Filipino Martial Culture (Martial Culture Series)

A classic reference for martial artists and aficionados of Filipino culture, Filipino Martial Culture is an unprecedented excursion into the history, ideology, and techniques of Filipino martial arts. Beginning with a comprehensive study of the history of civil turbulence in the Philippines and the participation of its warriors in fights for independence from colonial rulers, Filipino Martial Culture proceeds to explore the worldview, spirituality, folklore and weaponry of this ancient tradition. Mark Wiley has collected extensive interviews with Filipino martial arts masters, as well as photographs of their practice and weaponry, in his preparations for this book. He explains basic and rare techniques, elucidating the ethos of much of Filipino culture in the process. The authority and depth of his materials are unsurpassed; Filipino Martial Culture is as much a definitive anthropological textbook as it is a practical guide to the martial arts