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Filipino martial arts (FMA) refer to ancient and newer modified fighting methods devised in the Philippines. It incorporates elements from both Western and Eastern Martial Arts, the most popular forms of which are known as Arnis, Eskrima, and Kali. The intrinsic need for self-preservation was the genesis of these systems. Throughout the ages, invaders and evolving local conflict imposed new dynamics for combat in the islands now making up the Philippines. The Filipino people developed battle skills as a direct result of an appreciation of their ever-changing circumstances. They learned often out of necessity how to prioritize, allocate and use common resources in combative situations. Filipinos have been heavily influenced by a phenomenon of cultural and linguistic mixture. Some of the specific mechanisms responsible for cultural and martial change extended from phenomena such as war, political and social systems, technology, trade and practicality.
Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima/Escrima, is the national martial art of the Philippines. The three are roughly interchangeable umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives, bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons, as well as "open hand" techniques without weapons.
The kampilan also known as talong is a type of single-edged sword, traditionally used by various ethnic groups in the Philippine archipelago. It has a distinct profile, with the tapered blade being much broader and thinner at the point than at its base, sometimes with a protruding spikelet along the flat side of the tip. The design of the pommel varies between ethnic groups, but it usually depicts a kakatua (cockatoo).
A butterfly knife, also known as a Balisong, fan knife or Batangas knife, is a type of folding pocketknife that originated in the Philippines. Its distinct features are two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. A latch holds the handles together, typically mounted on the one facing the cutting edge.
A bolo is a general term for traditional pre-colonial small to medium-sized single-edged swords or large knives of the Philippines that function as both tools and weapons. They are characterized by a curved wide blade that narrows towards the hilt, with pointed or blunt tips. Bolos are a common tool in the Philippines and are often compared to the machete.
The Pinuti is a Filipino sword from the Visayas, Philippines. The weapon was originally intended as an agricultural implement. The grip is usually made of guava wood, which is light. The blade itself is approximately 16 to 18 inches long.
Kinamutay, commonly but incorrectly orientalized kino mutai, is a specialized subsection of some martial arts that emphasizes biting, pinching, eye-gouging, and other forms of "dirty" fighting techniques. Kinamutay involves extensive use of grappling and manipulation of nerve and pressure points, so as to allow the kinamutay practitioner to inflict pain and control the opponent while applying the techniques. Although in Cebu it is culturally associated with women's catfighting, the techniques used are effective against opponents of all sizes.
Pekiti-Tirsia Kali is a style specific to Filipino martial arts. Pekiti-Tirsia Kali was founded in 1897 and is the system of the Tortal family. The sole heir and guardian of this system is Leo Gaje. Pekiti-Tirsia is strictly a combat-oriented system, as opposed to a sport-focused fighting style. It is a fighting system that focuses on edged, impact and improvised weapons. PTK has been adopted as the preferred combative training program by elite military and law enforcement units around the world. It claims to be a very lethal fighting method for self-defense.
A kalis is a type of double-edged Philippine sword, often with a "wavy" section. The kalis has a double-edged blade, which is commonly straight from the tip but wavy near the handle. Kalis with fully straight or fully wavy blades also exist. It is similar to the Javanese keris, but differs in that the kalis is a sword, not a dagger. It is much larger than the keris and has a straight or slightly curved hilt, making it primarily a heavy slashing weapon.
Sibat is the Filipino word for spear, used as a weapon or tool by natives of the Philippines. The term is used in Tagalog and Kinaray-a. It also called bangkaw, sumbling or palupad in the islands of Visayas and Mindanao; and budjak among Muslim Filipinos in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.
"Weapons of Moroland" is a plaque or crest containing miniature models of weapons used by warriors from the indigenous peoples of Mindanao in the Philippines. As a souvenir, it is fairly common in gift shops, and is considered a pop culture icon. Displaying the plaque in one's home is one of several indications of "how Filipino" one is. It is jokingly used as a description of resistance to colonialism.
The gunong is a knife from Mindanao and the Visayas islands of the Philippines. In ancient past, it was called bunong by the Tagalog people. It is essentially a diminutive form of the larger kalis or kris. The gunong serves both as a utility knife and as a thrusting weapon used for close quarter fighting—usually as a last defense. It is most often associated with the Maranao, among whom the gunong was traditionally carried by both sexes, although it exists in other cultures throughout Mindanao and the Visayas. The weapon is generally tucked into the back of a waist sash.
The Dahong Palay, literally "rice leaf" in Tagalog, is a single-edged sword from the Philippines, specifically the Southern Tagalog provinces. The sword's name could either be a reference to the similarity of its shape to the leaves of rice or to local green "dahong palay" snakes, purported to be extremely venomous. The snake is probably the green specimen of the Philippine Pit Viper, Trimeresurus flavomaculatus, though it is sometimes identified as various relatively harmless green snakes, like vine snakes. The dahong palay was originally used as a farmer's tool, for clearing thick grass growths. However, during the Philippine revolution of 1896, farmers from Batangas soon came to favor it for its slashing and thrusting "feel".
Arnis in popular culture reflects the impact that the Filipino martial arts of Arnis/Eskrima/Kali have made outside of the martial arts community. The three terms are roughly interchangeable and for the purpose of convenience, the term Arnis will be used throughout the article. These arts emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, blades, improvised weapons and hand-to-hand fighting which is formally known as Mano Mano or Pangamut. Because of this training with live weapons, elements of Arnis have made an impact in film, video games, television, and comic books. Arnis is often used to train actors and stuntmen how to handle similar weapons for use in movies.
Suntukan is the fist-related striking component of Filipino martial arts. In the central Philippine island region of Visayas, it is known as Pangamot or Pakamot and Sumbagay. It is also known as Mano-mano and often referred to in Western martial arts circles of Inosanto lineage as Panantukan. Although it is also called Filipino Boxing, this article pertains to the Filipino martial art and should not be confused with the Western sport of boxing as practiced in the Philippines. In recent times, suntukan has become a generalized term for any brawls in the Philippines, with the term panantukan becoming more frequently used to denote the actual martial art.
The baston is one of the primary weapons of Arnis and Filipino martial arts. It is also known as yantok, olisi, palo, pamalo, garrote, caña, cane, arnis stick, eskrima stick or simply, stick.
Pirah or pira is a type of Philippine bolo sword or knife characterized by a heavy blade and a wide tip. It superficially resembles a falchion but is much heavier. It is the traditional weapon favored by the Yakan people of Basilan Island. It usually features a kakatua ("cockatoo") hilt, which among the Yakan is distinctively elongated to function as arm support. Among Cebuano people and other Visayans, a similar sword is also known as the pira, but differs in that it has an acutely pointed tip. Like other bolos, pirah were commonly used as farm implements, in addition to being used in combat.
Balarao, also known as "winged dagger", is a Filipino dagger used throughout the pre-colonial Philippines. It is unusually shaped, with a leaf-like blade and a finger-fitting grip consisting of two horn-like projections at the pommel and no guards. The tang also protrudes at the back. The dagger is a status symbol among nobility and warriors and is usually finely-worked with precious metals, ivory, and horn.
Lahot also called Gamong is a traditional Filipino ethnic Moro weapon. It is a long, thin one handed sword designed for slashing and thrusting. The length is about 24-28 inches. The design of the hilt is a typical hook to prevent slipping when wet.
References
- ↑ Lawrence, Marc (2009). "Filipino Weapons from A to Z" (PDF). Filipino Martial Arts Digest. Stephen K. Dowd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-24. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ↑ "Balasiong". Traditional Filipino Weapons. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
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