The Immersion Foundation (2026) - Information Booklet (4th Edition)
Immersion Foundation
The Immersion Review
Strands of Strife and Life I The Book of the Stick
Docu-Instructional Films
Podcasts
Talks & Guest Appearances
Steel and Synapse
Pioneers' Page
Draeger & Smith Legacy Study
Music, Mind, Movement & Martial Art
South Indian Marma/Varma Kalai
Hungarian Martial Arts
Latin American Fighting Arts
Hakka Mantis Gung Fu
Moro Fighting Arts
Pukulan Pentjak Silat Sera Plinck
Cossack Martial Arts
Kujang Project
Sonny Umpad Project
Misc. Projects
Immersion Dojo
Photo Gallery Appendix: Ambassadors Index
About
What
Is The Immersion Foundation?
Most people encounter martial arts as techniques, belts, or tournaments. The Immersion Foundation was built for the layer underneath all that—the layer where weapons, training, fear, and culture meet, and where the question is not, “How do you win a match?” but “How have humans actually fought, adapted, and built meaning around combat?”
In the 19th century, Sir Richard Francis Burton coined a word for this kind of work: hoplology—the study of weapons, combat systems, and combative behavior. In the 20th century, Donn F. Draeger tried to turn that idea into a living discipline through travel, training, and hard-won field notes. Their efforts opened a door, but the discipline never fully took root. Their books became rare references. Their archives slept. The work needed to be continued, widened, and brought into conversation with the sciences and cultures of our own time.
The Immersion Foundation, founded in 2017 by Mahipal Lunia, exists to do that work.
TIF calls its approach New Hoplology . The name matters. It signals respect for Burton and Draeger, and also a clear break from nostalgia or imitation. New Hoplology keeps the core impulse—go to the source, pay attention to how people actually fight and train, write it down with care—and ties it to tools and contexts they did not have: modern neuroscience, trauma studies, diaspora communities, and a far broader map of the world.
In practice, that has meant more than seven international expeditions, from Caribbean stick arts in Barbados to weapons traditions in Indonesia, Polynesia, and India. It has meant five major Immersion Labs gatherings ( Legacy of the Blade , Stickmata , Born of Blood , and others), where masters, researchers, and cultural custodians compare notes in person. It has meant rescuing and restoring the 1981 Donn Draeger audio archives, and publishing work in venues such as the Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology . It has meant films like The Secret Fighting Arts of the Americas , and journals like The Immersion Review , where fieldwork and theory meet on equal footing.
TIF is very clear about what it is not . It is not a martial arts school or a federation. It is not a “warrior mindset” motivation brand. It is not a highlight-reel channel chasing views, and it is not a campus-bound department writing about violence from a safe distance.
What it is, instead, is deliberately narrow and demanding: a field team, going where the arts are actually lived; an archive, rescuing voices, notes, and recordings before they disappear; and a publishing house, committed to long-form work that will still be useful in fifty years.
The Immersion Foundation is the world’s only modern hoplology lab—a field team, archive, and publishing house studying how humans fight and make meaning around combat, in the spirit of Burton and Draeger but on a wider, contemporary path TIF calls "New Hoplology."
The pages that follow are a record of that work so far. They show a discipline being rebuilt in real time: expedition reports, restored archives, peer- reviewed papers, films, and frameworks such as Neuro - Hoplology and the Innate/Manifest Adaptive Traits Model. Taken together, they sketch the outline of what New Hoplology can be: a serious, embodied study of human combat and martial culture, grounded in lived experience and rigorous thinking.
This is not a finished story. It is an invitation to join a project that began before us, will continue after us, and matters far beyond any single art, teacher, or generation.
Our Values
• Field First: We start where people actually train and fight. If we have not seen it, walked it, or heard it from someone who has lived it, we treat it as a question, not a conclusion.
• Respect without Worship: We stand in the line of Burton, Draeger, and many unnamed elders, but we do not turn anyone into a saint. Real respect includes clear eyes, honest context, and the freedom to ask hard questions.
• Rigor in Plain Language: Our work is meant to stand up in a journal and still make sense at the edge of a mat. We cross - check sources, test ideas against experience, and then say what we mean without jargon for its own sake.
• Complete Arcs, Not Content: We are not in the business of feeding a content stream. We finish what we start: expeditions that produce full reports, archives that become usable records, frameworks that are explained well enough to be applied.
