Master Vince Palumbo, one of the senior most ranked Australians within the Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima World Federation (CDPEWF) Pilipino stick fighting system of Arnis Eskrima, visited Jakarta, Indonesia during July 2006 to conduct a seminar on the system.

A multiple world titleholder in this stick fighting art, Master Palumbo concentrated the seminar towards developing the club’s competition stick fighting abilities and ring technique. Seminar training consisted of two sessions a day consisting of two hours in the morning and three hours in the evening. The intensity of the sessions focused on match fitness and fight training, especially taxing in the heat and humidity of Jakarta. Technique development was also structured as to enable maximum endurance and fitness development with the seminar focused on doing as much full contact sparring as possible.

The Jakarta club members had an opportunity to spar single and double stick with standard protective armor, as well as single stick wearing only headgear, gloves, elbow, and knee protection. As you'd expect in an intense training environment, the improvement in the participant’s skills were indeed very noticeable by the end of the week's seminar. Their desire to succeed coupled with Master Palumbo’s infectious enthusiasm and intense teaching style, empowered participants to overcome the challenges and fears of full contact fighting with either single or double sticks. At the completion of the seminar Master Palumbo himself had fought well over 120, two-minute rounds with and without gear! For participants to include novices new to the art, the opportunity to familiarize them with ring conditions while facing off against a multiple world title champion was an honor and challenge in itself.

Certainly this boosted the confidence of the participants and fostered an exceptional learning experience for all. It was most impressive for a seminar instructor and fighter of Master Palumbo’s caliber to see the eagerness of all participants, to actively participate while never declining or shying away from an opportunity to fight. It was this fighting spirit that enabled them to overcome any aversions or uncertainties they may have had at the beginning of the seminar. When they finished, they left knowing they earned Master Palumbo's deepest respect for making the seminar a success by their enthusiasm, and for achieving a newfound understanding of the basics of the Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima system.

The Jakarta members of the CDPEWF are planning to compete in the next CDPEWF World Title competition scheduled for Cebu, Philippines during November 2006. The club is relatively new having just been established in January 2006, with the majority of the members also being new to the concept of Pilipino stick fighting. The timing of Master Palumbo’s visit was coordinated to boost the club's ability to focus on match fitness and ring technique as well as the competitive reality of full contact stick fighting. In their remaining time before coming to Cebu, these men and women will concentrate on perfecting fitness, technique and honing the competitive skills that were learned during Master Palumbo’s week long visit.

Master Palumbo intends on returning to Jakarta early in November 2006, immediately prior to the upcoming World Title competition. His own team, coming from his home base of Adelaide, Australia will accompany him there. Both teams will train together for approximately one week before departing for Cebu, where competition will be held from 24 – 26 November 2006.