tales. It is a very Filipino trait to tell tall tales especially in the FMA world where one-upmanship is the name of the game. The Filipino penchant for tall tales can be seen in the review posted by the Hawaiian first guy for this book, in which he describes the country of his ancestors' origins (I assume he's Filipino in ethnic descent due to his name and exposure to FMA, as well as his Hawaiian location) as NOTHING MORE THAN A COLLECTION OF GHETTOES. Exaggerated, isn't it? As I write this I am in the 52nd floor of an intelligent skyscraper in Manila.

It's safe to say that ALL the masters exaggerated their stories of achievement. The notion that GM Villabrille invented the word "kali" has enough basis although that notion isn't final as proven yet. The exaggerations come from the fact that they are all Filipinos, that they were recalling the stories from old memory hence getting some details mixed up or exaggerated, and that there was a language and conceptual barrier considering that 99% of FMA grandmasters who made FMA famous in the West were unschooled and practically illiterate. That's why the only jobs they got were not U.S.-educated "pensionados" but rather Hawaiian and Californian fruit pickers and harvesters.

All in all the book is great as an introduction and overview, and let's not begrudge the book's good traits just because we were hoping to learn Kalis Ilustrisimo from the book's contents. No, siree. If you want to learn Ilustrisimo, get yourself an AUTHENTIC teacher and train. Use the book only as reference and as a sort of primer on the style. Do not treat it as an instruction manual.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forget the politics, January 17, 2007

By 

Dragan Milojevic (Serbia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secrets of Kalis Ilustrisimo: The Filipino Fighting Art Explained (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

Previous reviewers have engaged in somewhat of "who's dady is the strongest" discussion, but that has nothing to say about this book. Now, I found the book very good in achieving the intended goal, i.e. giving an excellent presentation and explanation of the subject covered. My objection is that while it is nice to see applications of the same technique with different weapons, in some places the transfer is rather obvious, and I believe that that space could have been used better, maybe to show responses to some other types of attacks. Still, I have to note once more, thte book is very valuable to anyone interested in learning about FMA as it is, so I recommend it sincerely.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, July 3, 2010

By 

kaisersolse - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Secrets of Kalis Ilustrisimo: The Filipino Fighting Art Explained (Tuttle Martial Arts) (Paperback)

A very effective style - my only wish is that there were more about he Ilustrisimo style.