Filipino Martial Arts
Filipino Martial Arts
Martial arts developed by Filipinos to defend their islands and territories in the Philippine archipelago can be as varied as the number of islands and the number of dialects that prevailed there. Their range and variety can be astounding. However the martial arts practiced in neighboring islands have influenced each other to a discernable degree, allowing us to recognize the common features in them.
Influences of various invaders are also apparent in Filipino martial arts. For instance influence of martial art techniques brought by Islamic Malay settlers and those from Borneo are quite perceptible. Spanish invaders who ruled Philippines for three hundred years and restricted the use of weapons by local population had a different sort of influence on the martial arts, making them secretive. They also made use of local Filipino fighters called the Eskrimadors in their local wars since they found Filipino martial art to be quite effective in hand to hand combat.
Recently the decisions by the Philippine government to consider local martial arts as national sports, to make the them part of curriculum in schools, and to make them mandatory for military and police personnel, have revived the Filipino martial arts and allowed the development of new styles based on old forms.
In other words constant change and mixing that characterizes Filipino culture and language is also evident in martial arts there. Filipino martial arts are also characterized by their simplicity, since unlike in some other countries these arts for the most part were intended to be learned by ordinary people, not a special class of warriors or monks. Simplicity however does not mean they are not effective.
Similarities between present day Filipino Martial Arts (commonly referred by there abbreviation FMA) and called Eskrima (also spelt as Escrima), Kali (a term mostly used outside Philippines, meaning sword), Arnis, Arnis de Mano, among other names is high. Training which consists of practicing both empty hand techniques (including striking with hand and feet, grappling, throwing, and even biting) and armed techniques (usually practiced using rattan sticks but intended to be used with sword or knife ) make use of the same methods. The aim is to defend and attack using whatever is at hand.
Techniques were intended to be effective but simple, and to be easily taught to villagers in large numbers at once. There were also techniques for group fighting. Hilot a system of traditional first aid, herbal medicine, and healing was also taught alongside the martial arts. Modern day teaching tends to ignore group fighting and Hilot.
Popular styles of Filipino Martial Arts both in inside and outside Philippines include San Miguel Eskrima, Black Eagle Eskrima, Sayoc Kali, Modern Arnis, Doce Pares, Serrada Escrima, Balintawak, Kalis Illustrisimo/Bakbakan, Pekiti Tirsia Kali, Lameco Eskrima, Dog Brothers Martial Art, among others.
Proficiency of a practitioner is measured by the skill in executing number of personally selected techniques that can be used in any situation, rather than in learning a large number of techniques. Ranking systems which tends to differ from one style to another are recent developments. However there is a trend to standardize them. Some styles do not have a ranking system on principle.