Kali / Eskrima
The Filipino Martial Arts date back as far as the 9th century
and earlier. These all-encompassing arts include very comprehensive weapon and
empty hand systems. The Filipino Martial Arts have been combat proven throughout
history since before the Spanish Conquest in the 1500's, to the Japanese
invasion during World War 2. These Martial Arts emphasize the development of
individual attributes such as the understanding of speed, timing, range,
footwork, and body mechanics.
The Filipino martial arts of Kali,
Eskrima and Silat are world renowned as devastating stick fighting systems. A
relatively unknown fact is that these arts are equally as efficient in unarmed
combat. Training in these arts provide:
* Increased eye, hand coordination
* Sharpened reflexes
* An understanding of body mechanics, leverage and evasiveness.
The history of any fighting art is a reflection of the society and culture from
which it was formed. The Filipino arts are no different.
Early records of the Malay Sri Vishaya empire, dating from the 8th century A.D.
contain references to Kali as the martial art of the Philippines. According to
one Kali master, the word Kali comes from the words kamot, meaning hand or body,
and lihok, meaning motion. Kali is also known as the mother art to both Eskrima
and Arnis.
In the early part of the 16th century the first famous foreigner to encounter
Filipino sticks was a Spaniard named Magellan. Magellan was a pirate. He burned
their homes and tried to enslave the people as part of the great Spanish
conquest.
It was on the small island of Mactan, in what is now the Province of Cebu, where
Magellan was finally stopped by the fiery chieftain Lapu Lapu and his men.
Villagers in cotton cloth fought the armoured Spaniards on the beach. They
battled Spains finest steel with pieces of rattan, homemade lances and
sharpened, fire hardened sticks. Magellan died there and a statue of Lapu Lapu
on Mactan island credits the chieftain for Magellans death.
Ater Magellans death, the Spaniards returned with reinforcements and firearms.
Though the Filipinos understood combat with empty hands, with sticks and bladed
weapons, they had little chance against the Spanish guns. When Spanish rule was
secured, the Filipino martial arts were outlawed. In defiance of Spanish law,
the Filipinos practiced and preserved the outlawed martial arts by integrating
many combative moves into native Filipino dances.
The old Filipinos who made stick fighting an art preferred to hit the bone and
preferred a stick to a blade. Instead of a clean cut, the stick left shattered
bone. The fact that the end of the stick can travel many times faster than the
speed of the empty hand, the Kali practitioner or Eskrimador developed faster
reflexes, speed, coordination, timing and increased eye focus. This is why the
stick combat is taught before the empty handed combat unlike many other arts.
The common denominator of all Filipino arts is their principles of combat which
are based on a pattern of angles that all attacks must follow, regardless of the
style or weapon.
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