Aluminum Training Ginunting and Talibong

For more than a year, we have been looking for options in creating a training ginunting and talibong that would suit the high standards we have. We wanted a blade that appears like the real thing, feels like the real thing and is durable for practice. Our new Aluminum Training Ginunting and Aluminum Training Talibong are it.

Thanks to our local blademaker, we have met our goals and surpassed our expectations. The new blades have an approximate weight of 1lb 3 oz, they feature blade contouring that will fool anyone over 3 feet away and the shape is exactly like that of the the real blades. Made of high grade aircraft aluminum, these training blades will last.

The handles are made of a durable resin that is cast to feature a contoured grip and course texture for better control. We were tired of seeing training blades with a cord wrap. Though wrapping the handle in cord works fine, we felt it did not evoke the same feel as the true design. Though not of traditional materials, our new Kali Gear blades will bring you to the edge without getting cut. These blades were well worth the wait, and we know they will serve you well.

Final Polish

Here's a closeup of several sulab (blades) waiting to be polished. These blades are designed and made with performance in mind. We want to keep a classic shape and design while keeping the integrity of a blade made for use.

Together with our new long blades we are creating several karambit and two Illongo lugod. The lugod is a small sickle like the karambit. Pictured here are the traditional lugod on the right of the photo, and on the left is what we am calling, "the Mel," a full tang lugod that is made for impact as well as cutting. These in the photo wait for polishing.

I plan to name this blade after Rommel Tortal, my good friend and teacher who first gave me some lugod like like this to bring back to the US. Like him, this weapon hits hard and cuts deep. Here you can see the blades after their primary polishing.



New for Kali Gear is also a dagger made of a hybrid of traditional elements and shapes. This is the Revolution Dagger. A solid knife, this blade can accompany a long blade or go it alone. It will feature a wooden scabbard made of dau wood.

Another photo of the variety of blades coming soon to Kali Gear. We anticipate them being available in mid October 2009. More photos next week...

Blade Finishing

Another update on the progress of our latest order of blades for Kali Gear. Here a batch of ginuntings fully constructed and ready for polishing. The handle shape of these ginuntings is a simple traditional design seen on Panay and Negros.

The master blacksmith and his team are all very skilled. On the right of the image, a craftsmen assembles the handles, guards and ferrules of the ginunting. On the left, another polishes the blade.

Woodworkers carve and assemble the scabbards for the talibongs and ginunting. The talibong scabbards are being made of dau wood. The ginuntings will have mulawin scabbards. The handles of both were carved in kamagong.





Here, the scabbard is shaped to fit the blade so that it has a snug fit.

Isn't it a beautiful sight! You can see ginunting with two different handle styles as well as our talibong all based on Illongo designs. In the corners of the photo you can see part of the revolution daggers, a few karambit and lugod as made in Negros. More details on those to come later.

They're coming...

One of the main goals of Kali Gear is to make available all the tools and equipment that are needed for learning, training and applying Kali.When I first began learning the Filipino Martial Arts, it was very difficult to get kamagong, training weapons and live blades of quality from the Philippines here in the USA. Fortunately, more is available now for those of us who love to train. As Kali Gear continues to grow, find new sources and develop new products, we hope to bring the right gear to those who need it.

We have been coordinating with a new partner to produce combat blades to our strict specifications. We are excited to announce that we now have a master blacksmith and an awesome team of artisans making magnificent new blades for Kali Gear.

Here are photos of unfinished ginunting and talibong being formed, sharpened and fitted with handles.

For those of us in the Filipino Arts, there is no greater pleasure than swinging your blade while knowing the potential you hold together. There's nothing unhealthy, unbalanced, or wrong with it. It is the object that reflects your talent, represents your hard training and tests your skill.

Cockspurs and Poison

Grand Tuhon Leo Gaje said to us before, "It is the enemy that you do not see, and it is the enemy that you do not know, that is your worst enemy." He’s right. What a difficult challenge for your training to address. Even on the tactical level, it is the weapon that you do not see that is a real problem.

When I first began my training with Herman Suwanda of Pencak Silat Mande Muda, he gave me a small knife he called a tegul. The tegul is a small curved blade used for cock fighting in West Java, Indonesia. Pak Herman told me that what some of the cock fighters would do is modify one of the tegul into a weapon someone could easily conceal. What they would do is weld a small coin on the base of the blade so it could be palmed with the blade tip concealed under the index finger. The knife becomes a steel fingernail capable of more damage than you may imagine. The thought of it unexpectedly ripping your inner arm or being thrust into your suprasternal notch has turned stomachs in our edged weapons survival courses.

The tegul makes a dangerous concealed weapon, and I'm sure it’s useful when going to a bad area or dangerous place...places such as a cock fighting gambling den. What Pak Herman did was to get his blacksmith to make the same weapon as one piece of steel. Note in the picture, the Arabic calligraphy for "Allah" has been etched in the base of the blade.

A similar blade to the tegul is also used in the Philippines for cock fighting. Grand Tuhon Leo Gaje gave me a similar blade when training with him years ago in Negros Occidental. Rather than a coin for its handle, this knife has a ring and wire rails soldered to it allowing a more stable grip. What makes this blade even more treacherous is that Tuhon had his blacksmith impregnate it with poison. The poison is made from various toxins including centipede and scorpion venom.

Once the ingredients are mixed, they are powdered and hammered into the blade. Because the steel is made from a porous, magnetic steel, the poison remains in the tiny holes of the blade. Simply a touch is all it takes to render you wounded, ill, infected and possibly dead in a few days time. A large blade may be better in an open battle, but the deadly power of a small blade should not be underestimated.

Exotic weapons aside, in modern times we have also discovered that even in what seems like a non-lethal violent encounter, even a touch is deadly. Exchanging blood from fingernail cuts or broken teeth in a simple fistfight could result in the transference of blood borne pathogens. That exchange could ultimately lead to a shortened life of illness and disease. So with that in mind, stay safe and watch out for what you cannot see.