Sticks and Knives: Edge and Impact Weapons Concepts and Urban Awareness Seminar

One of my favorite quotes of all time is “Do no harm but take no shit.” It has kept me grounded for so long and has always been a reminder for me to be the best person I can be while still acknowledging boundaries.  A recent experience took this quote to a whole new level.

Frankly, I’ve been meaning to write this blog entry for a couple of weeks and the reason why this is being published only now is not because I was lazy or anything but because I wanted to write as carefully as I possibly could so that I get my message across clearly.

Last June 28, I joined the Edge and Impact Weapons Concepts Urban Awareness Seminar led by fellow Manila Vegan, JC de Leon. Before the event, I’ve met JC twice. I’ve had good, meaningful conversations with him (mostly about yoga and veganism).  He was one of the nicest guys I’ve met. So when I received a personal invite from him, I blocked my calendar and made sure I was free to be there. During the seminar, my impression of him changed from a “nice guy” to “Whoa! Not so nice.” to “Aww. Okay, he IS a nice guy after all.” Read on to find out why.

I said “yes” not having any background in any form of Martial Arts, nor the use of any kind of weapon. I went anyway, not minding the mixture of emotions I felt on my way to the venue. There was a bit of fear from the idea of the use of weapons especially upon seeing a knife on the poster. There was also the feeling of excitement and openness to learn especially around the company of the most compassionate people I know.

Although I didn’t know what to expect, I felt confident that our instructor (being the soft-hearted vegan that he is), and the rest of the group could not possibly inflict pain on anyone or damage on anything there.

The most action we got was learning to hit the air with Arnis sticks. Okay, there was a lot more when JC had us hit a tire about five-ten times each time it was our turn. I had to admit that was a good way to let out stress and tension.  JC kept telling me to go for my “enemy’s” face and look up rather than at the floor. I never thought it would be tough to even think of actually hitting someone HARD on the face. What a sissy!

During the break, the organizers raffled off really cool self-defense devices designed for ze ladies. Look!

Just when my arms (especially my forearms!) we’re starting to feel really tired and weak from handling the Arnis sticks, we moved on to the next part of the seminar–knife handling. I was relieved we weren’t asked to hold a knife, except for a couple of volunteers who were asked to come up to show the difference a knife makes in any situation.

The whole thing wasn’t pretty (except for the self-defense devices they raffled off!), it wasn’t in any way cool. It’s not something you will probably want to try for yourself because it’s not trendy or fancy–but it was RAW and very REAL. There were times when I could sense the tension from the other girls around me. I was sure JC picked it up too because then he would crack a joke and everyone would burst into laughter and loosen up again.

I was wide-eyed nearly the whole time the instructors did demos and short lectures in front. Although I sort of knew at the back of my head that these sorts of things (violence, knives, blood and even death) are real and are out there, the seminar shook my head and brought it to my attention as if to say, “Wake up. THIS could happen to you.”

To sum it up, I realized while I was there that we weren’t invited to learn martial arts, or to hit someone with a stick or a baton. Neither were we there to learn how to use a knife to hurt others. The knives were there to open our eyes to the reality surrounding us today. Most of us present in the seminar were women and we were taught to be practical about defending ourselves. I never learned martial arts but our instructors made sense when they said fighting is never choreographed. You can never tell what your attacker is going to do or where he or she is going to hit you. And when it’s fight or flight PLUS a knife, you’d be wise to choose flight. 

And on instances when you really have to fight, fight only with the intention of self-preservation in mind.

To close the session, JC answered a question we (or probably even you) have been itching to ask. Combatives, Weapons, Violence, Yoga, Veganism and Compassion– They don’t seem to add up! But it did and it was so simple that it was so easy to miss: Our instructors didn’t hang out in the streets with knives playing predator. Rather they were there in front of us sharing what they know to HELP us. They also mastered the art of self-defense so that one day, if and when the need arises, they can use it to protect themselves and come home to their families safe and in one piece.

As for yoga–well, anything you do that allows you to connect with your true self IS yoga. No one can dictate how your practice should look or be like. There are no judgments. This is JC’s practice and he whole-heartedly shared it with us. I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

Since we worked up a good sweat at the seminar, we were all so hungry and couldn’t wait to get to the VEGAN POTLUCK  at the park close to the Finman Gym.

We met fellow vegans there and just went crazy. Care to join us next time? Email me or comment below to join the next VEG-UP in Manila. Whether  you’re already vegan, vegetarian, transitioning or just curious, I’d love to take you!

Watch this space for upcoming Seminars by JC de Leon and Carlos Hermanos. The seminar was held at Finman Gym, Tordesillas Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City.