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NJ martial arts master wins Filipino fighting style
Growing up in Bergenfield, Ace Ramirez remembers being bullied because of his short stature and Filipino roots.
As a key child, his immigrant parents held multiple jobs, Ramirez watched martial arts movies at home. He desperately wanted to learn the skills to defend himself.
When his mother made her famous Filipino pancit noodles, Ramirez had an idea. The 10-year-old boy brought the dish to SJ Kim’s TaeKwon Do studio in town and bowed, offering the bowl to Master Kim. Please teach me, he begged.
It was 40 years ago and started Ramirez on a path of passion for martial arts. Now, as director of his own studio, thePhilippine Kali Academy from Bergenfield and Norwood, Ramirez shares his knowledge with others who want to learn more about the unique way of Philippine self-defense.
The style of fighting to which he devoted his life has received new attention in recent years, from Hollywood films and national sports organizations.
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“We have to be teachers in all aspects, not just the fighting aspect,” said Ramirez, 50, who still lives in Bergenfield.
As a child, Ramirez’s first challenge at the dojo was to find a way to pay Master Kim. His mother just didn’t have the extra money, so Ramirez cut a deal, offering to clean carpets and do chores in exchange for tuition.
Martial arts was “all I wanted to do when I was 10,” Ramirez recalled recently. It was “a first step in my youth to find myself”.
A dedicated student, Ramirez continued to learn Chinese Kung Fu, Japanese Karate and Muy Thai. But as a Filipino American, he was drawn to the discipline of fightingof his own homeland, which was not well known in America some 30 years ago.
Filipino martial arts are known as kali, escrima and arnis, three interchangeable terms to describe the indigenous fighting style. The form teaches the use of sticks as blades, before moving on to unarmed techniques. It’s a street fight, Ramirez explained. Most Filipino clinch techniques originate from the historical stick and sword movements.
Hollywood loves kali’s fast and close shooting style. Watch the intense fights in the films “Bourne” or “Mission: Impossible III”or that of Bruce Lee stick warrior in “Enter the Dragon”,and you watch Filipino martial arts.
“Filipino martial arts has been an influence, part of the choreography in the movies you see,” Ramirez said.
The Philippines is made up of over 7,000 islands in the Pacific that declared independence from Spanish rule over 120 years ago. Indigenous Filipinos used their own martial arts techniques to fight the Spaniards, Ramirez said. The art form dates back to the 1500s.
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The Philippine flag was first flown on June 12, 1898, which is now celebrated as Independence Day.
In addition to his country’s independence, Ramirez has a lot to celebrate in June. It is the 25th anniversary of the academy he launched in Bergenfield, before opening a second address in Norwood. The original studio closed during the pandemic but recently reopened at 321 S. Washington St.
Ramirez is also delighted that the Filipino martial arts form has been officially accepted by the Amateur Athletic Union, included along with other sports such as tennis, swimming and weightlifting. Ramirez was in San Jose, Calif., in May for the induction.
Filipino martial arts is about practical combat skills and how to fend off attackers. It covers all the ranges in which a fight can take place: kicks at long range, boxing and elbowing at medium range and grabs and punches at close range. It’s a hands-on art form that doesn’t focus on complicated moves.
At a Monday night class in Bergenfield this month, students learned self-defense using sticks. They could mimic these moves with a flashlight to thwart an attack, Ramirez told the class. The students remained rooted to their feet while pivoting.
Ridgewood resident Grace Balajadia, 37, joined Kali Academy to learn about self-defense as well as her cultural roots. She takes lessons with her 10-year-old daughter, Isabel, and her 8-year-old son, Manny. The children are Filipino and Korean American.
“I wanted my kids to be proud of who they are,” she said.
There are 137,000 Filipino Americans in New Jersey according to a 2019 report by the advocacy groupjersey promise. Bergenfeld is one of the centers of the community, known as Bergen Countys Little Manila for Filipino businesses and restaurants along Washington Avenue.
People are traveling from all over the country to Bergen County to learn about Kali, Ramirez said. There are few Filipino art instructors, he added, noting that half of his business is teaching others to become professional trainers. (His Norwood studio is at 55 Walnut Street.)
Together with another of his teachers, Tuhon Apolo Ladra, who is the founder of the World Kali Association, they have spread the art form to other teachers who will pass on these skills to a new generation. It was Ladra who developed a curriculum for Filipino martial arts students.
“My intention is to be an ambassador to spread awareness of Filipino martial arts,” Ramirez said.
Mary Chao covers the Asian community and real estate for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news from North Jersey, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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