Gaffer-Tying a knife

Video credit: Melcim Kanal Tutorial

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In our last gaffing post, Pareng Jeck-Jeck showed the full package: sukat, sapin, kalang, asinta and bid-bid. But many beginners said the same thing: "Ang bilis, nalilito ako sa bid-bid."

Melcim Kanal Tutorial heard the same request from his followers. So in this 7-minute reel, he did something simple but very helpful: he put the camera behind the leg, so you see the tie from the same side as your own hands, and he went dahan-dahan while counting every turn out loud.

His promise: "Simple 'yung bid-bid lang, pero matibay."

(Names come from the audio and the page name, so spellings may differ slightly.)

Step 1: The Base, 10 Below and 10 Above

• Start with 10 turns at the bottom, then 10 turns on top.
• Lock after the tenth turn before moving on.
• Tip: wherever you start your bid-bid, keep it in that same spot every time. "Para maganda siyang tingnan, hindi kalat."

Step 2: Check Your Asinta Before Going Further

• He pauses here to set the asinta while the base is still adjustable.
• For a normal foot, he keeps it simple and straight, the easy setting for a baguhan.

⚠️ This part of the audio is unclear, so I can't confirm his exact angle. If you're new, use the preset from the blade maker or your mentor.

Step 3: Five on Each Garol

• 5 turns on the left garol, then 5 on the right.
• "Tamang hila lang." Pull firm but not hard, or the thread will snap.
• Use your thumb (malaking daliri) to guide and hold each turn.
• He says these counts are a starting point: "Kung marunong na kayo, bahala na kayo sa sarili n'yong bilang."

Step 4: The Side Wrap, Repeated to 8

This is the part beginners get lost in, and the back view makes it clear:

• First go around the puno (base) 3 times.
• Then run the thread along the very edge (pinakagilid) of the garol, cross to the other side's edge, and come back.
• Repeat until you reach 8.
• His memory trick: "Basta dito sa gilid, tapos dito sa kabila, dito rin sa gilid."

Step 5: Five Locks at the Front

• Put 5 locks at the front, near the tip of the kalang. Don't lock at the back.
• Pull to the right tension again so the tari doesn't shift.
• Count check: 8 side wraps, 5 and 5 on the garol, 5 locks.

Step 6: Finish and Mark Your Untie Point

• Use up the rest of the thread on top and bottom. No more counting needed.
• Finish with a lock on the garol. That way, after the fight, "alam n'yo kung saan tatanggalin."

My Takeaways for Pinoy Breeders

• Learn from the back view. If a tutorial confuses you, find one filmed from the gaffer's side, like this one. Your hands will copy it faster.
• Practice on a dummy first. He says it himself: "Magpumilit muna kayo." Expect to snap some thread before you get the right pull.
• Count out loud. It sounds basic, but it's how you make the tie the same every time. Consistency wins.
• Compare teachers, then make your own recipe. Pareng Jeck-Jeck locks 7–8 on top; Melcim uses 5 locks at the front. Both work for them. Test both, then write down yours.
• Good thread is cheap insurance. A thread that snaps or slips can cost you a fight and a bird.

Like Learning to Tie Your Necktie in the Mirror

Remember your first necktie for graduation? Tatay showed you, facing you, and everything looked backwards. You got lost every time. Then he stood behind you in front of the mirror, guided your hands, and said, "Over, under, around... dahan-dahan." Suddenly it clicked. That's what this reel does for bid-bid. Same steps, but finally seen from your side of the hands.

— Sabungero

Source: Melcim Kanal Tutorial, "Nag-request lagay camera sa likod, dahan-dahan lang pag-bidbid" (Facebook reel, 6:50), https://www.facebook.com/reel/1136853199291543. Tagalog narration, summarized and translated by me. The counts are the creator's own method and not a universal standard. This post covers gaffing only for legal, licensed cockpits in the Philippines.