• Lineage-Aware, Future-Facing: We know whose work opened this road, and we say their names. At the same time, everything we do is aimed at the reader, researcher, and practitioner who will come decades from now and ask, “What really happened in your time?” We work so they have solid ground to stand on.
We are not the new Draeger. We are not reenacting anyone's journey. Burton opened a door. Draeger built a corridor. The Immersion Foundation is mapping the rooms those men never reached, with tools they didn't have: modern recording, neuroscience, global networks, a wider and more honest set of cultures and voices, and a commitment to finishing what we start.
The map is still being drawn. The work is ongoing. The record, when it is complete, will be the most serious, most field-grounded, most human account of how people fought and trained and made meaning around combat that this era was capable of producing.
Sponsored and led by TIF’s Explorer-in-Residence, Mahipal Lunia, the Immersion Expeditions are undertaken by specially selected teams of researchers and martial art practitioners in order to study and archive regional arts, many of which are rare and kept alive by their last keepers. Members of the Expedition team are directly involved in hands-on exploration of the arts rather than simply being spectators. The arts are meticulously recorded in high quality with state-of-the-art equipment and made available to the public whenever possible.
TIF has led 7 major Expeditions to date, archiving over 400+ hours of footage for 15+ arts, some of which had never been filmed publicly before.
Caribbean Expedition
2018 • Barbados | Trinidad | Tobago
I t all started with a series of serendipitous phone calls—from Guro Burton Richardson to Michael Ryan, to Dr. Philip Forde and the discovery of Sticklicking. A few days later, Lunia and the TIF team were on their way to an 11-day adventure, the first major hoplological expedition in 40 years , to meet some of the last keepers of the Caribbean traditions.
of raw footage distilled into the docu-instructional film: 80+ hrs
Secret Fighting Arts of the Americas (2021)
Arts & Ambassadors
• Sticklicking - Dr. Philip Forde
• Kalinda - Rondel Benjamin, Keegan Taylor
• Gilpin - Rondel Benjamin, Keegan Taylor
• Rope Jab - Ronald Alfred
• Grima - Dr. TJ Desch-Obi
• Garrote - Michael Ryan
Investigators
• Mahipal Lunia (Explorer-in-Residence)
• Dr. Tj Desch-Obi (Scholar-in-Residence)
Participants
• Immersion Dojo
• Local resources in Barbados
Portuguese Expedition
2019 • Fafe, Portugal
In this 5-day expedition to Northern Portugal, the TIF team immersed themselves in the village life of Fafe and got to witness the first-ever gathering of the 10 remaining schools of Jogo do Pau in Portugal, with over 80 hours of filming and side-by-side examination.
of Jogo do Pau assembled at this historical event, featured on: 10 schools
RTP1 Portuguese TV
Arts & Ambassadors
• Mestre Avelino (Headmaster of the Fafe school)
• Oscar Cunha
• Pedro Silva
• 10 JDP Schools, including:
◊ Jogo do Pau da guarda (Daniel Simão)
◊ Jogo do Pau Portimao (Mestre Helder Valente)
◊ Associação Desportiva e Cultural do Jogo do Pau Português (Manuel Joaquim Monteiro)
◊ Esgrima Lusitana Cascais - Jogo do Pau Português (Ricardo Moura)
Investigator
• Mahipal Lunia (Explorer-in-Residence)
Participants
• Immersion Dojo
• RTP1 Portuguese TV channel crew
• Fafe City Council
• Other local resources
Southeast Asian Expedition #1
2019 • The Philippines
In this 10-day expedition, the TIF team explored the old arts of the Philippines, some of which were archived extensively and completely for the first time.
Arnis Payate & Kalis Ilustrisimo of filming, including the first-ever complete syllabus of: 100+ hrs
The late Roberto Labaniego gifting the last of his personal sticks to Lunia.
Arts & Ambassadors
• Kalis Ilustrisimo - GM Romeo Macapagal
• Tapado
• Ouida Whip-Stick
• Visayan Sable
• Lapu-Lapu
• Paete Arnis
• GM Roberto Labaniego
Investigators
• Mahipal Lunia (Explorer-in-Residence)
• GM Romeo Macapagal
• GM Ron Saturno
Participants
• Jj Hervas
• Immersion Dojo
• Elrik and Franz Jundis
• Stephen CK
• Fabrizio Mansur Filograna
Italian Contra-Expeditionis
2019 • California, USA
In this “reverse expedition,” TIF invited Maestro Domenico Mancino from Italy to California in order to explore the evolution of Italian fighting arts and to capture the curriculum of the Cielo e Meraviglia school, previously never revealed to outsiders.
