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Kali / Eskrima

Filipino martial arts: sticks and blades first, empty hands second – the same angles for every tool.

Origin
Philippines
Region
Southeast Asia
Founded
pre-colonial roots; national sport of the Philippines since 2009
Category
Weapons
16th-century engraving of the death of Ferdinand Magellan at Mactan, with Spanish soldiers fighting islanders armed with spears and blades on a beach.
The death of Magellan at Mactan, 27 April 1521, in a 16th-century engraving. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Kali, eskrima and arnis are three names for the family of Filipino martial arts (FMA). They share one idea: learn the weapon first – a rattan stick, a knife, a machete – and the empty-hand skills follow from the same angles and footwork. Arnis was declared the national martial art and sport of the Philippines in 2009. Countless regional systems exist, many named after the families that preserve them.

Character

  • Single and double stick: Angles of attack, blocks and counters drilled in flowing patterns (sinawali).
  • Blade awareness: Even stick techniques assume the stick could be a blade.
  • Empty hands (panantukan, dumog): Filipino boxing and grappling that grew out of the weapon work.
  • Footwork: Triangular stepping keeps you off the line of the weapon.

Who is it for?

Anyone interested in weapons, coordination and practical self-defence. Training is usually done with padded or rattan sticks and requires eye protection for sparring. Many MMA and self-defence programs borrow FMA drills for exactly this reason.

Further reading: Kali / Eskrima on Wikipedia

Kali / Eskrima

History