Ranges Most systems recognize that the technical nature of combat changes drastically as the distance between opponents changes, and generally classify the ranges into at least three categories. Each range has its characteristic techniques and footwork. Of course, some systems place more emphasis on certain ranges than others, but almost all recognize that being able to work in and control any range is essential. The Balintawak style for example, uses long-, medium- and short-range fighting techniques, but focuses on the short-range. To control the range, and for numerous other purposes, good footwork is essential. Most eskrima systems explain their footwork in terms of triangles: normally when moving in any direction two feet occupy two corners of the triangle and the step is to the third corner such that no leg crosses the other at any time. The shape and size of the triangle must be adapted to the particular situation. The style of footwork and the standing position vary greatly from school to school and from practitioner to practitioner. For a very traditional school, conscious of battlefield necessities, stances are usually very low, often with one knee on the ground, and footwork is complex, involving many careful cross-steps to allow practitioners to cope with multiple opponents. The Villabrille and San Miguel styles are usually taught in this way. Systems that have been adapted to duels or sporting matches generally employ simpler footwork, focusing on a single opponent. North American schools tend to use much more upright stances, as this puts less stress on the legs, but there are some exceptions. Many systems, including the Inosanto/Lacosta system of escrima/kali recognize and teach 3 basic ranges: long range (largo), medium range (medio) and short range (corto). The long range is typically defined as being able to hit the opponents lead/weapon hand with your weapon/stick only. Medium range is where you are able to strike the opponent's body/head with your weapon/stick while also checking/monitoring the opponent's lead hand with your rear/live hand. And the short range is when you can strike the opponent's body/head with your rear/live hand or being able to strike the opponent's head/body with the hilt/punyo end of the weapon/stick. Some styles or systems may also define a closer range for elbows to the head or body, or grappling.
Strikes Many Filipino systems focus on defending against and/or reacting to
angles of attack rather than particular strikes. The theory behind this is that virtually all types of hand-to-hand attacks (barehanded or with a weapon) hit or reach a combatant via these angles of attack and the reasoning is that it is more efficient to learn to defend against different angles of attack rather than learn to defend against particular styles, particular techniques or particular weapons. For instance, the technique for defending against an attack angle that comes overhead from the right is very similar whether the attacker uses bare fists, a knife, a sword or a spear. Older styles gave each angle a name, but more recent systems tend to simply number them. Many systems have twelve standard angles, though some have as few as 5, and others as many as 72. Although the exact angles, the order they are numbered in (numerado), and the way the player executes moves vary from system to system, most are based upon Filipino cosmology. These standard angles describe exercises. To aid memorization, player often practise a standard series of strikes from these angles, called an
abecedario (Spanish for "alphabet"). These are beginner strikes or the "ABC's" of Arnis. While most systems do incorporate a numbering system for the
angles of attack, not all use the same numbering system, so always get clarification before training in a new system or style. Additionally, while the angles are numbered for ease of discussion, the numbers do not generally define how the attack is thrown. That is to say, usually (excluding thrusts) a #1 angle, means an attack that starts on the right side of the practitioner and comes down at about a 45° from right to left. But, it does not matter whether this is done with the right or left hand (forehand or backhand) or if the hit continues through the target or returns back along the same line. Some angles of attack and some strikes have characteristic names: •
San Miguel – a
forehand strike with the right hand, moving from the striker's right shoulder toward their left hip. It is named after
Saint Michael the Archangel, who is often shown in traditional icons as holding a flaming, divine sword at this angle. This is the most natural strike for most untrained people. It is commonly referred to as "angle #1" in systems where striking angles are numbered for training purposes, because it is presumed the most probable angle of attack. •
Sinawalì – the double-stick weaving movement most associated with Arnis, it is named for woven coconut or palm leaves called
sawalì that are used as walls of
nipa huts. It is commonly seen in double-stick continuous attack-parry partner demonstrations. •
Redonda – a continuous, circular downward-striking, double-stick twirling technique. It whips in a circle to return to its point of origin. This is especially useful when using sticks rather than swords; it enables extremely fast strikes, but needs constant practice. •