Cielo e Meraviglia: Italian Knife Fencing with Maestro Domenico Mancino (2019) of first-ever public instruction available through the film: 6.5 hrs
Ambassador
• Maestro Domenico Mancino
Investigators
• Mahipal Lunia (Explorer-in-Residence)
• Dr. Marco Quarta
Participants
• Immersion Dojo
Southeast Asian / Polynesian Contra-Expeditionis
2020 • California, USA
This reverse expedition hosted Ambassadors from New Zealand, the Philippines, and the US, exploring the interaction between the arts of Southeast Asia and Polynesia, which had previously been inaccessible to outsiders. Many fruitful discussions and unique collaborations took place between the Ambassadors from different regions.
to capture on public film the arts of: 1st time
Rongomamau & Moro Kampilan
Arts & Ambassadors
• Timoti Pahi - Rongomamau
• GM Romeo Macapagal - Kalis Ilustrisimo
• Mushtaq Ali Al Ansari - Moro Fighting Arts & Silat
Investigators
• Mahipal Lunia (Explorer-in-Residence)
• GM Romeo Macapagal
• GM Ron Saturno
• Mushtaq Ali Al Ansari
Participants
• JJ Hervas
• Ngarino Te Waati / Baes
• Immersion Dojo
American Bladecraft Expeditions
Since 2013 • Pacific Northwest & Southwestern USA
In these trips across the West Coast of the US, the TIF team worked closely with Maestro James Keating and others to study and archive the arts of the bowie knife and Arkansas toothpick.
Ambassadors
• Maestro James Keating
• Bill Bagwell (phone interviews)
• Paul Kirchner (phone interviews & hand-off of all bowie knife research to TIF)
• Other anonymous sources
Investigators
• Mahipal Lunia (Explorer-in-Residence)
• Dexter Miksch Participants
• Immersion Dojo
La Verdadera Destreza Contra-Expeditionis
Since 2022 • West Coast, USA
This series of reverse expeditions exploring the Spanish fencing system is currently in progress, and TIF has invited Ambassadors of various expressions of LVD to share their art. Continued collaboration is expected to take place and eventually lead to an on-site expedition in Spain.
Ambassadors
• Ton Puey - Destreza of Rada
• Puck Curtis - Early Destreza
• Tim Rivera - Destreza Vulgar
Investigators
• Mahipal Lunia (Explorer-in-Residence)
• Mushtaq Ali Al Ansari
• Dr. Juha Vuori
• Mika Harju-Seppänen
Participants
• Immersion Dojo
Labs
The Immersion Labs are global symposiums bringing together Ambassadors and participants from around the world for multi-day (typically 3 full days / 30-40 hours) deep exploration of a single topic, akin to graduate-level courses at universities in terms of depth.
TIF has hosted 5 Labs to date in California, USA, bringing together 50+ Ambassadors and 100+ participants from over a dozen countries for 200+ focused hours of exploration.
The Labs are TIF’s most well-known flagship offering to the general public and hold much significance as historical gatherings—hoplologists’ “dream come true” as described by some—that are at once unprecedented and never to be repeated.
Lab #1 - Legacy of the Blade
2018 • California, USA
TIF’s first and pioneering Lab exploring 12 different blade traditions from the Philippines, Japan, USA, Hawaii, Italy, and South Africa, among others.
Ambassadors & Topics
• Mark Mikita - Kampilan & Capa Capa
• Burton Richardson - Karambit & Kris
• Ron Saturno - Stockton Espada y Daga
• Lloyd De Jongh - Piper
• Dr. Marco Quarta - Italian Blades
• Henri-Robert Vilaire - Japanese Tanto
• Majia Soderholm - Visayan Sword & Sickle
• Carlito Bonjoc - Stockton Espada y Daga
• Ed Calderon - Mexican Shanks & Street Knives
• Robert Stines Jr. - Hawaiian Blade-on-Skin Methods of instruction & deep-dive with: 36 hrs
Description
Featured Item
10 Ambassadors & 25 Participants from 6 Countries
Lab #2 - Stickmata
2019 • California, USA
40 hours of immersion and compare / contrast of 12+ stick traditions from the Philippines, USA, Japan, the Caribbean Islands, Italy, Russia, and Portugal, among others.
