Remy Presas, Founder of Modern Arnis, and Soke Kinney
Modern Arnis is the system of Filipino Martial Arts founded by the late Remy Presas as a comprehensive self-defense system. His goal was to create an injury-free training method as well as an effective self-defense system. Modern Arnis is the most popular and widely practiced Filipino martial art in the world today. It is derived principally from the stick-dueling art of Balintawak with influences from other Filipino and Japanese martial arts.
The primary weapon is the rattan stick, called a cane or baston (baton), which varies in size, but is usually about 28 inches (71cm) in length. Both single and double stick techniques are taught , with an emphasis on the former; unarmed defenses against the stick and against bladed weapons (which the stick is sometimes taken to represent) are also part of the curriculum.
Remy Presas’ modernization of the training method was intended to help preserve the Filipino martial arts. He taught the method of hitting cane-on-cane during practice, which attracted more newcomers to the art and also allowed the art to be taught in the Philippines’ school system. Practitioners are called arnisadors or Modern Arnis players. In addition to its Filipino influences, elements of Judo, Okinawan Karate, and Ju-Jitsu appear in the system.
Grandmaster Michael Kinney and Modern Arnis Founder Remy Presas were close friends. Professor Presas introduced Modern Arnis to Kinney Karate. Michael Kinney and Remy Presas shared seminar spotlights and participated in training camps together. Both studied Ju-Jitsu, and learned pressure point skills together.
