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The Lotosa Escrima System
Brooklyn WT is a branch
school of EBMAS Emin Boztepe Martial Art Systems, Wing Tzun & Lotosa Escrima!
LATOSA ESCRIMA is taught exclusively at EBMAS.
FREE week of Wing Tzun (WT)
and Latosa Escrima lessons! You will Immediately witness the amazing
benefits of the EBMAS Wing Tzun & Latosa Escrima programs. Best of all the
increased confidence, focus, fitness and discipline you will learn at EBMAS
will be there for the rest of your life!
Rene Latosa Escrima
Lotosa Escrima
Martial arts systems cannot be developed
overnight. The development of a system takes time, testing, and a solid
foundation from which to start. Latosa Escrima had undergone over two
decades of testing and developing before Rene Latosa would put his name to
the system. It involves more than a name on some technique and adding a few
extra twirls to make a system
The Lotosa Escrima System
The philosophy behind the Latosa Escrima system is very simple; the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts. For example, a technique does not work by
itself unless combined with the
concepts of
balance,
power,
speed,
focus,
timing,
and
attitude. When combining these elements, the outcome or whole is
far more effective then what would normally be the sum of the parts. This is
the reason techniques, as practiced in the system, are only tools used to
understand, accept and retain these ideas. The number of different
techniques mastered by an individual does not increase his level of
competence in this system. Techniques are only practiced moves until
combined with the proper fighting concepts. The ultimate goal of the martial
arts is to make your mental, physical and technical skills work as one. The
goal of Latosa Escrima is to do this while producing a quality Escrimador
who can think creatively and react responsively rather than giving people
information overload. Escrima was the original name used under the flag of
the Philippine Martial Arts Society. The name changed to Combat Escrima as
the system was influenced by the concept of using power and combat reality.
Combat Escrima relied on a single goal; winning. This goal proved to be a
very valuable asset.
The intimidation factor of the name "Combat Escrima" was something the
students felt they had to defend. However, just the goal of winning actually
proved limiting in the progression of the system and future instructors.
PMAS produced excellent fighters and world champions but failed to produce
very many well-rounded instructors.
PMAS had the box recipe for producing competent fighters but failed to
isolate the individual ingredients that make up the end product. Latosa
spent his time developing training methods used to understand the reasoning
behind the techniques and isolating the concepts of Escrima.
Present Focus
In the early stages of developing Latosa Escrima, the power techniques were
key, and the idea of using concepts was secondary. As the concepts of power
hitting: blocking hard, assortment of different weapons, balance and
attitude became more dominant the system developed a new focus.
It was very important to feel positive and confident about what you knew.
This proved to be the advantage in a dangerous situation. This early stage
of Latosa Escrima was effective and contributed to the fighting reputation
of his students. In his classes in San Francisco, he taught each of his top
students different conceptual styles with some specialization (long sticks,
knives, double sticks, contact fighting, swords, etc.). His plan was to
ensure that each of the students worked together. With each one having a
piece of the puzzle, no one could claim they knew it all. The product,
Latosa Escrima, did not seem complete. There was that missing element that
connects and distinguishes the Filipino art from all other martial arts. It
was not the techniques, since most systems techniques are different. It was
not the ability to change from empty hands to sticks. What exactly was it?
The search for the answer became the driving force in the developing of
Latosa Escrima. It was concepts, and how they have to play an equal role in
the effectiveness in the Filipino martial arts as a whole. Rene had always
used fighting concepts combined with techniques. Techniques became the
drills to learn the important concepts. Latosa is a firm believer in "using
what works" in any given situation, however a person must understand the
various risks (not what they did) as well as the advantages. He has
basically empowered most of his top instructors to develop teaching formats
from what he himself had been teaching and preaching. He is the visionary
and the guide of the system. If any of his instructors feel that they have
uncovered a new technique or concept, which cuts seconds without abandoning
other attributes, Latosa has given them permission to incorporate it into
their teachings.
The basic concept of the system rests with the idea of movement, balance,
speed, power, focus and attitude. The bare bones of the system as far as
techniques go, are what has become known as the box system. It consists of
five interrelated movements, not blocks or offensive/defensive movements,
but just movements. These movements may seem as if they fall into the
definition of blocks, but what they actually become are interference
strikes. The idea is to understand the movements then relating them to every
concept studied in Latosa Escrima. With only five main movements the
approach is simple, yet the varieties are endless.
Conclusion
Latosa, as an instructor was never one to hide or refrain from teaching what
he had learned or developed. There are no secrets, nor any hidden agendas in
Latosa Escrima. He believes that if one person holds back information, and
the next person he teaches holds back information, eventually there will be
nothing substantial left to teach. Rene feels that the idea to hold back
information has to do with an instructorıs insecurity. The instructor would
always have something to use against his student. The students of Latosa
Escrima strive for creativity, innovation and working hard. Latosa Escrima
shall always be in the constant state of development. As long as students
continue to learn quality Latosa Escrima, the system will continue to
develop. It is a progressive, challenging
and adaptive system. The simple approach of learning conceptually will help
the Filipino martial arts produce top Escrimadors for the future.
Latosa Escrima is Taught
exclusively at EBMAS
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