Would you train this rare martial art?

Hi there, I'm Māori. War dances are universal across Polynesia, they are not exclusive to Māori. In Hawaii, their war dances are called 'Ha'akoa'. The full name for 'Lua' is 'Kapu Kuialua' and there are different linages of the martial art. The most popular school is Lua Halau O Kaihewalu, founded by Solomon Kaihewalu who was taught by John Chow Hoon (Danzan Ryu) and William Chow (Kempo Karate). Its difficult to say how much of Lua Halau O Kaihewalu is Kapu Kuialua and how much of it is Danzan Ryu and Kempo Karate. But that is why they wear gi. In reality, I suspect that the Hawaiians would of fought in a similar fashion to Māori (our weapons are similar). Our tradition is called Mau Rākau. The most popular style is Te whare tu taua o Aoteroa, it involves empty hand techniques as well (similar to what you would see in Muay Thai with teeps, punches and clinch). We had a series on Māori TV called Toa O Aotearoa which show cased full contact weapons sparring with rākau (wooden sticks).

Old traditional systems like this are very good for extreme situations, e.g. warfare or SHTF situations, what with their wonderful weapons. I was doing a class, and free sparring with this guy, and he knew what I had on me, but he went all wrestley (high level practitioner, Eastern Euro state trained) and it all ended when I pulled out the knife I had and just started working on him with it, because he was like, "Oh, I forgot about the knife" as his years of competition-based training had kicked in and it led him down a dark alley, let's say. Great video, wonderful stuff, I share your sentiments.

You are always distinguished in all your meetings with senior martial arts teachers and your interesting topics. Through your channel, we learned many things related to the world of martial arts. I hope that you will conduct interviews with the stars of martial arts films in future

As a history geek i love these explorations of different fighting styles, developed by different cultures to fit their different needs. We humams problem solve for what is in front of us.

Nice one, Ilan! I found out about Lua through an old Blackbelt Magazine issue. I was a kid at the time and was intrigued by their use of biting. Great stuff! Osu!

Aha Polynesian martial arts, When the British Marine's who where regarded as the best fighting force in the world until they encountered the Morai warriors they had no idea that they we're about to be taught some valuable devastating lessons in close quarter combat, the Maori warriors were and still are some of scariest fighting men on the planet, they also invented trench warfare to combat the British marine's before the British had ever seen such a thing. It was these two things that eventually forced the British into treaty because they had there backsides kicked, shark teeth weapons are devistating, shards that break of in the skin also promote infection, excessive bleeding etc. I have many Morai and Samoan mates it is practically the same culture. Even today the Maori man is a formidable foe .They would also eat their fallen enemies to absorb there MANA (Spirit) including their own and the fallen marines. That is scary.

Blocking and attacking at the same time is in Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do and Krav Maga and Shorin Ryu and Shito Ryu.

Every time I hear about this art I think about Tank Abbott's first fight in the UFC. Tank's opponent was a Master of that system.

Do a video on Cornish wrestling

I am 3rd Dan of Kyokushin Karate, Faixa Marrom of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, among other things... and Kumu 4th Degree of Hawaiian Lua. Excellent video!

I love your work man. Gotta say, from 6:48-7:50 the movements are reaaaaaly similar to Buk Sing Choy Lay Fut. Lots of short fore arm stuff...very fkn noice. Keep on rockin. Cheers

Bro your videos are so insightful But yet again, the intro music is the star of the show . Inside insiiiide fighting yeaaah. Daaaangerous martial arts.. pow pow. 😊👊🏾🥋

Been waiting for this one!

Love these nuanced breakdowns good Sir!

I’m glad you’re covering the martial art of my culture

Awesome as always

First time I saw Lua in a fight was in the original UFC , early 90s. First time I saw a documentary on Lua was a program hosted in History Channel by Army S.F. Group green beret Terry Shappert and he went to Hawaii to train with Polynesian Lua warriors and after received a traditional Polynesian tatua on his leg using traditional tatua tools.

Thanks so much for sharing. So much Mana here.

