Balintawak: Lessons in Eskrima Hardcover – April 8, 2015

I was fortunate to be a student of Manong Ted Buot for a very short time. He was inspiring. My regret is that I could not take as many notes as I wanted. Rad Maningas' book is that set of notes that I didn't get a chance to take. As I read through it I can hear Manong Ted's voice coming through the pages. I'd give this 6 stars if I could. Another review mentioned the lack of adequate photographs and I would have to agree. A DVD back up to this book would make the package complete. Then it would rate 10 stars!

don't get me wrong, i love this book! it deserves 6 stars or more. The author Rad Maningas hasn't left any stone unturned. He explains everything very clearly from A to Z of this fantastic and very practical Filipino Martial Art. It's definitely a "Must Have"!so why only 4 stars instead of 6 (5)? it lacks pictures, there are lots of great descriptions and very detailed too, but without pictures it's hard to really grasp what the author is trying to explain. Please Rad, update this book with more pictures, then it would well deserve 10 stars.

I bought this book without expectations. What I received was an excellent source of great information. There were many things of value in this book, that will make me think and re-read over and over again. There is information here that only someone very well trained could pass onto others. One of the very best books on martial arts that I have found useful, a true rarity.I have so much respect and a greater appreciation of Balintawak because of this book. Thank you, Sir for writing and sharing. Recommended highly.

A very good reference for balintawak. I only gave it a three because: 1. while probably being awesome for a balintawak player, it can be a bit obscure and descriptions would confuse a complete newbie. 2. The way it has been formatted for an ebook isn't organized well. I feel that an physical hard copy would be better served in the current organization. Other ebooks trying to describe how to do things run into the same issue. Knowing all this, I would still purchase this very good book.

As a balintawak practitioner, it is good to see the different influences of this system.. Glad that I bought it and will keep an eye open for the follow up

Better than I expected and well written in most areas. The pictures however do not seem to match very well with the written steps. I have learned a lot about the how and why. I believe this book does what it was intended to do and that is provide an explination and general understanding. With this book and motivation and "intelligent" student can go far!

Not much of picture, but very informative.

This book has some hidden jems if you seek to find them. It covers traditional basics and some advanced priciples/ techniques. However, many of the advanced techniques are loosley explained with no pictures to guide you. Otherwise, I would have given a 5 stars. Word of caution, you should have knowledge of Balintawak to get the most out of this book.

i am studying at a senior level FILIPINO martial arts ,this si another element and i enjoy this and another book ,great techniques and drills to understand the system ,,,,

A word of caution and head's up. No martial art can be ultimately and completely be learned from a book. One needs some kind of foundation or background. A coach told me that martial art manuals were meant to be reminder and Cole notes for a specific system, style, or method. They were not meant to replace teachers. Ain't that the truth.That being said it would be recommended that one already have a background in martial arts weapons, if not FMA ( Filipino Martial Arts ), for this book. The Balintawak book written by Mr. Sam Buot is a bible of sorts generic to the style. It is relatively complete. This book by Mr. Rad Maningas is more of a Book Of Five Rings specific to a old Balintawak lineage directly linked to the founder. It is a snaphot in the evolution of the style.The author has an impressive CV in FMA. I supect he wrote a book specific to this FMA style because of it's relative obscurity and scant or lack of instructional source material. It is a work of posterity with countless years of experience behind it. For Balintawak practitioners the manual will give a very deep insight into the style. It will help to answer some technical questions which were not readily made apparent while learning the style. For the FMA practitioner in general the book may come across as a little cryptic. This is due to the lack of some photos and an unfamiliarity with the idiosyncrisies of the style. This is epecially true for subtleties in which no amount of photos can truly explain.For me this book and the bible by Mr. Sam Buot were great companions to giving a bigger picture of what I have inherited and practice. Inheritance, being a lineage holder, and succession has recently come up in my life. I took it upon myself to collate as much source material as possible to get the length and breadth of what I had practiced for over ten years. This book has helped me decipher further the puzzle that is my inheritance.Mr. Rad Maningas has done an impeccable job of preserving one of the more inscrutable and pragmatic FMA systems out there. He has done a great service to all followers of the FMA heritage and culture. Please get this book as you will not regret it. Highly recommended!