After the initial excitement of seeing Garimot Arnis for the first time, nearly everyone I meet asks me the same question: "How did you get started in Garimot?"

Previously, I had practiced Kali and Pencak Silat Mande Muda for years. With the untimely passing of Pak Herman Suwanda in 2000, the future of Mande Muda grew uncertain. I was growing more fond of the Filipino arts and took an interest in Balintawak. I acquired a CD of a demo that GM Bobby Taboada had done in Orlando; there were demonstrations from other FMA notables on the disc, but the demonstration of Harimaw Buno by Gat Puno caught my eye. Some of the throws he demonstrated looked very similar to the Mande Muda, though done slightly differently. There was even one throw that I haven't seen anywhere but the bit of Benjang (Sundanese wrestling) taught in Mande Muda. Gat Puno demonstrated the two major animal styles of Buno: tiger and monkey. Since tiger and monkey are the only animal styles in Mande Muda, I decided that this style was worth a hands-on look.

I contacted Gat Puno about a seminar. At the time, I was living in a small college town in Missouri and was afraid he might not be willing if I couldn't get enough attendees or raise enough money. He was very friendly and more than willing to share his art regardless. As he told me, he doesn't teach for money, he teaches for the love of the art. It was a 1.5 hour drive from the airport, and Gat Puno spoke nearly the whole time on the history and philosophy of the art, answering any question I had. Although nearly all of my interest was in Buno, he kept telling me that he would show me his Arnis as well, and I would like that too.

He didn't disappoint. It was late when I dropped Gat Puno off at the hotel to get some sleep for the seminar the next morning, but he immediately handed me a stick and proceeded to show me the basic fighting theory of Garimot Arnis. My jaw hit the floor. I had seen a variety of Filipino arts, but never anything like this. Gat Puno's obviously refined fighting skills were stunning; the ease with which he could hit me while avoiding my strikes amazed me so much that I forgot that grappling was the original reason I sought him out. When he demonstrated the close range fighting, I realized that he was just as dangerous, if not more so, up close.

I fell in love immediately with Garimot Arnis. That weekend I was also introduced to Hilot - the other side of the coin from Buno, as Gat Puno says; each compliments the other. Learning to both hurt and heal makes the practitioner healthier and more balanced. It wasn't until my first trip to Florida for the annual summer retreat that I found the best part of Garimot: the brotherhood. I was welcomed by Gat Puno's students in Florida as a brother and knew I had found my new home. I'm forever grateful to Gat Ninong Alfredo Sardinas for offering the video of the demo that allowed me to discover Garimot.