Lobtik or Laptik – a through hit (forehand or backhand) where the weapon/stick swings through the target, coming from one side of the practitioners body and ending on the other side. Note: many systems do not allow the elbow to cross center (centerline) even though the stick or weapon is. •
Witik – a returning hit (forehand or backhand) in which the strike "bounces" off the target and comes back or returns to the same side as it started. •
Abanico – from the Spanish for "fan", it is done by flicking the wrist 180° in a fan-shaped motion. This kind of strike can be very quick and arrive from unexpected angles. This motion is often done in secession hitting targets from opposite sides creating a nearly 360° arc. And can be done in front of the practitioner or over the head. •
Pilantík – executed by whipping the stick around the wrist over the head in a motion similar to the
abanico, but in alternating 360° strikes. It is most useful when fighters are in grappling range and cannot create enough space for normal strikes. •
Hakbáng – From the Filipino for "step" or "pace", it is a general term for footwork. For example,
hakbáng paiwás is pivoting footwork, while
hakbáng tátsulók is triangular footwork. •
Puño – Spanish for "fist", "hilt", or "handle". It uses the butt of a weapon, and often targets a nerve point or soft spot on the opponent. In skilled hands, the
puño strike can be used to break bones. Many Arnis techniques have Spanish names, because Spanish was the
lingua franca spoken during colonial times among the natives, who spoke over
170 languages across 7,600 islands. Arnis techniques are generally based on the assumption that both student and opponent are very highly trained and well prepared. Thus, Arnis tends to favour extreme caution, always considering the possibility of a failed technique or an unexpected knife. On the other hand, the practitioner is assumed to be capable of quick, precise strikes. The general principle is that an opponent's ability to attack should be destroyed rather than trying to injure and convince them to stop. Many strikes are therefore aimed at the hands and arms, hoping to break the hand holding the weapon, or cut the nerves and tendons controlling it (the concept of "defanging the snake"). Strike to the eyes and legs are also important. This is summed up in a popular mnemonic: "Stick seeks bone, blade seeks flesh".
Mano Mano Mano Mano is the empty-hand component of
Filipino martial arts, particularly Arnis. The term translates as "hands" or "hand-[to]-hand" and comes from the Spanish
mano ("hand"). It is also known as
suntukan or
panununtukan in
Luzon and
pangamot in the
Visayas, as well as
De Cadena,
Cadena de Mano or
Arnis de Mano in some FMA systems. American colonists referred to it as "combat judo" or "Filipino boxing".
Mano mano moves include
kicking,
punching, locking, throwing, and
dumog (grappling). Filipino martial artists regard empty hands as another weapon, and all movements of
Mano Mano are directly based on weapon techniques. In Arnis, weapons are seen as extensions of the body, so training with weapons naturally leads to proficiency in bare-handed combat. For this reason,
Mano Mano is often taught in higher grades after weapons training has been mastered, as advanced students are expected to be able to apply experience with weapons to unarmed fighting. This not always the case though, as some systems of Arnis start with (and at times only consist of) empty hands fighting. Some notable masters of
Mano Mano include: •
Cacoy Canete •
Richard Bustillo •
Antonio Illustrisimo •
Venancio "Anciong" Bacon •
Rey Galang •
Edgar Sulite •
Danny Guba •
Francisco Guilledo •
Ceferino Garcia •
Gabriel Elorde Kicking Paninipa,
Pagsipa,
Pananadiyak,
Pagtadiyak, and
Sikaran (all terms for "kicking" in various regions, dialects and styles) are components of eskrima that focus on knees, tripping, low-line kicks, and stomps.
Pananjakman is also a term used in
Filipino-American-developed and Western FMA systems, usually referring to the system from the Lucky Lucaylucay, Floro Villabrille and
Dan Inosanto blend lineage. Except for the distinct style of
Sikaran from the Baras area of the province of
Rizal, which also uses high kicks, kicking as a separate art is never taught by itself in the Philippines, and this practice is only done in the West with
Pananjakman.
Pananjakman is usually taught together with
Panantukan.
Paninipa can be regarded as the study of leg muscles and bones and how they are connected, with the goal of either inflicting pain or outright breaking or dislocating the bones. Most striking techniques involve applying pressure to bend the target areas in unnatural ways so as to injure or break them. Such pressure may be delivered in the form of a heel smash, a toe kick, a stomp, or a knee. Targets include the groin, thighs, knees, shins, ankles, feet and toes. The upper body is used only for defensive maneuvers, making pananadiyak ideal for when combatants are engaged in a clinch. When used effectively, the strikes can bring an opponent to the ground or otherwise end an altercation by making them too weak to stand. Fundamental techniques include kicking or smashing the ankle to force it either towards or away from the opposite foot (severe supination or pronation, respectively), heel-stomping the top of the foot where it meets the lower leg so as to break or crush the numerous bones or otherwise disrupt the opponent's balance, and smashing the opponents knee from the side to break the knee (with severe supination and pronation as the desired result).
