History
Grandeza Martial Arts or Gan Soo Do has come a long, long way starting from his grandfather, the legendary founder Chingi Grandeza in Bacolod City. Master Chingi has started the practice in the 1950s and competed locally and abroad until grandmaster Hwang Kee, founder of Moo Duk Kwan in Korea, took notice. Then came the birth of the Philippine Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, which he started for the Grandeza clan.
Yet, master Chingi has continued to practice Gan Soo Do simply because it is his brand of martial arts.
Hi grandson master Steve grew up on its principles and philosophies and he himself has tried all forms of martial arts and tested its knowledge and skills in competitions.
Probably unknown to many, master Steve fought and won the World Kickboxing Federation (WKBF) International World Welterweight title in Dubai and has tested his newly-learned skills in the MMA and PXC events in the country.
Each day is a learning process for master Steve and students at the Red Knights gym is just so lucky to have one dynamic teacher of martial arts who can demonstrate the art form at its finest and tell them stories of its creation.
| WHITE KIMONO | GAN SOO DO | |
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THE WHITE KIMONO CLUB AND GAN SOO DO (WAY OF THE GRANDEZA)
The White Kimono Club Produced Karate Champions:
| 1955 | – THE WHITE KIMONO CLUB / GAN SOO DO ARE FOUNDED |
| GAN FOR GRANDEZA SOO – HAND/FIST DO – WAY
Founder: Casimiro “ Chingi” Grandeza. Original club venue: Behind the walls of Bacolod Murcia Milling Company at the residence of Paring Gonzaga, with the Bermuda grass lawn as the mat. Practiced KaraNage (“ Kara” – combat Karate, “ Nage” – Judo and Jujitsu throws). Practiced ground fighting using Jujitsu and Judo techniques, as being used today on the Ultimate Fighting Championships (as seen on TV). Practiced Arnis, using “ Arnis Sabre style” for its main defensive and offensive repertoire. Also practiced other Arnis styles: Espada y Daga-Rapelon, Rodonda, pekete chukete, close quarters techniques in combination with Karate and Judo. Practiced also the Howido de Kaborata, as taught by Benjamin Dioso. |
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| 1958 | – Transferred the training venue of the White Kimono Club to Luzuriaga St., Bacolod City, using the bare floor of hardwood as its mat! (Residence of Casimiro “ Chingi” Grandeza)Bacolod City, using the bare floor of hardwood as its mat! (Residence of Casimiro “ Chingi” Grandeza) |
Casimiro “ Chingi” Grandeza founder and Grandmaster preferential committee:
Mode of training in Arnis Defensa- Ofensiba: The body and extremities were legitimate targets in the bouts, with no striking to the head (as per agreement). Players just counted the lumps, bruises, and wounds, if any, to keep score. No body armor was used. (Note: It was very rare that hitting the head was allowed during these bouts.) |
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| 1964 | National Champions (Karate Brotherhood of the Philippines) (held at the Rizal Stadium) |
| Napoleon Aguirre- Heavyweight Division
Alfredo Alfaro- Middleweight Division |
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| 1965 | Goodwill Karate Tournament Manila vs. Bacolod |
| The White Kimono Club won all there was to win – from Individual to Team Championships | |
| 1966 | Asian Karate Tournament (held at the Araneta Coliseum) |
| Jimmy Magbanua- Heavyweight Champion
Japan vs. White Kimono (held at the LaSalle Gym Bacolod City) The White Kimono Club won 4 bouts Japan won only 2 bouts |
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| THE WHITE KIMONO CLUB | |
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| In the 1960’s Roberto Gonzales established a Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do Club in Bacolod City on the corner of Lacson and Galo streets, in front of the Philamlife Building, with Mr. Pedro Jose R. Unson as its financial backer. It did not thrive because Pedro “ Pete” Unson joined the White Kimono Club. He sparred with Grandmaster Casimiro A. Grandeza, and was convinced of the superiority of the techniques exhibited by GM Grandeza. These techniques beggared Unson’s knowledge in Karate, most notably in close-quarter combat.
Grandmaster Casimiro A. Grandeza and the White Kimono Club Exhibition Team were invited to perform at the Aquino Coliseum in Davao City in 1967. Two days later Roberto Gonzales and his team also demonstrated their prowess. Those who witnessed the exhibition remarked that: It was an exemplary performance, and that the team exhibited techniques unparalleled in any martial arts demonstration ever seen by the residents of Davao. This achievement was credited to the White Kimono Club. |
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| The most significant, and by far the most spectacular, part of all the exhibitions was when Grandmaster Grandeza defended himself from bolo attacks, in which all the attackers hacked, lunged, slashed, and attacked simultaneously. Beginning with GM Grandeza facing off against 2 attackers, they soon became 3, then 4, then 5, 6, and eventually 7 attackers, as the Grandmaster defended himself in a dazzling, non-stop flurry of parries, defensive maneuvers and counterattacks.
