KALI MEANS TO SCRAPE

     Nick Papadakis is a full-contact fighter, martial arts instructor, stick-maker, web-based entrepreneur, and filmmaker with a passion for Filipino fighting styles. He has trained with masters Danny Inosanto, Erwin Ballarta, Marc Denny, Leo T. Gaje, and earned two black belts under Kurt Doyle. He’s also received an MFA from American Film Institute and was determined to make the documentary, “Kali Means to Scrape,” about his journey to the Philippines.
     Born and raised in Houston, TX, where even then he avoided cookie-cutter martial arts, it was Houston where he has his introduction to Pilipino martial arts. It was upon Nick’s move to Los Angeles, CA where he became part of the infamous Dog Brothers and it was with them that he realized his deep connection to the art of Kali – a dangerous art that employs bladed and impact weapons. Some say it’s too violent, but for Nick, Kali allows for more artistic freedom and improvisation – something that exemplifies the spirit of the individual, all the while paying tribute to the past.
     From his backyard in North Hollywood, Nick teaches classes not unlike the way they occur in the Philippines: grassroots, communal, raw. It’s a scrappy practice. Students usually consist of martial arts enthusiasts looking to take it to the next level; and the most important element to success in martial arts is to train effectively as much as possible.
     A few short months into his Kali training, it was obvious that the martial arts community was lacking in quality stick-making; the majority of sticks on the market peeled after a few hits, were too light, and rarely long enough for serious use. So, Nick set about learning the slow process of fire-hardening Mano rattan, the hardest of all the rattans, under the careful instruction of Filipino masters.
     He started his own company, Kombat Instruments Ltd. (KIL), which 10 years ago, was one of the only sites that came up on the web for ‘Kali’. Word-of-mouth spread quickly; KIL was producing the finest handcrafted sticks in the business, “10 years in the making of an over-night success. Though in the beginning he managed to prepare each stick himself, demand for KIL instruments exceeded his ability to create them fast enough, so he brought on other skilled stick-makers. This being said, not a single instrument ships without first passing Nick’s strict personal inspection; and everyone who works for KIL is a stick fighter themselves, understanding the concerns and needs of other stick fighters.
     “It’s back breaking work,” says Nick. “I get burned often and it takes it toll physically. The satisfaction comes from knowing you’re putting a great product into the hands of a great fighter.” The company has since expanded its line to include t-shirts, fighting masks, training knives, and other exotics from overseas.
     Always looking to raise the bar, Nick wanted to incorporate his filmmaking with his love of the martial arts. So, in 2004 he made it happen.
     Nick traveled to the Philippines to make the film, “Kali Means to Scrape,” a 30-minute documentary of his experience searching the rough-and-tumble neighborhoods for old Kali masters. He wanted to see for himself the people for whom Kali is a way of life. As unmatched as his KIL instruments are in fulfilling the needs of the martial arts community, so then does the film satisfy a missing piece of its contemporary knowledge. To quote the mayor of one village Nick traveled to in the film, “The indigenous arts of the Philippines lacks documentation, considering that it is practiced by close-knit families and groups.”
     With his guide, Jeffrey Montelibano, (a native cook-for-hire and Kali aficionado), Nick scoured the country for stories, techniques, and a truly unique experience. What he brought back was so much more.
     If there were ever any doubts about the genuineness of this Texas-born Hollywood-transplant, the documentary will dispel any such notions. And as the many instructors and enthusiasts internationally and domestically who have used KIL fighting-sticks can attest, Nick Papadakis is the real-deal: a full-contact fighter, martial arts instructor, stick-maker, web-based entrepreneur, and filmmaker.
Nick says, ‘nuff said, back to the sticks.”

A FILM BY

NICK PAPADAKIS