"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a silent war within."
This is my own rendition of a quote often misattributed to Socrates or Plato. Either way, the truth remains — a simple wisdom that guides how I try to move in this world.
A few days ago, a local tattoo artist was taking pictures around Mueller Park and asked if he could take mine.
I’ve aged a lot in the last year and a half — weathering storms, carrying weight, fighting what feels like an endless battle. Yet here I stand, even when some days I feel like lying down and disappearing into silence.
I am fortunate for those in my life who keep me upright, who remind me to breathe, who remind me to fight.
One breath,
One step,
One punch,
One round at a time.
Unbowed. Unbent. Unbroken.
Be kind to one another.
www.instagram.com/flawless.wallace.tattoos/
🔥 Instructor Spotlight – Rooted in Resistance 2025 🔥
Guro Crystle LiWayway Dino – Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA
Defensor Method – Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts
www.eventbrite.com/.../rooted-in-resistance-2025...
Guro Crystle LiWayway Dino of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts and Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA is based in Chicago, IL.
Crystle LiWayway Dino was born and raised on the northside of Chicago with roots in Balayan, Batangas, on her father's side, and Torrijos, Marinduque, on her mother's side. She is an art therapist, performance and visual artist, dancer, cultural worker, educator, bodyworker, and Filipino martial artist, integrating all of these practices under Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA. FMA serves as a movement honoring ancestral embodied knowledge and ritual as paths in fortifying warriorship, personal power, agency, healing, growth, and connection.
Crystle trains with the school of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts of the late Mahaguro Nate Defensor and is ranked as a first-level guro in this system. She has recently completed her training with Master Teacher Virgil M. Apostol through the Kailukuan School of Indigenous Science, learning his family lineage of Ablon, a traditional, indigenous, and spiritual combat healing art. Crystle also continues her studies in dance and other martial arts forms, such as Kalinda, Silat, and Angola Capoeira.
"Teaching, facilitating, and holding this space has already demanded of me my own personal and relational growth and leadership development. FMA is my seed vision of self-defense to community defense as ritual, equipping folks with skills for the protection of themselves and others, and a balm for nourishment and rejuvenation. My role is to guide folks in discovering and connecting with the strength and power that's already within them- to trust in their power and trust in the decisions they make.
Come join us in this movement, as we enter a new dimension we create with our bodies…”
🔥 Instructor Spotlight – Rooted in Resistance 2025 🔥
Guro Crystle LiWayway Dino – Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA
Defensor Method – Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts
www.eventbrite.com/.../rooted-in-resistance-2025...
Guro Crystle LiWayway Dino of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts and Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA is based in Chicago, IL.
Crystle LiWayway Dino was born and raised on the northside of Chicago with roots in Balayan, Batangas, on her father's side, and Torrijos, Marinduque, on her mother's side. She is an art therapist, performance and visual artist, dancer, cultural worker, educator, bodyworker, and Filipino martial artist, integrating all of these practices under Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA. FMA serves as a movement honoring ancestral embodied knowledge and ritual as paths in fortifying warriorship, personal power, agency, healing, growth, and connection.
Crystle trains with the school of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts of the late Mahaguro Nate Defensor and is ranked as a first-level guro in this system. She has recently completed her training with Master Teacher Virgil M. Apostol through the Kailukuan School of Indigenous Science, learning his family lineage of Ablon, a traditional, indigenous, and spiritual combat healing art. Crystle also continues her studies in dance and other martial arts forms, such as Kalinda, Silat, and Angola Capoeira.
"Teaching, facilitating, and holding this space has already demanded of me my own personal and relational growth and leadership development. FMA is my seed vision of self-defense to community defense as ritual, equipping folks with skills for the protection of themselves and others, and a balm for nourishment and rejuvenation. My role is to guide folks in discovering and connecting with the strength and power that's already within them- to trust in their power and trust in the decisions they make.
