Thao Bui - COA 2022
Thao came into Balintawak with no previous martial arts background, and successfully finished her "Completion of the Art" test in 2022 under the expert guidance of Guro Frank Zhong. Her fascination with Balintawak grew during her attendance of the 2021 Balintawak World Camp as a spectator, where she had the privilege of meeting with numerous inspiring martial artists, particularly the accomplished women who practice and teach the art.
Motivated by this experience, Thao delved eagerly into training this elegant and efficient art form. Armed with a passion for Balintawak, unwavering dedication, and a structured learning approach which complemented by her background as a marketer and data scientist, she made remarkable strides. Within just one year, Thao progressed from Level 1 to achieving her COA test at the 2022 Balintawak World Camp. Inspired by the words of Guro Jeff Soriano, Thao showed that the amount of effort and focus spent on training has a tremendous effect on how long it takes to complete the curriculum.
Thao tested for her Level 1 and 2 supervised by the Guro Jeff, followed by Level 3, 4, 5, and 6 (COA) tests under the watchful supervision of Grandmaster Bobby Taboada. As an COA, Thao enjoys assisting with classes and teaching the curriculum, as well as deepening her understanding of the art.
Photo credit: Marc Elevado
IG: @thao.ph.bui
Matt Chua - COA 2023
Matt Chua is an actor and music artist, who resides in Pennsylvania. In late 2021, he was introduced to Guro Frank Zhong through a mutual friend and the two shared a multitude of conversations; one topic being Balintawak. Matt had no background in any martial arts, and was unaware of one that had origins in the Philippines. As Guro Frank explained some of the history of Balintawak, Matt became extremely interested in learning the art form. He decided to dedicate his time and focus to learn the Filipino Martial Art, despite how daunting the task appeared.
In 2022, Matt would commute state-to-state for two, sometimes three, days a week, and spend hours diligently working on basic and semi-advance techniques to establish his foundation. Guro Frank would continue to challenge and encourage him, as he would learn to execute his new skillset with more power, accuracy and control. With the help and guidance of Guro Frank, his teammates, Guro Jeff Soriano, and Grand Master Bobby Taboada, Matt Chua consistently persevered through challenges and welcomed any opportunities to hone his craft in Balintawak.
Within one year, Matt completed Levels 1-5. In 2023, he achieved Level 6; becoming a COA after only two years of practicing Balintawak. He continues to dedicate his time to find new ways to sharpen his abilities, along with building New Jersey Balintawak with Guro Frank Zhong and his teammates. Matt will often be transparent with any newcomers of Balintawak about his previous insecurities starting out as a beginner, to how he eventually felt more comfortable in the art, citing the reason being “reps and retention.”