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HISTORY OF ARNIS

Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima, is the national sport and martial art of the Philippines. The three
are roughly interchangeable umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines
("Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA), which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives, bladed
weapons, and various improvised weapons, as well as "open hand" or techniques without weapons.
It is also known as Estoque (Spanish for rapier), Estocada (Spanish for thrust or stab) and Garrote
(Spanish for club). In Luzon it may go by the name of Arnis de Mano.

Arnis, as a martial art, was spawned in Philippine soil. It was known in ancient Philippines as kali, an
ancient Malayan word that implies a large bladed weapon longer than a knife. This art was practiced
primarily for self-defense by the pre-Spanish Filipinos who were noted for their friendly nature and
legendary hospitality.

The art of hand-to-hand combat has always been an integral part of the Filipino in his long, turbulent,
and bloody history. By force of necessity and self-preservation he became an expert in fighting with
his hands, either bare or with a stick and a bladed weapon. Even before the introduction of the
bladed weapon, the early Filipinos were already a fighting people using the bow and arrow or the
longbow. The primitive Negritos, coming from Central Asia during prehistoric times, were experts in
these weapons.

Arnis de mano is the best known and the most systematic fighting art in the Philippines. It is a
perfected art after a long historical development from the kali systems designed to train the student
to defend himself against armed or unarmed attacks. Arnis, as it is commonly called, has also been
known in other dialects as estacada among the Tagalog provinces and estoque or fraile in other
regions.

As a fighting art, Arnis has three forms of play. They are the espada y daga ("sword and dagger") in
which a long wooden sword and a short wooden dagger is used; the solo baston (single stick) in a
single long muton or baston (wooden stick or rattan cane hardened by drying or heating) is used;
and the sinawali, a native term applied because the intricate movements of the two muton resemble
the weave of a sawali (criss-cross fashion), the bamboo splits weave pattern used in walling and
matting.

The lives of Filipino heroes are linked with the awesome power of the martial art of Arnis. They
triumphantly waged their heroic battles for freedom and liberty as a testimony of the power and
effectiveness of Arnis. Their successful stand against their superiorly armed adversaries in mortal
combat in the arena of battle is now held in immortal inviolability by history of the 16th century. Kali
(Arnis) became so popular during the early days that it was known as the sport of kings and of the
members of the royal blood. The first and foremost experts of the art were the rajah and maharlika
of the Visayas and Tagalog regions, Amandakwa in Pangasinan, and Baruwang of the Cagayan Valley
region.

The art was not confined to the elite alone. Ordinary Filipinos practiced kali not only for self-defense
but also for entertainment. It was the most awaited entertainment feature in fiestas and other
gatherings. Kali was a standard fighting technique in hand-to-hand combat of the Filipinos when they
revolted against Spain. Using the itak or bolo the Katipuneros engaged the Spanish soldiers in savage
skirmishes.
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History states that Bonifacio brandished a bolo, a standard weapon in kali in his famous "Cry of
Balintawak." However, kali declined in popularity as early as 1596 when the Spanish authorities
discouraged the practice of the art (it was eventually banned in 1764). The Spaniards must have
considered the art lethal or dangerous since they decreed that natives found practicing kali would be
considered Tulisanes or outlaws.

In 1637, the friars introduced the moro-moro, a socio-religious play dramatizing the triumph of the
Christian Spaniards over the Muslim Moors of Granada, Spain. The play called for the use of fighting
techniques using a sword or similar bladed weapon. With the introduction of the moro-moro, the
Filipinos again had a chance to practice their art, thus interest in kali was revived. In the play, Spanish
soldiers fighting for Christianity were supposed to wear arnes, a Spanish word for the English
harness, the colorful trappings worn by medieval soldiers. From the word arnes came the present
Arnis. In 1853, the word kali was completely replaced by Arnis.

FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

FACILITIES

Arnis (stick fighting)- Full Contact event is a combative sport played by two individuals in a court
measuring 8.0 x 8.0 meters, with smooth and well-kept surface.

The game is played by using prescribed padded stick in delivering artistic and legal blows, strikes,
thrusts, and disarming the opponent to gain scores. The winner of the match is decided by best of
three rounds. Each round lasts for two minutes.

Dimensions

 The playing area is a square measuring 8.0 meters by 8.0 meters with a two (2) meters
minimum free zone around it, and a clear space without any obstruction up to a height of
not less than 5 meters from the playing surface.

Lines of the Playing Area

 All lines of the playing surface are 5.08 cm. (2 inches) and must be of different color from
that of the floor and other lines previously drawn for other purposes.

Boundary Lines

 Four lines mark the boundary of the playing area. The free zone distance measuring 2.0
meters are drawn outside of the playing area.

Match Lines

Two lines of 1.0 meter long and 2.0 meters apart mark the horizontal match line.

 The horizontal match lines are drawn 3 meters from the boundary lines that run
perpendicularly to the official’s table, and 3.5 meters from the boundary line that run
parallel to the official’s table.
 The horizontal match line left of the official’s table is colored red and the opposite
horizontal match line is blue to mark the respective line of each player.
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Referee Line

 A straight line of 1.0 meter long is drawn 2.5 meters from the farthest boundary line parallel
to the official’s table.

