🌺 Hawaiian Martial Arts Symposium 2025 – Day 2, Part 2: Depth, Impact, and Legacy 🌺

Don
Jul 13
6 min read

Updated: Jul 16

With the morning sessions wrapped and spirits high, Day 2 continued into the afternoon, where the energy shifted from intense technical work to deeper explorations of philosophy, cultural wisdom, and legacy-driven teaching. Each instructor brought their own distinct presence, continuing the flow of powerful, practical martial content — but layered with personal stories, cross-cultural insight, and a heavy dose of soul.

This wasn’t just about how to fight — it was about why we train, what we carry, and how we pass it on.

Professor Randy Ong

Professor Randy Ong’s session began with a strong focus on basic Lua footwork — simple, effective, and rooted in traditional movement. From that solid foundation, he began to build his class outward, layering in concepts that turned the footwork into a powerful vehicle for control and counterattack.

Once the fundamentals were understood, Randy led us into counter-punching drills, linking strikes with fluid entries into takedowns and finishing techniques. His transitions were seamless — showing how Lua's distinct angles and rhythm could be used not just for striking, but for off-balancing, redirecting, and controlling an opponent’s structure.

From there, he incorporated joint and wrist manipulation, adding a level of pain compliance and control that made every movement meaningful. It was a beautiful balance of fluid motion and brutal intent — the kind of work that looks graceful until you're on the receiving end of it.

As the class progressed, it became clear that Randy’s years of dedicated training and deep immersion in Lua and related arts profoundly influenced both his presence and teaching style. His calm, confident demeanor and precise execution of techniques spoke volumes about his mastery. The way he demonstrated concepts and applied subtle adjustments showed a lifetime of refining his craft — a quality that inspired respect and trust from everyone on the floor.

Randy’s teaching style was precise, methodical, and quietly confident. He gave the room time to absorb and refine each layer before moving on. His approach reminded us that Lua isn’t about rushing — it’s about rooting, reading, and responding with clarity and purpose.

This session was a fantastic blend of traditional principles and functional application.

Professor Ong delivered with clarity and depth, and I walked away with a greater appreciation for Lua’s adaptability and striking intelligence.

Hanshi Kumu Chris Delgado

Hanshi Chris Delgado brought a powerful sense of quiet authority into the room — not through dominance, but through presence. His session focused on more advanced Lua principles, particularly in footwork, stance, and structured movement while stepping — all deeply rooted in both combat functionality and traditional form.

He began by introducing the core Lua stance and movement mechanics, building on what we had previously explored in the earlier session with Professor Randy Ong. From there, we worked through the eight basic blocks of Lua, a system that was simple in outline but deep in application.

The eight blocks consisted of:

Two counter-punch blocks (which linked nicely back to drills from the morning)
Two single palm blocks
Two double palm blocks (referred to as Dolphin's Tail, with a distinct whipping energy)
A double punch to cross-arm block, both up and down variations

With these tools in place, Hanshi Delgado transitioned into what he described — and what I personally think of — as “offensive defense.” This approach focused on moving from the outside of a strike inward, taking control of the line and countering with dominant positioning and flow. The goal wasn’t just to survive an attack, but to turn it into a launchpad for offense.

From that space, Delgado demonstrated flowing elbow strikes, linking them into fluid takedowns and follow-up combinations. His teaching crescendo into one of Lua’s more infamous concepts — the Shark Bite technique — a brutal and symbolic reminder of Lua’s raw, unapologetic edge. The technique was demonstrated with precision and purpose, bringing the room to full attention.

Delgado’s teaching style was respectful, composed, light, and engaging. He presented complex ideas with a humble and friendly delivery that made everyone feel at ease — yet fully aware of the seriousness behind each technique. There was a clear sense that we were building toward something much larger… and just as it felt like we were on the edge of that next level, time ran out. It genuinely felt like we only scratched the surface of what he intended to share. Still, the impact of his teaching was felt deeply, and his blend of tradition, movement, and combative clarity left us all wanting more.

My only regret from Kumu Delgado’s session is that I experienced technical difficulties with my equipment and was unable to record the full session or get a class photo — just as I had also missed the opportunity to capture one during Kumu Rowdy Hall’s class the day before. It was a missed moment, but the lessons shared and the energy in that room remain crystal clear in my memory.

Kumu Ron Burns

Kumu Ron Burns delivered a master class in traditional Lua weaponry — a raw, powerful experience that peeled back the layers of Hawaiian martial history to reveal its fierce and uncompromising heart. This was not a demonstration. This was a lesson in survival, in the finality of combat, and in the sacred responsibility of carrying knowledge forged in battle.

From the moment the session began, the room shifted. Kumu Burns brought with him the gravitas of lived experience and deep cultural lineage. His energy was immediate, commanding, and unapologetically real. There was no “maybe” in his movements — only intention and consequence.

He began the session by introducing traditional Lua weapons, each with its own brutal purpose:

Ka‘ane – the strangling cord, silent and suffocating.
Pāhoa – a single-edged dagger designed to slash and pierce with precision.
Maka Pāhoa – the double-edged variation, offering versatility and increased lethality.

Kumu didn’t just talk about these tools — he brought them to life, showing how each one was meant to end threats quickly and without hesitation. He opened with a knife disarming technique — swift, precise, and violent — stripping the weapon from an attacker, collapsing their structure with targeted strikes, and finishing the sequence with a takedown that left no question of outcome. The rhythm was fast, the control absolute, and the finish always final.

As the session progressed, Kumu introduced a weapon many had never seen in action — a short spear tethered to a long cord. With this, he demonstrated a chillingly effective sequence: using the corded end in a clubbing motion, then impaling the opponent, ripping the blade free, and strangling them to the ground in one continuous, merciless flow. It was combat at its most primal — and most honest.

What elevated the class beyond the physical was Kumu’s ability to ground the brutality in responsibility. He was not teaching violence — he was teaching awareness, consequence, and control. The lesson wasn’t just in how to wield these weapons, but in when, why, and whether to do so. His knowledge, presence, and explanations gave context to the chaos — reminding us that these techniques were born of necessity and used to protect, not provoke.

Kumu Burns’ teaching style was passionate, grounded, fierce, and unfiltered. He spoke with conviction and taught with a clarity that cut as deep as the weapons he wielded. There was no ego in his delivery — only truth, purpose, and reverence for the martial system he loves.

This session was more than a workshop — it felt like a rite of passage. It offered a profound, unfiltered look into the brutality, spirit, and legacy woven into traditional Hawaiian fighting systems. What Kumu Burns shared wasn’t just technique — it was truth. It gave me a deep and lasting insight into the Lua system, one that will continue to shape how I view martial arts from this day forward.

As the day came to a close, I joined my new friends and Ohana (family) from around the world — Nuno, Joao, Joana, Tania, Roberto, and Kristian — for photos, a celebration of shared journeys and united spirit. Then, as I helped Kumu Burns pack away the tools used in our session, I took a quiet moment to reflect on the day — the new bonds of friendship formed, the training partners and interactions that pushed me to grow, and the depth of knowledge shared. I was hit with a deep sense of pride and accomplishment — the kind that only comes from being truly present in an experience that challenges and changes you. It was one of those "you had to be there" moments, much like the day before — powerful, personal, and impossible to replicate. It left me with a profound sense of anticipation for what was still to come in the days ahead