Remy Presas

Remy Amador Presas (December 19, 1936 – August 28, 2001) was the founder of Modern Arnis, a popular Filipino martial art. Born in the Philippines, he moved to the United States in 1974, where he taught martial arts via seminars and camps. In 1982, he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year. He published several books and videos on Modern Arnis and is recognised as the "Father of Modern Arnis".
Presas was born in the town of Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, Philippines, the son of Jose B. Presas, a businessman, and the former Lucia Amador. He began studying arnis with his father then with his grandfather, Leon Presas, and uncle at the age of six. By the age of fourteen he had his first stick fighting match with a Sinawali master that Presas knocked out with one stick hit. He continued to travel across the Philippine Islands to learn from other masters and to compete in stick-fighting competitions and many street fights. Presas eventually focused on Balintawak Eskrima, but earned a 6th degree black belt in Shotokan Karate and a black belt in judo. He had brothers who also trained Arnis since a young age, Ernesto A Presas, the younger brother of Remy, studied in Japan and learned several martial arts the two brothers had learned from their father Jose Bonce Presas and grandfather and other relatives called "family style", which some elements in "Modern Arnis" and in "Arnis Presas style", despite similar methods and development, through the joint efforts of the brothers, the went different routes. Remy moved to the USA, Ernesto stayed in the PH, but travelled extensive teaching Arnis, he spoke highly of Remy and not only told this is the modern Arnis but showed the different ways of the traditional and modern. In 1966 Remy Presas began developing his own system which he called "Modern Arnis" by identifying the basic concepts of the numerous systems he had learned and merging them. By 1969 Modern Arnis had been approved by the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation as a regular subject to be taught at the National College of Physical education.
Presas was the Arnis consultant in the 1974 Philippines produced film The Pacific Connection. While working on this film he instructed and became friends with US actor Dean Stockwell.
Beginning with a small gymnasium in Bacolod in the 1950s, he attempted to spread the art to the local youth as both a cultural legacy and a form of physical development or sport. Presas instituted a ranking system with Modern Arnis to identify the ability level of each student: likas(green belt), likha(brown belt), and lakan(black belt). Lakan encompassed ten degrees. He issued certificates of rank, and began using the title Guro which became widespread throughout all Filipino Martial Arts Circles. Presas developed what came to be known as the "Arnis Uniform" consisting of loose fitting cotton trousers and a karategi style top low cut at the waist.
In 1982 Presas was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year. In 1994 he was again honored by Black Belt as Weapons Instructor of the Year.
Presas formed the International Modern Arnis Federation (IMAF) in 1970 as the principal organization for the promotion and administration of Modern Arnis in North America. The organization was responsible for maintaining records of promotions and other administrative tasks. After the founders death in 2001, these duties have since been past on to (MARPPIO)—operated by the Professors eldest son Remy P. Presas Jr with the aid of the founders other children, and the rest of the Presas Family.
There are two other bifurcated groups, one headed by Jeff Delaney and often referred to as IMAF-Delaney, and the other formerly headed by Randi Schea, often referred to as IMAF-Schea. The latter group is the larger of the two.
There are other notable Modern Arnis organizations, including International Modern Arnis Federation Philippines (IMAFP), based in the Philippines and led by some of the most senior Filipino masters of Modern Arnis; Arnis International founded by Bruce Chiu; a group headed by Tim Hartman (WMAA); a German group headed by Dieter Knuettel (DAV); and others.
Presas earned a bachelor's degree in physical education and taught the subject at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos; because of this he was addressed as Professor Presas, and became known in martial arts circles as "the Professor". He later worked for the Philippine government in the area of physical education, spreading arnis instruction through the high schools. Presas was forced to leave the country in 1974 because of pressure from certain government officials. He moved to the United States, first staying in the home of his student, Dean Stockwell and spent the rest of his life living in North America, but traveled worldwide to conduct seminars.
Presas died on August 28, 2001, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from brain cancer. Since his death, several groups have emerged to carry on instruction in his art. His younger brothers Ernesto Presas and Roberto Presas, as well as several of his children (most notably his eldest son, Remy P. Presas who heads his own Modern Arnis organization), are active in the Filipino martial arts.
Presas was married twice, first to Rosemary Pascual Presas, with whom he had five children, and to Yvette Wong, with whom he had two children.