Your comment about empty hand forms linked to weapons forms: I studied karate and was always puzzled by the katas. Puzzled, because the traditional blocks and footwork in many of these katas seemed to be about an unarmed defense against an armed opponent. For example, the rising arm block (age uki) makes no sense as a defense against a punch. It makes even less sense to have a form where one does this block stepping forward. However, this block stepping forward makes perfect sense as an un-armed defense against someone attacking with a stick or a sword. The same is true for many traditional blocks in karate and their inclusion in katas. And yet, whenever I've brought up my theory to traditional karate teachers, they insist that all the blocks and katas are about combat with an unarmed opponent.

Great video

Great content as always brother.

Very informative 😊

The weapons go further. I saw videos about Lua, unfortunately BMed on a computer which I have no access at at the moment. Sling shots with small stones. Someone throwing a cascade of spears at the defender, one spear per second. The defender is dodging and deflecting the incoming spears. Overlapping with Lua are healing and massage methods, called Lomi Lomi. Also very interesting! Great video and I agree with your assessment about BJJ creeping into other systems for money purpose. It is bollocks.

Extrêmement intéressant. Merci

Can you imagine being a sparing partner on that initial demo, turning up to class on day one..."right mr smith, john here is going to grab your face and er well you'll see!"

I love this video and I can definitely see how this art could be applied with others for self defense…..Can you do a video on Piper Knife Fighting System it’s of course a knife fighting system but it was also developed in prisons and then became a self defense system just like 52 Blocks I was watching one of the 52 Block instructors and imagined putting these two prison based systems together would be extremely effective

I love it! I love the cultures of several island tribesmen. I love tattau. I love how passionate and caring these cultures are. I like eating fish and seafood all day long. That being said... If this were in my area, I would learn it immediately

You can check out the maori in New Zealand. Most of Pacific Oceania's martial arts go back to NZ. Most modern lua is a mixture of old lua, hula, and newer techniques. I'm not point out problems just mentioning the necessary issues to keep lua on going.

My dad had a big scar on his leg from where a marlin bill slashed him while it was flopping around on the deck. That's not an uncommon injury for deep sea fishing and there's a lot of grisly images out there of guys getting impaled as well. As far as metal substitutes for an ancient cultures, that's not a bad one.

I remember seeing ads for Kapu Kuailua in Black Belt magazine back in the day. It sounded so deadly and secret. Then I saw Mike Bitonio vs Bart Vale. Oh well. It's still really cool though.

Theres also the Polynesian art of Limalama with Samoan origins.

Love this, you have got to do one about the Maori too👌

I think you would enjoy learning about New Zealand Maori martial arts, Mau Rakau. A lot of similarities to the Hawaiian techniques, but different weapons including awesome greenstone and whale bone weapons. Also, Australian Indigenous Coreeda, which is a sports martial art that looks like if Shuai Jiao and Capoeira got together and adopted a kangaroo.

The inclusion of MMA could be to teach the students an understanding of how those systems operate

I would like to see a vídeo on original Jeet Kune Do from the IFO. Checkout Tommy Carruthers movements.

As far as I know, modern Luo has changed and taken on a lot of new methods of fighting. It has taken on some of the stuff from their immigrants like from the Filliopines and Indonesia, also Kempo Karate. I think if I remember right.

A little correction, though related somehow, what you show from minute 6:38 till about 7:50 is not intended to be Lua per se but Limalama, founded by GM Tumanao "Tino" Tuiolosega and this video can be found as Limalama by Ted Tabura, one of his close student's...

There's a lot of similarities in martial arts in sea-faring cultures because the need to fight on surfaces with bad footing -- whether thats a rolling boat deck, soft sand on the beach, slippery rocks, or wet docks in port, etc -- is a real driver.

Ke Koa Kempo - Kapu keep out Kuia Lua The Hakka was lost after the settlement by Admiral Cook. Who stated that Men were no longer allowed to to “Do this dance of death.” So it was changed to Hula for women. This is my friend Solomon Kaihewalu who was also the Cousin of Edward Kealoha Parker. Who incorporated portions of these features in his American Kenpo. That was per my conversation with Solomon Kaihewalu himself. Monkey steals the peach. LOL!

