05/27/2026
🇵🇭⚔️ Atillo Balintawak Arnis Eskrima | The Great Visayan Warrior Lineage ⚔️🇵🇭
I spent many, many years—four to five days a week—studying privately under my mentor, Great Grandmaster Crispulo “Ising” Atillo.
To say it has been an honor would be an understatement.
Today, we are proudly finishing his final book together.
In many ways, GGM Atillo truly represents the last of a dying breed of Visayan warriors—men forged in a different time, whose martial arts were tested under real pressure and preserved through hard-earned experience. He competed in four death matches and carries a lifetime of knowledge from one of the deepest lineages of Filipino martial arts.
Born in 1938 in Mambaling, Cebu City, Philippines, GGM Atillo is the oldest and last remaining member of the Original Balintawak Self Defense Club, established in 1952.
Raised in Cebu—the heartland of Eskrima—he trained under some of the greatest eskrimadors in Filipino martial arts history and has spent over 76 years honing, preserving, and evolving his remarkable style.
His father, Vincent Atillo, was a champion wrestler, eskrimador, and a respected guerrilla fighter during World War II who served with the United States Armed Forces in the Far East as part of the 85th Infantry Combat Division.
His godfather, Delphine Lopez, was also a WWII guerrilla and champion boxer—a feared and respected eskrimador throughout the Philippines.
GGM Atillo’s upbringing—forged through war and shaped by the finest warriors of Cebu—produced a ruthlessly efficient and highly refined system of close-quarters combat.
His teachings emphasize subtle manipulations:
a tap… a feint… a shift in rhythm… a change in eye-line.
That brief distraction redirects the opponent’s focus for just a split second—
and in that opening comes the clean, controlled, and decisive disarm.
Over the decades, Great Grandmaster Atillo has trained members of the Philippine Military, U.S. Special Forces, and martial artists from around the world.
Today, for the first time here, we proudly present the Master Work & Master Class of Atillo Balintawak — World Arnis–Eskrima Original (Saavedra Style).
Mabuhay! 🇵🇭
Long Live Atillo Balintawak.
Long Live the warriors of Cebu.
Long live the great Visayan Filipino Martial Arts lineage.
— Jacob A. Brinnand
