The Sun Will Rise Again: A Guide & Cookbook for Martial Artists

I made a solemn promise to Grand Master Brian “Buzz” Smith: if anything happened to him and he couldn’t finish his book, I would finish it. Buzz wanted his students to work together to complete it, and that is exactly what I did. No one could truly finish his book, but this is my—our—attempt at doing so. Against much adversity, I kept my promise to him. His depth of knowledge and spirit were singular, and this is my heartfelt attempt to honor that promise.

Working with Certified Instructors and Black Belts in Kuntaw, I added their contributions, photos, videos of them instructing, and their knowledge. They are also former students of Buzz's, including the Representative for PMKA. They are featured in the book along with their contributions that I still add updates to this day. I also relied heavily on my own personal notes, training experiences, and the extensive video footage I recorded during the two of the three years I trained under GM Buzz. Much of this book is built from that archive. I also included my own personal training under Buzz, my notes, the videos I took of him teaching me, and various other materials. I added all of this to make sure the knowledge of Kuntaw was as correct as possible, covering in‑depth aspects of this fighting system. But along with my own personal notes and videos from training under Buzz, I worked closely with Certified MK Instructors and Black Belts in Kuntaw, former students of Buzz's, to ensure the material in this book is as accurate and authentic as possible. RIP GM Buzz.

Although I am not a Certified Instructor of Maharlika Kuntaw (MK), I am a Certified Instructor for RAS. Many people think a Black Belt is the finish line. It is only the beginning. "Mastery Level" (Red Belt) is a lifelong journey.

This is more than a book. it is a “smart book,” embedded with hundreds of QR codes linking to videos that demonstrate specific techniques, theories, and lessons. These videos feature Certified MK Instructors, GM Buzz himself, and even GM Buzz teaching me directly.

This project is a joint effort between me and Grand Master Jimmy Redolas Reforma, with the shared goal of promoting, preserving, and hopefully uniting Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) communities around the world. Buzz always wanted his students to collaborate to complete his vision, and I followed through—with the help of those who were willing to stand beside me.

At one point, I nearly gave up. That’s when I was blessed to meet GM Reforma, who offered to teach me his family’s secret fighting system from the Philippines—RAS, or the Revolutionized Art System. RAS (Revolutionized Art System) is an ancient Arnis system, recognized by the Philippine government, and believed to be over a thousand years old. Today, I am proud to say I am a Certified Instructor and Senior Guro of RAS, holding the rank of 5th Degree Red Belt and 5th Degree Black Belt. The first U.S. citizen to do so.

This First Edition primarily focuses on Maharlika Kuntaw and includes an introduction to the RASystem at a Mastery Level in the final chapters. The Second Edition expands on that foundation, offering in-depth instruction in RASystem at a Mastery Level.

Again, many people think a black belt is the finish line when it is only the beginning. Mastery Level is a lifelong journey,

Links to other books:

The Sun Has Risen, *A Guide & Cookbook for Martial Artists, 2nd Edition"

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2XZJNKY

Link to Jimmy Reforma's "The Heart Center of the Philippines:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6KFD8R

*If you want to truly learn a system, always train under a Certified Instructor! This book is only meant to be a guide to learning Kuntaw, and to preserve the knowledge of the system and historical knowledge of FMA's in general. It is also an attempt between Grand Master Reforma and me to promote and unite FMA's around the world, and martial arts in general.