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ARNIS
History
The Philippines is an island nation rich in both culture and history. The Filipino martial art of
Arnis/Kali/Escrima has contributed to both the history and diversity of the Philippines. There
are an abundance of styles and systems of Arnis/Kali/Escrima that are taught throughout the
world to this day, that have survived and developed throughout the different regions, families
and teachers who have preserved what is sometimes called a “complete” martial art.

Arnis/Kali/Escrima was originally developed by the people native to the islands using simple
impact and edged weapons such as kampilans, rattan, swords, daggers, spears and other
assorted weaponry for combat and self defense. These weapons were also sometimes used
as farm implements.

The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan’s force in 1521 was met in battle with a group of islanders,
led by Raja Lapu Lapu, who defeated Magellan using only a bladed weapon. Magellan’s
armored and musket bearing conquistadors were overpowered by the fierce fighters and
retreated. The Spanish returned in the 1570’s and this time the Philippines came under
Spanish rule unable to contend with the modern weaponry the Spanish used. The practice of
Arnis/Kali/Escrima was prohibited, but continued and was preserved through native ritual
dance, performance, and mock battles. Thus the arts were passed down in families from
generation to generation, honing their skill, speed, accuracy and agility.

The terms Arnis, Kali and Escrima are all used to refer to the Filipino martial arts. There has
been some confusion as to what word refers to which part of the martial art. It is believed
that Arnis, Kali, and Escrima are all a part of the same art and depending on the location,
dialect and type of training taught. Also, any of the three names may apply to a certain part
of training. One interpretation is that Kali is the mother art of Arnis and Escrima. Arnis
focuses on the knife, including dagger, sword, and any other form of bladed weapon.
Escrima is based on the baston or stick. It has also become very popular in the sport aspect
of full contact stick fighting.

To this day Arnis/Kali/Escrima has retained a strong Spanish influence not only in the names
and titles used in training, but in the impact it has had on Filipino culture. Filipino martial arts
continue to encompass a large range of weapons training and hand-to-hand combat,
enriching the culture of Filipino society. Thus the reference to it being a “complete” martial
art.

Modern Arnis

Modern Arnis is the system of 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 in order to preserve the older Arnis systems. The term Modern Arnis
was used by Remy Presas' younger brother Ernesto Presas to describe his style of Filipino
martial arts; since 1999 Ernesto Presas has called his system Kombatan. It is derived
principally from the traditional Presas family style of the Bolo (machete) and the stick-dueling
art of Balintawak Eskrima, with influences from other Filipino and Japanese martial arts.
Arnis is the Philippines' national martial art and sport, after President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo signed the Republic Act. No. 9850 in 2009. RA 9850 is a consolidation of House Bill
No. 6516 authored by South Cotabato Rep. Arthur Pingoy Jr., and Senate Bill No. 1424
authored by Majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri with the help of Richard Gialogo. RA 9850 is
expected to help propagate arnis as a modern martial art/sport that can compete with
popular non-Filipino arts, i.e. taekwondo, karate and judo. The Act mandates the Department
of Education to include the sport as a Physical Education course.

The 12 Basic Striking Techniques

12 basic strikes of United Arnis are a combination of striking, thrusting and butting techniques. In today’s
practice of Arnis, thrusting and butting techniques are introduced to the students on their intermediate or
advance levels, however, for United Arnis,thrusting and butting are incorporated in the 12 basic strikes. This
exposes the students to the advantage of training and using it even at an early stage.
The following are the 12 strikes:
Strike 1 strike to the left temple area of the opponent
Strike 2 strike to the left knee area of the opponent
Strike 3 strike to the right temple area of the opponent
Strike 4 strike to the right knee area of the opponent.
Strike 5 strike to the left shoulder area of the opponent.
Strike 6 strike to the right shoulder area of the opponent
Strike 7 thrust or poke to the left chest
Strike 8 thrust or poke to the right chest
Strike 9 butt to the left eye
Strike 10 butt to the right eye
Strike 11 center thrust
Strike 12 strike to the crown of the head
Equipment of Arnis
Wooden Stick- The wooden stick shall measure not less than 60 cm and not more than 90 cm in length with
a diameter of not less than 1.3 cm and not more than 3.8 cm. It must not have sharp edges or pointed ends.
Wooden Replica of a Bladed Weapon- The wooden replica shall measure not less than 60 cm and not more
than 90 cm in full length and should be Ethnic Asian in origin. It must not have sharp edges or pointed ends.
Foam- cushion material- should be foaming the padded sticks and shall have a maximum grip diameter not
greater than 3.81 cm.
Head Protector- refers to a pair of protective head gear to include an impact-worthy face mask.
Reference:
Ramos,Jb (2003). History of Arnis. Retrieved from https://www.combatscience.net/history-of-arnis/