I am not an eskrimador. My father practiced a well known style for years. I was the designated "dummy" for many of his practice hours. This means that I have had a chance to see my Father's as well as other types of eskrima practiced from time to time. Some videos on eskrima try to present large amounts of material from a whole art on one video, from basic to advanced. Here instead, there is a very methodical presentation of training in basic angles of attack and their counters from the particular approach, in this case Giron eskrima's estilo de fondo. Use of blades during the scenes gives a clear idea of how to use blade against blade, and how to save your edge through proper weapon angling during deflections. Continuous counter for counter drills are not part of the presentation, though the possibility of the opponent trying to continue his attack is addressed. This video is clearly laying out foundation and approach, and would help a person acquire the proper angles, mechanics and positioning for such drills later. Simplicity and clarity are the strong points here. GM Somera sees to it that the viewer is clearly told just how to train, and is given two views of each counter per angle of attack. I feel I got a chance to see what makes the basics of Giron eskrima similar and also different from some other systems.
