History of our club -  From “EFMAB” to “Dalawang” to “BIFF Club”

The beginning: 1990 – 1999

Around 1990 at a German Ju Jitsu Seminar the Ju Jitsu Sensei’s  Marleen De Craecker and Bob Waterschoot met the Finnish teachers and “Escrimadors” Kaj Westersund and Esa Halminen.  Training the first time in this “Filipino Martial Art” they could see the very effective techniques with and against sticks and blades.  Because of the poor weaponary syllabus in the Ju Jitsu program they decided to start to learn Escrima, which resulted in starting up the First Escrima club in Belgium in 1993.
Also the same year Marleen would Go to Finnland and train one week with Chief Instructor Jay Dobrin and his Senior Instructor Phil Chenery.

Teaching the weekly lessons, Marleen De Craecker (one of the thrue Belgian pioneers in the FMA) was supervised by Kaj Westersund until 2000.  Training with Kaj happened two times a year, intensively and hard, learning each time the next step of the syllabus.
Around 1995, “EFMAB”  (Escrima Filipino Martial Arts Belgium), was created as the Belgian division of Jay Dobrin’s BIFF ( British International Fighters Federation ).

In 1994 Jay Dobrin and his Instructors came twice to Belgium,  Testing some of the students for their First Grade.
The few students that kept training over the years, which wasn’t always that easy, are Charles Goossens, Tim Waterschoot en Walter Goossens. In the meanwhile they achieved all three of them their Instructor Grade.

1999 – 2002

December 1999 – Tim Waterschoot is Moving to Germany, thus leaving the club.

September 2000 – Charles Goossens starts teaching his own Escrima group in Gent-Brugge, He continious to train in Waasmunster.

August 2001 – Tim starts teaching Escrima in Germany, after beiing one week in Finnland training with Kaj Westersund.  Together with Charles, Walter and Paul he achieves his Instructor grade in the BIFF Escrima System.
Later that year they would start up the ACTE (Association of cinco tero escrima)

June 2002 – Marleen Retires from teaching and training Escrima due to fysical problems and Politics in the Belgian Escrima Society.

2002 – 2006

September 2002 – Because of the Retirement of Marleen, Charles returns to the Club to take over the teaching, coming back to his “Roots”, using the name “Dalawang Escrima Waasmunster”.

June 2003 – Tim moves back to Belgium and returns to his “old” club, training with Charles.  Two of his friends and Senior students (Wilfried and Saskia) continue their training with Walter Goossens.
Also training privatly with Master Jay Dobrin starts that year.

September 2005 – “Dalawang Escrima Waasmunster” is changing the name into “Dalawang Escrima” , because of the second training location in Hamme.
As Charles continous to teach in Waasmunster, Tim is Teaching in Hamme. Students can train at both locations at free choice.

Tim is teaching the renewed approach of the BIFF Escrima “fighting system” as he is learning it from Master Jay Dobrin.

2006

Charles, as the International Coordinator for Cinco Tero Escrima, who needs more time for Promoting the FMA in Belgium, stops teaching the weekly classes leaving this task up to Tim.

In Waasmunster tim will continue teaching the ACTE program until the end of the season.

2007

Tim’s Escrima classes both in Hamme and Waasmunster are now officially held as Training in the BIFF Escrima Fighting System as taught by and supervised by Master Dobrin.

The Club is renamed to “BIFF Fighters club Belgium”.