The Chappell Doms: 170 Years of One Family's Bloodline, in J.B. Chappell's Own Words

Tgf Gameyard shared a 4-minute reel that reads aloud one of the most precious documents in Dom history: the handwritten family history of the Chappell Doms, signed by J.B. Chappell of Falkville, Alabama. Why does this matter to us? Because the Chappell Doms are not just an American story. A Chappell descendant has fought these birds here in the Philippines. And this is one of the rare bloodlines that stayed with one family, on one farm, for six generations. Where It All Started: One Cock and One Hen ✅ A rich bachelor, W.R. Smith of "Lawrence" (Laurens), South Carolina, near Cross Hill, went to England for a horse race and a cocking main. ✅ He was so impressed by the Doms he saw that he paid "a fancy price for one cock and one hen." At home they proved "exceedingly fast and dead game." ✅ In 1855, J.W. Chappell bought every Dom Smith had. Smith never fought again. One pair. That's the whole foundation. Everything after that was selection. The Winning Record (As the Family Tells It) Two years after getting them, J.W. fought them and "almost every one won." With his brothers Henry and Jim, he beat Rob Franklin of Columbia, S.C. in a 15-cock main, winning every fight. Franklin pushed him to fight Mr. Liverman of Augusta, Georgia. They matched 18 cocks, and the Chappells won every fight and the main. The family fought the Doms every year for 50 years in Columbia, S.C. His hardest opponents were the "Nickerton/Arlington" cocks of North Carolina: "the hardest cocks to whip the writer ever saw." ⚠️ These records come from the family's own letter, not from neutral main reports. What the Original Chappell Doms Looked Like ✅ "At first they were white almost." ✅ The old white Doms "all have tassels or top knots." ✅ A later writer says the Chappells crossed a black strain and a white strain. When Merrill H. Smith inbred them, about 30% came slate-legged, pea-combed blacks, 30% came yellow-legged whites with big tassels, and 40% came speckled to true Dom color. So if your Chappell-blood bird throws a white or tasseled chick, that's not a "contamination." That's the old blood showing itself. Only Four Outside Bloods in 170 Years The family documents just four infusions: ✅ "Santa Ana", a rose-comb Spanish cock J.W. got from a Mexican and named after the Mexican general. He won 11 battles. This is where the rose comb came from. ✅ An "Arlington" cock from North Carolina. J.W. called this cross "the best cross that we Chappells ever made." A Mr. Floyd of Newberry, S.C. paid $50 for one of these cocks and gave it to J.B., who bred it over five of his father's hens. ✅ A Mingus Dom cock, used by Jerry Chappell in the 1970s. ✅ Sureshot Dom blood from Scott Gay, added by Kris Chappell in 1991. Four outcrosses in about 170 years. That is discipline. Saved During the Civil War ✅ Before J.W. left for the American Civil War, he left his Doms with Ben Wells of Laurens, S.C., "a true lover of a game cock," who "kept my father's Doms in their purity." ✅ In 1891 in Atlanta, Tennessee beat Atlanta 10 out of 11 fights with J.B. Chappell's Doms and crosses. Six Generations, One Farm ✅ J.W. → J.B. → O.B. → J.W. → Jerry → Kris Chappell, all keeping the family in Falkville, Alabama. According to Brent R. Scott, who transcribed the letter with the family's blessing: Kris won derbies in 1998 and 2000 with pure Doms. With partner Brian Corkren, he won Cocker of the Year at Hickory in 2001 and 2002, fighting Chappell Doms and Corkren Sweaters. He came to the Philippines and went 3–1 with the Doms in a Cavite long-knife derby. ⚠️ These achievements are reported by Scott; I could not find the official derby results. A Detail Most People Miss The reel opens with "Grit and Steel...", which makes it sound like a magazine article. In fact, ✅ Scott says J.B. wrote it for Grit and Steel but never submitted it. It survived as a handwritten family document until Scott transcribed it. So this is a family letter, not a published column. (The reel's narration mispronounces several names, like "Chapelle" and "Maine" for "main". I used the spellings from the written transcription.) My Takeaways for Pinoy Breeders A great line can start from one good pair. The money is in what you do after buying: selecting, culling and keeping records. Outcross rarely, and on purpose. Four infusions in 170 years. Each one was a proven fighter (Santa Ana won 11). Don't cross just because a bird is "nice." Know your bloodline's "hidden colors." Chappell blood can throw whites, blacks and tassels. If you sell, explain this to buyers upfront so they trust you. Have a backup keeper. J.W. survived the war because Ben Wells kept his birds pure. Leave a trio with a trusted friend in case of disease, typhoons or theft. Documentation sells. A written family history is the reason we still talk about these birds. Keep your own breeding records and story. That's your brand. Watch for fake "pure Chappell" listings. The true family line stayed with the Chappells in Falkville. Ask any seller where their birds came from. Like Lolo's Binhi The Chappell Doms are like the binhi (seed rice) an old farmer saves from his best harvest. Every year he sets aside the best grains, never sells them, and plants them again next season. Once in a long while he mixes in seed from a neighbor's field, but only when he has seen that field yield well. Six generations later, his apo is still planting from the same sack. That is how you keep a bloodline alive: not by buying new seed every year, but by guarding the binhi.

