Lima lama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lima Lama means “The Hand of Wisdom”.
Limalama is a martial arts system developed by Grand Master Tino Tuiolosega, a skilled martial artist, who for some time trained with the mythical Ed Parker. Like American Kenpo and Kajukenbo, it was developed from the mix of pacific-rim styles being synthesized in Hawaii from the late 1800’s up to the 1950s due to the influx of successive waves of pacific-rim immigrants. These new synthesized styles emphasized street fighting effectiveness. The center for many of the schools shifted to Los Angeles in the 1960s, which is where Limalama was first developed and taught.
Limalama’s distinguishing characteristic is its grounding in historical Samoan martial arts – including Polynesian wrist lays, hand-traps, and bone dislocation and breaking techniques. Founder Tino Tuiolosega was born in American Samoa in 1931. His family later migrated to Hawaii. Growing up in Hawaii and after having his family’s Polynesian Martial Arts passed down to him by his father and uncle, members of the Samoan royal family, Tino Tuiolosega also achieved Master Ranks in the five animal styles of Sil-Lum Kung fu. He was the chief instructor of self-defense while serving in the Marine Corp and later was the MiddleWeight Champion and a famous full contact Martial Arts competitor during the 1950s and 1960s.
From Grand Master Tuiolosega's official website: (quoted under fair use)
"LimaLama is a mix of 13 Samoan systems, which are:
1. Afikau – this is the study of warrior’s traditions, specifically dance.
2. A'mofoe – the understanding of the manipulation of weights, shifting and swaying tactics to off balance weight.
3. Fa’aelise – the study of coordination, reflexes, balance, holds, breaks and throws.
4. Fa’ako’elau – movements similar to wrestling, including holds and tripping.
5. Faufusu or Ku’iku’iga – movements similar to hand to hand fighting, boxing or street fighting.
6. Lua’aga or Le’iga – the study of pressure points, nerves and joints.
7. Milosia – the study of the execution, delivery and application of circular movements; such as locking wrists.
8. Pepelu ma Pega – the study of knife fighting, this is a cutting coordination. This is a conceptual method in the use of weaponry.
9. Uma Ma Kaupi’I – the study of holds, breaks and take downs.
10. Vaeka ma Kavae – the study of foot movements such as kicks and foot counter movements.
11. Ti’apega ma Lo’u – the study of Kaoi’a, stick fighting.
12. Tal’amoa – the study of combining several of the other concepts together.
13. Upaga ma Lo’ulo’uga – the study of trapping."
Grand Master Tino created an easy to understand system, oriented to self defense, as his own website states ¨It is influenced by a definite American motivation for realistic concepts in self-defense with an emphasis on mental acuity and physical ability. However, Limalama remains oriented toward its Polynesian origins.¨