Come on bro we gotta have a video on the cool geek memorabilia you've got behind you 😅

It seems to me that in today's world the UFC, which was created to promote BJJ and led to the creation of MMA, has brainwashed everyone into thinking it's the only viable "combat" system and everything else is somehow inferior. All historical arts exist for a reason and if they didn't work in their context they wouldn't have survived. Unfortunately, we don't know the full context of the original arts in many cases. so it's difficult to see how the moves apply.

cool

The first guy Tank Abbott fought in the ufc trained in it. The head school 🏫 s in San Pedro California. I worked out with a few of their guys.

Please do Hung Gar Kuen! 🙏

Please look up Krav Maga and also can you do a video of Okinawan karate and it has grappling

Wing chun as well

Too bad we lost so much details about these old Lua techniques and battlefield tactics.

Those guys would hunt wild boars with spears. I watched a hog take 5 from a 45ACP and 5 more from a 38special before laying down. Some people are tougher just because of the environment.

Can you make a video on jeetkunedo

So Jiu Jitsu was originally part of The Hawaiian System - when American Systems developed Parker removed it for some reason. Or maybe he felt it was getting too complex? My interest was to reinsert Sotukan, Jiu Jitsu and Hari Mau Dumog wrestling back into it before Gracie’s ever came to America in 1980’s. When they did come I said. These guys will change American Martial Arts forever. And in some cases for the better.

I remember the ads of "Kapu'Lua" in Inside Kung Fu magazines. I too was obsessed with the concept. And no, I didnt buy them. You needed your parents to go and buy the money order to mail it in.

❤Lua! I would really wish the original pure system would not be kept hidden as this is still a very secretive system. My worry is that it is more DJJ and Kempo karate than Lua, but I have always been drawn to this system. I loved the clip of the guy in the red sarong using his elbows, forearms and not closed fist and not sure if this is pure Lua as it looked like Ted Tabora demoing, but it looks like a branch of the system. Samoan, Māori and Hawaiian arts look very similar and during lockdown I started researching these again as IMO they were more battlefield than the “DO” arts of today. I believe because they haven’t been spread worldwide they have stayed closer to their roots of battlefield arts and yes they could certainly be used in todays streets in the person has an understanding of the other phases of a street fight……including Dialogue and Deffusion, pre-emptive striking etc and possible be excellent for multiple attackers as this is what would happen on the battlefields or closeness of fighting on a ship/boat. I’d really like to see modern adaptations with street scenarios for this system and even system v system comparisons would be interesting. Let’s now keep going down this route and look at the other SP Islander arts. The dude in red sarong looks like he would be an awesome villain in a movie. His moves look a little silat like but usually we see petit men using silat demonstrations where he looked big, strong and powerful…….amazing what we see as effective when someone more the size of a western performs the techniques.

As a mainlanded Hawaiian it sucks I can’t learn Lua as I’ve wanted to since I learned about it on National Geographic as a kid but it only feels special since you can’t learn it everywhere, also since I learned of Lua I’ve known it’d be good for self defense but it doesn’t mesh with MMA or organized fighting for sport because of its brutal nature of ending the fight fast cuz it’s not made for sport it’s made for defense of your life and loved ones

I agree, there's a fine line that I too wouldn't cross. I would rather strike the groin, not grab it. 🤣

Some of the skin grabbing reminds me of Shaolin Chi na. A lot of grabbing twisting and tearing

You should check out Carjitsu and phone booth fighting.

Never heard of this martial arts

OK the,first video was a new take and started after the 80s. The next is my favorite instructor Olohe Kihewalo. Who lead the resurgence of the art . The next clips were Lima Lama and are not Lua They are Samoan art based on Kajukenbo and Okinawan te. Unfortunately many of the experts in the martial arts world are just making things up . After practicing for 56 years The amount of these experts giving up the truth on their death beds has left me very disappointed and feeling like a fool.

