DOCE PARES ESKRIMA
What is Doce Pares Eskrima?
Doce Pares Eskrima is a famous weapon fighting art from Cebu
in the central Philippines. Doce Pares Eskrima has a sister
art called Pangamot which is the empty hand companion and
deals with the empty hand versus weapons and grappling components
of this fighting system.
The Doce Pares system is composed of six styles or sub-disciplines
and is a classic example of a 'horizontal system', one that
spans a number of combat disciplines in an integrated way.
Specifically it comprises:
1. Solo Olisi (Single Stick): The strong hand wields a stick
and serves as the primary offence. The empty hand is used
mainly for defence, focusing on controlling the opponent's
weapon hand.
2. Double Olisi (Double Stick): Each hand has a stick. They
can be used for combination attacks, or one can serve as defence
while the other is used to attack.
3. Baraw (Knife): Similar in format to the solo olisi, but
the weapon is a short blade.
4. Espada y Daga (Sword and Dagger): The strong hand wields
a stick or long blade, and serves as the primary offence.
The weak hand holds a knife and is used for both offence.
(thrusting, slashing) and defence (blocking, checking and
locking).
5. Mano y Mano (Empty Hands): The Doce Pares empty hand drills
usually involves boxing style attacking movements combined
with effective trapping techniques.
6. Dumog (Grappling): A variety of takedowns and throwing
techniques are used, which can be practised with or without
weapons.
There are several variants of the Doce Pares system but we
are linked to the most notable one under Grandmaster Cacoy
Canete. Grandmaster Cacoy made a name for himself by taking
on all comers in illegal all out weapon fights often where
the participants were tied together so no-one could escape.
He emerged victorious from 80 to 100 such encounters.
The Cacoy version of Doce Pares is a close range system where
the combatants close to hand strike or even grappling range,
striking and grappling as necessary to finish the encounter.
This contrasts with the old style Doce Pares system which
is essentially long range.
SDT's Connection to Doce Pares
Our connection is through Master Vince Palumbo (in Adelaide)
who is head of Doce Pares Australia to Grandmaster Cacoy Canete.
Graham Kuerschner is a 5th Dan black belt in Doce Pares and
4th Dan in Pangamot while Paul Summerton is a 4th Dan black
belt in Doce Pares and 3rd Dan in Pangamot. Both have trained
and graded under Grandmaster Canete at his headquarters in
Cebu in the Philippines.
As a close range weapons system, we originally trained in
Doce Pares under Master Marty Gardner (based in Alice Springs)
through Master Vince Palumbo in parallel to training in Wing
Chun to provide a weapons complement to our close range Wing
Chun hand skills. But this motivation changed. The Filipino
systems in general and Doce Pares under Cacoy specifically
were really the first in the class of horizontal or integrated
systems. Hence training in Doce Pares provided us with the
opportunity to integrate weapons (stick and knife) with empty
hand striking through to grappling through to ground fighting
albeit Filipino style.
Why Do We Train in Doce Pares?
We continue with training in Doce Pares for the same reasons
as we train in a horizontal or integrated way with empty hand.
Weapons Proficiency
Weapons' encounters, whether only one or both parties are
armed with blunt or edged weapons do not necessarily stay
at convenient ranges. For whatever weapon I may have (stick,
steering wheel lock, umbrella, knife, pen, shovel etc.) I
will seek to both be at my optimum range for this weapon and
not be at the best range for my opponent (given whatever,
if anything they have). This could mean same weapon/different
range dependent upon whether my opponent is armed and with
what.
But in the chaos of a confrontation you could end up at any
range, and especially one not of your choosing. So if weapons
(or common objects) are involved, you had better be comfortable
with both using and neutralizing weapons at all ranges including
grappling range and on the ground.
Psychological and Physical Conditioning
As with grappling there is a conditioning reason. We, originally
as stand-up empty hands fighters had found that having a stick
come at you at speed naturally had your brain screaming at
you to duck or cringe. Being hit with a stick was not pleasant
either.
But we found by keeping at it, this innate tendency to cringe
dissipated. Sparring in the Doce Pares form from fast and
light contact stick sparring to Dog Brothers style full contact
(with minimal body armour) diminished the fear of weapons
in full flight. We appreciate this is not for everyone, and
we don't put SDT students through full contact without armour
And only then if they choose. But it is there for those that
wish to avail themselves of this training.
Hand and Weapons Integration
We have found that the Doce Pares sparring, where the
weapons are used at any range and continue to be used as we
move into kick and punch range has allowed us to integrate
empty hand (kick/punch) skills with weapons skills in a relatively
seamless fashion. Sometimes a sparring encounter will continue
even when one or both go to ground (slip/fall/takedown/throw).
Speed of Movement and Reaction Time
It has also been our experience that the weapons' drills increase
our speed of movement and decrease our reaction time.
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