Ambassadors & Topics
• Vincent Cabales, Ron Saturno, Dexter Labonog, Kalani Foster - Stockton FMA
• Mark Mikita - Cuentada
• Martin Wheeler - Systema
• Romeo Macapagal & JJ Hervas - Kalis Ilustrisimo
• Bruce Juchnik - Japanese Jojutsu
• Henri-Robert Vilaire - Japanese Jojutsu
• Marc Denny - Stick Grappling
• Dr. Philip Forde - Bajan Stick Fighting
• Dr. Marco Quarta - Bolognese Stick Fighting
• Pedro Silva - Jogo do Pau
• Dr. TJ Desch-Obi - Colombian Grima
• Michael Ryan - Venezuelan Garrote
15 Ambassadors & 25 Participants from 8 Countries of compare / contrast of the world's stick traditions with: 40 hrs
Lab #3 - Born of Blood
2020 • California, USA
Deep exploration of arts of the Southeast Asian Archipelago and Pacific Islands, with the first-ever public presentation of Rongomamau and Moro Kampilan.
Hosted in conjunction with the Southeast Asian & Polynesian Contra-expeditionis.
Ambassadors & Topics
• Stevan Plinck - Dutch-Indonesian Golok & Sera
• Romeo Macapagal - Espada y Daga
• Mark Mikita - Sumbrada
• Mushtaq Ali Al Ansari - Southeast Asian Cane & Kampilan
• Sulaiman Sharif - Malay Karambit & Sarong
• Kenya Prach - Cambodian Bokator / Kickboxing
• Jason Webster - Thai Krabi Krabong / Double Swords
• Ron Lew - Filipino Latigo / Whip
• Timoti Pahi - Rongomamau (Māori Grappling Arts)
• JC Cabiero - Stockton FMA
• Ron Saturno - Stockton FMA
• Maija Soderholm - Visayan Sangot / Sickle
12 Ambassadors & 25 Participants from 10 Countries of public and 80+ hours of private investigation with: 40 hrs
Lab #4
Holy Blood, Holy Blade
March 2023 • California, USA
A historic cross-cultural exploration of the Spanish bladecraft and its influence on the world. Hosted in conjunction with La Verdadera Destreza Contra-expeditionis.
Ambassadors & Topics
• Ton Puey - La Verdadera Destreza
• Ron Lew - Latigo y Daga
• Joaquin Marcelo - Jeet Kune Do
• Anthony de Longis - Western Bullwhip
• Paul Porter - SCA Full-Contact Fighting
• Dr. TJ Desch-Obi - Grima
• Mahipal Lunia & Dexter Miksch - Bowie Knife
• Mushtaq Ali Al Ansari - Mindanao Blade
• Adam Myrie - Barbary Blade
• Michael Belzer & Mahipal Lunia - Hoplology 101
• Puck Curtis - Comparison of Spanish & Italian Fencing
• Tim Rivera - Spanish Influence on FMA
of public and 20+ hours of private collaboration with:
Shock & Awe
November 2023 • California, USA
A deep dive into over a dozen components of speed, from pre-fight to post-victory, explored through 14 arts and 6 weapon systems.
Ambassadors & Topics
• Tim Cartmell - Clinch/Trap to Thrwoing Speed
• Stevan Plinck - Positional Speed
• Eric Knaus - Combination Speed
• Ron Lew - Breaking the Sound Barrier / Flexible Steel
• Mark Mikita - Explosive Speed
• Paul Porter - Reading Tells: Perceptual and Mental Speed
• Maija Soderholm - Alteration Speed
• Scott Meredith - Sensitivity Speed
• Riichi Kitano - Sen: Initiative to Kill Speed in Koryu
• Mahipal Lunia - Deceptive Bowie
• Dr. TJ Desch -Obi - Malicia in Grima & Capoeira
• Dexter Miksch - Bowei Backcut Flow
• Miguel Lopez - From Golden Glove to the Street
• Jerry Walker - Mature Speed & Timing
• Carlito Bonjoc - Speed in Transcending Limitations
• James Bishop - Bruce Lee's Speed & Timing
• Steaphen Fick - Alchemy of Timing in the Italian Renaissance
• Michael Donohue - Proprioception and Hand-Eye Coordination
Lab #6
Bikers, Brawlers & Badasses
July 2024 • California, USA
A no-nonsense, comprehensive examination of deep violence & chaos across 5 major contexts, from ancient battlefields of India to the urban jungle, bikers and bouncers, law enforcement, and prisons.