I would agree that alot of times that always judging various martial arts which were made by premodern people for warfare by the same standard by which we would judge something which was originally intended as a combat sport is a little bit narrow minded mainly because alot of the times hardly any ancient martial arts were ever intended to make anybody a super powerful specialized master of any particular combat skill especially any skill which involves taking anybody down with there barehands.In ancient warfare you are never going to likely have to go toe to toe with anybody like Chuck Lidell,Mike Tyson or anybody with a skillset quite like that.Many Judo masters could quite likely psychically overwhelm alot of Japanese Jujitsu master but that's sort of just because Jujitsu was not originally about being super specialized at physically overwhelming anybody with your bare hands in the first place but was instead intended to be a part many skills which were taught in conjunction with each other which you were never likely to ever become super specialized in any of partially because being a third degree blackbelt Judo master who trains to perfect a very specific skill matters very little when you and your army have got a whole lot of different weapons and is fighting another army who has got alot of different weapons.Granted combat sports might have existed back then in certain parts of the world however I think that combat sports and the mindset that goes with it in the context of many cultures tends to be more so a product of the modern contemporary world.Combat sports might have things which could be potentially helpful or valuablein the context of modern or even ancient military but modern warfare and ancient warfare is not really all that comparible to what combat sports are.

All Polynesian cultures have a haka. In Hawaiian it’s a Ha’a.

i got grabbed by skin through gi on tuesday, my arm looks worse than after some beatdown actually

The ultimate bone buster.

Greater reason why there has are open is to defend same idea to wing chun pock sau

ummmm.....the hakka is practised by all islanders as they have the same ancestory

He just wanted to grab that guy by the junk.

Stopping 3 min in. Not based on the ocean. And not from maoris. We had our own unique fighting styles. We share a similar language with Maori and other Polynesian groups where some of the words can be similar.

I’m pretty sure he was just grabbing the pants for demo purposes … in lieu of scrodding the guy.

i dont stay in one spot unless my first strike has really dsabled him. Then I might move on it to finish him off, if need be. Practicing just standing there, like in front of a the wooden dummy, is a very bad habit to get into, Ditto most boxing With those pillows on your hands, you can't do much of anything, but with bare hands, a minor flick to his nose, cheekbones, eye brow can be enough of a distraction to let me REALLY smash something, grab something, get away from his weapon, etc. I know that the gloves offer protection for the fingers vs higher kicks, but I rarely kick higher than the lower thich and never higher than the bladder. Boxers aint dealing with kicks. PRACTICING getting your brain rattled makes no sense to me at all, and that's what boxing IS

“He’s about to grab a space as no man should be grabbed.” 😂 so you are saying that you will grab rib skin etc but you draw the line at grabbing the “chicken” skin? 😂

Very obscure martial art. What about kali and escrima. I only ask about it because I know you are really into Filipino martial arts.

I cheated because I already knew who the Gracie’s were since my neighbor was the training partner of Donn Draegar and Masahiko Kimura. But that’s another story LOL!

I'm an idiot too

MMA is the best way to train - even for warfare. People think fighting suddenly changes in battle? People think, after years and years of boxing, I won't know how to strike the throat.. or that years of grappling have made it so I "have to follow" rules? This "warfare art" stuff is bullshit, always has been. These guys would get their asses handed to them by anyone attending an mma gym for just a year.. "Masters".

ALL Polynesians have their own form of a haka and their own form of a hula; and Māori IS Polynesian. Also, “Hawaiian Lua” @4:30 & @6:40 literally just looks like Okinawan Karate. The so called “Hawaiian Lua” starting with students wearing black karate gi’s; just looks like modern MMA training. Also, Krav Maga is just a frankenstein militarized self dense style that literally draws from other martial arts; Krav Maga in and of itself, is not original. The only true form of Hawaiian Lua is the Weapon training @ 14:00 with the paddle which is basically a Okinawan Eku and the wooden string that resembles a Wushu chain whip known as Jiu Jie Bian.

at 2min, all that slashing, but no attempt at stabbing the heart. not very wise, for a war system. Re ''haka'': get your skull-smashing war clus, and find a couple sizable trees, and go totally frigging berserk, on those trees-- from a hidden ambush position. have nearby fallen tree serve as a downed opponent to savagely 'do in'.

The weapons are amazing and unique. The hand to hand stuff, I’m not seeing anything different or special. Wish we could see more about skin grabs… Paul Vunak talked about the skin ripping years ago, from FMA the biting and ripping of skin.

sparring is killing Martial Arts. Its not how they are designed to be trained.

Do a video on Cornish wrestling