History Of Arnis

History of Arnis

• Arnis existed before the discovery of the archipelago
• Ancient chieftain Lapu-Lapu fought and defeated Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521, exposing the art
• Miguel De Legaspi, familiar with Magellan's fate, befriended Chief Malitik in Abuyog Leyte in April 1564
• De Legaspi witnessed native fighting skills through demonstrations
• He traveled to Sugbo and met Chief Tupas, avoiding confrontation with a non-hostile approach and for a second time witnessing the fighting techniques
• Originally named "kali", natives developed the art during the Spanish regime
• Spain colonized the Philippines using religion and modern weapons
• The colonial named the archipelago "Philippines" after their King Philip of Spain and started the dark age of kali
• Due to Spanish influence, the art was called "arnis de mano" and acquired names like "estokada", "estoque", and "fraile"
• The practice of Arnis was prohibited in 1764 due to its fighting techniques
• The Spanish claimed natives were wasting time instead of tilling the lands and were also afraid of a revolution
• The natives secretly practiced and used pieces of wood called "bahi" or "kamagong" or "rattan/oway" for training
• In 1873, the fighting system was renamed "armis", derived from "arnes" for the colorful trappings on defensive armors used on the Moro-Moro plays
• It was known as pananandata among the Tagalogs, kalırongan by the Pangasinan natives, didya or kabaraon by the Ilocanos, pagkalikali by the Ibanags, sinawali by the Pampaguenos, and kaliradman or pagaradman and later esgrima or eskrima by the Visayan natives
• Eskrima is derived from a Spanish word for a game between two combatants using blunt instruments
• "Eskrima" became popular during the American period
• The first arnis organization, Labangan Fencing Club, was established in Cebu City in 1920
• The Labangan Fencing Club was dissolved, and Eulogio Canete founded the Doce Pares Club in 1932
• General Fabian Ver formed the National Arnis Association of the Philippines (NARAPHIL) in 1975, but was unsuccessful
• After the EDSA Revolution, General Ver was exiled and Arnis Philippines (ARPHI) was formed in July 1986
• Among its early competitions included the First Asian Martial Arts Festival in Manila (1976), the First National Arnis Festival in Cebu City (1976), First National Open Championships in March 1979, First National Invitational Tournament in August 1979, and the First World Eskrima Kali Arnis Championships in Manila on August 11-13, 1989
• 78 delegates from 10 countries established the World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF)

Modern Arnis

• Remy Amador Presas founded Modern Arnis as a self-defense system
• His purpose was to create an injury-free training method and preserving the older arnis system
• Modern Arnis was based in the Presas family style of bolo (machete) and Balintawak eskrima, with influences from other martial arts
• Remy Presas studied his family's system, Shotokan karate, judo, and Venancio Bacon's Balintawak
• Remy Presas started making modifications and moved to Manila in 1969, forming the Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines
• Presas continued to develop and spread his art through books and video tapes
• He then moved to North America, adding jujitsu to modern arnis
• Modern arnis includes anyo (kata), solo forms both with and without the stick
• Remy Presas was recognized as the "Father of Modern Arnis"
• Arnis is the national sport after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Republic Act No. 9850 in 2009
• The act mandated the Department of Education to include arnis as a Physical Education course

Equipment and Attire

• Olisi or baston - a piece of rattan or hardwood
  • Ideal length of 75 cm
  • Diameter of about 2.4 cm
  • Weight of about 200 gms
• Daga or baraw - a knife-shaped or dagger-shaped piece of hardwood
  • Between 25 and 32 cm long
• Uniform - Consists of loose garments of strong fabric to allow free body movements
  • Use of T-shirt is recommended during workout sessions
• Belt- Made of ordinary hard cloth in color varies to grade or rank
  • Ideal width is 4.5 to 6 cm
  • Arnis players start with novice Level 1 (White), Novice Level 2 (Yellow), Intermediate Level 1 (Green), Intermediate Level 2 (Blue), Advanced Level (Brown), and the Masters Level(Black Belt Degrees)
• Armor - includes headgear, body protector and gloves often made of resistant hard foam, leather or leatherette
  • Designed to cover the body, head, neck, arm, hands, and the upper leg area including the genitals

Benefits of Arnis

• Effective self-defense
• Contributes to the development of physical fitness
• Develops mental qualities such as alertness and precision
• Acquires desirable character traits such as self-confidence, self-control, and discipline
• Develops mental strength and courage that allows one to face danger and pain
• Develops virtue of perseverance to the highest degree
• Quicker reflexes

Salutation in Arnis

• Called "yukbo," a salutation shows respect and should be performed before and after a session, and when entering and leaving the practice area
• Students perform it when facing an instructor or higher rank personality or dignitary
• The practice is commonly used in greeting other in the form of a "saludo"
• Ordinary saludo is commonly performed in regular practice sessions and in casual Occasions
• Formal saludo is usually performed in highly ritual functions and very solemn ceremonies or Occasions

