Dentoy Revillar (i.e., historically "Dintoy", evolved into "Dentoy") is considered a trailblazer in the Filipino martial arts community and one of its most influential practitioners in the United States (US).  Alongside Angel Cabales he played a pivotal role in introducing Eskrima to the American public during the 1960s and 1970s.  This was during an era when Eskrima was shrouded in relative obscurity, even among many Filipinos. 

At the encouragement of Max Sarmiento, Dentoy and Angel shattered the norm by teaching Eskrima openly.  They challenged the secrecy that surrounded Eskrima in Stockton during a time when experienced Manongs (Filipino elders) had either concealed their knowledge of Eskrima or had abandoned its practice altogether.

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In the beginning, Angel and Dentoy taught their art, only identified as 'Eskrima'.  There was no ‘Serrada Eskrima’ until much later.  Go back further, there was no structure to teaching of the art either.  Back in the early days when an Eskrimador taught, he taught like he played, because remember Eskrimadors were not raised with the mindset that they might share their art like today.  For example, when Angel began teaching Eskrima he would simply demonstrate the strikes and counters for them. The student either learned them or they didn't.  Counters were not done with static movements either, but with regular flowing movements.   You caught the technique in there, or you didn’t.  Students enrolled in classes quickly and quit just as quickly. It was not like other martial arts being taught at the time that were structured like karate and judo.  You needed to be special to catch what he was doing.  It took a special mindset to know what to look for, understand what to do, an ability to emulate Angel's movements (while still capturing what he's doing to you), and be able to take his hits he gave you.  You had to be special.

Dentoy proved to be special. He was raised by his grandparents and grew up with Manongs (elder Filipinos), who held ‘old school’ and ‘old style’ mentalities.  Dentoy was an 'old school' and ‘old style’ Manong by nature, even as a boy.  Dentoy became Angel’s top student and instructor.  When Angel asked him to start teaching with him, he used the methods that helped him learn, to help others learn and excel. He incorporated things like slowing down the counters to a step-by-step basis and simple analogies to help students understand the concepts easier.  Angel then started teaching using Dentoy's methods, and many of the words Angel incorporated were terms Dentoy initiated, and the same was true for Leo Giron.

A fascinating dynamic occurred when Angel and Dentoy began teaching together.  Experienced Manongs, from their 50s to 80s, would stop by their classes to watch Angel and Dentoy teach. Some would attend their classes and provide their approvals through unspoken gestures.  Others would likewise give their approval but would also provide some of their experience to Dentoy.  One evening an older Manong gave insight of the techniques used when he watched a class, which Dentoy relayed to Angel. The next day Angel told Dentoy he was taking that old Manong’s wording and he was going to call his style ‘Serrada Eskrima’. 'Serrada' Eskrima, the conjoined name for a style which many know today.  Based on a conversation of an observation by an old Manong who watched a class one evening.  That old man's name is a story for another time.

 It took a unique mindset to grasp what an Eskrimador shared back then, verbally and physically. Dentoy held the key to unlocking that knowledge.   He left  Angel’s side in the early 1980s, taking on very selective few students. He gave demonstrations for educational purposes, to only special interest groups and Filipino associations.  He lived a very private life, developing his Eskrima  for himself and his family's benefits for the remainder of his life. 

The art he worked so hard to perfect, and teach, is based on the 'old style' and 'old school' philosophies, principles, concepts and techniques of the Philippines, commonly referred to as Eskrima, which he coined the conjoined phrase term 'SLD Eskrima'.  He brought his unique mindset to incorporate his customized personalized and contemporary training methods to his teaching, including his use of photographs, audio tapes, and Video Learning, to help his students in any way he could help them learn.  This is what makes Dentoy Revillar™ SLD Eskrima so unique, and so effective in learning and its application.  Our intention is to continue this effort with our Instructors and Members (Instructors and Students) in their personalized needs to learn by using Dentoy Revillar™ Video Clips to help them develop while training.  Videos are excellent tools to use during training, providing demonstrations, or during our own gatherings as a SLD Eskrima Membership club, see PHOTOS & VIDEOS page for examples.  Instructors and Members interested in purchasing Videos contact Micheal R. Lohmeier at 248.933.1928 or use Contact Information at the bottom of the Website page.  Additional information about becoming a Member is available by contacting Micheal R. Lohmeier using the bottom of the Website page