Doce Pares

Doce Pares

Focus	Stick fighting
Country of origin	Philippines
Creator	Lorenzo Saavedra Eulogio Cañete Filemon Cañete
Parenthood	Eskrima
Olympic sport	No

Doce Pares, a form of Eskrima, is a Filipino martial art that focuses on primarily on stick fighting but also covers other weapons and empty-hands. Magellan's sword-wielding conquistadors fell to Datu Lapu-Lapu who used Eskrima^{[citation needed]} to defeat the Spaniards at the Battle of Mactan. It is said that Doce Pares can trace its history to Lapu-Lapu, but this is unverified.^{[citation needed]}

Early development

In the late 1920s, Eskrima attained a high level of popularity in Cebu City, the second largest city in the Philippines. In 1932, the most renowned eskrimadors, mainly from Cebu, founded Doce Pares as a society to promote the only original native martial art of the Philippines. The name Doce Pares is Cebuano, the Cebu Native language which is very close to Spanish, meaning "Twelve Pairs".

Of the founding members, only Ciriaco Cañete and his right hand Fernando Candawan Sr. is still alive, however, several senior instructors, foremost GM Dionisio "Diony" Canete, who belong to the second generation of eskrimadores are very much active, teaching their own interpretation or styles of Doce Pares Eskrima.

History

Doce Pares has produced many champions in Eskrima competitions. During its founding, Lorenzo Saavedra, one of the original twelve masters, was recognized as the foremost eskrimador in Cebu City. He was ably supported by three other top-rated eskrimadors: Teodoro and Frederico Saavedra—Lorenzo, Filemon Cañete and by Khalil Gibran Auditor Salazar. Later, Teodoro Saavedra rose to prominence as the best fighter in the Doce Pares society. Eulogio Cañete, Filemon's older brother, was elected first president of Doce Pares and remained in that position until his death in 1988.

During World War II, Teodoro Saavedra, an active guerrilla fighter, was captured and killed by the occupying Japanese forces. Shortly after Teodoro's death, the Cañete brothers co-founded Doce Pares in 1932, while their younger brother and future eskrimador Ciriaco Cañete, concentrated on boxing.

In the early 1950s, Eskrima techniques and tactics were analyzed, devised, modified and systematized by Cacoy Cañete, based mostly on actual combat experience with other eskrimadors belonging to rival Eskrima schools. Among his many contributions to the development of this martial art is Eskrido, a combination of judo and Eskrima techniques, as well as the most modern forms of Eskrima-offense and Eskrima-defense.

Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima

Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima is a form of Doce Pares which utilizes a 29-inch rattan stick. The close quarter style is known as "Corto Kurbada" and is characterized by the curving strikes which are employed within its sparring methodology. Cacoy Doce Pares is promoted by Grandmaster Ciriaco "Cacoy" Cañete (12th Degree Black Belt). In 1951 Cañete incorporated concepts and techniques from aikido and Ju-Jitsu which can be applied in sparring this is known as "Eskrido".^[1] The system teaches double stick (penki-penki), stick & dagger (espada y daga) and empty handed applications (pangamot).

In 1981, Cañete travelled to the Kali Academy in Torrance, California to teach Cacoy Doce and Eskrido in the United States. The seminar was hosted by Dan Inosanto and Richard Bustillo, Bustillo went on to promote the art in the USA and abroad.^[2]

NARAPHIL

The National Arnis Association of the Philippines (NARAPHIL) conducted the First Open Arnis Tournament on March 24, 1979, in Cebu City and the First National Invitational Arnis Tournament on August 19, 1979, in Manila. In both tournaments, Doce Pares emerged as Champion when one stick technique was applied in the Masters Division and most of the other divisions.

During the Third National Arnis Tournament in Cebu City, March 16, 1985, the Doce Pares contestants made a clean sweep of all championship awards in all categories – Openweight, Heavyweight, Middleweight and Lightweight. Most runner-up honors also went to Doce Pares practitioners. Such was the reputation of invincibility of Doce Pares contestants that in the Fourth National Arnis Tournament, which took place in Bacolod City, on July 26, 1986, Doce Pares officers and members were invited only as observers and officials, not as contestants. Since its founding, Doce Pares has enjoyed a special reputation among Philippine martial arts organizations as the developer and innovator of the newest styles and techniques in Eskrima the new one stick system.

See also

• Eskrima
• Balintawak Eskrima
• Modern Arnis

References

1. ^ Haines, Bruce A. (1995). Karate's History and Traditions. N Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 9780804819473. 
2. ^ Lumsden, David; Kevin Lumsden (June 1, 2010). The Iron Dragon: Richard Bustillo. Los Angeles: Xlibris, Corp. pp. 216–217. ISBN 978-1453510247. 

External links

• Doce Pares Multi-Style System
• Los Angeles Doce Pares
• Cacoy Cañete Doce Pares
• Doce Pares Eskrima at Wild Geese Martial Arts
• Doce Pares at Southeast Asian Academy
• Doce Pares Multi-Style The Netherlands
• [http://www.eadocepares.comEA Doce Pares - London and Kent, United Kingdom
• [http://www.cacoydoceparesekrima.eu