Fundamental skills in Arnis

• Gripping refers to the way the olisi is being held by the hand or hands
  • There are four common types of gripping, the under thumb hold, side-thumb hold , overlap hold, and the reverse hold
• Under thumb
  • The inside of the thumb is pressed against the olisi
  • Balances pressure or energy from the four fingers
• Side-thumb:
  • The side of the thumb serves the same purpose
  • bend in in the middle of the thumb provides strength
• Overlap hold:
  • Also known as the "full grip"
  • The thumb overlaps index finger and pressure is between the thumb and the first three fingers
  • This is the most popular
• Reverse hold
  • The olisi projects through lower portion of the gripping hand
  • The top end points towards the ground and usually occurs as a consequence of a disarming technique
  • Two inches or more of the olisi extends from the bottom of the gripping hand
  • The short end of the stick is the "butt" or "punyo"
• Gripping
  • Gripping should be firm but not tight
  • Maximum tension should be at the precise moment of impact
  • Flexibility of the wrist and the muscles involved is diminished with a tight grip causing reduction in power
• Footwork
  • Footwork is also known as stances
  • This refers to the movement and positions of the feet in performing arnis
  • There are nine types of basic footwork
    • Natural or Normal Stance - Legs spread about shoulder width apart, hands holding opposite ends of the olisi
    • Attention or Close Stance - Feet close together with right hand holding the olisi on left chest
    • Forward stance - Right foot moves forward from a natural stance with a slight bend in knee to assume the stance
    • Deep stance - Right foot slides further forward from forward stance to assume stance
    • Deep Diagonal stance - Right foot slides slightly to the right from the deep stance, to assume the diagonal stance
    • Back stance - From a forward stance, the right foot slides slightly to the left until heels align, both knees bending slightly, with weight shifting rearward
    • Cat stance - Foot retracted closer to the left foot, so only toe touches floor, shifting almost all weight to the left leg

Basic Striking Angles and Numbering System

• With Doce Pares, the human body is divided into twelve olisi target points (striking angles), which numbers remain unchanged since 1932
• "Doce'' Means twelve
• Numbers indicate where to strike to gain an advantage against an opponent
• Strike Angle 1 - Forehand strike to the left ear/left face, right foot forward
• Strike Angle 2 - Backhand strike to the right ear/right face, left foot forward
• Strike Angle 3 - Forehand strike to the left shoulder, right foot forward
• Strike Angle 4 - Backhand strike to the right shoulder, left foot forward
• Strike Angle 5 - Forehand thrust to the abdomen, right foot forward
• Strike Angle 6 - Backhand thrust to the abdomen, left foot forward
• Strike Angle 7 - Forehand strike to the left knee, right foot forward
• Strike Angle 8 - Backhand strike to the right knee, left foot forward
• Strike Angle 9 - Forehand thrust to the chest, right foot forward
• Strike Angle 10 - Backhand thrust to the chest, right foot forward
• Strike Angle 11 - Forehand strike to the top of the head, right foot forward
• Strike Angle 12 Backhand strike to the top of the head, left foot forward
• All the odd numbered strikes are on the left side of the body, while the ever numbered ones are on the right side of the body
• Strikes are known as "forehand" strikes which comes from the right side; whereas a left-handed person's "forehand" strike comes from his/her left side
• On the other hand, "backhand" strikes begin from the opposite side of the olisi hand

Types of Olisi striking

• Slash (cut)
  • Is typically delivered in ascending or descending strokes, or horizontally right to left
• Thrust
  • the top or tip of the olisi strikes the target
  • can also be delivered either in forehand or backhand
• Butt - where the target is hit with end with "punyo" and only done in a very close range

Other Classifications of Strikes

• X strike -or figure 8 strikes
• Plancha- back and forward horizontal strikes to midsection
• Abaniko - striking creates a fan like moment as wrist turns
• Redondo - provides a circular power strike
• Flywheel - several backhand arkos happen
• Witik - curving snap with wrist creates whip motion
• Curve - strikes that have curving that pronate or supinate
• Media- which causes linear and short backhad slash
• Bala bala - diagonal or crossing strikes happen
• Sungkiti - is a hook strike
• Rompida- slashes both upwards and downwards
• Doblada creates striking pattern with the shape of oval
• Banda y banda - side to side slashes as moving back and forth

Twirling and Drills

• Twirling is called patuyok
• The single olisi twirls are of arko, with the four movements like the baton movements
• Emphasis in twirling is the coordination within body and the correct rhythm between arms stick and other body parts
• One need to loosen the wrist and only use smallest finger
• Executing arko is important with moving force for strike
• Two of most popurlar doubl stick twirling are four cound horizontal following", and "si"Alternating movement'

Bartikal Redoble

• Stand in natural or forward state either
• Olisi is moved down to right side then swinging it upwards in the direction to lefg
• At the top, Olisi then gets brought down to the left by looping and the swinging up in backhad positoon to the correct direction
• Must repeat moves 1 to 4 and execute "songkiti" then lastly use circular in back hand posisiton as done in arteo

Sinawali

• A double stick which are two man training. Most popular for beginners which is theught in arnis schools
• Can develop timing and speed, body anngliing, and improve movement from opponent to oneself
• Should be developed to learm speed as well as to develop in learning determine energy and forces
• It can be classified as close or open, with respect to positip of olis at start pont

Closed Sinawali

• Two osli are both on side pf body and the right is on top while that are left have the stick on top

Open Sinawali

• The drills where can begin on right in rgihts nde whille the osli is let on liefft
• Kuatro-Kuatro Regular (Regular Four)

Stand Natural

• (or forward stance) with both olisi
• Right Olisi High Strikee
• Left High Strkie w BACKHAND
• RIght HIgh strikke with back hando
• Lett osli with high strike

The Modified

• Same with reuglar but lowe and lowere
• Kuato brokene
• Right with High Striuke
• Left woth owstrkke in backgand
• Right wit Low Strriue with BAcmnhad
• Lefr high struke and back riginal psisition

Open Swali

• The Stndare in naturak stanace with
• Left oflie in left sdde
• Righf holis gith hugh strkre
• Lefti hs otrike
• Ritghih hith higih j
• Letft ohis hugh straike
• Katruo modiffiede
• Stuke same as refialr
• Same srtoe Leighr jskie leog
• Keftk strkei

The lett the

• Leghir jsklhie leog
• Keftk strkei