About Balintawak Canada
Our Very Own Cebuano Art — Lineage & Origin
For the past fifteen years, a journey spanning thousands of miles — in search of the ideal teacher, the right system, and its authentic lineage — has been both fascinating and costly. Filipino Martial Arts are extraordinarily rich, diverse, and profound. Yet despite the many paths available, our head instructor chose to devote himself fully to the single-stick discipline of Teofilo “Teovel” Velez's Balintawak System.
With limited means and time, teaching began with a small group of dedicated students at Veterans' Park in Ajax, Ontario, approximately 30 kilometers east of Toronto. After two years, Guro Kris Soco joined — an expert in hand-to-hand combat and bladed weapons, and, like our head instructor, a living byproduct of our past masters' distinct methodologies.
“Atoa ni—higugmaon nato kini!” This is ours—let us cherish it.
Our Training Emphasis
Brilliance in the Basics
Refinement of forms, artful striking, footwork, and the Five Groupings.
Coordination & Memory
Built through repetition, pattern recognition, and disciplined practice.
Distance Management
Understanding and controlling proximity: short, medium, and long range.
Balance & Footwork
Mastery of weight distribution (60/40, 40/60) and efficient movement.
Under one roof, students are also given the opportunity to learn Aikido, a Japanese martial art with centuries of rich tradition — complementing Balintawak's principles of balance, timing, and harmony.
Ready to Begin?
Reserve a free introductory class and experience Balintawak Eskrima firsthand.