Introduction

Arnis is the official national sport and the martial art of the Philippines. It is also

known as "Kali" or "Eskrima". These two terms are used for the traditional martial
art of the Philippines (“Filipino Martial Arts”, or “FMA”) that focuses on weapon-
based fighting with knives, sticks, bladed weapons, and some improvised weapons.
Arnis is a combat sport to defend oneself from attacks using hand-to-hand
combat, grappling, and weapon disarming in weapon-based fights. 
History
The Philippines is an island nation that is not only rich in culture, heritage, and
history but also sports. The Filipino martial art widely known as Arnis / Kali /
Eskrima has contributed to both the history and diversity of the Philippines.

Initially, the sport was practiced by peasants or by commoner class people.  But
these practitioners lacked scholarly knowledge due to which this sport has no
written records. The origin of Arnis can be traced back to native fighting
techniques during the conflicts among the various Pre-Hispanic Filipino tribes or
kingdoms. Whereas another form of Spanish fencing dating back to the 15th
Century, also influenced the current form of Arnis, moreover it also has
an impact on Chinese, Arab, and Indian martial arts.
It is also believed by some people of the Philippines that the Filipino art of Arnis
has some roots connected to India as the people who traveled
through Indonesia and Malaysia to the Philippine islands brought this art with
them. Silambam, a stack-based ancient martial art of Tamil Nadu, India, has
influenced many martial art forms in Asia like Silat among which it is also believed
that the Filipino Martial art sport, Arnis, also shares ancestry with India’s Martial art,
Silambam, as it has some similar moves with the short stick (kali or kaji) and
other weapon-based styles of Silambam.
Arnis originally belonged to the people of the Philippines, but as time passed by,
the art spread over to other countries, and by the time of World War II; many
continents adopted it. Arnis also played a significant role during
the Philippine revolutionaries against the Spaniards.
Eventually, it was the Filipinos who provided the art with a systematic structure. It
was brought to Hawaii and California in the 1920s. The teaching was kept within
the Filipino communities until the 1960s after which Master Angel Cabales and
others began teaching it to others. It took almost two decades to make the art
known all around the world and in January 2010; it was officially recognized as
the National Martial Art and Sport of the Philippines.
.
Modern History
The Philippines has what is known as a blade culture.[49][50] Unlike in the West
where Medieval and Renaissance combative and self-defense blade arts have gone almost extinct
(having devolved into sport fencing with the advent of firearms),[51] blade fighting in the Philippines is
a living art. Local folk in the Philippines are much more likely to carry knives than guns. They are
commonly carried as tools by farmers and used by street vendors to prepare coconuts, pineapples,
watermelons, other fruits and meats, and balisongs are cheap to procure in the streets as well as
being easily concealed. In fact, in some areas in the countryside, carrying a farming knife like
the intake or bolo was a sign that one was making a living because of the nature of work in those
areas.[52] In the country of Palau, the local term for Filipino is chad a oles, which means "people of the
knife" because of Filipinos' reputation for carrying knives and using them in fights. [53

1) Impact Weapon:
Baston: This is the most basic and common weapon in Arnis. Traditional common
materials used for wooden bastons are usually rattan, kamagong, and bahi wood. It
is also available in modern materials such as fiberglass and plastics and metals
like aluminum.
Rattan: This is usually constructed from a stem of a Southeast Asian vine. This
stem is hard and durable yet lightweight which makes the weapon useful for
defense against blades. At present, fighters use padded Bastons. The Baston
(Baton) is about 28 inches (71 cm) in length.
Kamagong (also known as Mabolo): This is a dark, dense, expensive type of
wood known for its hardness and weight. Kamagong is also an endangered species
of ebony wood.
Bahi: Bahi is a type of wood made from the heart of a palm tree. It is similar to
damaging but is made of a porous material in weight and density.
2) Edged Weapons: Knife, daggers, spears, etc. are edged weapons used
throughout history for combat, hunting, and ceremonies.
3) Head Gear: It is a necessity in Arnis combat. It is covered with high-grade
leatherette and vinyl that is printed with ethnic art. Its materials provide
vital protection from head strikes and a multi-thickness metal frame is developed
for impact protection.
4) Body Armor: It is designed specially to provide complete upper body
protection while allowing mobility and protection. The armor is usually made
of hard plastic and vinyl for lightness and the lower panels are extended
downwards to provide extra coverage.
5) Leg Guard: These guards can be used to protect both the thigh and the shin
area and are not only designed for protection but also for
comfort and practicality.
6) Groin: It is a special padding for the lower abdomen. It has a groin cup to
provide complete protection to the groin area.
7) Hand Gloves: This is a thick rubber protection that serves as protection
from strikes as the stick is held in hand. Its open-palm design ensures a stable
grip and finger flexibility for impact absorption.
8) Arnis Clothing: The basic Arnis Uniform is made from twill fabric, which
maintains durability and comfort. It is specially designed after the classic Arnis
uniform with Velcro straps to close the flaps easily.

Variants

Depending upon the use of weapons and sticks; Arnis is differentiated into two
styles: the Classic Arnis which is all about the use of blades and weapons whereas
the Modern Arnis deals with the art of sticks and everyday objects. The Modern
Arnis is the system of the Filipino fighting arts founded by Remy Presas as a self-
defense system. His goal was to create an injury-free training method as well as
an effective self-defense system to carry forward the older Arnis systems.