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.

Overview

Early life

Jose D. Caballero was born in the barangay (neighborhood) of Ibo, Toledo City, Cebu Province, in the Philippine archipelago. As a youth, he would travel from barangay to barangay in order to watch eskrima matches during fiesta celebrations.

His art

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".

Eskrima matches

One of his more notable fights took place in 1936 against an eskrimador named Anoy, from the nearby town of Tangub. Jose Caballero utilized his system of 1-2-3 strikes in order to disarm and wound the stunned Anoy, who promptly surrendered. The combination of strikes was delivered so quickly, that the crowd had not fully understood what had just taken place. This resulted in the perception that the match was fixed, and they began shouting "TAYOPE!" (fixed).

In his prime, Caballero was the Juego Todo (All Out, no holds barred) champion and beat several famous Eskrimadors, such as: Simeon Saavedra of Talisay, Balbino Mancao, Vicente Labor, Juan Carolla of Ilocos, Alfredo Macalolan of Negros, Tanciong Lopez from Cebu City, Salomon Canonio and many lesser known challengers.

Notable students

Some of his more notable students were Edgar G. Sulite, founder of Lameco Eskrima, his brother Helacrio Sulite, Jr., Ireneo L. Olavides, and Vicente Tifburon Palacios.

ources

* "Filipino Martial Arts" magazine - Special 2006 issue, "Legends of The Filipino Martial Arts" [http://www.fmadigest.com/Issues/special-issues/2006/Special-Issue_LegendsII.pdf]
* http://www.eskrimadecampo.com/
* http://www.decampo.8m.com/about.html