Company: Century/Panther Vintage
Tape Name: Vee Jitsu Arnis Te: Yellow Belt Techniques
Tape Cost: $10 for each of the 10 tapes
Length of Tape/Time: 50 minutes (varies)
Number of Moves/Techniques: Varies
Return Policy: Defective only, no satisfaction guarantee
Experiences in dealing with this company: Great
The Instructor: Frank Galante
Company's Address: 1000 Century Blvd, Midwest, OK, 73110
Company's Phone Number: 1-800-626-2787
Web Page: http://www.centurymartialarts.com/accessories/media
E-Mail: customerservice@centurymartialarts.com

Primary Grading Criteria:

1. Production/Tape Quality: 80
2. Instructors demonstrated skill level: 100
3. Comprehension Score/Immediate Understanding: 90
4. Degree to which this will make someone a better Martial Artist: 80
5. Score on delivery vs hype: 80
6. Degree to which we would recommend this product: 80
7. Wasted Time ( The higher the number,the less " fluff" /repetition ): 80
8. Playback Score/Watching it over-and-over again: 80
9. Would I purchase more of this company's products: 90
10. Overall grade based on cost vs. value: 90

Grand Total: 85% (Very Good = 4.25 Stars out of 5 Stars!)

Secondary Grading Criteria:

1. Beginners benefit: Very Good
2. Intermediate benefit: Very Good
3. Advanced benefit: Good
4. Time to benefit: Immediate, or a few weeks
5. The need to buy additional tapes to understand this one: None

Written Summary:

We've looked in the past at Professor Vee type systems. The more I dig around on the internet, the more I become confused about all the various derivatives of Professor Vee's systems. Just poking around on the 'net, I found the following systems referred too: Vee '55, Vee '65, Vee '75, Vee Jitsu, Vee Jitsu Te, Vee Jitsu Arnis Te, Vee Arnis Jitsu (VAJ), Vee Jitsu Ryu Jujitsu, Visitacion Kuntao. Who knows, there may be others. Plus, there seems to be a few systems that were either predecessors, or were spin-offs, yet don't carry any form of the Vee name such as: Sanuces Ryu, Kumite Ryu, maybe Sugar Ryu. There may even be others I haven't found!

Any official and thorough Vee history seems hard to come by, that explains everything Vee related, and includes all founders/inheritors. I'm going to assume that Mr. Galante ended up with the "Vee Jitsu Arnis Te" system, as his website shows his various promotion certificates, and being he's a 10th Degree, that rank is usually reserved for an inheritor or founder. FYI - I've found (6) individuals on the internet that have a 10th Degree in a Vee system, or Vee derivative type system. Trying to understand all the various systems, each ones similarities or differences, their predecessor or spin-offs, seems a bit confusing.

I think it's important to understand there are many flavors of Vee type systems. Who has the best system, or the most current Vee techniques? I'm sure there are probably a dozen different opinions, depending on what founder/inheritor you talk too! Why open that can-of-worms! I think they ALL have value and lets leave it at that!

On a personal note, I've been impressed with all the Vee type systems I've seen so far. I often see quick Kenpo type open-hand entries/strikes into an opponents close range, or that lead with a low kick that allows you to do that, followed eventually by some type of jujitsu throw/takedown/submission/choke, and sometimes after the jujitsu, back to more open-handed strikes or kicks to a face-down opponents neck, back, or ankles. The 1,2,3 TKD type "one-step" often seems too little, compared to the "Vee" type stuff. Meaning, hoping your 1-2-3 one-step is powerful enough to finish a guy off seems over-presumptuous, compared to hitting a guy 12-15 times with a Vee-type attack. Just a personal observation.

Let's move on to Galante's first of 10 videos in this series. The series seems to provide a synopsis of either the techniques, or rank requirements, for each belt in Galante's Vee Jitsu Arnis Te system. I've had my eye on this series for many years, but it wasn't until recently I got my hands on it. I've often seen it advertised, showing pictures of Professor Vee. I had thus always assumed that maybe the Professor was either doing the instruction on these, or was heavily involved in being shown on the tapes. I found both assumptions to be false. The Professor is shown for a few seconds at the beginning of this first tape, and a few seconds at the end, but in-between we get Galante and 3-4 of his students.

Here's a run down of what was shown on this tape:

Warm-Up Exercises
Rolls
Pressure Points
Techniques 1-6 (similar to one-steps in TKD)
Humanizing Techniques (palm strengthening/desensitizing exercising)
Blocking Drill
Come-Along
Wrist Escape
Stances
Falls
Front Kick
Jump Front Snap Kick
Counter Strikes
Outside Block
Basic Katas (4-6 total and very brief)

My feelings about this tape are somewhat mixed. I felt as if I was taken down the path of a very regimented learning experience, showing me the techniques necessary for a person to earn their yellow belt in Vee Jitsu Arnis Te. Galante and crew appear to be very talented. Galante's hand speed is spectacular, however I didn't get the feeling I had on David James/VAJ tapes, of grasping an understanding of how to practically apply things in a street situation, and go freestyle so-to-speak. I felt as if I'm given techniques to practice, and expected to know or learn, yet I got no conceptual understanding of how these techniques lead a person to freestyle or self-sufficiency, like I got on any of the 20+ James tapes you could pick up and watch! It's as if I was shown a very regimented way of doing things by Galante. James on the other hand always seemed to address the "what-ifs", and while showing techniques teaches concepts, pointing out the next obvious strike, thus leading a person to self-sufficiency. I didn't get that feeling of understanding on this tape.

As already mentioned, Galante and his instructors are very talented, and what they show is certainly extremely "Vee Like", and in many ways similar to other Vee materials we've seen.

I certainly felt the material was "very good". However, if I were to compare this one tape of Galante's to any single James tape I randomly picked, I would say your typical James tape opens-your-eyes a bit more, thus providing a greater and deeper understanding of freestyle capabilities and self-sufficiency regarding a Vee system. Still, it was a very good work, but I found it to be regimented. And personally, I think regimented teaching creates regimented thinking, and thus skips making someone self-sufficient with the material taught, ultimately missing the concept of showing someone how to mix-things-up for freestyle application, and handling themselves with great proficiency in all "what-if it doesn't go by the book" type situations.

EM

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