Jose Caballero
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Jose D. Caballero (August 7, 1907 – August 24, 1987) was the founder of a Filipino Martial Art called De Campo Uno-Dos-Tres Orihinal, also commonly known as De Campo 1-2-3.
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[edit] Early life
Jose D. Caballero was born in barrio Ibo, Toledo City, west of Cebu Province in the Philippine archepelago. As a youth he visited neighborhoods to watch eskrima matches during fiesta celebrations.
[edit] His art
From his observations of these Eskrima exhibitions he modified moves with an emphasis on three striking levels: the eyes, hands or elbows and knees. He was a fan of western movies and often compared his style to the "quick draw".
After he retired as a Philippine Constable, he continued to teach his Eskrima art of De Campo 1-2-3, accepting challenges which were common at this time.
[edit] Eskrima matches
One of his more notable fights took place in 1936 against an eskrimador named Anoy, from the nearby town of Tangub. Jose Caballero utilized his system of 1-2-3 strikes in order to disarm and wound the stunned Anoy, who promptly surrendered. The combination of strikes was delivered so quickly, that the crowd had not fully understood what had just taken place. This resulted in the perception that the match was fixed, and they began shouting "TAYOPE!" (fixed).
In his prime, Caballero was the Juego Todo (All Out, no holds barred) champion and beat several famous Eskrimadors, such as: Simeon Saavedra of Talisay, Balbino Mancao, Vicente Labor, Juan Carolla of Ilocos, Alfredo Macalolan of Negros, Tanciong Lopez from Cebu City, Salomon Canonio and many lesser known challengers.
[edit] Notable students
Some of his more notable students were Edgar G. Sulite, founder of Lameco Eskrima, his brother Helacrio Sulite, Jr. and Ireneo L. Olavides.
[edit] Sources
- "Filipino Martial Arts" magazine - Special 2006 issue, "Legends of The Filipino Martial Arts" [1]
- http://www.eskrimadecampo.com/
- http://www.decampo.8m.com/about.html
