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by rec-martial-arts on July 15th, 2003

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What should I know about Kali?

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  • by Blackfire on March 28th, 2009

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  • by rec-martial-arts on July 15th, 2003

    rec-martial-arts

    (Contributors: Andy Maddox - modsox@clark.net, Russ Rader - rlrader@ix.netcom.com, Tim Rivera - river@umr.edu)

    Intro:

    Kali, Escrima, and Arnis are all terms for the native fighting arts of the Philippines, specifically the arts that use weapons. 'Arnis' and 'Escrima' (or 'Eskrima') are words rooted in Spanish, while 'Kali' shows up in various pre-Spanish Pilipino dialects.

    Some authorities say that Arnis is a term used in the northern parts of Luzon Island, Escrima or Eskrima is used more commonly in the middle parts of the Philippines, such as Cebu City, and Kali is used in the southern island of Mindanao. Some of those who say that Kali is the term for the southern styles claim that, since Mindanao was never conquered by the Spanish to the extent that the rest of the Philippines was, Kali more closely resembles the original pre-Spanish arts of the area, and is more "complete" (covers more combative possibilities).

    There are also some who claim that the word Kali is part of a modern attempt to marginalize the Spanish (and other European) influence on Filipino martial arts, and some go so far as to refer to Kali as a "Filipino-American" style.

    However, most people tend to say that the words don't matter - every village, and often every master, has a distinct style, and that's what the important thing is - "do you study Illustrisimo, Caballero, or Cabales style?" Not "do you study escrima or kali?"

    Origin: The Phillipines

    History:
    Filipino martial arts are the result of the interaction of Spanish and possibly Italian and other European styles of sword-fighting (cut and thrust rather than fencing, probably) with the native arts that existed at the time. Although the European influence is probably mostly Spanish, there is some evidence of Italian and possibly other European mercenaries present in the Phillippines, and they probably used (and possibly taught) their own native fighting styles.

    The most popular legend concerning the Filipino arts is that Datu (Chief) Lapu Lapu killed the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan in personal combat.

    Description:
    There are many different styles of Filipino martial arts, but general categories can be drawn along the lines of range. Largo Mano styles tend to prefer staying at long distance from their opponents, and using well-timed and placed strikes to the hands of their opponents to disarm them. Corto or Serrada styles are the opposite, tending to crowd into their opponents, where the opponent will hopefully be uncomfortable and unprepared, while the Serrada practitioner, by virtue of his practice, will feel at home at this range. Other styles prefer the medio, or middle range, which is between Largo Mano and Serrada. There are also styles, such as Lameco Escrima, that address all three ranges. The name Lameco even comes from these ranges; (La)rgo Mano, (Me)dio, and (Co)rto.

    The different Filipino styles typically cover some (or all) of the following areas:

    1 Single Stick (or long blade)
    2 Double long weapon
    3 Long & Short (sword & dagger, e.g.)
    4 Single dagger
    5 Double Dagger
    6 Palm Stick/Double-end Dagger
    7 Empty Hands (punching, kicking, grappling)
    8 Spear/Staff, long weapons (two-handed)
    9 Flexible weapons (whip, sarong, etc.)
    10 Throwing weapons
    11 Projectile weapons (bows, blowguns)
    12 Healing arts

    A further distinction that some people make is that some Filipino styles are, at their heart, blade arts, while others are designed to work with sticks. There are some arts, such as Sayoc Kali, that focus on the knife almost exclusively, while there are others, such as some lineages of Balintawak Eskrima, that focus almost entirely on the single stick. This focus in certain lineages or styles may be the origin of the notion that Kali is more "complete" than Arnis or Escrima. However, this is a matter of some contention.

    A distinctive feature of all of these Filipino arts is their use of geometry. In strikes/defenses and movement, lines and angles are very important. In addition, the independent use of the hands, or hands and feet, to do two different things at the same time, is a high-level skill sought after a fair amount of experience.

    Training:
    Filipino styles normally classify attacks not by their weapon, or their delivery style, but by the direction of their energy - for example, a strike to the head is usually analyzed in terms of "a high lateral strike." A punch to the gut is treated much the same as a straight knife thrust to that region would be. Students learn how to deal with the energy of the attack, and then apply that knowledge to the slight variations that come with different lengths and types of weapons.

    Filipino arts place great emphasis on footwork, mobility, and body positioning. The same concepts (of angles of attack, deflections, traps, passes, etc.) are applied to similar situations at different ranges, making the understanding of ranges and how to bridge them very important. The Filipinos make extensive use of geometric shapes, superimposing them on a combat situation, and movement patterns, to teach fighters to use their position and their movement to best advantage. Some styles emphasize line-cutting (a la Wing Chun), while some are very circular (like Aikido). Some like to stay at long range, some will move inside as soon as possible. These differences are hotly debated, as are most things, but they all work differently for different people.

    Most Filipino arts stress the importance of disarming an opponent in combat. This is not usually done gently, or by using a complex disarm (although these are taught), but by "destroying" the hand holding the attacking weapon using your weapon (break the hand, and the stick will fall.) This is often referred to as "de-fanging the snake", since a poisonous snake that has no fangs cannot harm you.

    Sub-Styles:

    Latosa Escrima, Serrada Escrima, Dumog, Panandiakman, Panantukan, Sikaran.

    Serrada Escrima, Balintawak Eskrima, Modern Arnis, Garimot Arnis, Inosanto/LaCoste Kali, Sayoc Kali, Doce Pares, Pekiti-Tirsia Kali, many more.

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