numbers. To play by numbers means to work counters and recounters
against attacks in an ordered sequence of play. Few exceed this stage, be-
cause they lack a safe way to spar. Techniques that seem combat valid in
training drills are invalidated with full contact. To prepare for full contact,
fluid movement is developed in flow drills. The art is not played well with-
out flowing. The Hiligaynon dialect has a word for the opposite of flow;
players may be described as pugoso—meaning “pushing too hard, too stiff,
not relaxed, or unnatural.” Fluid movements are found in those fighters in
the higher levels of training.
The FMA ranking structure has students, fighters, and teachers (i.e.,
instructors, masters, and grand masters). Traditional Filipino society was
divided into nobles, freemen, and serfs. Nobles wore red, while the lower
classes wore black or blue clothing. The color worn by students is blue
(asul), associating them with the lower classes. Fighters can wear black
(itim) and teachers wear red (pula). Novices are called likas,or natural, be-
cause they have no preconceptions. The intermediate students are called
likha,or creation, because they have learned fundamentals. The advanced
students are called lakas,or strength, because their skills are well devel-
oped. A fighter is an expert student on the way to becoming a teacher.
Some teachers have never fought, not even in contests or among friends,
and lack the quintessential stage of martial development. The name for a
teacher in Filipino is guro,from guru(Sanskrit; teacher).
An instructor may be either an apprentice, assistant, junior, or senior
instructor. Master instructors may be called Maestro in Spanish nomencla-
ture. Some groups use Datu (chieftain), while others use Lakan (lord) to re-
fer to an FMA master. The grand master is simply the grandfather of the
school. Traditionally, one must reach age 50 to be acclaimed as a grand
master. Founders of Filipino martial arts are rare.
The purpose of contests in the Filipino martial arts is to simulate the
conditions of actual combat in order to learn to overcome the fear of loss.
The learning process is facilitated through contests in the arena rather than
an actual life-or-death experience. Combat is usually risky, and learning
experiences can end prematurely. Dueling, particularly the death match, is
FMA tradition, but was outlawed in 1982. Before this time, however,
champions often fought many duels: Romeo (“Nono”) Mamar of Bago
City was undefeated after one hundred duels from 1960 to 1982. With
cash betting as an incentive to public spectacle, duels were often bloody af-
fairs; at their worst, human cockfights. Organized competitions have been
held in the Philippines since 1949. Sanctioning organizations, such as the
National Arnis Association of the Philippines (NARAPHIL) and World Es-
krima, Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF), sponsor national and international
stickfighting events, and do not permit the bloody spectacles of the past.
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