Dog Brothers Martial Arts
American stick-fighting group founded in California in 1988. They fight only in a mask and gloves, with no referees or prizes, and the DBMA system grew out of it.
Quick Facts
United StatesCharacter & Origin
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Dog Brothers Martial Arts
About Dog Brothers Martial Arts
Dog Brothers is an American group of stick fighters. According to a study by Pauha in Frontiers in Psychology (2024), it was founded in California in 1988 by Marc Denny, Eric Knaus and other practitioners of Filipino martial arts. In 2008 Reuters wrote that the founders came out of Filipino stick fighting and dropped the protective gear to develop a fast, full-contact style. The group took its name from the Conan the Barbarian comic. The group calls its style real-contact stick fighting (RCSF) and sets itself apart from other Filipino martial arts groups with it. According to Pauha, fighters wear only a fencing mask and street hockey gloves, while Reuters mentions sticks and blunt knives. At the meetings called Gathering of the Pack there are no referees, winners or prizes, and the only rule is Be friends at the end of the day. Dog Brothers Martial Arts (DBMA) is a taught system whose head instructor, according to Pauha, is Marc Denny, nicknamed Crafty Dog. The website dogbrothers.com describes it as a system of many styles built on Filipino martial arts. We have not found the year DBMA was founded as a separate system.
History
Pauha states that the group's original gathering, with three days of continuous fights, became known as Rumble at Ramblas. The website dogbrothers.com dates the event to May 1988 and explains the group's name by the fact that three fighters had the first name Mark and the comic about Conan supplied the phrase. English Wikipedia states that the group arose at the Inosanto Academy as the After Midnight Group in 1986. The blog maelstromcore.com names Arlan Sanford, nicknamed Salty Dog, as a co-founder too and writes that Eric Knaus, nicknamed Top Dog, studied the Pekiti-Tirsia system under Leo Gaje.
How it differs
Pauha distinguishes the Dog Brothers group and its gatherings from the Dog Brothers Martial Arts system, whose head instructor is Marc Denny. The website dogbrothers.com writes that DBMA builds on Filipino martial arts, DB Grappling, Dog Brother Stickgrappling, krabi krabong and Dog Brother Vale Tudo. The blog maelstromcore.com describes Dog Brothers as a group of stick fighters and also as a way of training.
Technique
According to Pauha, the group practices what it calls real-contact stick fighting and sets itself apart from other Filipino martial arts groups. According to him, RCSF fights are held with no restrictions on techniques. A reprint of an article from Black Belt on dogbrothers.com states that fighters start with one or two rattan sticks. Unarmed fighting is covered by the Kali Tudo subsystem, which dogbrothers.com describes as a combination of Brazilian vale tudo and BJJ with kali strikes.
Training
According to Pauha, the only protection is a fencing mask and street hockey gloves, and the original members said in interviews that they regretted that modern fencing masks protect far too much. Reuters wrote in 2008 that first aid is always at hand, participants pay no fees and sign a statement that they will not sue. FMA Pulse states that knee, elbow and groin protectors are voluntary and that some fights also use a long staff, bokken, whip or training knives.
Ranks and progression
Pauha states that a full member receives a unique name meant to capture their fighting style or character, and every new member bears the name Dog. Reuters writes that after several gatherings the senior members may, at their discretion, grant membership in the Dog Brothers Tribe. The website dogbrothers.com describes three levels, Dog, Candidate Dog Brother and Dog Brother. We have not found belts or technical grades in the sources.
Competition
According to Pauha, the Gathering of the Pack meetings are held twice a year, and the Canadian and European Dog Brothers have their own meetings too. Fights take place without a referee, no winners or trophies are declared, and the only rule is Be friends at the end of the day. The website dogbrothers.com distinguishes open gatherings for everyone in a good spirit from tribal gatherings for members only.
Today
According to Pauha, the two American gatherings in 2023 had 63 and 38 registered fighters, with four women at each judging by names. According to FMA Pulse, the first regular European gathering was held in September 2006 in Bern, Switzerland.
Did you know
The group's credo Higher Consciousness through Harder Contact is cited by Pauha and by Reuters, which says co-founder Marc Denny described it that way. Pauha also gives its full wording, The greater the dichotomy, the profounder the transformation. A reprint of an article from Black Belt on dogbrothers.com states that the Ultimate Fighting Championship rejected the system as too extreme.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Dog Brothers?
According to Pauha (2024), the group was founded in California in 1988 by Marc Denny, Eric Knaus and other practitioners of Filipino martial arts. The blog maelstromcore.com names Arlan Sanford as a co-founder too.
What protection do Dog Brothers fighters use?
According to Pauha, only a fencing mask and street hockey gloves. According to FMA Pulse, knee, elbow and groin protectors are voluntary.
Who wins fights at Dog Brothers gatherings?
Nobody. According to Pauha, fights have no referee and no winners or trophies are declared, Reuters states there are no referees or prizes.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.