* Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth boldly unravels with compelling and provocative hypothesis on the Hispanic origins of the Filipino Martial Arts known as eskrima, arnis and estokada * The last vestiges of the extinct European medieval fencing could be found indirectly linked to Filipino eskrima * The authors present prima facie evidence on the fraud of the supposedly precursor art called kali * A more plausible theory on the origins of eskrima are presented in startling detail from its early beginnings as a defense against Moro pirates and slave traders and its later fusion with Spanish fencing through the Jesuit warrior priests during the pivotal years 1635-1644, the height of Spanish rapier fencing in Europe during the Renaissance * It also presents a comprehensive chronology on the development of eskrima in Cebu, a meticulous commentary of Cebuano pioneers and innovators of eskrima and elucidates the pre-eminence of Visayans in the art of eskrima / arnis / estokada * As both authors are practitioners of this martial art, technicalities in eskrima never before detailed in other materials on the subject are carefully discussed in the book * Other interesting topics related to eskrima like the esoteric practices and healing modalities are also explained in fascinating detail. Dr. Ned Nepangue specializes in orthopedics. He was one of the top students of Jose "Joego" Milan founder and inventor of Tat Kon Tou and later studied the knife-fighting art Baraw Sugbu under the tutelate of the late Rene Capangpangan. He has travelled extensively throughout Southeast Asia and speaks Bahasa Indonesian and Arabic. Well-versed in the Koran , Dr. Nepangue was among the first Filipino authors to question the origins of the Filipino Martial Arts. Celestino "Tinni" C. Macachor is a Senior Instructor of Eskrima de Campo JDC-IO. A top protege of Ireneo "Eric" Olavides, Tinni lived for 22 years in Mindanao and travelled the entire breath of the troubled island to find the elusive Moro "kali-man". His search in Mindanao turned out empty. He is now back in his home province in Cebu and continuing his research on the Filipino Martial Arts. He was the first writer to hypothesize that eskrima was developed in defense of Visayan coastal villages against Moro slave traders and pirates. Mr. Macachor is a classical guitarist, hobby pistolsmith and teaches eskrima for free. Used Book in Good Condition