New 4 DVD Set from MAA James A. Keating Combat Technologies - Available NOW!

Lost Heads
Deadly Strikes of Kali

4 Volume DVD Series Vol.1 - Single Sword Vol.2 - Double Swords Vol.3 - Two Handed Sword Vol.4 - Solo Form 'Senang' Entire Four Volume Set Only $159

What is this DVD series about?

The technical concept behind Lost Heads is simple - to strike a single blow that immediately ends the encounter.

Mr. Keating shares this rare knowledge with you in this new DVD series through three different formats and a solo training set.  The first format is that of the single sword or machete.  The second is through the double sword or machete.  The third is through the use of the two-handed sword.  Also covered is specific training for understanding the blade applications for actions you might already know with sticks.

To read more about Mr. Keating's thought process behind the Lost Heads series please visit his web page here.

From the Prologue to the DVD

For over 300 years the Moros of the Southern Philippines waged constant war against the Spanish colonialist invaders.  Fighting to maintain their independence, the Moros of Mindinao and Sulu along with their allies attacked many places in Luzon, the Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

Battles sometimes involved thousands of Moro warriors armed with long spears, kris, barong, kampilan, rifles and small cannons capturing Spanish towns, shipyards, and forts.  Other times they were small guerilla actions or individual juramentados.  Hundreds of thousands on both sides were wounded, killed, or captured during this turbulent period of time.

The Moros stuck fear into the hearts of the Spanish with their unwavering courage in the face of death and tremendous skill in the use of bladed weapons.  Written accounts often mention the terrible wounds inflicted, limbs being chopped off, and the taking of heads in battle.

It is in this historical light that we wish to examine these deadly strikes of Kali and to give tribute to the generations of warriors who used these techniques in defense of their freedom.  Salamat!

A Brief History of the Spanish American war, Philippine American war & Moro Rebellion

The situation that the US Army faces on the ground in the Middle East today has parallels in what they faced over a hundred years ago in the Philippines.  Like today, we had young men thrown into a strange land by a political decision beyond their control and given the task of pacifying the local population in the name of helping democratize them.

"Why was the US even involved in the Philippines?" you may ask.

That's a good question!  Like anything historical, it's a big topic but here's a crash-course to get you started.

The Spanish American war began in 1898 after the American demand for Spain's peaceful resolution of the Cuban fight for independence was rejected.  In a curious parallel to modern times, it was a mysterious and tragic explosion aboard the warship USS Main (blamed on the Spanish - the cause still remains unknown) that fanned the flames of public opinion in the united states through use of the media to help "sell" the country on a war.

During the war the American fleet lead by Admiral Dewey defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay and then helped to incite armed revolution in the islands under Emilio Auginaldo who quickly gathered some 15,000 followers and laid siege to the main Spanish force at Manila.

Seeing that the Spanish were effectively going to be ousted form the Philippines, other countries began to be interested in claiming parts of the Philippines for themselves.  The Germans, French, British, and Japanese all sent parts of their fleets to Manila Bay as way of claiming a stake.  What a stand-off that must have been with all those warships!

This left US President McKinley with a lot of big decisions he had to make.  In the end, rather than leave seven million Filipinos to an uncertain future under control of other countries or Auginaldo's new government, McKinley chose to stay and in his words "to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them."

Thus the end of the war with Spain did not mark the end of our time in the Philippines.  The US never recognized independence for the Philippines nor its new President, Emilio Auginaldo; the very man they had just helped to power!  Tensions escalated and lead to a the Philippine American war the following year in 1899.

Though the fighting only officially lasted until 1902 it raged on in guerilla style war for many years.  In the south, Muslim Filipinos resisted until 1913 - fighting the Americans as they had the Spanish.  U.S. attacks into the countryside were often brutal and included scorched earth campaigns where entire villages were burned and destroyed, torture was practiced, and civilians were concentrated into “protected zones” where many became casualties of disease and famine.

It was in this kind of horrific and turbulent historical landscape that these following battle accounts took place.  I feel it is important to try and give some historical context for this material before sharing it, otherwise I don't think these real world accounts would mean as much.  They would merely be gruesome details of violence.  Instead I hope that you can see them as part of a bigger picture of history and the struggle for freedom fought by the brave Filipino warriors.

Historical Accounts of Lost Heads

One reason the Moros were so feared by other natives was that they used different weapons and had a different way of fighting.  Most Filipinos were armed with bows and arrows, blowguns, and spears and did their fighting whenever possible from ambush in the jungle.  The Moros were good at this too, but what they liked better was to rush the enemy with long spears and then close in with flashing steel swords; the double edged kris (pronounced "crease"); the broad, heavy, single edged barong; and the long, single edged kampilan.  These were beautifully made by Moro blacksmiths and had elaborate hilts of ivory, hardwood, or silver.  The kampilan was mainly used on Mindanao.  One in the author's collection has a row of ten small holes filled with copper near the point of the blade, a tally of ten victims.  The hilt was originally decorated with tufts of human hair.  Even after the Moros had armed themselves with muskets and rifles, their favorite weapons were still the kris, barong, and kampilan.  These are sometimes mistakenly called "bolos", but the bolo is a work-knife, or machete, often used as a weapons by northern Filipinos but never by the Moros. - Kris and Krag, pg.37

The City of Jolo, as other towns on islands where American Garrisons existed, witnessed the special horror of "juramentados" and "amucks".  Either way the Moro goes through an orgy of killing, especially Christians, before he himself is shot down.  The Moro who goes juramentado offers, through a spirit of patriotism, to avenge his chief or Datu, and, knowing that he is about to die, works himself up into a religious frenzy; while the Moro who runs amuck does so out of a personal intention to commit suicide, and, since the Koran prohibits self-slaughter, he must kill all who are in his path until someone kills him. - Men of the Sulu Sea, pg.38

“When the last juramentado had fallen and the corpses were picked up from the street, it was found that fifteen Spaniards had been hacked to pieces and many wounded.  And what wounds!  The head of one Spaniard was cut off as clean as if with a razor and another was cut almost in two.” – Swish of the Kris, pg.130

Even the veteran Indian fighters among them had to learn that a Moro juramentado was more dangerous than a renegade Apache and twice as hard to kill.  It was because of the juramentados that the Army replaced the caliber .38 revolver with the caliber .45. - Kris and Krag, pg.84