Back in elementary school, I remember playing my favorite game during p.e. class - dodge ball. It's basically a group of people in a circle that try to dodge a ball thrown by people outside the circle. Once hit, you leave the circle and join the group of throwers. Most of the time I was last in the circle and it took some time for them to knock me out. I'd bob, weave, dive, do whatever to get the heck out of the way.
In balintawak, these same moves can be applied, with more subtlety of course. Some practitioners have their own style of moving. For instance, I heard that the late GM Maranga would rush you like a bull and take you down...doing some sort of attacking block on the way in. I read that GM Joe Go's style of movement was more or less dodger-esque. It was very hard to touch him and he rarely used his hands, instead relying on moving his body, weaving, bobbing - basically dodging, but with finesse and perfect timing. In Joe Go's higher level and style called Gokosha, it lacks parry and blocks and relies on body shifting and footwork - basically dodging. Even GM Bacon was a dodger. He was small and wiry and employed a lot of weight shifting and leaning (undayag) to get the superior position, and it was hard to predict his movements. And thus, when you were struck, and it hurt, you'd appreciate his way of moving and generating that kind of power in the close range.
I believe that in the inside game, these attributes have to be developed to the same degree your look (eyes) and sensitivity (hands, arms) are. GM Atillo has it down to a tee. These attributes work in concert and back each other up in the close range. If one fails, you can rely on the others for a time until they're all working in concert again. But don't make this a habit - in dodge ball they have to be working together all the time non-stop because one hit means you're out. In real life, one hit from an attacker CAN mean that you're out for good. So as I always say - practice, practice, practice.
Movement in Balintawak
