The use of kicks in escrima, arnis, kali weapons fighting

June 7, 2014 9:27 pm

By Perry Gil S. Mallari
Martial Talk

In escrima, arnis and kali weapons fighting, every limb is used in addition to the
stick or knife that the fighter is wielding. A description of juego todo (full contact
stickfighting match without armor using live sticks) practiced in the Philippines as
well as in Filipino farming communities in Hawaii and California during the first half
of the last century is The Filipino Martial Arts, and it reads, Escrima stick fighting
matches were full-contact bouts without the aid of armor, which resulted in death or
permanent injury to the participants. They usually use the stick in the right hand
and punched with the left hand. The use of the elbow, knee and head were common
at close range combat. Combat grappling-like techniques [standing or on the
ground] were applied. These included throws, trips, sweeps, take downs, chokes,
strangulation, dislocations and locks on the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders,
ankles and knees. The feet were used for kicking at the low level.
Because of their locations, it is but logical that hands are used for hitting the high
line area while the feet are utilized for striking the low line area. This article will just
focus on the use of kicks in Filipino martial arts weapons fighting. Sipa, sikad and
tadyak are Filipino words for kick.
The rationale behind the use of kicks or punches or whatever other weapon you
have at your disposal in addition to your stick or knife is simple: the more weapons
you have, the more advantage you have over your opponent provided you know
how to use them. In the case of using kicks, that means your opponent has an extra
pair weapons to worry about attacking his low line.
Escrima, arnis and kali possess a particular structure and a kick or any other
technique will only work effectively if they fit well with that structure. Simple low
kicks blend naturally with Filipino weapons fighting than high flamboyant kicks. I
have seen some practitioners integrate high kicks into their weapons fighting and
while they are impressive to behold, they may not be very practical to use in real
combat.
My opinion is based on the fact that in Filipino weapons fighting, the stick or the
knife is the primary implement for inflicting damage and everything else is but an

auxiliary tool. In weapons fighting, it is easy to understand that human limbs can
rarely compete against the hardness of wood and steel.
High kicks are long range tools and are often used for bridging the gap in empty
hand combat. But if you employ the same technique in Filipino weapons fighting,
you would be in for serious trouble because even the most mediocre of escrimadors
know that all he has to do is to meet your kick with the edge or point of his knife to
neutralize your attack. This is also the reason why kicking the attackers hand
holding the knife, taught in some martial arts style as practical self-defense
technique, is not at all practical.
In Filipino weapons fighting, kicks come into play when the high line was closed
because the two fighters were in a clinch or within medium range. In the clinch
range, the best leg techniques to employ are foot stomp to the instep, oblique kick
to the knee (the motion for this kick is more like stepping on the knee joint rather
than simply pushing outward), low side kick to the shin or knee, as well as knee
strike to the sciatic nerve on the outer thigh or to the groin.
The Thai martial art of krabi krabong blended weapons fighting and kicking
techniques perfectly. If youre going to adopt the krabi krabong paradigm, then you
can add the front kick and the infamous Thai round kick (best aimed at the sciatic
nerve on the outer thigh or at the rib cage) to your repertoire. I have observed that
in krabi krabong, the kicks were inserted in between the engagements of weapons
often at medium range. The Dog Brothers produced an instructional material on the
merging of kali and krabi krabong structures which they dubbed Los Triques
(meaning the three Ks, the initials of the words kali and krabi krabong would
produce KKK).
Just like in other techniques of escrima, arnis and kali, learning kicks should begin
with the achievement of proper form. Next is the attainment of the attributes that
make a technique work like power, speed, accuracy and timing. With these
accomplished, you can proceed on inserting kicks when training with your weapons
whether solo or with a partner.
Always bear in mind that within the context of Filipino weapons fighting, kicks are
just auxiliary tools used to achieve the following objectives: to inflict additional
damage, as a distraction so you can score a hit or as a way to disengage and create
distance. They are a means to an end rather than the end in itself.

Reference: Manila Times: http://www.manilatimes.net/the-use-of-kicks-in-escrimaarnis-kali-weapons-fighting/102393/

Knife fighting: The backbone of Filipino martial arts
November 16, 2013 9:43 pm
By Perry Gil S. Mallari

The attacker delivers a high stab with his right hand. Punong Lakan Garitony
Nicolas checks the attackers knife hand with his left hand while performing an
upward cut on the elbow crook with his knife.

Dan Inosanto once said that the knife is the backbone of the Filipino martial arts
(FMA). The Philippines has an enduring blade culture and Filipino men in earlier
times considered their attires incomplete without their knives on them. In some FMA
schools, the stick is a mere training tool to teach the movements of the blade.
The one thing that separates knife fighting from stick fighting or empty hand
fighting is that it requires a killing commitment. There are primarily two ways to
inflict damage with a knife to stab with its point or to slash with its edge.

In the above photos, Punong Lakan Garitony Nicolas, the founder of Modern Arnis
Mano-Mano Filipino Martial Arts demonstrates a solo daga or single knife technique
using the pakal or ice pick grip while his opponent employs a standard grip.

Reference: Manila Times: http://www.manilatimes.net/knife-fighting-the-backboneof-filipino-martial-arts/53501/