On the 22nd of May 2010, Rapid Arnis London fielded a team of 4 fighters for the 2010 Martial Games/Roland Dantes Cup. This was our first ever large-scale tournament, and our debut in both the Arnis Alliance format and WEKAF format (though only Andy competed in the WEKAF).
The competition was fierce, with a huge number of FMA schools contributing fighters. This diversity in styles made for some very exciting matches: Every fight was totally different, and watching the different styles face-off against each other was an awesome sight to behold.
In the Arnis-Alliance tournament alone, the following schools were represented:-
- Rapid Arnis London
- Kenpo Arnis Niten Ryu
- Rapid Arnis Yorkshire
- Urban Martial Arts
- Filipino Self Defence
- Warriors Eskrima
- Impact
- Kombat Kali
- JKD Northampton
- EA Doce Pares
- Bakbakan
- Bacon's College
- Tabak 1900
- Bob Breen Academy
- Doce Pares Dartford
- MMA Dartford
- FMA Academy
- Can Do Martial Arts
- LFS Martial Arts
- British Balintawak
- Bakbakan Kali Ilustrisimo
- Chambers Academy of MA
A high standard of sportsmanship was displayed throughout the competition, and many new friends were made.
In the end, Rapid Arnis London walked away with 1x Gold and 3x Bronze. Not bad for our first foray into the Arnis Alliance format! We'll definitely be back next time to unleash the beast, Rapid Arnis style…
The Rapid Arnis Dream Team:-
Andres Olivares (welterweight)
It was a close fight, and Andres gave the other chap a real run for his money, but the points just didn't go in his favour. However, the fight really brought out the best in him and he is making some serious progress. We are confident that Andres will be laying the smackdown in fights to come.
Niamh Akiboye Conolly (womens)
Niamh really made a name for herself in the womens division with her aggressive combinations and solid ranging. Her loss to Rapid Arnis stylist Jo Hicks (now 4 times undefeated champion) meant that she walked away with a Bronze medal, but plenty of new friends and admirers.
James Dismore (welterweight)
Teenager James gave it his all with his fights, even beating fellow Rapid Arnis'er Matt Bigsby. Good control of basic techniques and very well picked (and some painfully heavy) blows got him through to the semis, where he took Bronze. James has been training with RAL for about a year now, and it was a pleasure to see him putting his training to good effect. We see big things for him in the future.
Andrew Janson (superheavyweight)
Andy's fancy footwork reaped some positive results when he took the Bronze in the WEKAF (which he entered out of curiosity, not even knowing the rules!). His trickery and ringcraft gave him the edge in the Arnis Alliance format, and he (just) took home the Gold! He'll be back next time, defending his title…
The Support Team
A massive thanks to Imi and Jay for helping to corner the fighters and attend to them medically. Also thanks to Anna for taking some excellent action-shots, and Fari for video footage and general babysitting of the team. We couldn't have done it without you guys!
Altogether, a job well-done. Congratulations team! 