Narragansett on Conditioning Feed: "There Is No Secret Formula"

Tgf Gameyard started a new series reading "Conditioning the Gamecock" by Narragansett, and the first section is only 70 seconds long. But in those 70 seconds, one of America's most respected old cocking writers kills one of the biggest myths in our hobby: the secret conditioning feed. ✅ "Narragansett" was the pen name of Frank Shy, a writer who knew legends like Thomas Murphy personally. When he speaks about conditioning, the old-timers listen. The Myth: The "Secret" Is in the Feed Narragansett starts by admitting what everyone believed: "The composition of the feed used during the conditioning period has long been regarded as the great secret in preparing cocks for battle." Sound familiar? Here in the Philippines, we hear it every derby season. "Ano'ng pakain mo, pre?" Everybody wants the magic mix. His Answer: "I Disagree" The feed in the last 3–4 weeks before a fight should "vary very little" from what the cock has eaten all his life. A big change in diet "cannot substantially increase his strength." Worse, it will probably upset his digestion, so he ends up with less strength than before you started. In short: the keep is not the time to experiment. The Olympic Example Narragansett makes his point with athletes: The Olympics bring together the best-conditioned athletes in the world. The Americans have their diet, the Russians theirs, the Africans theirs, the Japanese theirs. "Yet they all win." But if any of them switched to another champion's diet in the final weeks, "the only result would have been a stomach ache and defeat." His conclusion: "Stick to the diet to which they are accustomed." What This Means on Our Farms This is an old idea, but it is still true today. It also saves you money: No single feed wins derbies. Your system of feed, care and work does. Consistency beats the "secret." Settle your maintenance feed early. Choose a good, affordable base (grains + pellets) your birds eat year-round. That is your conditioning feed. Small adjustments only during the keep. Changing the amount, timing or a little protein is fine. Changing the whole menu is a risk. Be careful with "champion feed" hype. If a sponsor or seller says their mix is the secret, remember Narragansett. Test any new product on a small group of birds you are not entering, long before a derby. Track weight and droppings. Loose droppings or weight loss after a feed change is the "stomach ache" Narragansett warned about. ⚠️ This reel covers only Section 1 (Feeding). The rest of his method (work, rest, pointing) will come in the next parts, so I'll cover those as they are posted. My Takeaways for Pinoy Breeders Stop chasing the secret formula. The money you save on "special" conditioning mixes can go to vitamins, vet care or better breeders. Feed your stags from an early age the way you'll feed them in the keep. Then the keep is just fine-tuning. Write down your feed recipe and keep it the same. Consistency is easier to repeat, and easier to teach your farm helpers. Never change feed brands right before a derby. If your supplier runs out, buy ahead or switch gradually during the off-season. Judge a feed by your own records, not by who uses it. Like Your Baon Before the Board Exam Think of a student the night before the board exam. He has eaten his nanay's sinangag and itlog for breakfast all his life. Then a classmate says the topnotcher ate a special imported breakfast, so he tries it on exam day. By the second subject, he's running to the CR. He didn't fail because he didn't study. He failed because he changed what his body knew at the worst possible time. Your gamecock is the same. Let him eat his usual baon, and let the conditioning do the work.