Drills in Melbourne Australia Several classes of exercises, such as
sombrada,
contrada,
sinawali,
hubud-lubud and
sequidas, initially presented to the public as a set of organized drills by the Inosanto school, are expressly designed to allow partners to move quickly and experiment with variations while remaining safe. For example, in a
sumbrada drill, one partner feeds an attack, which the other counters, flowing into a counterattack, which is then countered, flowing into a counterattack, and so on. The
hubud-lubud or
hubad-lubad from Doce Pares is frequently used as a type of "generator" drill, where one is forced to act and think fast. Initially, students learn a specific series of attacks, counters, and counter-attacks. As they advance they can add minor variations, change the footwork, or switch to completely different attacks; eventually the exercise becomes almost completely free-form. Palakaw, from the Balintawak style, are un-choreographed and random defensive and offensive moves. Palakaw in Cebuano means a walk-through or rehearsing the different strike angles and defenses. It may be known as
corridas, or striking without any order or pattern. Disarms, take-downs, and other techniques usually break the flow of such a drill, but they are usually initiated from such a sequence of movements to force the student to adapt to a variety of situations. A common practice is to begin a drill with each student armed with two weapons. Once the drill is flowing, if a student sees an opportunity to disarm their opponent, they do, but the drill continues until both students are empty-handed. Some drills use only a single weapon per pair, and the partners take turns disarming each other.
Seguidas drills, taken from the San Miguel system, are sets of hitting and movement patterns usually involving stick and dagger. Rhythm, while an essential part of eskrima drills, is emphasized more in the United States and Europe, where a regular beat serves a guide for students to follow. To ensure safety, participants perform most drills at a constant pace, which they increase as they progress. The rhythm, together with the southern Filipino attire of a vest and sashed pants, is commonly mistaken for some sort of tradition when practising eskrima in the Philippines – perhaps incorrectly derived from traditional rhythm-based dances or an attempt to add a sense of ethnicity. Eskrima is usually practised in the Philippines without a rhythm, off-beat or out of rhythm. The diversity of Filipino martial arts means that there is no officially established standard uniform in eskrima.
The live hand The
live hand (or alive hand) is the opposite hand of the practitioner that does not contain the main weapon. The heavy usage of the
live hand is an important concept and distinguishing hallmark of eskrima. Even (or especially) when empty, the
live hand can be used as a
companion weapon by eskrima practitioners. As opposed to most weapon systems like
fencing where the off-hand is hidden and not used to prevent it from being hit, eskrima actively uses the
live hand for trapping, locking, supporting weapon blocks, checking, disarming, striking and controlling the opponent. The usage of the
live hand is one of the most evident examples of how Eskrima's method of starting with weapons training leads to effective empty hand techniques. Because of
Doble Baston (double weapons) or
Espada y Daga (sword and
parrying dagger) ambidextrous weapon muscle memory conditioning, Eskrima practitioners find it easy to use the off-hand actively once they transition from using it with a weapon to an empty hand.
Doble baston Doble baston, and less frequently
doble olisi, are common names for a group of techniques involving two sticks. The art is more commonly known around the world as
Sinawali meaning "to weave". The term
Sinawali is taken from a matting called
sawali that is commonly used in the tribal Nipa Huts. It is made up of woven pieces of palm leaf and used for both flooring and walls. This technique requires the user to use both left and right weapons in an equal manner; many co-ordination drills are used to help the practitioner become more ambidextrous. It is the section of the art that is taught mainly at the intermediate levels and above and is considered one of the most important areas of learning in the art.
Sinawali at Marcos Dorta's Essential Defence Academy in Melbourne, Australia
Sinawali refers to the activity of "weaving", as applied Eskrima with reference to a set of two-person, two-weapon exercises. The term comes from "
Sawali", the woven material that typically forms the walls of
nipa huts.
Sinawali exercises provide eskrima practitioners with basic skills and motions relevant to a mode of two-weapon blocking and response method called
Doblete.
Sinawali training is often introduced to novices to help them develop certain fundamental skills – including: body positioning and distance relative to an opponent, rotation of the body and the proper turning radius, recognition of one's center of gravity, eye–hand coordination, target perception and recognition, increased ambidexterity, recognition and performance of rhythmic structures for upper body movement, and muscular developments important to the art, especially, the wrist and forearm regions. It helps teach the novice eskrimador proper positioning while swinging a weapon. ==Cross-training==