GEORGE BREWSTER
1924–2006

The Grandmaster “Guro Grande” of the Boston Arnis Club. After George passed away in 2006, it was renamed to Brewster Arnis in his honor.

George (Mr. Brewster) was a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge and stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He helped overcome the concrete pillboxes with machine guns. He also helped build the platoon bridges for General Patton’s Sherman tanks to cross. Mr. Brewster also helped liberate the concentration camps with General Patton.

Mr. B studied Judo in which he hurt his hip. He also studied haiku ryu jujutsu, fencing, Goju ryu karate, and Arnis.

He was well known by other martial artist masters from all over the world and well respected. He was loved by his students still practicing Brewster Arnis today.

Mr. Brewster taught Lanada Arnis, originally starting in the ’70s under Amante Marinas Sr. and then continuing as Grandmaster Lanada’s representative in New England after Marinas formed his own association. Mr. Brewster also knew something of Serrada through both GM Angel Cabales and Master JC Cabiero.

Later on in life as an arnis teacher, he would carry a shovel on the bus with training gear to clear space in the snow to train in the park with his students. He would always say “The training must go on.” His passion for training let him do thousands of repetitions per day, per angle, to create a powerful stick strike.

His name and methods are carried on today by Grandmaster Peter Freedman and Guro Ryan Birmingham of NH as well as Guro Roberto Davilla in MA.