Presidents, Kings and Gamecocks: Fact-Checking the Famous "Brief History of Cockfighting"

Tgf Gameyard posted a 2-minute reel reading a famous page from an old American book, Johnson's Breeders and Cockers Guide (3rd edition). You've probably seen this list shared in our groups: Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Henry VIII, Churchill... all supposedly sabungeros. It's a fun list, and some of it is true. But some of it is pure kuwentong sabungero. In an earlier post I covered 3,000 years of gamecock history. This time, let's go claim by claim and sort the facts from the legends, so you don't get laughed at when you share it. What the Reel Says Andrew Jackson kept fighting cocks in the White House stables, with a man named Jack Freer to feed them. Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Martin Van Buren and Gov. John Floyd matched roosters in the committee rooms of Congress. George Washington and Lord Fairfax subscribed to an English cockfighting magazine. The gamecock lost to the eagle as the US national symbol by one vote. Lincoln refereed cockfights, "thus his nickname Honest Abe." Franklin refereed, and Jefferson bred gamecocks. No. 10 Downing Street is the oldest cockpit in the world, built by Henry VIII. Some English schools taught cockfighting for 1,000 years. "Cocks are fought in every state in America." The Fact Check ✅ True (or close to it) Henry VIII built a royal cockpit at Whitehall Palace. It was built after he took over Cardinal Wolsey's York Place in 1529. The Churchill link is real, but the story is a bit different. The cockpit building later became the home of John and Sarah Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, Winston Churchill's ancestors. Queen Anne gave it to them. King James I was a well-known lover of cockfighting. English schoolboys really did have a cockfighting tradition. On Shrove Tuesday, boys brought cocks to school to fight. "Compulsory for 1,000 years" is a stretch, though. ⚠️ Partly true The cockpit is not No. 10 Downing Street. It stood at what is now 70 Whitehall (the Cabinet Office), a few steps away. It stopped hosting cockfights in Jacobean times and became a theatre. "Honest Abe." Lincoln got the nickname as a store clerk in New Salem who walked miles to return a few cents to a customer. Because people trusted him, they asked him to judge contests and fights. So the honesty came first and the refereeing came after, not the other way around. The presidents. Jackson, Washington and Jefferson are often listed as cockers. There are old stories behind them, but the details (the White House stables, Jack Freer, the committee rooms) come from cocking books, not from presidential records. ❌ Myth or outdated "Lost to the eagle by one vote." There is no record of such a vote. It's a well-loved legend. The Van Dyck painting. I couldn't find any painting of the Whitehall cockpit by Van Dyck. "Cocks are fought in every state in America." This is badly outdated. Cockfighting is now illegal in all 50 US states (Louisiana was the last, in 2008), and it is a federal crime. Since 2019, the federal ban also covers US territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam. Why This Matters to Us The Philippines is one of the few places where sabong is still legal and regulated. Many of our best bloodlines come from the American South, from breeders who now have to breed and sell rather than fight at home. That's why so many US breeders now look to Filipino buyers, and why American "named lines" are so heavily marketed to us. My Takeaways for Pinoy Breeders Check before you share. Posting a myth as fact hurts your credibility as a breeder and seller. Your name is your brand. Use history the right way. A true story, like Henry VIII's cockpit, makes great content for your farm page. Just add the source. Know the US situation when buying imports. Fighting is banned in the US, so a "proven" American line is proven in breeding records, not recent pit records. Ask for those records. Protect our own legal status. Sabong survives here because it is regulated. Follow cockpit rules and permits, and keep it clean. Old books are great, but they are dated. Read Johnson's and Narragansett for the wisdom, and fact-check the facts. Like Tsismis at the Barbershop This list is like a story that goes around the barberya in the barrio. It starts with something true: "Mang Ben sold his carabao." By the fifth customer, Mang Ben sold three carabaos, a jeepney and his house to a senator. There's always a real story at the center. A wise listener keeps the true part and laughs at the rest, and never repeats it as gospel without asking Mang Ben first. — Sabungero

