What it Means to Be a Bayani Warrior Part 3

I don't know when I will die...but what I DO KNOW is that I DON'T want my tombstone to read: "Here lies Michael Andrew Pana. He was very good at fighting with weapons."

I want my life to be more than that.

When I started Bayani Warrior, something in me wanted it to be more than just a martial arts group. I wanted it to be a vehicle to utilize my life's passion, Filipino Kali, to help improve people's lives. I want to teach Filipino martial arts so that it can help people the way it helped me--how it showed me the true window into the beauty and relevance of my culture and how it showed me the strength and focus that one attains from training in it. I wanted people to unite under one common cause...to develop them into a group of people that would support each other both in the physical and emotional battles that life brings. It may sound odd, but I want to use violence to show people how to learn to be at peace and in control with themselves...to train them to face fear and even horror and to see them persevere through it so that they see who they really are. By doing this, I find that people can live more productive lives because they can work past their fears.

Bayani Warrior exists to teach people how to find the Bayani (hero) within themselves by training in the use of weaponry. Training in weaponry, particularly in the Filipino methods, requires one to realize that violence is not a fantasy or a game. It is serious. It is life and death. As a result, those who train with us aren't the barroom brawlers looking for a fight. They realize that they need to fight for something far more important: the protection of their family, friends, and the innocent. The very act of preparing oneself to protect others is what develops the Bayani within them. It makes them realize that the training is not simply for their own self-gratification. Rather, it is for the benefit of others. The act of persevering through the training due to the rigorous physical and financial demands the training requires develops character and focus. It brings a collective cohesiveness to the group members. They begin to feel as a unit. This is what develops the Warrior. Warriors recognize the importance of the group over themselves and how to focus through challenges.

The values that we try to live by in the realm of Filipino martial arts training translates to the way we treat others in the community. Recently, Bayani Warrior has moved into the foray of community service projects, the most recent being the Typhoon Ondoy Relief Clinic we held which raised canned food and money for the Typhoon Ondoy victims. I hope to continue using Bayani Warrior not just as a means to teach people Filipino warrior training, but also for helping the community.

I know I am not perfect. But, I believe that Bayani Warrior can change the world around me, because it changed the world within me.

What It Means to Be a Warrior Part 2

If there was one thing that summed up my experiences this past year, it was the fact that I learned what it really meant to be a warrior. I used to think that warriors were people who possessed incredible fighting skill and courage. However, I realized that I barely scratched the surface when it came to knowing what being a warrior is all about.

When I began the foundations of Bayani Warrior back in 2003, I realized I wanted the group to be far more than just a group of people who could fight with weapons. I wanted the group to stand for something...to represent something bigger than just ourselves. I wanted the members to possess a high level of skill, but I also wanted them to carry themselves a certain way throughout their normal daily life. I wanted there to be a sense of duty and honor in what we were doing. I wanted to use the Filipino fighting arts to develop people into stronger, better individuals.

As the years went by, I kept doing everything I could to live what I thought was the warrior lifestyle. I trained everyday in the gym to keep my skills fresh. I sparred anyone and everyone who wanted to move around with me. I ate right. I exercised relentlessly. I would develop new drills and weapons to use. However, I still felt something was missing. While I was training hard and my skills were improving, I felt that there was something that I just wasn't doing...something that would complete the puzzle, so to speak. I knew that I wanted to possess great fighting skill, but even that goal didn't seem enough for developing myself into the person I sincerely wanted to be.

A few years later, I began training in a system called Atienza Kali under Tuhon Carl Atienza. Atienza Kali is a blade-based system that specializes in long blades as well as small blades in multiple attacker scenarios. Tuhon Carl not only taught me how to apply my techniques in real time, but also taught me valuable lessons as to what it meant to be a warrior...a Filipino warrior in particular, and how to better run Bayani Warrior in the proper way. When I went to my first instructor weekend for Atienza Kali instructorship, I was put through training that I had never gone through before. I realized that while I possessed a pretty good deal of fighting skill, it still wasn't enough to make me into a warrior. Fighting skill was only a very, very small part of the puzzle.

I learned that a warrior is not just a person with great fighting skill. A warrior is a person who looks at any problem, any problem at all, and solves it with a focused and clear mind, without panicking or being sidetracked by emotion. I learned that true warriors embrace challenges. I realized that warriors do not care about the individual. In fact, it's never about the individual. Rather, it's about the group and how well the group functions as a whole. Above all else, I learned that warriors could apply their training not just to combative scenarios, but to every aspect of their life: their relationships with loved ones, their careers, and life's challenges.

