Dog Brothers Public Forum

Woof Marc and guys
I am finally back home.actually have been back for 6 days,but had to catch up with work and finalize preparations for my Daughters \wedding.Thank God all went well and I can now express my gratitude to Guru Marc and his wonderful wife for the Hospitality during my stay in LA.We were also able to shoot a DVD which will be the first of iys kind with a lot of old rare footage of the old Garrote Masters and an Instructional part showing the basics of Footwork and other aspects of Garrote.It will really show for the first time what Garrote is about.
During my trip to California I had the opportunity to share with that wonderful group of people who studied with the late Maestro Sonny Umpad.that was in Oakland,I then went to Fresno where I met a wonderful \\Filipino ,Master Ramiro Estalilla who showed the intricacies of Kabaroan Eskrima and who also analyzed with me the roots of Garrote.In Miami I met with a Modern Arnis group led by Tony Torres and we had a small Woirkshop as well.All in all,a wonderful journey where I met many wonderful people and made many new friends,Oh,and I shouldnt forget the Hospitality of Joe Tan who also showed me the realities of Tapado.So much to learn,so much to share.
I look forward to meeting all these wonderful guys again in the near future.
Best
Bruno
PS Special Thanks to my training partners for the DVD

Hi Bruno,
I'm based in Oakland CA.
My primary arts are Visayan Corto Kadena Eskrima of maestro Sonny Umpad, and Gao style Bagua Zhang from Luo De Xiu of Taipei. I also practice Toyama Ryu Battodo under Sensei Mike Esmialzadeh aswell as Chen Pan Ling and Wu style Tai Chi. I used to foil fence as a kid, and honestly all edged weapon arts make me happy
The first time I noticed Venezuelan martial arts was an article in The Journal of Asian Martial Arts, can't remember which issue I'm afraid. The photos showed some cool hand switching, nice and deceptive.....I'd be interested in learning more about it for sure.

Hi Maija
Guru Umpad was one of the persons I had always wanted to meet,after reading his book.Unfortunately,the persons I contacted through time were always very evasive as to his whereabouts and by the time someone directed me to the Bay area,he was already gone.
As to the article in The Journal of Asian Martial Arts,it was written by me,with the help of my good friend Bob Orlando who I highly respect as a Kuntao man and as a great and generous guy.
Bruno
PS If talking about Guru Umpad falls outside this trend please direct me to a source of info about him and his style.I heard he was a great dancer,since Garrote is very footwork oriented I am sure he would have enjoyed it

Hi
I heard that Kukris is one of the weapons taught in the art of Bando.Has anyone seen it performed?Anything Graphic around?Like You tube or on Google.
Thanks
Bruno

Hi guys
My name is Bruno Cruicchi and I am really glad,to finally be able to join this forum.I also must say that I appreciate what Tom Furman has written about me.It flatters me to be called ..what..a man of Mystery..WOW I dont really feel like one.
Just a guy who has dedicated most of his life to Martial arts,like many of you,and who still feels like a kid in a candy store.It is like a fever ,you cant get rid of it,you can only feel relief and a sense of accomplishment everytime you discover something new,Something to share with others.I have been  a facilitator all my life,professionally as a Language Professor,and on a vocational basis with Martial arts.Just to share a few things with you,I started Judo when I was 12 years old,because of my Father who got tired of my whining about being bullied in school.He completed my training with some of the Unarmed Combat he had learned as a soldier in WWII (Africa),From then on I experienced many things in the streets of Cairo.Like using my head(no pun intended)for fighting since headbutts are the rule in the middle east.Egyptian Tahtib,or stick fighting was an art I often witnessed over there,I was also the first guy in 1976,with the guidance of Don Dreager,to open a Dojo where 7 different Martial arts were being taught,at a time when most teachers were really possessive and literally forbade their students to study different Martial arts.I was heavily criticized then as I am now for being too open with my teachings.I could go on for a long time,but I refuse to do so without a beer in front of me or maybe I will settle for coffee..............
Oh,and I would really feel honored to be able to share some of my Garrote,the Venezuelan stick fighting art,where after quite a few years of training I feel I have only scratched the surface .
Talk to you soon guys
Bruno