Gaffing 101 Sukat, Sapin, Kalang, Asinta and Bid-Bid

Every sabungero dreams of tying his own tari someday. But most of us learned by watching over the mananari's shoulder at the pit, and he works fast. So when Bernard Jo ("Pareng Jeck-Jeck") posted an 11-minute, complete gaffing tutorial for beginners, I watched the whole thing. His promise: "Full video ito ng gaffing tutorial... para sa mga baguhan." Everything is in one sitting: pagsusukat, sapin, leather boots, kalang, asinta and bid-bid. (Names come from the audio, so spellings may differ slightly.) Step 1: Pagsusukat (Measuring) Brace the leg from below, and set the base of the gaff against the hinlalaki (the back toe). The right measure goes past the soft part (kalambutan) but does not reach the feeder line. "Safe po 'yun, mga pre, 'yung ganyang sukat." Step 2: Sapin (The Wrap) Wrap gently (malumanay lang). Start with about 4 turns on top. Don't press the wrap against the tahid (spur). If you keep layering on it, it will bukol (bunch up into a lump). Massage the sapin after every few turns so it compresses flat, especially at the bend. Slide it down so it sits evenly between the tahid and the rest of the leg. Goal: "Pantay talaga." Step 3: Leather Boots and Kalang He sets the leather boots a little lower because the bird has a normal-sized foot. He likes a slightly bigger kalang, not extra large, just a bit bigger than medium. Before pressing the kalang down, trim and stretch the end of the sapin so it locks neatly into the leather boots. Leave a little space at the base of the kalang. That gap is where the bid-bid locks later. Step 4: Asinta (The Angle) His preset is 12:30, not 1 o'clock and not fully escuadrado (square). He says this setting works whether the bird is on top or below, and for both flyers and grounders. The asinta sits at the knee line, and you must know your blade's preset before you start. Step 5: Bid-Bid (Tying) He counts every turn out loud, roughly: 8 at the bottom, 5 in the middle, 10 on top. 5–6 on the left and 4 on the right, then sampay (drape over) so the blade won't drop. 2 full turns behind the leg, never straight across, "kasi walang pwersa 'yan." This is what stops the blade from tilting. About 7–8 locks on top. "Ito ang pinaka-importante." Counter-wraps of 4–5 on each side, then tuck every end inside, under the kalang. Finish the thread end on the left side so it's easy to find when you untie. His answer to people who say a long bid-bid is heavy: "Paano bibigat, ang gaan-gaan lang ng sinulid?" Safety First Keep the blade cover on until the last moment. If the bird struggles, "huwag na huwag n'yong bibitawan." That's how gaffers get cut. ⚠️ His counts and 12:30 preset are his personal style. Other mananari use different numbers. Practice on a dummy leg first, never on your best cock the night before a derby. My Takeaways for Pinoy Breeders Learning to tie saves real money. A mananari usually takes a commission or fee per fight. If you fight often, that adds up fast. It's also a sellable skill. A trusted gaffer is always in demand at the local pit. Consistency beats speed. Same sukat, same preset, same counts every time. Write your own "recipe" down. Buy a good set once. Cheap tari and thread that slips will cost you more than the savings. Learn from a mentor too. A video teaches the steps, but a senior mananari watching your hands will catch mistakes the camera can't. Like a Sastre Fitting a Barong Tying a gaff is like a sastre fitting a barong for a wedding. He measures first, because a wrong sukat ruins everything after it. He lays the lining smooth so there are no lumps, sets the shoulders at just the right angle, and only then sews with tight, even stitches, the same count on both sides. Rush any step and the barong looks wrong all night. Do each step right and the groom never even thinks about his clothes. He just performs. — Sabungero

WALTON HATCH

Some bloodlines are born in a famous breeder's yard. The Walton Hatch got its fame through a farm helper's secret: twelve little pieces of string tied to twelve cages. Tgf Gameyard read the old history by H. Duff in a short Facebook reel, and it is one of the most fun bloodline stories I have ever heard. It also teaches a lot about breeding.

✅ The source is a real, old text. H. Duff's "The Walton Hatch Gamefowl History" has been reprinted online since at least 2005 (gamefowl-news on LiveJournal) and on the Pinoy blog Tilaok in 2009. I used both to check the name spellings, because the audio in the reel gets a few of them wrong.