When I returned home from the weekend, the experience stayed with me. I learned that while I have been training my whole life to be the best fighter, I was not training to be the best warrior. Warriors and fighters are not the same. Fighters are great at fighting. But, that's about it. Warriors, on the other hand, apply their training to every aspect of their life. They live by a code of conduct. Like fighters, warriors can fight...but they also think their way through tough situations as opposed to responding emotionally about them. They can maintain control of their relationships with their family and friends. They can lead and teach others how to be better people.

Throughout this year, as a result of God's Grace, Tuhon Carl's constant guidance, as well as going through life's challenges and experiencing things first-hand, I have had a better understanding of how to be the warrior in my own life for Bayani Warrior, my family, girlfriend, and friends. Now, I have been able to not only work through problems of my own, but I have also been able to help those I care about get through their problems...which is something I have been unable to do before.

The Samurai, Spartans, Moros, Maori, Knights, Hwarang, Zulu...all of them were warriors. Not fighters, but warriors. It wouldn't make sense to call these groups fighters. Sure, they could all obviously fight, but that's not what defined them as warriors. What made them warriors was how they carried themselves every minute of the day...how they viewed daily life and battlefield combat as the same thing. They were open to challenges and faced any problem life threw at them head on. They not only possessed physical skill and strength, but they were also incredibly focused on the importance of spiritual and mental cultivation. It is for reasons such as these that I wanted to call the group Bayani Warrior. Not Bayani Fighting Systems or Bayani Martial Arts. I wanted to call it Bayani Warrior...a group that melded the ideals of the hero with the focus and courage of the warrior.

In the last entry, I wrote about the Bayani, or hero, and how heroes possess the willingness to act and do something extraordinary for the benefit of those around them. The Warrior is very similar, if not almost identical, to the Bayani. Both the Bayani and the Warrior possess courage and the willingness to act. Both the Bayani and the Warrior place the needs of their community, tribe, or country above themselves.

However, the Bayani and the Warrior differ in the sense that while the Bayani seeks to take action when faced with a problem, the Warrior wants to exactly know how to do deal with the problem efficiently and logically. If the Bayani and the Warrior were standing side-by-side in front of a problem, the Bayani will say, "I want to do something about this!"...but the Warrior will say, "Okay, fine. Now how do we solve it in the most efficient way possible?"

As I said in the last entry, I have a lot of work ahead of me when it comes to being both the Bayani and the Warrior in every aspect of my life. I am still trying to be the best warrior I can be. However, I believe that as with most things in life, being a warrior is a constant process. I am reminded of a quote by the writer Carlos Casteneda:

"To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other.”

Next, I will talk about how the Bayani and the Warrior work together. Stick around for Part 3.

What it Means to be a Bayani Part 1

When I first decided to begin the foundation of Bayani Warrior back in 2003, I knew that I didn't want it to be merely a group of individuals that were able to fight with sticks and blades. I wanted it to be something much more than that. I wanted it to not only provide a physical outlet for people to learn how to protect themselves, but I also wanted it to be a place where people could develop themselves spiritually and mentally through the Filipino warrior arts. I wanted Bayani Warrior to not only be a group of close-knit training partners and fighters, but I wanted it to be a group that stood for something more...something that I felt has been missing not only in the Filipino martial arts community, but in the Filipino and American community as well.

In this entry, I will cover the first part of the Bayani-Warrior name. The word "Bayani" is a Tagalog (Filipino) word that translates to "hero". A hero is an individual who places the needs of their family, their loved ones, and their community above themselves. A hero is a person who performs extraordinary acts to help others, even if it means that they may suffer grievous consequences in the end. A hero possesses a distinct sense of right and wrong; They are NOT morally ambivalent. Heroes place what is right over what is easy.

Above all else, a hero is an individual who stands for something greater than just themselves and their desires. A hero is, after all, an individual who sets the example for those around them. It's easy to be able to fight. It's easy to perform and master drills and techniques. But, to be the example for others to follow is difficult.

I decided to use the word "Bayani" as part of the group's name as a result of an experience while in the Philippines. I spent a week in Baguio with my brother and a few others building homes for the poor in a small mountain village. The people referred to us as "Bayani". I had no idea what it meant at the time. After a hard day of work, we would head to the hotel and we would often meet during dinner and the chaperones on the trip would teach us the meaning of the word "Bayani" and what it meant for us as people. The word was inspiring, profound, and was also easy to pronounce and remember. When I got back home to the USA, the experience stuck with me. I decided I would continue the Bayani lifestyle, and that I would combine the ideals I learned that week in Baguio to my Filipino martial arts training.

