Jose Caballero

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, and is considered the Juego Todo champion of his era.

Caballero was born in the barangay (neighborhood) of Ibo, Toledo, Cebu, in the Philippine archipelago. As a youth, he would travel from barangay to barangay in order to watch eskrima matches during fiesta celebrations. Caballero, despite his youth, had observed the loopholes of the other fighters. He observed that most of them use the same techniques: opponents ending in close-range fighting where disarming and butt-striking were commonly applied. He then thought that techniques could be devised to counter the existing techniques of other Masters. He was still in his elementary years when he thought of the possibilities of devising, combining, checking and balancing techniques and forms to come out with a distinct more versatile style not easily predictable by existing Masters.

At the energetic age of 18 (1925), Caballero joined the Philippine Constabulary where he honed to the fullest the versatilities of his arnis system. He formally named his arnis system “De Campo Uno-Dos-Tres Orehenal”. “De Campo” to counter the strikes of his opponent (Also means from the fields), “Uno” to fake or feint, “Dos” to counter the counter strikes of the opponent, “Tres” to hit (finish) the opponent and “Orehenal” a reference to the technique as his own original style. In recapitulation it could be deduced that the name “De campo Uno-Dos-Tres Orihenal” is actually a set procedure, a step by step series of effective action against an opponent. The name itself reveals the succession of movements which is the essence of Master Caballeros style (striking in a series of threes). From his observations of these Eskrima exhibitions, he modified moves with an emphasis on three striking levels: the eyes, lower arms (specifically elbows and hands), and knees. He was a fan of Western movies and often compared his style to the gunslinger "quick draw".

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