BAHAD-ZUBU SEMINAR IN CALIFORNIA
By Jay de Leon

Last Saturday, April 21, 2007, Guro John Brown conducted a seminar in Bahad-Zubu in Anaheim, California. The seminar was sponsored and held in the training quarters of Blaise Loong, a Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) stylist and founder of his own martial arts style called Yashai Warcraft.

Bahad-Zubu is the personal FMA style of GM Epifanio “Yuli” Romo, one of the most respected living masters of FMA in the Philippines and one of the four pillars of Kalis Ilustrisimo taught by Tatang Ilustrisimo.

GM Yuli Romo showing students and an audience including me, in his
own inimitable way, some barong techniques at the Rizal Park
in Manila, Philippines last year July, 2006.

I was fortunate enough to meet GM Yuli last year (2006) in Manila, and I was able to watch him teach and demo a few times. I also had several private discussions with him, and he was kind enough to explain the underlying concepts of Bahad-Zubu, show off his personal barong and in general, just talk about his personal views on Filipino Martial Arts and fighting and training philosophy.

GM Yuli Romo (left )poses with Jay de Leon at Rey Galang’s 
Bakbakan Tournament in Manila, Philippines last year in July 2006. 
This was taken during a break, as GM Yuli was a busy referee and
popular personality at the tournament (note towel and timer around his neck).

Guro John Brown is a personal student and a certified instructor of Bahad-Zubu under GM Yuli Romo.  He has been training with GM Yuli for a while now, flying to the Philippines for extensive training for the past three years.

A former California resident and student of Blaise Loong, he now resides and teaches FMA in Utah, but has started to give seminars in Bahad-Zubu, starting with his former home state of California.

At Guro John Brown’s invitation, I attended his seminar on a warm, sunny California day.

Guro John (background) demonstrates a Bahad-Zubu technique during the seminar.

After warming up the group with some boxing drills, Guro John taught single stick and double stick which in Bahad-Zubu are really bladed drills.  In addition, Guro John incorporated many of the trapping and disarming techniques that GM Yuli and Bahad-Zubu are known for.

Jay de Leon (foreground) executes a Bahad-Zubu technique on his training partner at the seminar.

I highly recommend this personable giant of Bahad-Zubu. Tall and rangy at about 6’5”, he has nevertheless captured enough of the body nuances and weapon wizardry of GM Yuli, who is short, slight of frame, but lithe, powerful, explosive, graceful and mesmerizing all at the same time, especially when he has a blade in his hand.

A shot of the Bahad-Zubu seminar last April 2007 in Anaheim, California.

While new to the seminar circuit, Guro John Brown does justice in presenting GM Yuli’s Bahad-Zubu. If you want a glimpse into GM Yuli Romo’s highly touted and unique style, I highly recommend attending a seminar by his able protégé and representative, Guro John Brown.

Front, from left to right, Bud Thompson,
Blaise Loong and Jay de Leon.  Back,
John Brown.  At the Bahad-Zubu
Seminar in Anaheim, California in 2007.

You may read more about Guro John Brown or contact him as follows :  

Guro John
801-550-8375
jotunnhalla@msn.com
www.mabisamartialarts.com