The Helper Who Knew the Best Birds

Henry Wortham worked for Jack Walton when Jack decided to sell out. Henry knew Manuel Massey, who was the feeder for Paul Harvey, a professional wager from Odessa, Texas.

Henry and Manuel made a plan. Manuel convinced Paul to buy 12 cocks from Jack. Before the selection, Henry quietly tied pieces of string on the cages of the 12 "double-barrel aces," the very best cocks in the yard. When Paul and Manuel came to choose, Manuel picked only the cages with strings. Neither Jack nor Paul knew about it.

After the selection, Jack told Paul that he didn't know about Manuel's feeding ability, but Manuel had just picked the 12 best cocks he owned, apart from the brood cocks.

The Wins That Sold the Whole Yard

Manuel conditioned the 12 for the Sunset Tournament, and they won easily. Paul and Manuel won several more big tournaments soon after, and became the top cockfighters of the year. This was in 1952.

The wins convinced Paul to buy the rest of Jack Walton's fowl for $20,000, a fortune at the time. He hired union carpenters who worked around the clock to build pens on his estate. Then Paul and Massey drove to Dallas with boxes for the cocks and U-Haul trailers for the hens and chicks.

Bone Crusher and the Blood That Spread

Meanwhile, Henry was quietly selling good Walton Hatch to others without Paul's knowledge. H. Duff heard the buyers included Clarence Stewart, Ray Hoskins, Richard Bates, and the Everett brothers of Hood County Red fame.

Harold Wells ended up with "Bone Crusher," one of the original 12. From him Harold built a family of Bone Crushers that became a major force at the Jal, New Mexico pit run by Tommy Booth.

Paul sold Walton Hatch for 20 to 30 years. When he finally sold out, Bill Patterson bought the best of what was left. Later Paul bought Percy Flowers' Blueface line and kept winning derbies until his death, after which Bill Lisenbee got the remaining Blueface fowl.

What a Walton Looks Like

According to Duff, Waltons that have been inbred for a long time:

• come spangled
• have pearl-colored legs and red eyes
• have large bones
• have a nasty temperament

Their value in crosses: they put gameness and hitting power into any breed, and add bone size if your family is coming small.

(This is Duff's description of his own era's birds. Today's "Walton" sold online may differ, so ask for records.)

My Takeaways for Pinoy Breeders

• Your helper knows your yard better than you think. Henry knew exactly which 12 were aces. Treat good helpers well, and listen to them.
• The feeder makes the bloodline famous. The Waltons were good before 1952, but they became legendary after a great conditioner got them ready.
• One great cock can start a family. Bone Crusher alone gave Harold Wells a winning line.
• Buy the best, not the most. Bill Patterson bought "the best of what was left," and that was enough to carry the line on.
• Use strong blood as an ingredient. Duff says the Walton adds gameness, power and bone to a cross. You don't need a whole yard of them to benefit.
• Fame brings copies. Even in 1952, Walton blood was being sold quietly on the side. Always ask where the bird really came from.

Like the Tindero Who Knows the Sweetest Mangoes

The Walton story is like buying mangoes at the palengke. The suki looks at a hundred mangoes and sees only fruit. But the tindero who has handled every crate knows which ones are the sweetest, and if he likes you, he quietly sets those aside. Henry Wortham was that tindero. He didn't own the farm, but he knew it better than anyone. Twelve little strings showed which birds were the best.

— Sabungero

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Source: Tgf Gameyard, "Walton Hatch history…" on Facebook (2 min 51 s, 3 Nov 2026), https://www.facebook.com/reel/1215076587858668. The reel reads "The Walton Hatch Gamefowl History" by H. Duff. Name spellings were checked against gamefowl-news.livejournal.com (2005) and tilaok.blogspot.com, "Bloodline: Jack Walton Hatch" (2009). Old texts can have spelling differences.

AN OPPURTUNITY ON TIMOR LESTE

Mga kasabong, many of you know me from this blog, where I write about bloodlines, conditioning and the legends of our sport. Today I want to share the business that my family and team have been building behind the scenes: OK Studios, a remote derby broadcast platform.