• Mike N. Quijano - Insights from Military & Police
• Kewesi Simon & Trevor Latham - Lessons from Bouncers
• Callum Carmichael - Brawling with the Irish Stick
• Miguel Lopez - Bare-Knuckle Boxing
• Kenneth Goodman - 52 Blocks / Jailhouse Rock
• Brian Bales - Preparing for Extreme Violence
• Dr. TJ Desch-Obi - Hoplology of African-American Diaspora
• David Navarrete - Spanish Gypsy Knife - Navaja
• Paul Porter - Power Generation
• Mahipal Lunia - Hoplogy of Bharateer Yudh Kala
*Due to unforseen circumstances, this Lab unfortunately was cancelled. All arrangemenets and initial collaborations had already been made, and it remains as a part of TIF's legacy.
Media
The Immersion Media spans digital and print publications in various formats: academic papers, journals, books, talks, interviews, podcasts, video courses, documentaries, and emerging modes of communication.
TIF’s major publications to date include 80+ peerreviewed articles, the 4-part Book of the Stick , 200+ podcast episodes, and numerous docu-instructional videos.
The Immersion Review: For the Martial Arts Comprehensivists
A peer-reviewed journal featuring in-depth articles written by martial arts practitioners and scholars. A specific theme is explored in each issue across different arts and topics that are examined.
Available as ebook on Issuu.
Volume 1: Stick Arts of the World
• Issue 1 (2019) - “To Thine Own Self Be True”
• Issue 2 (2022) - “Traditional and Modern: False Dichotomies”
Strands of Strife and Life Vol. 1: South Caribbean Fighting Arts (2021)
Editors: Mahipal Lunia, Michael Ryan, Benjamin Judkins, Juha Vuori, Ph.D
First volume in a monograph series, featuring interviews with the Ambassadors and participants of the Caribbean Expedition. These little-known arts are deeply examined within the context of their history, culture, and myths.
Available as paperback on Amazon and ebook on Issuu.
Strands of Strife and Life Vol. 2: The Book of the Stick (2023)
Editors: Mahipal Lunia, Juha Vuori, Ph.D, Mika Harju-Seppänen
A tribute to the pioneers of hoplology, Sir Richard Francis Burton and Donn F. Draeger, a 4-part odyssey featuring peer-reviewed articles and interviews on various stick arts from around the world.
• 2000+ pages
• 1000+ illustrations
• 80 articles on 50+ arts from 30+ countries/regions
Available as paperback on Amazon, hardcover on Lulu, and ebook on Issuu.
Strands of Strife and Life Vol. 3: Uncommon Adventures (in progress)
Author & Editor: Mahipal Lunia
A series based on 60+ shugyos (wilderness training / vision quests) that Lunia has led over the years, exploring the intersection of personal grit, religion, myth, magick, and personal expression that emerges in harsh conditions. Extensive interviews with 20+ ambassadors to draw heuristics of what allows one to survive, find meaning, and be absolutely alone with one's art.
To be available on Amazon, Lulu, and Issuu.
Academic Papers
• Ryan, Michael J. and Mahipal Lunia. “The Way of Blood, Steel and Guts.” Martial Arts Masters (Fall 2019): 22-23 (Invited Guest Editorial).
• Ryan, Michael J. “Field Notes: Sticks, Blades and Movement Along the Pacific Rim.” (2020). https://chinesemartialstudies.com/2020/03/11/field-notes-sticks-blades-and-movement-along-the-pacific-rim/ .
• Ryan, Michael J. “Columbia and Venezuela: The Political Economy of Stick and Machete Fighting in the New World – Part 2.” (2019). https://chinesemartialstudies.com/2019/06/30/columbia-and-venezuela-the-political-economyof-stick-and-machete-fighting-in-the-new-world-part-2 /.
• Ryan, Michael J. “Stickman doh ‘fraid no damom: Stick and machete fighting in the New world – Part 1.” (2019). https://chinesemartialstudies.com/2019/06/27/stickman-doh-fraid-no-damom-stick-and-machete-fighting-in-thenew-world-part-1/ .
