In this episode Guro Alvin Catacutan, a cultural educator and acclaimed martial artist, narrates his journey from a challenging upbringing in the Philippines and Canada to becoming a martial arts expert, trained by masters like Guro Dan Inosanto and Guro Mark Mikita. The discussion highlights key themes such as resilience, adaptability, and the invaluable lessons martial arts impart. Catacutan delves into the historical significance and evolution of Filipino martial arts, his philosophy on overcoming adversity, and his mission to inspire future generations through teaching children. Additionally, he shares his experiences training actors for major films, including ‘Dune,’ advocating for authentic representation of Filipino martial arts in cinema.
Episode Highlights:
04:06 Adversity and Resilience
16:29 Cultural Heritage and Filipino Martial Arts
28:10 Filipino Martial Arts in Modern Context
33:16 Training Hollywood Stars
47:08 Filipino Martial Arts in Media
48:27 Challenges of Filmmaking
48:54 Influential Figures in Martial Arts
49:43 Cultural Identity and Representation
Guro Alvin Catacutan is a life long martial artist ranked and certified to teach multiple styles of martial arts. As a black belt and instructor under Guro Dan Inosanto in Jun Fan Gung Fu / Jeet Kune Do, and FMA, training at the world famous Inosanto Academy reconnected him with his Filipino heritage. This prompted him to start ‘Pamana Martial Arts’ with a mission is to share his ancestral heritage by teaching Filipino and South East Asian Martial Arts.
In 2012, he established Shield Karate in Culver City, California. He uses proximal learning strategies and games to teach empathy, compassion, and social emotional skills for children and has devoted the last ten years teaching children to live healthier, happier lives!
He has worked in theater, film, and television as an actor and fight director and is an accomplished photographer.
Connect with him here: guro.alvin.catacutan
