The Life of an Eskrimador

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff

, they comfort me.”-Psalm 23, Holy Bible King James Version

Life as simple as it seems is fraught with danger. The challenges

of life ranging from mental anguish to physical violence are a common
occurrence in a third world society. Into the fray of life’s challenges it is
of paramount importance for one to know how to handle oneself in
situations that may literally be between life and death. A warrior at
heart comes to grasp with the fact that if one is truly willing to call
himself or herself a warrior a person’s mind, heart, and spirit should be
devoted to the study of the art of war. Warfare by definition comes in
many forms. Today war may come in the form of personal struggles
with oneself or with others. It is given that conflict is an indelible fact of
life. Given such realization I came to the conclusion that I needed to
steel myself at an early age in order to survive life in all its savage
beauty and thus started my devotion to the ancient art of Eskrima.

The Filipino nation is the direct descendant of a proud and free

race of people who have inhabited the Philippine archipelago for
generations. The Sri Vijayans were a war-like group of seafarers who
would later populate most of the Philippines and introduce a systemized
form of warfare to the islands. A striking feature of the Filipino people is
a blade culture that was born out of a history of migrations and
incursions that have shaped modern Filipino History today. From the
Sulu archipelago in the south to the Cordillera highlands to the north
almost every Filipino ethno- linguistic group has their own endemic
form of the Filipino Martial art popularly known as Eskrima in the
Visayas region, Arnis in the Luzon area, or Kali in other parts of the
islands. Given such rich history and honorable heritage it was a decision
that would have life-changing consequences on a Visayan who just
recently discovered and embraced an art form that has persisted
despite the onslaught of modernization. Prior to my practice of Eskrima
a high level of self- esteem, discipline, and a sense of spirituality were all
non-existent. Like most physical activites the beauty of Eskrima was the
ability of the martial art to bring out the best attributes in an individual
that would have remained hidden. In short the ancient art gave me a
new outlook in life one that was active rather than passive and positive
instead of negative. Also a passion to learn Eskrima more helped me
discover the true meaning of being a warrior. The Philosophy of
Eskrima is a continuous path to perfection.

A warrior is an individual whose thoughts and actions are

geared towards the perfection of one’s goals despite the anarchy that
governs the daily lives of people. In life battles are fought and won not
just physically but mentally and spiritually as well. An Eskrimador then is
a warrior a warrior guided by the philosophy in the martial art,
empowered by his knowledge of the martial arts’ honorable and noble
history and guarded by his practice of the deadly art. Eskrima is more
than just an ancient martial art it is also a way of life.