Curriculum
Filipino Martial
Arts are usually considered to have 12 areas of training:
1. Single Stick or Long Blade 
2. Double Stick or Blade
3. Single Dagger
4. Double Dagger
5. Stick & Dagger or Sword & Dagger
6. Palm Stick or Double Ended Dagger
7. Empty Hand (Punching/Kicking/Grappling)
8. Spear or Staff (Long 2 Handed Weapons)
9. Flexible Weapons (Whip/Belt)
10. Throwing or Missile Weapons
11. Projectile Weapons (Bows/Blowguns)
12. Spiritual & Healing Arts
Generally, few styles if any will teach all 12 areas, with most teaching
around three to nine areas within their curriculums. The Doce
Pares formwork, Sayaw, encompases many of these aspects.
Contrary to the majority of other martial arts, training in the Filipino
Martial Arts begins predominantly with the weapons and empty hand
techniques following after. This is due simply because they are Warrior
Arts (arts intended for the battlefield), thus there was no intention
of going in empty handed against armed enemies - it was necessary
to be armed and proficient in the handling of weapons. Plus, the fact
of carrying daggers or machetes was part of the traditional Filipino
way of living their daily lives. In times of war, there was no time
for philosophy, it was necessary to fight and survive - the Filipino
warriors could never philosophize too much for the simple reason being
that they were almost constantly at war - either domestic or foreign,
or both simultaneously.
Thus,
in the Filipino Martial Arts, when speaking about physical confrontation,
one is equating that to several armed, skilled adversaries. Therefore,
the need must also be to be armed and skilled in the use of weaponry,
with the consideration being that during combat we may lose our weapon
or not have it, then we go to empty hands.
Filipino styles normally classify attacks not by their weapon, or
their delivery style, but by the direction of the energy. A punch
to the abdomen is treated much the same way as a straight dagger thrust
to that region would be. Practioners learn how to deal with the energy
of the attack, and then apply that knowledge to the slight variations
that come with different lengths and types of weapons.
With this in mind, the modern eskrimador must be adaptive to the environment
and tools at hand at any given time, under any given circumstances.
Creating weapons from the immediate environment enables one to turn
a chair, a glass, a rolled newspaper, an umbrella, a video case, a
handful of dirt or a few coins into weapons or self-defence tools.
A distinctive feature of all Filipino Martial Arts
is their use of geometry. In strikes, defences and movement, line
and angles are very important. In addition, the independent use of
the hands, or hands and feet, to do two different things at the same
time are the high-level skills of a trained practioner of Filipino
Martial Arts.
Filipino arts place great emphasis on footwork, mobility and body positioning. The same concepts (of angles of attack, deflections, traps, passes, etc.) are applied to similar situations at different ranges, making the understanding of ranges and how to bridge them very important. The Filipinos make extensive use of geometric shapes, superimposing them on a combat situation, and movement patterns, to teach practioners to use their position and their movements to their best advantage.
The paradox of eskrima training is that the practioner trains with weapons to develop an expertise in the understanding of self-defence against weapon attacks - one cannot simply seek "self-defence", self-defence thought of as some vague collection of techniques which can enable you by luck to survive an encounter. To defend oneself against a dagger attack, the practitioner will initially learn how to handle a dagger, then how to protect their vital areas, to defend against the various angles of attack, to anticipate the reactions of the adversary, and so on. The realisation soon becomes that although a punch will simply hurt, attacks with sticks, machetes, daggers, syringes or improvised weapons can be lethal - there can be no half measures in the application of your defence.
Instructor Courses
Doce Pares Australia Level 1 Instructor Courses are for participants already holding Instructor levels in any recognised Martial Art and can be conducted in a variety of commitment formats.
The Level 1 course consists of a total of 12 hours of concentrated instructional training which can be conducted in group format or individual structured sessions conducted at the Doce Pares Australia Headquarters in Victoria or anywhere in Australia or New Zealand.
Included in the Course are: rattan sticks, course curriculum and training video. Successful participants receive certification as Doce Pares Australia Level 1 Instructors, ID card and uniform.
Should Level 1 instructors wish to conduct classes in Doce Pares, they would need to register as an Instructor with Doce Pares Australia. Doce Pares Club Instructors reflect their professionalism with First Aid Qualifications, Public and Profession Liability Insurance and Police Checks in place as compulsory.
Club Instructors also receive an appropriate discount on martial arts equipment. This includes all training equipment necessary for the training of Filipino Martial Arts, WEKAF Armour,Uniforms, Certification, Training Videos and Books.
Ongoing regular weekend Training Days are available for instructor training, allowing for the progression through the four Doce Pares Australia Instructor levels, eventually leading to Doce Pares International accreditation.
Qualified Doce Pares Australia Instructors tap into the Doce Pares Multi-Styles Curriculum of Grandmaster Diony Cañete for advancing their Filipino Martial Arts skills.