Come join us in this movement, as we enter a new dimension we create with our bodies…”
Rooted in Resistance 2025
Instructor Spotlight: Coach Hamilton Stone will be teaching a workshop on bayonet fighting across Africa and the African Diaspora! June 19th to 22nd In-Person and Virtual Workshops We are proud to have him onboard.
www.eventbrite.com/e/1250484586059?aff=oddtdtcreat…
I'm excited about this summer! After seven years, Maestro Miguel Lourido will return to Austin, Texas, to share the art of Esgrima de Machete y Bordon at Rooted in Resistance 2025. It's truly a joy to work with him.
Rooted in Resistance 2025!!!
Tickets Currently On Sale!
www.eventbrite.com/e/1250484586059?aff=oddtdtcreat… 🔥 The First 10 Win! 🔥
Secure Your Spot – Full Event Access for Just $150!
🔥 Early Bird Special – $200! 🔥
Lock in your spot at a discounted rate! The Early Bird ticket grants full access to weekday intensives, weekend workshops, and tournament entry—all for just $200. Don’t miss this limited-time offer!
🔥 2-for-1 Deal – Bring a Friend & Save! 🔥
We’re offering a special 2-for-1 deal for both the full event and weekend workshops!
Full Event (Weekday Intensives + Weekend Workshops + Tournament Entry) – Get two tickets for a discounted price!
Weekend Warrior (Saturday & Sunday Workshops + Tournament Entry) – Bring a friend and save!
💰 Payment Plans Available! 💰
We offer flexible payment plans to make attending easier! DM us or email austinwarriorarts@gmail.com for details.
Secure your spot today! 🔥
Peace Everyone, I hope that all is well. This is me as a younger! In my 20's, bald, and allergic to wearing shirts!!! We are raising funds for our training location. Please consider a small donation. Every little bit counts and would be greatly appreciated! This will enable us create more engaging and consistent content. Thank you!
Join Us for the First-Ever HAMA Online Course: The Shotel – Iconic Sickle Sword of Abyssinia
We are excited to invite you to our inaugural online course in Historical African Martial Arts (HAMA), where we will explore the shotel, the legendary sickle sword of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea).
This course will cover fundamental techniques, including basic guards, footwork, strikes, and defensive maneuvers using the shotel in combination with the gashaa shield.
Reconstructing a Lost Art
Currently, there are no surviving manuals detailing the use of the shotel. Our reconstruction is a comprehensive, research-driven effort drawing from multiple sources.
To deepen our understanding, we actively seek living practitioners of these lost martial traditions.
Our Reconstruction Principles
Our reconstruction of the shotel is based on four core principles:
Living Traditions: Incorporating existing combat practices such as stick fighting, traditional wrestling, and sword and spear dances.
Art and Iconography: Studying historical depictions of Ethiopian armies in medieval and colonial-era artwork.
Battlefield Forensics: Examining antique weapons and armor to understand their use through edge damage and wear patterns.
Historical Sources: Analyzing historical texts like the Futuh al-Habasha and European explorers' accounts to glean details about Abyssinian martial practices.
By combining these approaches, we continually push the boundaries of our knowledge while seeking to preserve and revitalize African martial traditions.
Join the Journey
Be part of the forefront of researching and reconstructing the lost or endangered fighting arts of Africa and its diaspora.
Back at it! Some of these are passed due orders. Some of these are up for grabs. All of them are expressions of my love for swordplay and woodworking. Weathering Storms! #streetforgearmoury
Da'Mon Stith
Da'Mon Stith
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a silent war within."
This is my own rendition of a quote often misattributed to Socrates or Plato. Either way, the truth remains — a simple wisdom that guides how I try to move in this world.
A few days ago, a local tattoo artist was taking pictures around Mueller Park and asked if he could take mine.
I’ve aged a lot in the last year and a half — weathering storms, carrying weight, fighting what feels like an endless battle. Yet here I stand, even when some days I feel like lying down and disappearing into silence.
I am fortunate for those in my life who keep me upright, who remind me to breathe, who remind me to fight.
One breath,
One step,
One punch,
One round at a time.
Unbowed. Unbent. Unbroken.
