History of Arnis

History of Arnis

• Arnis is a traditional Philippine martial art that existed before the archipelago's discovery.
• Lapu-Lapu of Mactan was believed to have first exposed Arnis to the world.
• Lapu-Lapu defeated Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521.
• Miguel De Legaspi landed in Abuyog Leyte in April 1564, befriending the warrior chief Malitik to avoid conflict.
• Legaspi witnessed native fighting skills through demonstrations by chiefs Malitik and Tupas.
• Originally named "Kali," Arnis was developed during the Spanish regime.
• The Spaniards colonized the Philippines and named it after King Philip of Spain.
• Due to Spanish influence, Kali became known as "Arnis de Mano" and other names like "Estokada," "Estoque," and "Fraile."
• In 1764, the practice of Arnis was prohibited due to its fighting techniques.
• Filipinos secretly continued to practice Arnis using wooden pieces called "bahi" or "kamagong," or bamboo-like materials like "rattan" or "o way" to avoid suspicion.
• In 1873, the fighting system was renamed "Arnis" from "Arnes", referring to colorful trappings on defensive armors in Moro-Moro plays.
• Other local names for Arnis included "Pananandata" (Tagalogs), "Kalirongan" (Pangasinan), "Didya" or "Kabaraon" (Ilocanos), "Pagkalikali" (Ibanags), "Sinawali" (Pampaguenos), and "Kaliradman," "Pagaradman," "Esgrima," or "Eskrima" (Visayans).
• "Eskrima," derived from a Spanish word, means a game between two combatants with blunt instruments and was popularized in the Philippines during the American period.
• The first Arnis organization, the Labangan Fencing Club, was established in Cebu City in 1920 but dissolved in 1931.
• Eulogio Canete founded the Doce Pares Club in 1932.
• In 1975, General Fabian Ver formed the National Arnis Association of the Philippines (NARAPHIL) to unite Arnis groups, but it failed in its objective.
• After the EDSA Revolution, General Ver was exiled.
• In July 1986, Arnis Philippines (ARPHI) was formed with the same objective as NARAPHIL.
• Early Arnis competitions in the Philippines include the First Asian Martial Arts Festival in Manila (1976), First National Arnis Festival in Cebu City (1976), First National Open Championships (March 1979), First National Invitational Tournament (August 1979), and First World Eskrima Kali Arnis Championships in Manila (August 11-13, 1989).
• The World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF) was established with the approval of 78 delegates from 10 countries, led by lawyer Dionisio “Diony” Canete.

Modern History

• Modern Arnis was founded by Remy Amador Presas as a self-defense system.
• Remy Presas aimed to create an injury-free training method while preserving the older arnis system.
• The style was primarily derived from the Presas family style of bolo and Balintawak Eskrima.
• It was also influenced by other Filipino and Japanese martial arts.
• Remy Presas learned his family's system, Shotokan karate, Judo, and Venancio Bacon's Balintawak.
• He moved to Manila in 1969, formed the Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines, and continued to spread his art through books and video tapes.
• Presas then moved to North America.
• Jujitsu was added to modern arnis, focusing on single stick and self-defense.
• Modern arnis includes the use of anyo (kata), solo forms both with and without the stick.
• Remy Presas was recognized as the "Father of Modern Arnis."
• Arnis became the National Sport after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Republic Act No. 9850 in 2009.
• The Department of Education was mandated to include Arnis as a Physical Education course.

Equipment and Attire

• Olisi or baston: a rattan or hardwood stick, 75 cm long, 2.4 cm diameter, 200 gms weight.
• Daga or baraw: a knife or dagger-shaped piece of hardwood, 25-32 cm long.
• Uniform: loose garments of strong fabric.
• A T-shirt is suitable instead of a matching jacket for workout sessions.
• Belt: ordinary hard cloth, 4.5-6 cm wide, indicating grade or rank.
• Arnis players start with Novice Level 1 (White Belt), Novice Level 2 (Yellow Belt), Intermediate Level 1 (Green Belt), Intermediate Level 2 (Blue Belt), Advance Level (Brown Belt), and Masters Level (Black Belt Degrees).
• Armor: consists of headgear, body protector, and gloves of hard foam, leather, or leatherette.
• It is designed to cover the body, head, neck, arm, hands, and upper leg areas, including genitals, and is required for full-contact sparring or formal competition.

Benefits of Arnis

• Effective self-defense
• Physical fitness development
• Mental qualities development
• Alertness
• Precision
• Desirable character traits acquisition
• Self-confidence
• Self-control
• Discipline
• Mental strength and courage development
• Perseverance
• Quicker reflexes

Terminologies in Arnis

• Abaniko: Fan lateral side to side motions with a straightened arm for blocking.
• Anyo: Also called form or sayaw; informal dance movements.
• Arko: A series of circular strikes, sirukulo.
• Arnis: Northern Philippines term for FMA, synonym of escrima, kali.
• Arnizador: Stick fighter
• Banda y banda: Back and forth side to side slashes or strikes.
• Baston: Stick or baton used in FMA.
• Blocking: stopping or striking the attacking force.
• Butt: Punyo of the stick closer to the handle.
• Daga: Knife or dagger.
• Disarming: Wresting away the weapon from the opponent.
• Espada y daga: Sword (espada) and dagger (daga) used together, also use of baton and knife in tandem.
• Estokada: one stick, two man training drills.
• Flywheel: Series of backhand arkos.
• Gripping: Refers to the way the olisi is held by the hand.
• Kurbada: Curving strikes such as pronating or supinating strikes.
• Olisi: Baston, Cebuano term for stick.
• Plancha: Back and forward horizontal strikes to midsection.
• Redonda: Continuous drill employing two batons continuously.
• Redondo: Circular power strike.
• Rompida: Upward and downward slash/strike in an X pattern.
• Saludo: Salutation.
• Sirkulo: Series of curving strikes such as witik, abaniko, media, arko, bartikal redoble etc.
• Slash: Cut; strike delivered in a descending or ascending direction.
• Stances: Refers to different footwork used in arnis.
• Sungkiti: A hooking strike.
• Sinawali: lit. "to weave," the continuous weaving motion that one uses with two batons, knives or hands to couple simultaneous strikes and blocks.
• Thrust: Strike that used the top end or the tip of the olisi hitting the target.
• Witik: Short curving snap strike from the wrist that creates a whip-like motion.