Book excerpt: Learn about the history, culture and techniques of filipino escrima with this informative martial arts guide. The history of the Philippines and her martial arts is a history of resistance and revolt. Born into this fertile time and place, Grandmaster Leo M. Giron became a child of revolution. He grew up in a time when martial arts training was a necessity, not a luxury. His system was taught to him by five renowned masters; his experience honed in the jungle warfare of World War II. The Secrets of Giron Arnis Escrima is an engaging biography of Leo Giron, a renowned master of escrima and survivor of numerous hand-to-hand encounters in the Philippine jungles. It is also a visual and descriptive survey of Giron's fighting art--a classical weapons and empty-hand self-defense system applicable in today's modern society. Included is an overview of the twenty styles that make up the Giron system in general, and an analysis of the de fondo and cadena de mano styles in particular. Packed with over 300 historical and instructional photographs this book truly reveals the secrets of this Filipino martial art.