Masters Magazine Special Issue (Spring 2019):
Hoplology,
the Phoenix Rises
A special issue in the Masters Magazine series by Empire Media, featuring TIF’s Caribbean Expedition and in-depth interviews with the Ambassadors and participants. Republished in 2019 with added content in TIF’s monograph publication, Strands of Strife of Life Vol. 1: South Caribbean Fighting Arts .
Docu-Instructional Films
Cielo e Meraviglia: Italian Knife Fencing with Maestro Domenico Mancino (2020)
Over 6 hours of instructional video course covering the foundations, techniques, tactics, and history of the secretive art of Cielo e Meraviglia from the Apulian Ofantina Valley of Italy, by the last living master of the tradition, in this first-ever public presentation.
Secret Fighting Arts of the Americas: A Hoplological Expedition (2021)
A 3-part film combining demonstrations, instructions, and storytelling to capture TIF’s historical Caribbean Expedition in 2018. An interdisciplinary team of martial artists, scholars, and explorers join forces to dive deep into the arts of Bajan Sticklicking, Kalinda, Gilpin, and Rope Jab of Barbados, Trinidad, and Tobago.
Podcasts
RCG podcast (2007-2017)
A podcast series exploring the science and art of personal transformation, with an emphasis on the neurosciences. 235 episodes of discussions between Mahipal Lunia, Sergey Berezin, and Arman Darini that started in the halls of Stanford University during their graduate school years, also featuring guest experts in various fields. 4 million downloads in 100 countries. Unique insights and applications in martial arts explored by Lunia.
Immersion Talks
An ongoing videocast series hosted by Mahipal Lunia, featuring interviews and discussions with extraordinary martial arts and scholars.
Talks & Guest Apperances
Martial
Arts Studies ConferenceChapman University, CA (2019)
“Wisdom of Violence” Paper Presentation & Talk
Lunia presents key learnings from TIF’s expeditions, examining the nature of violence and offering pieces of life wisdom we can glean from it.
TEDx UCLA (2019)
“The Archeology of Resilience” Presentation
Lunia lays out the findings from TIF’s expeditions and presents the seven ingredients of the “Elixir of Kings.” Weaving together combative behavior, poetry, and mythology, he outlines the map to pursue the path of solitude towards personal expression.
FMA Discussion Podcast Interviews
• Episode 136 - “FMA to FAMA Part 1: One Tree, Many Branches” with Dwight Woods, Mahipal Lunia and Mark Stewart (2022)
• Episode 143 - “FMA to FAMA Part 2: Competing Distinctions” with Dwight Woods, Mahipal Lunia and Mark Stewart (2022)
• Episode 153 - “FMA to FAMA Part 3: The Un/holy Matrimony” with Dwight Woods, Mahipal Lunia and Mark Stewart (2022)
• Episode 159- “Backyard Training in Stockton” with Mahipal Lunia (2022)
• Episode 256 - “Stick Arts of the World” with Mahipal Lunia (2022)
• Episode 359 - “The Spanish Connection: Why It Matters” with Mahipal Lunia (2022)
• Episode 428 - "Immersion Labs Speed and Timing" with Mahipal Lunia and Paulo Rubio (2023)
• "SPEED 2 Martial Arts Shock & Awe Symposium Interview" with Mahipal Lunia (2023) Paulo Rubio Live Interview (2022)
“A Historical Event for Bladed Arts” Interview with Mahipal Lunia
Steel and Synapse: The Way of the Warrior Decoded (2026)
The Eternal Study
12-part docu-series produced in conjunction with World of Martial Arts TV (WOMA TV), bringing together warrior-scholars Michael Belzer, Robert Allen Pittman, and Mahipal Lunia to rethink combat itself. Instead of techniques or style debates, they link weapons, culture, and neuroscience into a modern Way of the Warrior.
Steel and Synapse: The Way of The Warrior Uncoded #1
Michael Belzer, Mahipal Lunia and Robert Pittman
Ongoing Archivals & Collaborations
TIF continues to sponsor and carry out a number of archivals and collaborations with individuals and organizations, many of which have provided the groundwork for other Expeditions, Labs, and Media publications.
TIF’s notable projects to date include: extensive research on Donn Draeger’s unpublished hoplological texts, private archival sessions covering Hungarian, Latin American, Moro, and Cossack martial arts, Hakka Mantis in India, Silat, Sonny Umpad, Varma Kalai, and many more.