Be kind to one another.
www.instagram.com/flawless.wallace.tattoos/
5 days ago | [YT] | 123
View 4 replies
Da'Mon Stith
🔥 Instructor Spotlight – Rooted in Resistance 2025 🔥
Guro Crystle LiWayway Dino – Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA
Defensor Method – Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts
www.eventbrite.com/.../rooted-in-resistance-2025...
Guro Crystle LiWayway Dino of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts and Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA is based in Chicago, IL.
Crystle LiWayway Dino was born and raised on the northside of Chicago with roots in Balayan, Batangas, on her father's side, and Torrijos, Marinduque, on her mother's side. She is an art therapist, performance and visual artist, dancer, cultural worker, educator, bodyworker, and Filipino martial artist, integrating all of these practices under Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA. FMA serves as a movement honoring ancestral embodied knowledge and ritual as paths in fortifying warriorship, personal power, agency, healing, growth, and connection.
Crystle trains with the school of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts of the late Mahaguro Nate Defensor and is ranked as a first-level guro in this system. She has recently completed her training with Master Teacher Virgil M. Apostol through the Kailukuan School of Indigenous Science, learning his family lineage of Ablon, a traditional, indigenous, and spiritual combat healing art. Crystle also continues her studies in dance and other martial arts forms, such as Kalinda, Silat, and Angola Capoeira.
"Teaching, facilitating, and holding this space has already demanded of me my own personal and relational growth and leadership development. FMA is my seed vision of self-defense to community defense as ritual, equipping folks with skills for the protection of themselves and others, and a balm for nourishment and rejuvenation. My role is to guide folks in discovering and connecting with the strength and power that's already within them- to trust in their power and trust in the decisions they make.
Come join us in this movement, as we enter a new dimension we create with our bodies…”
5 months ago | [YT] | 72
View 1 reply
Da'Mon Stith
🔥 Instructor Spotlight – Rooted in Resistance 2025 🔥
Guro Crystle LiWayway Dino – Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA
Defensor Method – Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts
www.eventbrite.com/.../rooted-in-resistance-2025...
Guro Crystle LiWayway Dino of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts and Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA is based in Chicago, IL.
Crystle LiWayway Dino was born and raised on the northside of Chicago with roots in Balayan, Batangas, on her father's side, and Torrijos, Marinduque, on her mother's side. She is an art therapist, performance and visual artist, dancer, cultural worker, educator, bodyworker, and Filipino martial artist, integrating all of these practices under Freedom.Movemeant.Alignment. FMA. FMA serves as a movement honoring ancestral embodied knowledge and ritual as paths in fortifying warriorship, personal power, agency, healing, growth, and connection.
Crystle trains with the school of Defensor Method of Filipino-Indonesian Martial Arts of the late Mahaguro Nate Defensor and is ranked as a first-level guro in this system. She has recently completed her training with Master Teacher Virgil M. Apostol through the Kailukuan School of Indigenous Science, learning his family lineage of Ablon, a traditional, indigenous, and spiritual combat healing art. Crystle also continues her studies in dance and other martial arts forms, such as Kalinda, Silat, and Angola Capoeira.
"Teaching, facilitating, and holding this space has already demanded of me my own personal and relational growth and leadership development. FMA is my seed vision of self-defense to community defense as ritual, equipping folks with skills for the protection of themselves and others, and a balm for nourishment and rejuvenation. My role is to guide folks in discovering and connecting with the strength and power that's already within them- to trust in their power and trust in the decisions they make.
Come join us in this movement, as we enter a new dimension we create with our bodies…”
5 months ago | [YT] | 49
View 0 replies
Da'Mon Stith
Rooted in Resistance 2025
Instructor Spotlight: Coach Hamilton Stone will be teaching a workshop on bayonet fighting across Africa and the African Diaspora!
June 19th to 22nd
In-Person and Virtual Workshops
We are proud to have him onboard.
www.eventbrite.com/e/1250484586059?aff=oddtdtcreat…
6 months ago | [YT] | 53
View 1 reply
Da'Mon Stith
I'm excited about this summer! After seven years, Maestro Miguel Lourido will return to Austin, Texas, to share the art of Esgrima de Machete y Bordon at Rooted in Resistance 2025. It's truly a joy to work with him.
