The Filipino Fighting Arts
Filipinos had to defend themselves against attackers from other countries and from other villages very often, so it was necessary for them to hone their own effective and simple form of combat. Thus Arnis was developed as a way of defending one’s life, and the lives of family members when attacked. Arnis, also called Kali and Eskrima, is a traditional martial art that uses sticks, bladed weapons, knives, and improvised weapons when fighting. It also includes hand-to-hand combat, grappling, joint locks, and weapon-disarming techniques.
The first thing that you will learn in arnis is the double stick, with it you learn angles of attack/defense and footwork by practicing it repetitively until you develop your kinetic vision, peripheral vision, stamina, coordination, and reflexes which can help in self-defense. Arnis also teaches joint locks, disarming of weapons, and hand-to-hand combat. The empty hand techniques are mostly known as Mano Mano, the kicking arts are called Sikaran or Sipa, and the grappling or wrestling arts in the Filipino Fighting Arts are known as Dumog. The style helps you become better at close combat, hand-eye coordination, reaction times, dexterity, brain function, depth perception, agility & stability, and practical weapon defense. It is a complete fighting system of self-defense, employing several types of weaponry including daga (knife), bolo (sword), baston (rattan sticks), Palm Stick, Whip, and more.
Why martial arts are important to the Filipino
The martial art was a necessity for the Filipino people, as the island country had to fend off invaders and local conflict. For this reason, it became more of a fighting system that incorporated common resources in usually close-quarter, combative situations. Martial arts offers many valuable and unique tenets to help with focus, strength, perseverance, self-defense, and confidence, which contribute to overall moral character and behavior. Arnis will help to develop hand-eye coordination which can result in enhanced athleticism and more efficient performance of daily functions. Arnis develops much faster reflexes and reaction times which is important for self-defense. Being able to react quickly helps to detect, block, or evade an attack.
Arnis, Kali, or Escrima
Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima/Escrima, is the national martial art of the Philippines. It is a complete fighting system of self-defense, employing several types of weaponry including daga (knife), bolo (sword), baston (rattan sticks), mano (empty hands), sipa (kicks), and more. The strength of Filipino martial arts is in its ability to conform and adapt to any combative and street fighting situation.