Warning Lines

 A broken straight line is drawn one (1) meter before each boundary line to serve as a marker
before the outside zone.

Playing Surface

 The surface must be flat and smooth and must not be elevated from the ground.
 The playing surface must be clean and free from foreign objects that may endanger or cause
injury to the players. It is prohibited to hold any competition on a rough, slippery or soiled
surface. Any other surface must have the approval of i-ARNIS.

Neutral Corner

The corner of the playing area farthest to the official’s table and in between the two (2)
judges within the free zone shall be designated as the neutral corner. This shall be the consultation
area for the referee and judges.

Temperature

The minimum temperature for an outdoor competition shall not be below 25 degrees Celsius
(77 Fahrenheit). For the indoor competition, the temperature shall not be higher than 25 degrees
Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and lower than 16 degrees Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit).

Lighting

Lighting apparatus is located above free space (rule 1.1) It must not cause any reflection to
the surface and must not affect the vision of the players.

Position of Players

Before the game starts, players must be positioned in the playing area so that the red-coded
player is at the right side of the referee and the blue-coded player is on his left side.

EQUIPMENT

Weapon

 The padded stick shall be the official weapon of the player. (in Philippines use of rattan tree)
 Each padded stick shall be properly foam-cushioned and shall have a maximum grip diameter
of not more than 3.81 cm. (1 1/2 inch) and length of 76.20 cm (30 inches for men and women).
The length of padded stick shall be cm (27 inches for boys and girls).
 Both padded stick shall be color-coded, one red and the other blue.

12 SRIKING TECHNIQUES IN ARNIS

#1 - Left side of the head attack #2 - Right side of the head attack
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#3 - Left side of the body or torso #4 - Right side of the body or torso

#5 - Thrust To the Stomach #6 - Left Chest Stab

#7 - Right Chest Stab #8 - Left Lower Leg

#9 - Right Lower Leg #10 - Left Eye Poke

#11 - Right Eye Poke #12 - Strike to the crown/top of head.

#1 - Left side of the head attack

From the fighting stance, the warrior will hold the stick with one hand at 1 o’clock. He will then move
the stick in a slashing action while keeping the free hand on the chest. This is a diagonal downward
forehand swing to the left temple.

#2 - Right side of the head attack

Like the left temple strike the warrior assumes fighting stance, this time with the stick held at 11
o’clock and the free hand kept on the chest. The strike to the right temple is then done in a diagonal
downward backhand swing.

#3 - Left side of the body or torso

In this strike, the practitioner will extend the weapon hand. Then he will proceed to strike any part of
the trunk located between the shoulder and the hips. The stick will be held in a diagonal forehand
slashing swing. This is the way to deliver the maximum amount of damage.
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#4 - Right side of the body or torso

Again the practitioner will extend the weapon hand to strike any part of the body located on the
right side between the shoulder and the hips. The weapon of choice will be moved in a backhand
slashing swing.

#5 - Thrust To the Stomach

This is a strong thrust to the solar plexus or the stomach and can cause fatal damage to the vital
organs in the abdomen. In this strike, the practitioner will thrust the weapon hand to the target
point, which is the solar plexus. It is then followed by an upward motion that will cut through the
opponent’s body.

#6 - Left Chest Stab

In this strike, the practitioner will assume the fighting stance with the weapon of choice in his hands.
The weapon hand is then extended to the front with the palm facing outward and the elbow kept
up. This strike can cause real damage to the rib cage. A weapon like a knife, spear or sword will end
your opponent’s life immediately as it punctures the lungs and the heart.

#7 - Right Chest Stab

After assuming fighting stance, the practitioner will practice the scooping action. The weapon hand
is then extended forward with the palm facing outward. The elbow should be kept up in order to
deliver an efficient strike to the right lung that will puncture it and end your opponent’s life
immediately.

#8 - Left Lower Leg

A practitioner here will try to deliver a powerful strike to the lower leg, targeting the knee, the shin
or the ankle. The aim of the strike is to throw your opponent off balance and immobilize him. Using
the right weapon, you might be able to break a bone or even cut a limb. The warrior is supposed to
lower his body while extending the weapon arm. He should hold the palm upward and hit any part of
the lower leg.

#9 - Right Lower Leg

This strike is just like the previous one. The practitioner will extend the weapon hand and lower his
body to hit the knee, the shin or the ankle. This time the palm should face downward.

#10 - Left Eye Poke

A targeted thrust to the eye socket will not just blind your opponent, but will also deliver real
damage to the brain. Using a sharp weapon like a sibat or the right baston can end your opponent’s
life right there. The practitioner should assume fighting stance then extend the weapon hand
forward with the palm facing outward and the elbow kept down.

#11 - Right Eye Poke

This thrust is similar to the previous one except that the practitioner will have to hold his elbow
down. This will allow him to hit the eye precisely with the right weapon penetrating all the way
through to the brain.

#12 - Strike to the crown/top of head.

This is a straight downward overhead swing directed towards the crown of the head. Hitting the top
of the head can immobilize your opponent, deliver damage to the brain and throw him off balance.
Using a real sharp or powerful weapon can even shatter the skull bones ending the fight to your
favor in a matter of seconds.