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.

Origin of the Name

The word Arnis got originated from the old Spanish term, arnés, meant
“armor”and Eskrima is a Filipinization of the Spanish word, esgrima for
fencing. Whereas the name ‘Kali’ was derived from the pre-Hispanic
Filipano term ‘Kalis’ which meant Blades and Fencing.
Practitioners of the sport are called “arnisador” for male and “arnisadora”
for female in Arnis and “eskrimador” for male and “eskrimadora” for female
in the Eskrima and Kali Art.
Moreover, all the three, Arnis, Eskrima and Kali belong to the same family
of Filipino weapon-based martial arts and fighting systems.

History

Philippine is an island nation that is not only rich in culture, heritage, and
history but also in sports. The Filipino martial art widely known as Arnis /
Kali / Eskrima has contributed to both the history and diversity of
Philippines.

Some common questions that arise in every reader’s mind are (a) “Where
did this Sport Originate From?” (b) “Why is it played?” Therefore, to get a
better understanding about the sport we need to dig into the past.
Initially, the sport was practiced by peasants or by commoner class people.
But these practitioners lacked the 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 the impact of Chinese, Arab and Indian martial
arts.

It is also believed by some people of 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 had brought this art with
them. Silambam, a stick 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 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 to all around the world and in
January 2010; it was officially recognized as the National Martial Art and
Sport of the Philippines.

Depending upon the use of weapons and sticks; Arnis is differentiated into
two styles: the Classic Arnis that 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.
Variants

Arnis was declared as the Philippines’ National sport and martial art on 11
December 2009. The first national organization for Arnis is the National
Arnis Association of the Philippines (NARAPHIL) which was founded in
1975 by Gen. Fabian C. Ver.

However, its existence faded post the Philippine Revolution in 1986. The
two major types of Arnis practiced as sports are the system followed by
WEKAF (World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation) which was established in
1989, and is recognized internationally; and the other system followed by
Arnis Philippines (ARPI), established in 1986, which was used prominently
during the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

1. World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (“WEKAF”)

WEKAF is the most common system of Arnis art which is used
internationally. It was established in 1989. The system works on the 10-
point ‘must’ system that is quite similar to boxing. Here, the participants
spar with live sticks wearing a long padded vest, skirts and sleeves. In this
system, hitting below the thigh is strictly prohibited. This system
emphasizes heavy offence at the expense of defensive techniques, and the
combatants are seen hitting each other in a disorganized manner. Hence,
the "four-second rule" according to which the participants were forbidden to
use the same strike for more than twice in succession. This system is
preferred by participants who want to test themselves.

2. Arnis Philippines System (“ARPI”)

The Arnis Philippines system was established before the WEKAF system
(in 1986) and adapted the scoring system similar to fencing. The matches
are observed by multiple judges to mark fouls and the loudness of the
impact judges the strike strength. The participants score points by
disarming their opponent or by forcing them to step out of the ring. In the
‘ARPI’ system, participants use padded sticks with light rattan cores
(wooden stem) in place of live sticks as they are tenderer and flex while
attacking.
Objective

The sport Arnis is played between two fighters with a main objective of
earning more points by legally attacking the opponent with the help of stick.
It is said that Arnis develops self-discipline and control because this sport is
a simple martial art and it is all about defending oneself by using sticks.

Participants
For individual category event in Arnis, one player is selected per team and
for team category, three players are selected per team.

Equipment
Arnis / Kali / Eskrima are all part of the same art depending on the location,
dialect and type of training. The one interpretation common to all of them is
that Kali is the mother art of Arnis and Eskrima. Moreover, Arnis focuses on
the knife, including the dagger, sword, and any other form of bladed
weapon whereas Eskrima is based on the ‘baston’ or stick. Therefore, the
equipment used in Arnis is:

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 in metals like aluminum.

Rattan: This is usually constructed from a stem of Southeast Asian vine.

This stem is hard and durable yet lightweight that 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 kamagong but is made of a porous material in weight and density.

2) Edged Weapons: Knife, dagger, spear, etc. are edged weapons used
throughout the history for combat, hunting and ceremonies.

Arnis Weapons

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 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: It is a thick rubber protection which serves as a 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.
Arnis Equipments

Playing Area
The playing area is a square measuring 26.24 feet (8 meters) on one side
with 6.56 feet (2 meters) of minimum free zone drawn outside it. All the
lines of the playing surface are 1.97 inch (5.08 cm) in width and four lines
mark the boundary of the playing area. The two lines of 3.28 feet (1 meter)
long and 6.56 feet (2 meters) aside mark the horizontal match line. When
the horizontal match line runs perpendicular to the official’s table it is drawn
9.84 feet (3 meters) from the boundary lines whereas 11.48 feet (3.5
meters) from the boundary line if drawn parallel to the official’s table.

Gameplay

While playing this sport, the two fighters need to be fully equipped with the
protective gears and are allowed to hit their opponents only above their
thighs in two round matches at one minute per round with thirty seconds of
rest between rounds. Arnis has a four second rule that restricts the
participants from making the same strike more than twice in succession.
Moreover, if a rule is broken then the officials give a warning sign before
disqualification. At the end of the game the fighter with highest points wins.

Techniques
# 12 Striking Areas 12 Striking Techniques 12 Blocking Techniques
1. Left Temple Forehand Strike Inward Block
2. Right Temple Backhand Strike Outward Block
3. Left Arm Forehand Strike Inward Block
4. Right Arm Backhand Strike Outward Block
5. Stomach Mid - Thrust Sweeping Block
6. Left Chest Forehand Thrust Inward Block
7. Right Chest Backhand Thrust Outward Block
8. Right Leg / Knee Low Backhand Strike Low Outward Block
9. Left Leg / Knee Low Forehand Strike Low Inward Block
10. Left Eye Forehand Thrust Inward Block
11. Right Eye Backhand Thrust Outward Block
12. Crown / Head Frontal Strike Overhead Block
Arnis Techniques

Scoring

All matches are scored by 3 judges on the “10 Point must” system. Scoring
is based on Quantity of strikes, Effectiveness of Strikes and Ring
Generalship (time spent staying within the ring). In single stick competition,
disarms shall be scored as part of the match as a mandatory point
deduction and if 3 disarms take place this would result in a Technical
Knockout (“TKO”) whereas in double stick competition, a fighter point will
not be deducted if disarmed and will continue to fight with one weapon until
the end of the round. If a fighter loses both the weapons, then he / she will
automatically lose the match.