Atienza Kali Philadelphia Group

**spamurai13** · Posted On: 9/11/2009 3:27pm

I ranked 6 for aliveness only because I personally have not been promoted to higher forms of sparring. I.e. as you start with a padded trainer and work your way up to full contact with alumiminum trainer without any padded armor. Most students get to about level 3 (armor and metal trainer). So really when you have trained enough, I think aliveness reaches 10.

Striking is marked as a 3 but Tuhon Allain does teach empty hand forms for use in the AK system. My grade is based solely on my experience with my training group.

Gym size is given a 2 because currently we do not have a permanent training space. However, this has some advantages to it as well. During the summer we will practice in parks, tennis courts, even on a small stone bridge over a stream. The purpose is to have us get used to moving on different surfaces.

Weapons instruction is in my small realm of weapons based arts incredible. The Atienzas are very strict with their promoting of instructors and only after the instructors have demonstrated competencies in all aspects of their system are they allowed to teach/promoted. For instance, all AK instructors are required to own and regularly practice using guns. The Tuhons are all very dedicated to their system and have multiple seminars a year where they personally work with each student and even spar with them. A fundamental principle in AK is the idea of not falling into preset patterns. Their training sets or evolutions are aimed at simulating an encounter and at the end one person "dies."

Mass attack training is designed to gear an individual to look at a group attack situation and strategically get themselves out of it. Concepts such as stacking multiple opponents are used. As a fundamental element of AK, this training also has multiple levels. At the basic level there are group members who attack with a preprogrammed technique while the other person has to use mass attack strategy to make the kill. At the highest levels, there are multiple people with knives and they will randomly attack the person without warning.

The Atienzas have a very close tie to the Sayoc association and often people can be instructors in both systems. Sayoc students regularly attend AK seminars and vice versa.

All in all, I feel as though this system offers wonderful training in several aspects of combat, from sword fighting to self defense. The people are very friendly and it is in their nature to help out the new comers. The instructors and Tuhons treat their students like family and in terms of technique don't claim to hold any secrets.