Modern Arnis in the Middle East
By Jay de Leon

Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt, 2005

Master Godofredo Fajardo (second from left) leads his Modern Arnis class
amidst the date trees in Saudi Arabia.

     It is hard to imagine that an Asian martial arts would take root and find acceptance in the Middle East, itself steeped in its own martial arts and currently embroiled in several regional warfare involving modern armament. But that is exactly what Master Godofredo Fajardo is trying to do--propagate arnis or Filipino martial arts (FMA) in the Middle East, hoping that the seeds of this ancient martial arts take root and spread just like the date trees that dot the landscape there since the time of Abraham and antiquity.

Master Godofredo Fajardo, Modern Arnis Laka Antas Pito (Blackbelt 7th Degree).

     Godofredo Fajardo is a master of Modern Arnis, a direct student and friend of Professor Remy Presas, Founder of Modern Arnis. In 2001, he was appointed Commissioner for the Middle East by his mother organization, the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP), an appointment sanctioned by Arnis Philippines, the governing body for arnis in the Philippines, including the Olympics. Godo set up headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and proceeded to teach arnis under the aegis of his own school, Filipino Fighting Arts International (FFA).

Filipino Fighting Arts KSA in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

     Since arriving in Saudi Arabia, he has established several chapters and promoted several dozen lakans (black belts) as well as one dayang (female blackbelt), in arnis. He now has a a thriving independent organization in Saudi Arabia called Filipino Fighting Arts-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or FFA-KSA. Ghazi M. Al-Turaifi, a Saudi national, is currently president and a guro (instructor) of FFA-KSA. In addition to Guro Al-Turaifi, there are four other guros in the organization—Manuel Maer, Noel Dayawon, Nathan Walker and Wail Irshaid.
     FFA-KSA regularly conduct seminars, tournaments and workshops all year round. On November 17, 2005, for example, FFA-KSA conducted a Modern Arnis workshop for Practical Self-Defense with Guro Nathan Walker, an American, as instructor and coordinator. On September 25, 2005, FFA-KSA participated in an open martial arts tournament, the Second Invitational Tournament hosted by the Philippine International Martial Arts Association (PIMAA) held at the Riyadh International School (RIS) in Riyadh. Master Fajardo acted as chief judge and referee, and an FFA-KSA blackbelt, Nelson Selso, garnered first place in his division, the lightweight division.

Guro Manuel Maer, Master Fajardo, and Guro Wail Irshaid, from left to right, pose with award plaques from Jordan carved from camel bones.

     This year, through personal travels and utilizing local FFA-KSA lakans, he has made serious inroads in establishing Modern Arnis in other Middle East countries. In 2005, for example, arnis was officially accepted as a martial art sport in Jordan by the Jordan Arnis Committee composed of Messrs. Sulaiman Qablan Al Shawarbi, Dr. Basil Yusif Al Shair, Wael I. M. Yahya and Mohammad Issa Yousef Kawash. In September of 2005, IMAFP hosted a Modern Arnis basic and advanced seminar headed by Guro Wail Irshaid, an FFA-KSA instructor and a Jordanian national. This seminar was held at Sports City, a sports stadium in Amman, Jordan. A total of five (5) countries (Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Palestine) and more than a hundred practitioners participated.

Modern Arnis seminar held at Sports City stadium in Amman, Jordan,
on September 2005 headed by Guro Wail Irshaid, an instructor under
Master Godofredo Fajardo of Filipino Fighting Arts (FFA).

     If his Modern Arnis is as hardy and life-giving as the date trees in his surroundings, Master Godofredo Fajardo has no cause to worry. Just like the date trees, his art and their practitioners will indeed grow and multiply, and be part of the Middle East landscape for years to come.

Master Fajardo (third from left) and students proudly display their  twin banners of
Filipino Fighting Arts-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (FFA-KSA) and
International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP)
among the date trees and sands of Saudi Arabia.