Neil McLeish, 2nd Dan (left), faces
opponent Rick, sticks at the ready.As Rick fires at his left temple, Neil
angles inside and cross-blocks......then using his checking hand to
grip Rick’s stick hand as he slashes a
plansa strike to his adversary’s ribs...FEATURE STORY76 ƫđƫ333ċ (%06) #ċ!0 | (^) FEATURE STORY
T
he Filipino martial
arts comprise of
many similar and
very comprehensive
fighting systems that cover sticks
(olisi) empty hands (mano-
mano) and blades both long
and short (baraw, bolo, etc.).
FMA has been traditionally
identified as a stick-fighting art
because the first preference in
a confrontation is to be armed.
Traditionally, training begins
with weapons such as blunt
instruments; bladed weapons are
allowed only when the student
reaches a certain level in their
training and has demonstrated
their character. Once they
become proficient in weapons,
they are taught the punching
and kicking aspects of the art.
This is the distinction between
the arts known as arnis, eskrima
or kali from other martial arts.
What we find in the Philippines
is quite a diverse stratum of
indigenous martial arts, some
being more proficient and
effective in different ranges than
others. Thus, many martial arts
and styles flourish, each being
effective in their own right. The
prevalence of so many ethnic
groups in the Philippines further
adds to the uniqueness of its
martial arts masters and the
diversity of their fighting arts.
One key aspect the Filipino
arts have in common is that
the stick (or any other weapon)
is used as an extension of the
hand. Hence, in most cases the
techniques are interchangeable
whether being applied with
sticks, blades or empty hands.
However, the practicality of the
interchangeability differs with the
styles. The photo sequences in
this article show examples of one
core technique being applied to
all three methods: stick, knife and
empty-hand combat.
THE HISTORY
The origins of the arts now
called arnis, kali or eskrima
are difficult to trace, primarily
because there are nearly as
many styles of Filipino stick
fighting as there are islands in the
Philippine archipelago. The arts
were generally family-specific,
passed on from father to son,
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ESKRIMA
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START
Stick vs Stick