Pioneers' Page
A project tracking and recording the journey of the first generations that carried the following five arts to America: Chinese Internal Martial Arts (NW and West Coast), American Syncretism starting with Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Martial Arts (Stockton, Los Angeles, and Hawaii), Dutch-Indo Martial Arts (Reeders, DeThouras, and Ingram lines), and Hawaiian Lua. Oral and technical archival of histories, methodologies, and the stories of the initial opening of these arts in the West with many risks and opportunities faced by the pioneers.
Pioneers
• Yueng Sifu - Chinese Martial Arts
• Dan Inosanto - JKD & Syncretic Arts
• Angel Cabales - Filipino Martial Arts
• Reeders/DeVries - Duth-Indo Martial Arts
• Charles Kenn - Hawaiian Lua
*A portion of this work regarding Stockton FMA, including about 80 interviews and various private files sourced by TIF over a 10-year period, was taken without permission by a former collaborator and published under his name. TIF disavows any current association with said publication or its author.
Draeger & Smith Legacy Study
Weekly study and research of the unpublished works of Donn F. Draeger and Richard Hayes, including the textbook on hoplology, all issues of Hoplos journal, private correspondences, and old records. Last interviews with the late Quentin Chambers (over 15 hours of recording) and Dr. Dave Hall, both collaborators and peers of Draeger. Currently in the works: Three-volume publication on Draeger, 12-part documentary series on the history, develoopment, and components of hoplology in conjunction with The World of Martial Arts (WOMA) TV.
Ambassadors
• Michael Belzer
• Robert Allen Pittman
Belzer and Lunia at the Holy Blood, Holy Blade Immersion Lab (2023)
Music, Mind, Movement & Martial Art
An interdisciplinary study to explore the effect of cross-domain pursuit of mastery on the brain/mind and performance across the board. Extensive interviews with over a dozen serious practitioners engaged in mutliple domains, with the aim of extracting metaphors, training mechanics, and heuristics, and modeling excellence.
Investigators
• Mahipal Lunia
• Hana Shin
South Indian Marma/Varma Kalai
Over 30 hours of recording exploring the inner workings of Marma/Varma Kalai, War Magic, and South Indian spiritual work. Translation and commentary on 9th-century Tamil palm leaf manuscript of Agathiya Kamba Sutram for silambam.
Ambassador
• Rajendran Krishnaraj
Hungarian Martial Arts
The first-ever comprensive look into Hungarian martial arts across three different lineages. Over 24 hours of focused recordings covering the little-known blade, stick, empty hand, whip, and bow & arrow methods of the Hussar warriors.
Ambassadors
• Russ Mitchell
• Gábor Kopecsni
• The late Dr. Bill Ernoehazy
Latin American Fighting Arts
Extensive collaboration exploring the lesser known arts of the Americas, including Sticklicking, Kalinda, Jab-Jab, Grima, Esgrima Criolla, LatAM Bodyguard Blades, and more, resulting in 1 Expedition and 4 Lab representations to date.
Ambassadors
• Dr. T.J. Desch-Obi
• Jorge Prina
• Darren Patrick Friesen
• King Ronald
• Rondel Benjamin
• Keegan Taylor
• Dr. Philip Forde
Hakka Mantis Gung Fu
Over 20 hours of focused exploration with 5th and 6th-generation inheritors, documenting history, philosophy, forms, techniques, and strategies and preserving the unique expression of Chinese diaspora culture in India.
Ambassadors
• Yasser Bilgrami
• Debayan Sinha
• Michael Hsiung
• Pinaki Banerjee
Moro Fighting Arts
Over 50 hours of video archival of the fighting arts of Northern Mindanao. Exploration of weapons (kampilan, panabas, kris, golok, and long cane), empty hand, and mind/spiritual fighting.
Ambassadors
• Mushtaq Ali Al Ansari
• Halman R. H Abubakar
• Justin Villanueva
Pukulan Pentjak Silat Sera Plinck
Over 50 hours of private workshops with Mahaguru Stevan Plinck and on-going weekly sessions across continents for complete archival of the art.
Ambassador
• Stevan Plinck
Cossack Martial Arts
Archival of Cossack weapon arts dating back to the late 1800s, including the shaska (sword), kinjal (dagger), whip, and lance.
Ambassador
• Marc Lawrence
Kujang Project
Extended collaboration between The Immersion Foundation, Monsoon Foundation, and Silat Sunda Foundation to unearth what had been considered a lost art of the Javanese Kujang. Study of 4 living traditions being translated from Sudanese into English.
