Bon Rea Balintawak

“Honoring our Lineage"

Bon Rea Balintawak:

Balintawak had dual meanings. It was the name of the street of the original “Balintawak Self-Defense Club.” “Balintawak” also was the “Cry for freedom.”
Bon Rea Balintawak is named for the street where our group trains.
The qualified instructor, (FQI) Tom Cohen, also studied and trained Japanese Martial arts. His teacher had a tradition. When the student achieved their Shodan, or black belt, the Master would choose kanji (Japanese characters) that spelled out the student’s name, phonetically.
The characters that he chose also had a dual meaning, based on what he felt about the student’s character, attributes and attitude.
The Kanji for the words “Bon” and “Rea” also carry the meaning of “thanks” and “ancestors.” A loose translation would be “thanks to the ancestors.” And as GM Bobby always strives to honor his Grandmasters, we also honor GM, our lineage, and our masters.

How we are different:

We aren’t a commercial dojo.

We don’t have set “class times.”

We only take 1-2 new students every 3-4 months.

Students start off training 1:1 with the Instructor at an Introductory / Tryout class.

If the student and teacher agree, the student verbally commits to 2 months of weekly 1:1 training.

This allows both the student and teacher to learn about each other, and to see if both wish to pursue further training. At the end of the two months, the teacher will ask “What are your goals?”

You don’t need to have an answer. Your answer and your situation may change.

But in this manner, the teacher has an idea about how to provide the best instruction.

In this manner, the student has been given realistic expectations.

“Honoring our Lineage"

Bon Rea Balintawak:

Balintawak had dual meanings. It was the name of the street of the original “Balintawak Self-Defense Club.” “Balintawak” also was the “Cry for freedom.”

Bon Rea Balintawak is named for the street where our group trains.

The qualified instructor, (FQI) Tom Cohen, also studied and trained Japanese Martial arts. His teacher had a tradition. When the student achieved their Shodan, or black belt, the Master would choose kanji (Japanese characters) that spelled out the student’s name, phonetically.

The characters that he chose also had a dual meaning, based on what he felt about the student’s character, attributes and attitude.

The Kanji for the words “Bon” and “Rea” also carry the meaning of “thanks” and “ancestors.” A loose translation would be “thanks to the ancestors.” And as GM Bobby always strives to honor his Grandmasters, we also honor GM, our lineage, and our masters.