Heroes are present everyday, and everyone has the capacity to become a hero in their own lives. This may sound idealistic, but in reality, all one has to do is look around and you will see that heroes truly are present all around us. Of course, we have the heroes in society who have made it their living to serve and protect those in the community: police officers, firefighters, doctors, EMS workers, those in our Armed Forces, etc. But, there are many other heroes that exist in our society that rarely get recognition or praise: the single parent who works 2 jobs to support their kids...the school teacher that sacrifices their time and energy to ensure that the next generation is a better one than the last...the social worker who wants to help those that society may have forgotten.

Filipinos are no stranger to heroism. Throughout history, our ancestors have fought and sacrificed to fight oppression and stand up for what they believed in. Names like Lapu-Lapu, Andres Bonifacio, and Jose Rizal are synonymous with what being a Bayani is all about. That heroic blood still flows through us Filipinos today, and I am doing everything I can to make sure the next generation remembers that.

I know that what I have just said may sound overtly idealistic, particularly in today's world. We live in a world where people place greed and money take precedence...a dog-eat-dog world where people will stab people in the back just to get ahead. Our society has gotten so extremely idealistic that people only care about themselves and what they want. I myself have studied heroes my whole life, both real and fictional, and I must admit that while I seek to be the Bayani in my own life, I realize I do have work to do. I don't feel that should dissuade us from seeking to be the Bayani in our own lives. I believe that being a Bayani is a constant process...a process of self-improvement, self-discovery, and self-awareness that remains constant in one's life as long as they seek to act toward the benefit and aid of those around them.

The next entry will discuss the Warrior. Stick around.

Pacquiao VS Mayweather: My Thoughts

On my birthday last Saturday, Pacquiao did it again and defeated Miguel Cotto. Manny Pacquiao has conquered 3 weight classes and currently holds numerous championships which he has successfully defended time and time again. However, if there is one man who has a chance of beating him, it's Floyd Mayweather Jr. who is undefeated in the ring. Now, the public is demanding that a Pacquiao/Mayweather fight take place. The Boxing world will gladly oblige as it has in the past and there is a HUGE chance that the two will meet in the ring. Many have asked me, "Who do you think will win?" Well, to be honest, I am no prophet. I have no clue who will win exactly. Both fighters are almost identical in their respective styles. They are both incredibly elusive, fast, precise, powerful, and anyone who dares step in front of either one of them in the ring gets decimated.

As a Filipino, of course I am rooting for Pacquiao. However, all patriotism aside, I need to be objective and say that Mayweather is going to be one hell of an opponent. If there is anyone in the Boxing world who even has a chance of knocking Pacquiao out, it's Mayweather. Admittedly, one of the biggest reasons for Pacquiao's success is his speed and elusiveness in the ring. His ability to evade punches and attack in combinations is one of Pacquiao's biggest strengths. However, Mayweather is equally elusive and fast, if not more elusive and fast, than Pacquiao is. Both fighters can evade and throw flurries of punches in combinations. Both fighters are experts in attacking the gaps in their opponents defenses. Both are also incredibly capable of knocking people out. I feel that a Pacquiao/Mayweather fight will be great to watch simply because of the fact that you will be watching two fighters with nearly identical styles and skill sets going at it.

Mayweather has millions upon millions of dollars. He has several luxury cars, his own entourage of security guards, chefs, beautiful women, and trainers. More importantly, he has an undefeated record in the ring. He's an arrogant bastard for sure, but the man has backed up his big mouth time and time again.

However, Pacquiao has something that Mayweather doesn't...something that I believe gives him the edge over Mayweather: Support. Sure, Mayweather has a large entourage...and yes his dad is his trainer so one can argue that he has support. No doubting that. However, he doesn't have the support of a NATION. Mayweather may have an entourage of people who follow his every move, but Pacquiao has a whole country backing him...an entire country that prays for him and thinks about him everytime he fights...a country that he himself represents and fights for. In addition, Mayweather's arrogance and big mouth have not made him the most liked person in the world. Whether people love Pacquiao or not, they will cheer him on, pray for him, and back him up because they want Mayweather's teeth knocked out and his mouth zipped shut. One cannot underestimate the power or moral and spiritual support for an individual and how that helps an individual go beyond their normal capabilities. It forces an individual to dig deep and push harder than ever before. What better motivation to win can one have if an entire country is cheering you on?

Mayweather sure has a lot of things going for him, but he fights only for his mouth, his bank account, and his pride. Pacquiao stands for something bigger than that. Call it naive or idealistic, but I firmly believe that Pacquiao's sense of patriotism and faith will give him an edge in the fight between him and Mayweather. I am not saying he will win. Rather, what I am saying is that he will push harder and fight harder than ever before because he fights for something BIGGER than just a paycheck.