Lineage

Balintawak Canada — Our Roots, Lineage, and Teaching Tradition

Balintawak Canada’s journey is rooted in the rich heritage of Teofilo Velez Balintawak, a tradition passed down through generations of dedicated practitioners and teachers.

Prior to 2015, our foundational training was principally shaped by Master Roy Ilogon and GM Nene Gaabucayan through NNG Balintawak. These early experiences established the essential building blocks of our understanding and practice, grounded in the same Teofilo Velez tradition that would later guide our development.

From 2015 onward, Balintawak Canada has followed the system and teaching methodology of WOTBAG (World Original Teofilo Velez Balintawak Arnis Group), benefiting from direct instruction and guidance from:

• GM Eddie Velez
• GM Monie Velez
• GM Oliver Mag-uyon
• GM Kirt Velez
• Master Chester Revil

Within this teaching heritage, GM Oliver Mag-uyon’s lineage traces directly to the late GM Teofilo Velez, the late GM Pachito Velez, the late GM Eduardo Velez, and GM Ramon Franco “Monie” Velez.

We recognize these teachers not merely as names in a lineage, but as individuals whose knowledge, discipline, experience, and generosity have helped preserve and transmit the living principles of Balintawak.

Our Commitment

While we acknowledge our lineage with gratitude and respect, Balintawak Canada does not view lineage as a boundary separating practitioners. Rather, it is a responsibility to preserve the integrity of what has been entrusted to us.

Our purpose is not to claim superiority over other schools or traditions, but to honour our teachers through sincere practice, responsible instruction, and the continued development of our students.

For us, Balintawak is more than a collection of techniques. It is a living art built upon principles, adaptability, sensitivity, timing, and the relationship between teacher and student.

We honour where we came from, remain faithful to the principles we have learned, and welcome the opportunity to learn from others.

Our lineage gives us roots. Our practice gives those roots life. Our responsibility is to pass the art forward.

The Balintawak system we inherited is taught through five progressive groupings, each organizing related combat situations into structured learning experiences. These groupings help students recognize problems, develop appropriate responses, refine body mechanics, sharpen timing, and gradually cultivate the ability to respond naturally under changing pressure.

The purpose of grouping is not to produce mechanical fighters, but to develop intelligent, adaptable practitioners. Structure provides the foundation for understanding; repetition develops familiarity and sensitivity; and progressive, unscripted practice tests whether those principles can be applied instinctively.

The five groupings are therefore a teaching map, not a rigid sequence of combat techniques. Real encounters do not unfold in numbered order. They demand awareness, recognition, timing, adaptability, and the freedom to respond as circumstances change.

As students progress, the boundaries between groupings gradually dissolve. What begins as organized instruction becomes an uninterrupted expression of the art, where principles guide movement rather than memorized patterns.

“First, organize the lesson so the student can understand it. Then gradually remove the pattern so the student must learn to recognize, feel, adapt, and respond.” — Balintawak Canada teaching principle

Five groupings provide the structure. Understanding connects them. Adaptability makes them one continuous art.

Explore the practical progression in our Learning Pathway.

Grouping-based learning organizes material into related categories: students have a visible progression and a common teaching vocabulary, variations are introduced after the core response is understood, and the structure is eventually mixed and tested at random.

“Oido” literally carries the idea of learning or playing “by ear.” In some FMA usage it describes training without a fixed numbered sequence — more organic, intuitive, and immediately free-flowing. It is also the proper name of distinct Filipino systems, so it should not be used as a dismissive label.

Balintawak Canada's own formation is grouping-based. We value that structure because it lets us teach progressively and consistently — a statement about our method of transmission, not a claim that other traditional or random methods are lesser arts.