Arnis / Escrima / Kali

Arnis / Escrima / Kali

Hey, have you ever heard of Arnis, Escrima or Kali? These are the national sports and martial arts of the Philippines. These traditional martial arts, also known as "Filipino Martial Arts" or FMA, involve weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons as well as improvised weapons. But don't worry, hand-to-hand combat and grappling techniques are also part of the training. Although the focus is on weapons, there are also techniques without weapons. Interesting, isn't it?

Incidentally, the terms Arnis, Escrima and Kali are interchangeable generic terms for these Filipino martial arts. Arnis and Escrima come from Spanish and Kali has several possible word origins. No matter what you call it, these martial arts are unique and fascinating!

Training in the martial arts of Arnis, Escrima and Kali follows a special approach: the aim is not only to prove superiority in combat with the same weapons, but also to prove superiority against an opponent with an apparent advantage with several weapons. For this reason, students usually start by learning weapon techniques before devoting themselves to empty-hand training. In this way, movements are learnt naturally and muscle memory is strengthened.

The principles of these martial arts are based on the fact that an armed person has an advantage over an unarmed person. Therefore, the same techniques are used for fighting with a stick, knife and bare hands. The weapon is seen as an extension of the body and the same movements are performed with and without the weapon. This approach has historical roots, as tribal warriors once fought armed and continued their techniques even after losing their weapons.