The Secret Art of Derobio Escrima: Martial Art of the Philippines

As a long time practitioner of Derobio Escrima spanning 22 years now, I found this book to be highly informative, well written and easy to read. This is the first time that the arts of Leyte have been written about and revealed in this medium, as well as the first time that a book has been written about one of the pioneers of FMA martial arts Great Grandmaster Brauilo Tomada Pedoy who was first featured in Guro Dan Inosanto's long out of print book called "The Filipino Martial Arts.For years only a handful of individuals have known anything about this art beyond just the name. The information shown here is simple enough for the beginner to apply and also applicable enough for the seasoned practitioner to appreciate about an old school yet still highly effective art form. What I liked the most about this book was to see the lives of the men who pioneered this in the Philippines documented and to hear of the humanity that was placed at the forefront by these masters in their lives. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the Filipino martial arts and their particular evolution from the Philippines, Hawaii, and here in the mainland USA.Respectfully,Tuhon Brandon Jordan

This is a very good book on the art of Derobio escrima. I was fortunate and was able to study with Dan for many years while he lived in Albuquerque. He is my friend and the grandmaster of an amazing fighting art he shared with me and my son. Many of the stories of the history of our system were shared over coffee, lunches, and such. To have them plus the basics of the art written down between the covers of this book is a true treasure. Thank you Dan.Gene

Outstanding! The Filipino tradition and focus on edged weapons is foundational for anyone interested in practical self defense. This book is a must read for all serious martial artists. The historical account of Grandmaster Braulio Pedoy reinforces the effectiveness and efficiency of Derobio Escrima. The emphasis on bladed weapons has led to the development of a system which leverages technique over strength resulting in an art which is easily applied by practitioners of any age, gender or size. The basic defensive drills provide a base for novice students to quickly advance to a portfolio of core self defense skills. The introduction to counter locks provides insight into the depth of the more highly evolved applications taught by Grandmaster Medina. Overall an excellent reference.

If you are looking for a book that will tell you how to fight Derobio Escrima then this book is not for you. The pictures are confusing and most of the reading talks about stories with the Grand masters who teaches is, instead of focusing on the fighting style it self. I am filipino and i practice this style of fighting from age 6-12 years of age. Im trying to re learn and remember my ways again but this book did not help me what so ever. a waste of money it was. But if u wanna know the story of some of the grand masters then this is the book for u. Other wise take a class instead or go to youtube.

Thank you for writing this! I was lucky enough to study Derobio and so was familiar with most of the techniques (familiar not mastered), but the history, background, and other info within the book is what was really valuable to me. Once I got the book, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Now I hope there is a second one in the works. Great job. Thanks!

This book touches on just about everything from the history to valuable techniques to practice and utilize. This will provide a great foundation for any Escrima practitioners although I do recommend having at least beginner level knowledge of the art prior to reading

Basic yet informative

Grand Master Medina explains his art and its history in this book. I have been fortunate enough to train with him in person and this book just allows those who cannot be there to expierence foundational Escrima that works.

This is a great book with solid knowledge and can teach you a lot when used with practicle experience . When younger I trained in wing chun & have my own wooden dummy which I remove the arms , pad it with old carpet and practice escrima striking routines .I’ve experience of training with bokken ( wooden katana ) , short staff ( jo ) and now stick .

Welcome addition to my library.

An excellent introduction to one of the lesser know FMA systems. Dan Medina is clearly a well versed master within the system and puts his knowledge and information across in a very clear manner. And as with all Tambuli Media the production values are superb.

An interesting book, unfortunately the pictures were too small to learn from.

Très bien. Bien documenté et illustré . 4 étoiles car j aurai apprécié plus de techniques présentées . Je reste un peu sur ma faim , d autant que le système Derobio et l auteur ont l air très pragmatique , convainquant et passionnant