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In reviewing this video, I can remember actually viewing this tape every day after school, trying to unravel some of the mysterious movements executed by the Datu easily and effortlessly. Watching Datu glide from attack to attack, executing locks, throws, chokes, disarms, and punishing strikes, one can easily imagine the damage and carnage if executed in reality and in real-time. To my understanding, this is Datu Worden’s first video, and as stated in the title, it is an introductory tape. However, this should not be taken as basic, elementary, paint-by-numbers. On the contrary, this video examines Datu Worden at his brutal best, little in talk, much in action and demonstration. In this article, I examine the tape in its entirety, and will do my best to relate how one can apply the material in this tape to something you can use at home or in the training hall.

First off, who is the intended audience for this tape? This video is for anyone and at any level. If you are a traditional stylist, be it kung-fu or karate, you can extract techniques that will act as an excellent segue into lock-flow, disarming, and weapon control. This is especially important, since many traditional styles focus only on kicking, punching, and sets (kata). Worden, who came from a traditional background himself and earned multiple black belts, opens conceptual possibilities beyond the floors of the dojo. For the experienced arnis or kali practitioner, Worden expands and integrates the often segmented combat lines into smooth transitions that are both powerful and fluid. For example, Worden demonstrates in near combat real-time as he chokes a student out with his own staff. Another example is Datu Worden defending himself (staff to staff confrontation) and lighting the opponent up with multiple striking and ending with a seamless Aikido-type throw.

Without trying to be condescending, I would argue that few practitioners in the world today can mimic or even perform a sampling of the moves Datu demonstrates in this ‘intro’ tape. One word of caution, this tape is for the serious practitioner, and as such, they should be vigilant in the study of this tape. In other words, although the title is ‘introductory,’ the material within is not. Without hesitation, even within the vast NSI camp, few of Datu Worden’s students would be apt to demonstrate the skill, fluidity, and motions contained in this video. Unlike Worden’s future tapes, he does not instruct, but demonstrate. In this sense, much of Datu Worden’s best material awaits you. Here Datu does not spoon-feed you at any time; he sprints past you and waits for you to catch up. In the older tradition of martial art instruction, this is how teaching was conducted, little talk, and much action. The student must do all the grunt work to figure out how this movement will be executed particular to their skill, body dynamics, flexibility, and intelligence. If you make it somewhat work in real-time, you’re on the path, if not, you keep working it. You either have it or you don’t. This video clearly demonstrates ‘who has it.’

Currently, the martial art instructional video/DVD market is at its most saturated and many instructors that would expand their curricula simply have no way to discern the best video for their hard earned dollar. As any long-time martial artist will come to understand, that many videos purchased are watched only once, then collect dust on the shelf. However, your purchase of Sibat – Connecting the Systems Introductory tape will not follow this trend. The following is an outline form of what is contained in the video:

Sibat striking targets 1-4 and application (disarm/passing lines/empty hand translations)

Sibat empty hand translations on angle one

Sibat short stick translations on angle one

Sibat knife translations (sak-sak/pical grips covered) on angle one

Sibat sinawali patterns

Sibat Sinawali lead-ins from angle two

Sibat Sinawali lead-ins from angle three

Sibat Sinawali lead-ins from angle four

Sibat striking system #1-10 (with entries/takedowns)

Sibat striking lead-ins from angles 5, 6, and 7

Sibat Anyo Apat: Broca-Bo presentation/demonstration

Single stick – 6 angles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 12) deflections, entries, disarms

Single stick entries and takedowns from angles 9 and 8

Six count sumbrada (with counters, and empty hand 6 count with counters)

Double stick single sinawali

Double stick double sinawali

Double stick reverse sinawali

Double stick sinawali combinations

Sibat anyo tatlo – Two person set

Empty hand joint manipulation flow

Dumog/Kuntao entries and destructions

6” palgrip entries and takedowns

24” police baton entries and takedowns

4’ crowd controller entries and takedowns

Espada E Daga entries and takedowns

Daga entries and takedowns

As one can see, there is a lot of material for any level of martial artist. Depending upon your learning demeanor, you can use, modify, or extract any/all of the techniques to your particular style or make-up. If you are new to the Filipino arts, you can mimic the movement sets in this video until they become natural to your expression of the art. Here the adage, ‘art within your art’ readily applies to Datu Worden’s Sibat Connecting the Systems tape.

Lastly I will leave this article with a quote that to this day I believe, is the cornerstone of what Natural Spirit International entails: The NSI Creed. This creed comes at the end of the tape and is one of the things my students were exposed to very early on in their training.

NSI Creed

We are men, warriors in the martial arts,

Scholars of physical movement.

Together we seek perfection. Mind,

Body and Spirit are the keys to

Universal Harmony. Open your world,

Respect all living things. Create harmony within.

Together, we are one…United.

Datu Kelly S. Worden