We still have discounted tickets available, including a two-for-one sale. Secure your spot today!
www.eventbrite.com/e/rooted-in-resistance-2025-sum…
7 months ago | [YT] | 47
View 0 replies
Da'Mon Stith
Rooted in Resistance 2025!!!
Tickets Currently On Sale!
www.eventbrite.com/e/1250484586059?aff=oddtdtcreat…
🔥 The First 10 Win! 🔥
Secure Your Spot – Full Event Access for Just $150!
🔥 Early Bird Special – $200! 🔥
Lock in your spot at a discounted rate! The Early Bird ticket grants full access to weekday intensives, weekend workshops, and tournament entry—all for just $200. Don’t miss this limited-time offer!
🔥 2-for-1 Deal – Bring a Friend & Save! 🔥
We’re offering a special 2-for-1 deal for both the full event and weekend workshops!
Full Event (Weekday Intensives + Weekend Workshops + Tournament Entry) – Get two tickets for a discounted price!
Weekend Warrior (Saturday & Sunday Workshops + Tournament Entry) – Bring a friend and save!
💰 Payment Plans Available! 💰
We offer flexible payment plans to make attending easier! DM us or email austinwarriorarts@gmail.com for details.
Secure your spot today! 🔥
8 months ago | [YT] | 85
View 2 replies
Da'Mon Stith
Peace Everyone,
I hope that all is well. This is me as a younger!
In my 20's, bald, and allergic to wearing shirts!!!
We are raising funds for our training location. Please consider a small donation. Every little bit counts and would be greatly appreciated! This will enable us create more engaging and consistent content.
Thank you!
PayPal.me/AustinWarriorArts
Venmo
venmo.com/code?user_id=2687239612006400455&created…
CashApp
cash.app/$Dstith
10 months ago | [YT] | 44
View 1 reply
Da'Mon Stith
Join Us for the First-Ever HAMA Online Course: The Shotel – Iconic Sickle Sword of Abyssinia
We are excited to invite you to our inaugural online course in Historical African Martial Arts (HAMA), where we will explore the shotel, the legendary sickle sword of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea).
This course will cover fundamental techniques, including basic guards, footwork, strikes, and defensive maneuvers using the shotel in combination with the gashaa shield.
Reconstructing a Lost Art
Currently, there are no surviving manuals detailing the use of the shotel. Our reconstruction is a comprehensive, research-driven effort drawing from multiple sources.
To deepen our understanding, we actively seek living practitioners of these lost martial traditions.
Our Reconstruction Principles
Our reconstruction of the shotel is based on four core principles:
Living Traditions: Incorporating existing combat practices such as stick fighting, traditional wrestling, and sword and spear dances.
Art and Iconography: Studying historical depictions of Ethiopian armies in medieval and colonial-era artwork.
Battlefield Forensics: Examining antique weapons and armor to understand their use through edge damage and wear patterns.
Historical Sources: Analyzing historical texts like the Futuh al-Habasha and European explorers' accounts to glean details about Abyssinian martial practices.
By combining these approaches, we continually push the boundaries of our knowledge while seeking to preserve and revitalize African martial traditions.
Join the Journey
Be part of the forefront of researching and reconstructing the lost or endangered fighting arts of Africa and its diaspora.
For more information, contact us at austinwarriorarts@gmail.com
www.patreon.com/user?u=2468032
1 year ago | [YT] | 182
View 7 replies
Da'Mon Stith
Street Forge Armoury
Sparring Shotel
Streetforgearmoury@gmail.com
1 year ago | [YT] | 101
View 6 replies
Da'Mon Stith
Back at it!
Some of these are passed due orders. Some of these are up for grabs. All of them are expressions of my love for swordplay and woodworking.
Weathering Storms!
#streetforgearmoury
1 year ago | [YT] | 128
View 12 replies
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