Grandmaster Max Pallen

     Grandmaster Max Pallen was born and raised in the province of Camarines Sur, in Bicol Region, located at the Southern part of Luzon in the Philippines. He was first exposed to the Filipino martial arts at the tender age of six by his Grandfather Luis Moratillo. His father, Zacarias “Kid Baron” Pallen also exposed him to the art of “Panuntukan”. His experience in street fighting goes back to his younger years in the Philippines.
     Grandmaster Max Pallen was a young engineering student in the University of Nueva Caceres in Naga City, Camarines Sur in the Philippines. In 1959, his father thought that it would help him develop a more prosperous future by sending him to Honolulu, Hawaii, but Max decided to go to California one year later.
At the beginning it was all hard times for young Grandmaster Pallen, working side by side in the field with the “Manongs” (senior Filipino workers) on the farm. Fortunately, a year after, in 1961, Max was able to find a permanent job in Oakland, California. While hanging out at the West Lake Bowl billiard room section, he met a combat jujitsu instructor who began instructing him in the combat style of self-defense. In addition, Grandmaster Pallen continued his interest with other styles of martial arts. Looking for a stronger foundation and cultural identity, he decided to return to the Philippines to study and research Philippine martial arts. Grandmaster Pallen also had the opportunity to study here in the United States under several Kali, Arnis and Eskrima Masters. He was a certified Guro (Instructor) in Kali Villabrille system until he thought it was time to move on after 5 years. Today, his quest for Philippine martial arts skills continues through his travel to Luzon, Visaya and Mindanao in the Philippines.
     In 1973 Grandmaster Pallen, as a certified Modern Arnis instructor and first Modern Arnis California Commissioner established the first Modern Arnis (Philippine martial art) School in downtown, Oakland, California, 1974 Grandmaster Pallen was the Executive Producer of the Asian Martial arts Exposition that was held in Kaiser Civic Center (Masonic Convention Center) in Oakland and introduced the very first Modern Arnis (Philippine martial art) demonstration to the American public. He was the first and sole mover of Modern Arnis as a Philippine identity in United States until Grandmaster Remy Presas arrived from the Philippines in 1975, with the assistant of the Filipino Community.
     During 1975, Grandmaster Pallen and the Bay Area Filipino Community organized the first Modern Arnis seminar for 7 law enforcement agencies and the Unified School District in the wide Bay Area (West Coast), as well as the very first Modern Arnis martial arts instructors’ camp. Grandmaster Pallen and Grandmaster Remy Presas were also featured as special guests and demonstrated Modern Arnis at the Ed Parker International Karate Championship in Long Beach, California in 1976.
In the 80’s Grandmaster Pallen started conducting Filipino martial arts seminars and tournaments in Northern California. In year 2000 he officially revived the Senkotiros style he had learned from his grandfather Luis Moratillo. Combining Senkotiros with the knowledge that he had gained from other masters now makes Senkotiros a complete style of its own. It was also the beginning of Grandmaster Pallen conducting Senkotiros seminars nationwide.
     In 2004, he demonstrated Arnis in the Forbidden City and Shaolin Temple in China, as well as in Russia in 2005. His quest continues to the other parts of the World, traveling throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. With the guidance from his spiritual protector in 2004, he was training with the Penjak Silat (Selik Tou) group in the mountain of Bukittinggi, Sumatra and missed the disastrous Tsunami by 7 days, on the way to the Philippines.