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Kali/Escrima/Arnis
(Contributors: Andy Maddox - modsox@clark.net
Russ Rader - rlrader@ix.netcom.com
Tim Rivera - river@umr.edu)
Intro:
Kali, Escrima, and Arnis are all terms for the native fighting
arts of the Philippines, specifically the arts that use weapons.
'Arnis' and 'Escrima' (or 'Eskrima') are words rooted in Spanish,
while 'Kali' shows up in various pre-Spanish Pilipino dialects.
Some authorities say that Arnis is a term used in the northern
parts of Luzon Island, Escrima or Eskrima is used more commonly
in the middle parts of the Philippines, such as Cebu City, and
Kali is used in the southern island of Mindanao. Some of those
who say that Kali is the term for the southern styles claim that,
since Mindanao was never conquered by the Spanish to the extent
that the rest of the Philippines was, Kali more closely resembles
the original pre-Spanish arts of the area, and is more "complete"
(covers more combative possibilities).
There are also some who claim that the word Kali is part of a
modern attempt to marginalize the Spanish (and other European)
influence on Filipino martial arts, and some go so far as to refer
to Kali as a "Filipino-American" style.
However, most people tend to say that the words don't matter
- every village, and often every master, has a distinct style,
and that's what the important thing is - "do you study Illustrisimo,
Caballero, or Cabales style?" Not "do you study escrima or kali?"
Origin: The Phillipines
History:
Filipino martial arts are the result of the interaction of Spanish
and possibly Italian and other European styles of sword-fighting
(cut and thrust rather than fencing, probably) with the native
arts that existed at the time. Although the European influence
is probably mostly Spanish, there is some evidence of Italian
and possibly other European mercenaries present in the Phillippines,
and they probably used (and possibly taught) their own native
fighting styles.
The most popular legend concerning the Filipino arts is that
Datu (Chief) Lapu Lapu killed the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan
in personal combat.
Description:
There are many different styles of Filipino martial arts, but
general categories can be drawn along the lines of range. Largo
Mano styles tend to prefer staying at long distance from their
opponents, and using well-timed and placed strikes to the hands
of their opponents to disarm them. Corto or Serrada styles are
the opposite, tending to crowd into their opponents, where the
opponent will hopefully be uncomfortable and unprepared, while
the Serrada practitioner, by virtue of his practice, will feel
at home at this range. Other styles prefer the medio, or middle
range, which is between Largo Mano and Serrada. There are also
styles, such as Lameco Escrima, that address all three ranges.
The name Lameco even comes from these ranges; (La)rgo Mano, (Me)dio,
and (Co)rto.
The different Filipino styles typically cover some (or all) of
the following areas:
1 Single Stick (or long blade)
2 Double long weapon
3 Long & Short (sword & dagger, e.g.)
4 Single dagger
5 Double Dagger
6 Palm Stick/Double-end Dagger
7 Empty Hands (punching, kicking, grappling)
8 Spear/Staff, long weapons (two-handed)
9 Flexible weapons (whip, sarong, etc.)
10 Throwing weapons
11 Projectile weapons (bows, blowguns)
12 Healing arts
A further distinction that some people make is that some Filipino
styles are, at their heart, blade arts, while others are designed
to work with sticks. There are some arts, such as Sayoc Kali,
that focus on the knife almost exclusively, while there are others,
such as some lineages of Balintawak Eskrima, that focus almost
entirely on the single stick. This focus in certain lineages or
styles may be the origin of the notion that Kali is more "complete"
than Arnis or Escrima. However, this is a matter of some contention.
A distinctive feature of all of these Filipino arts is their
use of geometry. In strikes/defenses and movement, lines and angles
are very important. In addition, the independent use of the hands,
or hands and feet, to do two different things at the same time,
is a high-level skill sought after a fair amount of experience.
Training:
Filipino styles normally classify attacks not by their weapon,
or their delivery style, but by the direction of their energy
- for example, a strike to the head is usually analyzed in terms
of "a high lateral strike." A punch to the gut is treated much
the same as a straight knife thrust to that region would be. Students
learn how to deal with the energy of the attack, and then apply
that knowledge to the slight variations that come with different
lengths and types of weapons.
Filipino arts place great emphasis on footwork, mobility, and
body positioning. The same concepts (of angles of attack, deflections,
traps, passes, etc.) are applied to similar situations at different
ranges, making the understanding of ranges and how to bridge them
very important. The Filipinos make extensive use of geometric
shapes, superimposing them on a combat situation, and movement
patterns, to teach fighters to use their position and their movement
to best advantage. Some styles emphasize line-cutting (a la Wing
Chun), while some are very circular (like Aikido). Some like to
stay at long range, some will move inside as soon as possible.
These differences are hotly debated, as are most things, but they
all work differently for different people.
Most Filipino arts stress the importance of disarming an opponent
in combat. This is not usually done gently, or by using a complex
disarm (although these are taught), but by "destroying" the hand
holding the attacking weapon using your weapon (break the hand,
and the stick will fall.) This is often referred to as "de-fanging
the snake", since a poisonous snake that has no fangs cannot harm
you.
Sub-Styles:
Latosa Escrima, Serrada Escrima, Dumog, Panandiakman, Panantukan,
Sikaran, Serrada Escrima, Balintawak Eskrima, Modern Arnis, Garimot
Arnis, Inosanto/LaCoste Kali, Sayoc Kali, Doce Pares, Pekiti-Tirsia
Kali, many more.
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