Filipino Martial Arts: Arnis, Eskrima, and Kali at the 18th Annual FPAC

“Arnis”, “Eskrima ", and “Kali” refer to a class of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) that initially emphasizes stick and/or blade (sword, knife, or dagger) fighting before advancing on to unarmed combat.

“Kali” is deemed to be the mother of FMA – having been developed over a period of many centuries by the native Pilipinos in the numerous wars that they have fought, not only amongst the different baranggays (tribes) but also against foreign invaders as well. Among several different proposed origins for the word “Kali” is for it to have been derived from “kalis”, which refers to a type of double-edged Pilipino sword that often has a "wavy" section similar to a kris.

However, the Spaniards discouraging the study of Kali before eventually banning all forms of Martial Arts altogether – an act that was meant to suppress any potential opposition during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. This ban only served to push FMA underground; elements of Kali were hidden by the ingenious Pilipinos in the creative dances and movements of folk plays called "Moro-moro". The term "Eskrima" originated from the Spanish word "esgrima" (which means fencing and swordsmanship), while “Arnis” has been derived from "Arnes de Máno" (which means "harness of the hand”) in reference to the decorative trappings or "harnesses" worn on the hands of the Moro-moro actors.

Nevertheless, the general martial arts community today uses the terms Eskrima, Arnis, Arnes de Máno, Kali and FMA interchangeably, to refer to the complete Pilipino martial art system that encompasses weapons training and empty hands for self-preservation and protection. 

Eskrima Sticks

The most common material for sticks and staves is Rattan, which is an inexpensive wood from a type of palm in the Philippines. Hard and durable yet very lightweight, it can be fire hardened so that it shreds only under the worst abuse. Furthermore, rattan will not splinter like other woods, which makes it a safe training tool. Eskrima sticks or bastons are made in many sizes, depending on the system and the respective ranges being trained. Common lengths range from 6" (15 cm) to 96" (2.44m), with the most common ranging from 24" (61 cm) to 36" (91 cm). These sticks are therefore a reflection of the martial artist that bears them, as well as of their particular system and methodology.  

Arnis/Eskrima/Kali Today

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in martial arts from cultures all over the world - including Aikido, Kung Fu, Capoeira, Savate, Muay Thai, and many others. Arnis/Eskrima/Kali has attracted special interest since it is arguably one of the best arts for learning both how to use as well as how to defend against knives, and as a result most Kali systems have been modified to make them more marketable and more accessible to a more global audience. This type of training builds manual dexterity in the practitioner and also trains faster conditioned responses to various attacks. Although it is weapons based, Kali also includes striking (kicking and punching), wrestling and grappling, and even ground fighting, as well as teaching practical defenses against most weapons. Eventually, a well-trained Pilipino martial artist can use any weapons that are available, since the striking patterns are the same regardless of the weapon. The artist only really needs to make adjustments for the weight and length of the weapon, which is viewed as an extension of the hand, and therefore any good practitioner is just as effective with the empty hand as with a weapon.  

FilAm ARTS and FPAC

The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture, also known as FilAm ARTS, is a multi-disciplinary community arts organization whose mission is to advance the understanding of the arts and diverse cultural heritage of Pilipinos in the United States. The Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) is the anchor program of FilAm ARTS and it is Southern California’s largest and longest running Pilipino tradition. This is an annual series of multi-disciplinary arts events that takes place in the County of Los Angeles, which  includes poetry readings, concerts, and visual arts exhibits, and then culminating in a two-day festival weekend.

FPAC has been represented by a number of different Arnis/Eskrima/Kali schools over the past several years now. They have each hosted their respective booths over the years, in order to promote their own specific systems of this martial art.  They also offer Eskrima sticks or bastons and other weapons, as well as different training materials for sale.

The 18th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture will be held on September 12th & 13th, at Point Fermin Park in the historic district of San Pedro. Tickets are available at 30 ticket locations across Southern California, as well as online on the FilAmArts website.

To get your tickets for this event, please click here:

http://www.filamarts.org/fpac/tickets/ 

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