Ambassadors
• Aris Kurniawan
• Roedy Wiranatakusumah Investigators
• Loki Jorensen
• Mahipal Lunia
• Mika Harju-Seppänen
Sonny Umpad Project
Archiving of old films of Sonny Umpad and his innovations in sword fighting.
Ambassador
• Maija Soderholm
Charles Selberg Collection
Entire collection gifted to TIF by Angela Draicott, the goddaughter of Charles Selberg & copyright owner.
Way of the Warrior Podcast
Deep discussions on the intersection of spirituality, war magic, and martial traditions with host Devon Boorman and 11 other martial artists from various traditions.
Archival @ Immersion
TIF's archivals are made using high-quality professional equipment and carefully stored, with the aim of preserving the material for at least 100 years. Select content will be made available to universities, museums, and through publication.
• 4K professional cameras
• High-quality wireless mics
• 100TB+ of data to date
Dojo
The Immersion Dojo (also known as Mountain View Aiki Kai) is a small private school of Mahipal Lunia, as well as the very birthplace and heart of The Immersion Foundation. In addition to working with a core group of dedicated students for 15+ years on various advanced martial arts and deep personal transformation, he has also led regular shugyos , or 2-5 days of wilderness training with specific themes of exploration. To date, 60+ shugyos have been conducted across the West Coast of the US and internationally.
Ambassadors
Halman R. H Abubakar
Art(s) Represented: Moro Fighting Arts
Immersion Projects: MFA
@halman.r.h.abubakar
Mushtaq Ali Al Ansari
Art(s) Represented: Silat, Moro Fighting Arts
Immersion Projects: PCE, BBL, HBL, MFA
@tracelesswarrior
Ronald Alfred
Art(s) Represented: Robe Jab
Immersion Projects: CE, SoSL1, LAA
@whipqueen
José Avelino
Art(s) Represented: Jogo do Pau
Immersion Projects: PE
www.jogodopau-fafe.pt
Pinaki Banerjee
Art(s) Represented: Hakka Mantis (India)
Immersion Projects: HGA
@pinaki.banerjee.10004
Michael Belzer
Art(s) Represented: Danzan Ryu, Hoplology
Immersion Projects: HBL, TIR1:4, SoSL2, DSL
@michael.belzer.3
Rondel Benjamin
Art(s) Represented: Kalinda, Gilpin
Immersion Projects: CE, TIR1:3, SoSL1, SoSL2, LAA
@rondel.benjamin
Yasser Bilgrami
Art(s) Represented: Hakka Mantis (India)
Immersion Projects: HGA
@ yasser.bilgrami
James Bishop
Art(s) Represented: Jeet Kune Do
Immersion Projects: SAL
@james.bishop.773
Carlito Bonjoc
Art(s) Represented: Stockton FMA
Immersion Projects: LBL, SAL
@carlito.bonjoc
Vincent Cabales
Art(s) Represented: Stockton FMA
Immersion Projects: SML
@vincent.cabales.3
JC Cabiero
Art(s) Represented: Stockton FMA
Immersion Projects: BBL, TIR1:2, SoSL2
@jc.cabiero
ABBREVIATIONS
IMMERSION EXPEDITIONS:
CE = Caribbean Expedition
PE = Portuguese Expedition
SE = Southeast Asian Expedition
ICE = Italian Contra-Expeditionis
PCE = Southeast Asian / Polynesian Contra-Expeditionis
ABE = American Bladecraft Expeditions
LVDE = La Verdadera Destreza Expeditions
IMMERSION LABS:
LBL = Lab #1: Legacy of the Blade
SML = Lab #2: Stickmata
BBL = Lab #3 - Born of Blood
HBL = Lab #4 - Holy Blood, Holy Blade
SAL = Lab #5 - Shock & Awe
Ed Calderon
Art(s) Represented: Edged Weapons, Hostage
Retrieval
Immersion Projects: LBL
@edsmanifesto
Tim Cartmell
Art(s) Represented: Chinese Arts, BJJ
Immersion Projects: SAL
@tim.cartmell.7
Oscar Cunha
Art(s) Represented: Jogo do Pau
Immersion Projects: PE, SML, TIR1:2, SoSL2
@gabriel.cunha.1257
Puck Curtis
Art(s) Represented: La Verdadera Destreza, Italian Fencing