The exhibition of Grandmaster Grandeza marked the beginning of a stronger, larger Karate club with many branches, under the banner of the Philippine Moo Duk Kwan, Korean Soo Bahk Do (then Tang Soo Do) The beauty of the newer, improved club facilities is that the Moo Duk Kwan Building is family-owned; it features separate private dressing rooms and baths for both men and women. The Philippine Moo Duk Kwan, Korean Soo Bahk Do current estimated number of clubs now stands at 56 branches, spread throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
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THE GENESIS OF KARATE ATEMI UCHI KUDAKI, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS KARATE ATTACK TO PULVERIZE.
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| Casimiro “ CHINGI” Grandeza, founder and grandmaster of the White Kimono Club, is also a cock fighting aficionado, who had learned the sport from his father.During sparring sessions of his high-breed American cocks, as well as in actual cockpit skirmishes, the young martial artist observed the shuffling of the cocks in their close quarter fighting. Through his in-depth observation and close study of these cocks’ close- quarter fighting, Chingi Grandeza conceived and engineered a close-quarter fighting style that has become the ultimate and the strongest close-quarter fighting style ever adopted by chosen members of the White Kimono Club.The unique feature of this close-quarter fighting style is that the attacks are a continuous chain of attacks and are progressive, following the body position of the opponent as he is being pummeled with virtually all solid blows. An expert of the UCHI KUDAKI technique can deliver 45 attacks in 12 to 15 seconds. | |
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| FEBRUARY 1, 2013 GAN SOO DO REBIRTH
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| A DREAM THAT ONLY A FEW KNEW OF ONE DAY ESTABLISHING MY VERY OWN MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL THAT CARRIES MY NAME – GAN FOR GRANDEZA. THE DREAM THAT WAS SET ASIDE WHEN I WAS GIVEN AN HONOR BY THE BACOLOD CITY GOVERNMENT TO STUDY AND TRAIN WITH HWANG KEE IN KOREA. WHEN I CAME BACK, I THEN ESTABLISHED WHAT IS NOW, THE PHIL. MOO DUK KWAN. THE DREAM I HAD TO ESTABLISH MY OWN MARTIAL ART SCHOOL WAS POSTPONED BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN. NOW , THIS IS THE CHANCE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR TO MAKE MY DREAM A REALITY | |
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Grandmaster Casimiro “Chingi” Grandeza |
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| HANDED OVER TO GRANDSON STEVE S. GRANDEZA TO CONTINUE THE LEGACY GRANDMASTER CHINGI HAS STARTED AND TO STRENGTHEN GAN SOO DO AND ENSURE ITS LONGEVITY . | |
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| “I HAVE GIVEN THE BLESSING TO STEVE GRANDEZA. THE REASON WHY I CHOSE STEVE WAS, OF ALL THE PMDK PRACTITIONERS HE IS YOUNG AND THE MOST DECORATED AND EXPERIENCED FIGHTER WE HAVE. HE HAS BEEN A CHAMPION FOR PMDK FOR SO MANY YEARS AND NOW THE REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION OF KICKBOXING K1 RULES. STEVE LOST IN MMA BUT THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. IT IS JUST THE BEGINNING. THE EXPERIENCE WILL MAKE HIM STRONGER AND A BETTER MARTIAL ART PRACTITIONER/INSTRUCTOR. HE STILL HAS SO MANY THINGS TO LEARN-FROM ALL OF US AS WELL AS FROM HIS OWN EXPERIENCES” – Grandmaster Casimiro “Chingi” Grandeza | |
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| GAN SOO DO
AS A COMBATIVE ART |
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| “What I learned from Korea was an additional to my vast knowledge
before I went to Korea I was already an expert combatant. From bare hands/Arnis/Bladed weapons. Proof was the defense against multiple bolo attacks as shown the 8mm film I gave to Hwang Kee .” – Grandmaster Casimiro “Chingi” Grandeza |
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| GAN SOO DO
THE WAY OF THE GRANDEZA OR THE GRANDEZA MARTIAL ART. WE ARE NOT LIMITED TO A SINGLE STYLE BUT A VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES. IT IS A COMPLETE SET OF MARTIAL ARTS COMPRISING BY : Grandmaster Casimiro “Chingi” Grandeza TECHNIQUES/STYLES OF GAN SOO DO MIXED MARTIAL ARTS to include
( popularized by the WHITE KIMONO CLUB BACOLOD CITY , PHILS.) |
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MIXED ARNIS STYLE and |
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