The idea is simple. We install a compact broadcast kit at your arena and run the whole show remotely from our control center in the Philippines. That covers the cameras, the live scoreboard, the on-screen graphics, the recording and the technical support.

You don't need a production crew on site. All you need is power, internet and one trained local person.

👉 Book a call with our team: https://okstudios.spurblade.workers.dev/#book

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The Problem We're Solving

Most cockpit arenas want to stream their derbies, but the usual setup is expensive and fragile:

• You have to hire a full camera and production crew for every derby.
• Shaky phone streams and no scoreboard make the event look amateur.
• When the internet or power drops, the stream dies and so does the sponsor's airtime.
• Results are written on paper, and nobody can verify the tally.

Real example: a provincial arena runs two derbies a month. Paying a crew to travel in each time eats up most of the stream income. With a remote setup, the crew is already "there," because it works from our Quezon City control center.

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How It Works: From the Pit to the World

1. Pit cameras: ceiling-mounted PTZ cameras, or our motorized ceiling camera rig, give clean, steady views of the pit.
2. On-site encoder: a small streaming PC sends the video out over fiber or 4G/5G, with battery backup if the power drops.
3. Remote control: our operators in the Philippines control the cameras, scenes and graphics over a secure private network.
4. Live scoreboard: results are entered at the arena, and the on-screen graphics update automatically.
5. Viewers & sponsors: paid stream pages, Telegram channels and sponsor ads, with every derby recorded.

What we do remotely: camera control, scene switching, graphics, scoreboard hosting, backups, stream monitoring, recording, sponsor ad scheduling and derby-day tech support.

What the arena provides: power and a reliable internet line, one trained local person for results entry and basic checks, mounting points for the cameras, local permits and a local partner, and the derby itself.

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Software We've Already Built, Not Just Slides

This is the part I'm proudest of, because I built most of it myself. These are working tools, not mock-ups:

• 🏆 Derby Scoreboard (Live): secure login and entry registration (wing band, owner, weight, bloodline), plus meron/wala matching by weight, results, a live tally and printable results. You can upload a whole roster from a spreadsheet in one go.
• 📺 Broadcast Overlay (Live): the current fight, fight card, running tally and an automatic winner banner, all fed straight from the scoreboard.
• 🎬 Auto-Director (Tested): when a result comes in, the broadcast shows the winner, then the next fight card, then cuts back to the live pit, all on its own.
• ⚙️ Derby Day Autopilot (Tested): it runs the pre-show, starts recording, posts results to Telegram and wraps up the derby, so one operator can run several arenas.
• 🪪 Wingband System (Built): a Windows and Android app for gamefarms, with a bird registry, Fighter Passport, health log, family lines, QR wing-band scanning and backups. It can carry each farm's own branding.
• 🧰 Sabungero Central tools (Live): a free public toolbox of derby and gamefarm utilities at https://polished-queen-5e66.spurblade.workers.dev/

Real example: the moment the result is entered at the table, the winner banner flashes on screen, the tally updates and the next fight card comes up. No one has to touch the switcher.

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Add-Ons: Choose What Your Arena Needs

Each arena starts with the core broadcast and scoreboard, then grows from there. Pricing is quoted per arena.

Hardware - 🎥 Ceiling Camera Package: overhead and close-up PTZ views with instant presets. - 🛰️ Motorized Ceiling Camera Rig: a camera on overhead rails (a CNC gantry) that follows the action. It's engineer-checked, has emergency stops, and comes with as-built documentation. - 🎛️ Control Booth: a compact single-operator booth with UPS and LiFePO4 battery backup.

Add-ons - 🌐 Backup Internet: fiber plus a 4G/5G router with automatic failover. - 🎟️ Paid Stream Pages: branded viewing pages with access passes per derby or per month, plus Telegram channels. - 📣 Sponsor Ads: logos, lower-thirds and intermission ads for feed, vitamin, agri and beverage brands, with recordings as proof of airtime. - 🎙️ Remote Commentary: commentators can join from anywhere. - 🏷️ White-Label Branding: your arena's own name, colors and logo on everything. - 🛠️ Support & Training: installation, operator training, derby-day monitoring and software updates.

