Book excerpt: Eskrima stick fighting is indigenous to the Philippines and in the 1950s one of the most popular styles emerged: Balintawak. To appreciate Anciong Bacon's Balintawak Eskrima, you have to understand set-ups, anticipation, the art of outwitting through ruses and lures; economy and simplification of motion, sans lavish and squandered movements; effective strikes fused and bonded with speed, power, elegance and grace. That is the essence of Anciong's Balintawak and these are the methods Sam Buot explains and demonstrates in this book. Written from the author's half-century of personal experience and hard-earned knowledge, Balintawak Eskrima presents the art from origin to modern times, as a fighting art, as cultural tradition and a means of personal development. Illustrated with nearly 700 historical and instructional photographs, this book is a must-have for all martial artists and those interested in the history of a people and their fight art.