Brief History of Arnis Martial Arts.

Arnis also known as Eskrima /Kali/ Arnis is a Filipino martial art, the three are roughly interchangeable umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines ("Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA) that emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives, bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons as well as "open hand" or techniques without weapons. The name Arnis derives from the Spanish word Armour.

Arnis is the NATIONAL SPORT AND MARTIAL ART OF THE PHILIPPINES UNDER Republic Act No. 9850 of the Congress of the Philippines, approved on December 11, 2009 declares Arnis as the national sport and martial art of the Philippines for promoting patriotism, nationalism and appreciation of the role of national heroes and symbols in the historical development of the country. Arnis becomes a pre-requisite for P.E. classes in most colleges in the Philippines.

Pertinent to mention here that Arnis is recognized by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and also the regular event in Sea Games/South East Asian Games                                                                .                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

The stick system came about when the Spanish stopped the use of the sword in the Philippines, although the actual fighting system was developed much before this, all be it with a very unclear history. The fighting system was introduced to the non Filipino community in the 1960’s, although American service men did pick up some training during World War 2 and as with many other martial arts, the system has been modified for practical modern application. Filipino martial arts have seen an increase in prominence due to several Hollywood movies and the teachings of modern masters. Arnis “Filipino martial art” is became one of the most popular martial arts in the world today. Practitioner of Eskrima is known as an ‘Eskrimador’, Arnis as an ‘Arnisador’ and Kali is a ‘Kalista or Mangangali’A lot of the training revolves around joint locks, control and disarming of the attacker and attacking moves. Trainees start with weapons training and may well go on to apply the same techniques with empty hand fighting that can include kicks punching, throwing and grappling. Generally the trainee will train with wooden sticks and a wooden knife that are seen as extensions of the arms to practice a series of moves, with focus on moving each arm independently of each other. Further aspects of the training include, controlling the range with triangular footwork patterns, learning how to defend yourself from angled attacks and practicing set drills of flowing defense and counter attacks. The drills will teach the practitioner hand-eye co-ordination, body position, target perception, rhythm, fluidity, timing and muscle memory. The term ‘live hand’ is used in Eskrima, where the practitioner is armed with a single weapon, however the empty hand is used for locking, trapping, supporting weapon blocks, checking, disarming, striking and controlling the opponent.

Sticks

– The sticks used in Eskrima are called a ‘yantok’ and commonly known as rattan sticks, as they are made from the rattan palm. They are very strong and lightweight. Other materials are also used and can include various hardwoods, metals and high-impact plastics. 

Records:-   More than 4,200 students and athletes performed Arnis in the Cebu City Sports Center during the closing ceremonies of the Batang Pinoy 2015, to set a record for the largest Arnis class in the world for Guinness World Records.