JESSE GLOVER, SKIP ELLSWORTH, SONNY UMPAD, AND RENATO ALPHONSO.
This photo was taken at the front door of Skip's house in 1993.
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SONNY UMPAD (to the right of Skip in the photo directly above) is one of the best knife fighters in the world. Also, he is one of the best "stick fighters." Stick fighting (with various size clubs) is a Filipino martial art form, called "Escrima" or "Kali.".
People come from all over the world to learn knife fighting and stick fighting from Sonny. He currently resides in the San Francisco area, where he teaches these two forms of fighting. His teaching activities also take him to other parts of the world.
Sonny is originally from the town of Bogo, on the island of Cebu, in the central Visayan area of the Philippines. This is within 30 miles of Daanbantayan, where Skip has a new beach-front home.
NOTICE !!! Sonny wrote an excellent book called "BALISONG; THE LETHAL ART OF FILIPINO KNIFE FIGHTING."
This book contains approximately 200 photographs that show what to do -- what not to do -- etc.
A copy of this wonderful book is sitting on my desk, and it is a "must read" for anyone who is interested in martial arts. A copy can be obtained by writing to Paladin Press, Paladin Enterprises, Inc., Gunbarrel Tech Center, 7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, Colorado 80301.
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RENATO ALPHONSO (to the right of Sonny in the photo directly above) is a dedicated and very capable martial artist. He is one of Sonny's best students. He resides in the San Francisco area, and he often travels with Sonny to other parts of the world.
Renato recently visited Skip in the Philippines. Skip is hoping that he will do so again in the near future.