Training at the Doce Pares Headquarters in Cebu, Philippines may be arranged via Chief Instructor Peter Shannon, the representative of Doce Pares International for Australia.
Tournaments
In Australia, Doce Pares International holds both a mid-year and end of year Tournament with Single and Double Stick Divisions for males and females over the ages of fifteen.
The World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF) was formed in August 1989, when the first World Championships were held in Cebu, Philippines, with 10 countries in attendance.
From these humble beginnings to the present, we have seen active participation and representation by over 26 different countries in various divisions.
The World Championships format includes the World Congress and Grandmasters and Masters Seminars from a variety of Filipino Styles, plus invitational Tournaments with both sparring and forms divisions.
The
current standard presented at World Championship levels in teams weaponry
and musical weaponry forms divisions are very inspirational and motivational
for both competitors and spectators alike.
The WEKAF single and double stick full-contact divisions are fast and furious, displaying speed, grace, expertise and great endurance with participants from many varied cultural backgrounds from the World arena.
Competitors in the full-contact divisions wear body armour which protects the head, body and hands, but the rattan sticks used are the same ones used in general training except usually around 100 to 200 grams in weight.
Each bout is fought over 3 x 1 minute rounds, with some competitors scoring with between 60 to 90 strikes per minute. The speed of the tips of the sticks have been measured to be traveling up to 150 kilometers per hour.
In late June 2004 Cebu once again hosted the 8th World Championships and Congress. The Doce Pares Australia Group attended this event for a two-week period which included the Championships as the core of the training trip. Trent Day enthusiastically represented himself and Doce Pares Australia at the 8th World Championships - he fought off against a former 2 x World Champion for placings in his weight division and came in 4th position. Marc Toussaint and Nick Keramidas competed in the WEKAF Invitational Tournament the next day and were competitive in their bouts.
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Formwork
Doce Pares Formwork was standardised in 2002 with the release of the Video Series featuring GM Diony Cañete performing all 12 Doce Pares forms on a 4 Tape collection.
Porma Uno - Form 1
A single stick form consisting of basic advancing, retreating and turning with basic strikes such as the arko, flywheel and media. The form follows along a single straight line.
Porma Dos - Form 2
A single stick form dealing with the basic twelve angles of attack and their respective blocks. Triangular footwork is introduced as is attack and defense from conventional, staggered and reverse footwork positions. Porma Dos takes place on an inverted "T" line and is a challenge to all Eskrima students.
Porma Tres Form 3
Single stick form using more advanced footwork methods, with more overall movement and cross stepping. Porma Uno & Dos are performed at an even tempo, Porma Tres is the first to involve variations in Rhythm & Tempo.
Porma Kuatro - Form 4
This single stick form is quite straightforward at first sight, involving basically two strikes and basic stepping and turning in four directions. It is a very easy form to learn but not as easy to perform with correct timing & step and correct and consistent footwork & stances. Porma Kuatro travels a cross-pattern and is the foundation for the Stick & Dagger form - Porma Seite (Seven).
Porma Singko - Form 5
Single stick form which involves a twelve count bi-directional combination of striking and turning repeated six times around a diamond pattern. It requires accuracy & consistency to bring the form back to the same starting position. This form is deceivingly aerobic when performed at pace due to the deep stepping and turning movements.
Porma Seyes - Form 6
Double stick is featured in Porma Seyes and is basically Porma Singko (From 5) again but with two sticks. Basic double stick movements that have been learned previously are used in this form. The coordination level required to complete this form is a natural step up from the previous form.
Porma Seite - Form 7
This form uses the basic format of Porma Kuatro (Form 4) expanded and built upon for Stick & Dagger. As with Form Four, this looks easy at first but is deceptively difficult to perform well at pace.
Porma Otso - Form 8
Porma Otso returns to single stick and includes some quite complex movement. This form includes the concept of blind strikes, reverse grip stick strikes and overhead stick passing to add more diversity of both technique and body angling.
Porma Nueve - Form 9
This form concentrates on close range, emphasising fast high & low combinations using abaniko, kurbada and witik strikes. Long range tapi and trapping also feature.
Porma Diyes - Form 10
The techniques in this form reflect the Eskrido applications of this art, with techniques dealing with locking and throwing using the stick.
Porma Once - Form 11
This espada-y-daga form is the traditional "San Miguel" that is the foundation of the rest of the Doce Pares forms. A complex and interesting form presenting a challenge to even the most dedicated student. This is the traditional form as taught by GM Momoy Cañete.
Porma Doce - Form 12
This last form in the Doce Pares system is the modern extended version of the "San Miguel" as taught by GM Dionisio A. Cañete.
Doce Pares Australia Staff Form
This form was created by Doce Pares Australia to supplement the 5" Staff training that is incorporated into the curriculum. This form follows a similar cross pattern to Forms 4 & 7 but is designed to include technique principles from all methods of Staff drills and applications. The Staff is the adaptation from training with the 5" Spear as the bladed concept.