Eskrima
There are many styles in Kali, Arnis and Eskrima and all of them can be subvided in Northern, Southern and Central styles of the Phillippines. It is interesting to know that two students, who represent the same style, ( i.e. Toledo style which comes from the same man named Santiago Toledo ) can be totally different in their movements, approaches and training methods. Styles borrow characteristics from each other, expand themselves and draw together like the universe, but every student makes a style useful for him/herself by its use. Teachers remove and add their own parts to the style, which they teach their students. They can also add things to a style, which had been removed by their own teachers. So one cannot talk about styles. The expression "training methods" or "systems" should be used. A style is something different for every single person. In their thoughts the following styles are only some of the facets, which have been found in the Phillippine martial art.
The V.G.T. method of the modern Arnis
Sifu Bill Owens began his study of martial arts under Sigung Al Dacascos, the founder of the Wun Hop Kuen Do Kung Fu style. The teaching method of Sigung Al Dacascos is often described as "a system without system". This style encourages the student, where, the more advanced he is, the more creative he can be. Sifu Bill had been introduced in various arts which he considered as compatible with himself and his culture. Although he was impressed by the noticeable Chinese and Japanese weapons of the martial arts and also had the wish to learn them all, he was not interested to train so much with them. Most of the weapons are not useable for the situation of life today. Moreover, their handling during the fight had not been taught, only the Kuen ( form ) had been taught. But Sifu Bill was impressed by the practical use and the possibilities of the stick, so he began to train with his advanced students using several sticks of different lengths during the early seventies. In 1976, Sifu Bill Owens met Prof. Remy Presas, who had processed the style, Modern-Arnis, with his brother Ernesto Presas. He participated in a seminar for black belts and realized that the teaching method of Prof. Presas was the same as for the Wun Hop Kuen Do. He encouraged his students to be creative, too, and not to follow a fixed training method. Sifu Bill was impressed by this training method. In only four days Prof. Presas gave the basics of his own fighting with a stick to Sifu Bill and the motivation to use his own ability and knowledge of the martial arts to be creative. Sifu Bill began to involve some principles and theories in his fighting with a stick from Capoeira ( an African-Brasilian martial art form ), Wun Hop Kuen Do and from other arts and dances by which he was influenced. As a result Sifu Bill named his method of the Modern-Arnis the "V.G.T. method", which distinguishes from Modern-Arnis even through the adaptation of other arts. He names this V.G.T. because of the African word, Vijiti, which corresponds to the English pronounciation of V-G-T. Vijiti comes from the name "Kusema Vijiti" which means "talking sticks". Talking sticks is the name of another art form which consists more of rhythm and dance.
Therefore talking sticks is not really a martial art and is also taught by Sifu Bill. But the basics of the V.G.T. method are a direct derivation of Modern-Arnis. The main features and differences are that the main focus is on the rhythmical flow and dance; similar movements which are to be attributed to the influential Kusema Vijiti. V.G.T. is for: very guarded techniques - very good training - very good thoughts. All black belts of the first generation are students of Sifu Bill Owens concerning the fight with a stick and have integrated his principles and methods to the system of Wun Hop Kuen Do.