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Rules of Arnis

History of Arnis
Arnis is as a martial art from the Philippines. It was known in ancient Philippines as Kali.
This art was practiced for self-defense even before the coming of the Spaniards. The
Filipinos by nature were fighting people using bow and arrow or the long bow.
The skill of hand-to-hand combat has always been a vital part of the Filipino bloody
history. Filipinos became experts in fighting with their hands, its either bare or with stick
and a bladed weapon. During prehistoric times, the primitive Negritos from Central Asia
were also expert in these weapons.
By around 200 B.C., the Malaya who came to the Philippines introduced the long knife.
This made the Filipinos experts not just in sticks and bows and arrows but also skilled in
the use of bladed weapons and daggers.
The Muslims in Mindanao and Sulu were experts in hand-to-hand combat with a bladed
weapon.
Their success in battle against the Spaniards, the Americans and the Japanese proved
their expertise in the use these weapons.
Terms:
Arnis - known in the other dialects as estocada among the Tagalog provinces and
estoque or fraile in other regions.
Kali - an ancient Malayan word which implies a large bladed weapon longer than a
knife.
Kalis, a term which was shortened to Kali for convenience, is also a fighting art which
uses long-bladed weapon or a knife, stick or cane and dagger.
Sawali - (crisscross fashion) the bamboo split weave pattern used in walling or matting.
Truncheon - a hard piece of wood much bigger in diameter but shorter than the cane.
Muslims used variety of bladed weapons which included:
Kris
Bolo
Kalis, Kampilan
Laring – kind of looks like a tongue
Visayan barong – long dagger, straight and smooth
Moro Punal and Gunong – Antique Moro Swords and Weapons
Pira (Cotabato) –
Gayang –

Through trade and travel within the country, Filipinos from the north and south interact
and such contact enriched the Muslim fighting art with kalis, the forerunner of Arnis of
the Tagalogs, in the north.
Arnis de mano - famous and the most organized fighting art in the Philippines. It is
intended to train the students to defend himself against armed or unarmed attacks.
Three forms of Arnis as a fighting art
1. espada y daga (sword and dagger) in which a long wooden sword and a short
wooden dagger is used;
2. solo baston (single stick) in which a single long muton or baston (wooden stick or
rattan cane hardened by drying or heating) is used;
3. sinawali, a native term applied because the intricate movements of the two muton
resemble the weave of a sawali.
Decline of kali and the emergence of the word Arnis
Spanish authorities discouraged the use of Kali as early as 1596 since they considered
the art deadly and whoever found practicing kali (arnis) would be considered Tulisanes
or outlaws. Eventually the popularity of Kali declined, and it was totally banned in 1764.
In 1637, moro-moro was introduced by the friars as a form of religious play
sensationalizing the victory of the Christian Spaniards over the Muslim moors of
Granada, Spain. With the introduction of moro-moro, the interest of the Filipinos in Kali
(arnis) was revived.
At present, there is a change of weapon used in Arnis. The utilization of the cane
instead of itak or bolo as a self-defense weapon in considered since it is less harmful
than those bladed weapons. Arnis is considered nowadays as sports but sometimes the
replica of bladed weapon is also used in competition.
Our society discouraged the use of guns and bladed weapons to keep peace and order
in the country. Instead, the use of truncheon (yantok) for self-defense is employed by
the barangay tanod.
Much of the old-fashioned approaches of the old Arnis have been modernized to avoid
injury to students. But more vital, discipline and other moral values are impressed upon
the students to strengthen not only the body but the spirit as well.
Modern Arnis
Modern Arnis is the system of Filipino fighting arts founded by Remy Presas as a self-
defense system. Filipino arts are not really considered “martial” because they were used
by the average citizen to combat invaders, and, potentially, other citizens. 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. 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.
Basic Concepts
Essential Principles
THE PHYSICAL PRINCIPLE. The learner must always bear in mind speed – speed in
delivering the strokes, speed with the hand, speed with the feet, and even with the eyes
in spotting the weak points of the opponent. This speed develops in the player’s agility
which is one of the fine qualities of a good arnis player. The learner must train himself to
stare for long periods without winking- a wink in actual combat might prove fatal.
The learner should also learn to swing the club. In swinging, the grip must be firm, and
the stroke must be delivered with jerk. He must also learn to relax his wrist after each
stroke. A player should not allow distance to separate him from his opponent as a
distance make him vulnerable.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE. The learner must not be unruffled but composed
and calm to be able to concentrate on his opponent and have a full command of the
situation. The learner must also constantly be aware of the ability of his opponent,
knowing that his inability to assess every movement will be fatal to himself.
But above all, the learner must have the will to fight and win. Without this attitude, a
player’s effort would be inefficacious. The presence of the opening will have no meaning
at all if the player does not have the will to seize the opportunity and exploit it to his
advantage. Indecision in any given situation during combat in Arnis usually ends in
defeat for the player.
The Grip - The grip is the soul of all fighting techniques in Arnis. It is the correct grip that
packs power and controls the cane. To do the correct grip, hold the cane an inch from
the base and tighten your four fingers around it with your thumb pressed against for
forefinger. The hold must be firm when striking. Relax your wrist a bit after a strike.
Courtesy - Courtesy means respect for one’s opponent and for the cardinal rules and
principles of sportsmanship. In the revered tradition of martial arts, courtesy in Modern
Arnis is the trademark which makes players worthy protagonists. At 45 degrees angle,
heels closed, body erect, hands at 2 ½ inches apart holding cane, and feet together,
vow your head slightly towards your opponent. Courtesy in Arnis can also be executed
with two canes.
The Cardinal Principle in Arnis
1. Respect
2. Sportsmanship
3. Character
4. Sincerity
5. Discipline
6. Self-control
7. Etiquette
8. Student’s loyalty to his tutor