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The Team

• Engr. Ricardo R. Canonizado, Project Manager, Main Architect, Implementor & Support. He's a BSECE graduate with 26+ years in telecommunications and a pioneer of the first Internet in the Philippines in 1997. He founded sabong.net and sabungero.com, is VP of Liga ng Magmamanok sa Pilipinas, and is a two-time 6-cock derby champion.
• Earl Matthew "Odaz" Canonizado, Founder, OK Studios / Odaz Kato Corp. That's me: lifelong sabungero and breeder, writer of this blog, and builder of the platform's software.
• Kathleen Noelle "Kato" Asis, Co-founder. She runs operations, marketing and operator training for each arena.
• Field & partner network: broadcast and rigging technicians, plus a trusted local partner in each country for permits, banking and community access.

We combine telecom engineering with decades of first-hand knowledge of the gamefowl industry.

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Our First Arena: Cockpit Arena Timor, Dili, Timor-Leste

On 27 October 2026, we received a formal letter of offer from Corais Timor, Lda., the owner of the land and facilities of Cockpit Arena Timor in Dili. The letter was addressed to our Project Manager, Engr. Eric Canonizado.

• The arena is authorized by Timor-Leste's General Gaming Inspectorate (Inspeção Geral de Jogos).
• It runs two events a month today, and the venue can operate daily.
• The owner is open to leasing the arena or a joint partnership with our team.
• The venue has a glass-enclosed central ring, tiered seating under a full roof, and Meron/Wala signage, so it's ready for ceiling cameras.

This will be the first site for our remote broadcast setup.

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The Investor Opportunity

We're raising seed capital for the first live arena, the Timor-Leste pilot, and for a broadcast kit that can be repeated in arenas across Southeast Asia and beyond.

• 🌍 Works in any country. One Philippine control center can serve many arenas in different countries.
• ✅ The software is already built. The money goes into rollout, not R&D.
• 💼 Four revenue streams: stream access passes, sponsorships, per-derby production fees and scoreboard subscriptions.
• 🛡️ Built-in fallback. The equipment stays a company asset, and the software can also be sold on its own to derby organizers.

Because operations are remote, each new arena mainly costs hardware and travel. The team and the tools are already in place.

The confidential Investor Pack includes the pitch deck, a feasibility study with three scenarios, the initial investment and use of funds, the setup mission proposal and budget, drawings of the control booth and ceiling rig, and the investment structures (revenue share or equity). The original signed letter of offer is included too.

Financial figures are shared only with qualified investors after a short introduction.

There's also a Chinese-language section (中文) for investors in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, all in the same GMT+8 time zone as us.

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Compliance First: A Media and Technology Business

• 🚫 No gambling product. There's no betting, wagering or bet amount in any of our apps or streams.
• ⚖️ Local laws respected. We operate only in licensed arenas, through a local partner, in countries where derbies are legal.
• 🧾 Transparent books. Every payment comes with an invoice and goes by bank transfer under a formal service agreement.
• 🦺 Safety engineered. Ceiling rigs are engineer-checked, have emergency stops, and come with documentation.

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How to Get Involved

Are you an investor, arena owner, promoter, sponsor or local partner? Let's talk.

• 📅 Book a video call on Zoom, Tencent Meeting, WeChat, Telegram or WhatsApp: https://okstudios.spurblade.workers.dev/#book
• 📧 Email: spurblade@gmail.com (Investor Pack requests and proposals)
• ✈️ Telegram: https://t.me/spurblade (fastest reply)
• 📍 Control Center: Quezon City, Philippines, serving arenas worldwide (GMT+8)

The booking page only shows times when our team is free, and it shows them in your local time. We confirm by email with the meeting link.

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Running an arena broadcast with OK Studios is like having a champion handler who never misses a derby. You don't have to fly him in every time. He watches the pit, works the corner and calls the right moves from his own base, every single fight. We bring the experience, the tools and the team, and your arena brings the show.

— Sabungero (Odaz), Founder, OK Studios

OK Studios provides broadcast production, software and support. Our platform does not offer, process or display any betting. This post is an invitation to talk; it is not an offer to sell securities. Investment details are shared only with qualified investors after an introduction.