1.

Being one with the

Weapon
An olise or a stick is the primary weapon in
Balintawak Eskrima. It's made of a tough,
fibrous vine called a rattan. Its length must
be the distance from the armpit to the
fingertips. It is supported by about 2-3 inches
of the exposed butt-end. Since it's very light,
it can be moved rapidly and in succession.
Since it's made of rattan, it's almost
unbreakable.

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 Filipino Stick
Fighting – Sticks – Rattan – manufactured in the Philippines.

The Role of Filipino Stick

Fighting Weapons Training
Most of the oriental martial arts such as
Chinese and Japanese try to teach a trainee
to fight with no weapons, then, progress to
just fighting with weapons in the next stages
of training. Consequently, very few
individuals in such arts are capable of using
their weapons training during sparring.

The Filipino Martial Arts are subject to

highlight the exercise of weapons first then
secondly, the exercise of the empty-hand.
Thus, Eskrimadors are more skilled during
weapons sparring than other martial artists.

Eskrima

practitioner Adriana Liang performing creative Anyo with traditional

Eskrima weapon.

2. Drilling
Through two-man drills is how an escrima
stick fighting student is trained, under the
management of a more practiced
Eskrimador. The most important and
fundamental drill, known as “1 to 12,” entails
alternate defense and the block against the
12 basic blows. In the beginning, the strikes
are performed in a particular pre-arranged
order.

Two roles are being played; that of junior and

senior Eskrimadors. The senior Eskrimador
will try to train the junior with the correct
methods of moving and redirecting motions,
as well as through experienced advice.
Simultaneously, the senior will help improve
his movements.

First, the strikes are delivered in an identified

order, 1 to 12, but afterwards, this order is
going to be randomized.

If both trainees are rather more advanced, a

few additional techniques will be added. The
junior isn't expected to be on par with his
senior practitioner. However, his skills will
improve faster. In the end, the strikes won't
necessarily be executed with the stick; all
four limbs may be utilized.

Left-hand strikes can be done to trigger a

finger nudge towards the eyes, a chop or a
punch to the gullet or a hook to the torso. In
practice, this will correspond to a light touch
or slap. Due to the remarkable speed wherein
the exercise is performed, the student
immediately discovers not to blink the
timing, speed, distancing, and eyes.

Balintawak Eskrima defence and counter drill in transition.

For apparent reasons, the triceps are hit

rather than the temple during training. This is
regarded as an equivalent to striking the
head. The groin is hit instead of the lower
abdomen, and instead of hitting the knees,
we hit the lower leg or thigh.

3. 12 Angles of Attack
In Eskrima stick fighting, there are 12 attack
angles and 12 corresponding defenses. Every
angle of striking targets specific spots of a
body.

Example: 12 Basic Angle of

Attack in Balintawak Eskrima
 Angles number 1 and 2 are lateral strikes
from head's top to neck's base
 Angles 3 and 4 are lateral strikes from
shoulders to hips. The primary targets are the
elbows, the hands, and the shoulders
 Angle 5 is a midline push from below
upward
 Angles 6 and 7 are lateral strikes to the
armpits or chest
 Angles 8 and 9 are lateral strikes from
hips to feet. The target spots are the shins,
ankles, knees, or feet
 Angles 10 and 11 are lateral strikes to
the neck or eyes
 Angle 12 is a midline strike from above
downwards

These strikes can be executed with a stick's

end, the feet or left hand.

The fundamental training for the 12 angles is

performed with a stick against a stick. This
offers the foundation for all
succeeding Balintawak Eskrima methods,
whether executed with a stick, a knife, or
perhaps unarmed.
Master Louis Lim demonstrates striking in Balintawak Eskrima.

4. Vision
Look at your enemy's eyes at all times. If
you're a skilled fighter, you look at the eyes
of your opponent to get an overall view of his
body and movements. If not, look at the
upper body. Some fighters keep their look
focused at the opponent's lead elbow,
particularly when that limb holds a weapon.
The elbow and shoulder are slow in motion
and present a clue as to the opponent's hand
movement.

Don't blink. It could cause your defeat in a

fight. Look with two eyes and never lose sight
of the opponent.
5. Timing and Rhythm
You should know when to use your technique.
This is imperative, but hard to teach. An
opportunity occasionally presents itself very
briefly and is gone before you can even
react. Utilize the well-placed pauses and
proper rhythm. The rhythm should be
impeccable; however, this is delicate and
hard to learn.

Don't rush it; you'll lose power and balance.

Sometimes, a quick movement is less
efficient than a slower one. Some styles
depend on a slight pause to get the proper
timing. This doesn't mean that you have to
be slower than your opponent though and
you must deliver strikes fast at the right
opportunity.
6. Mental States
Pay strong attention to your enemy and your
environment, but move with no forethought
or thinking. The thinking process is slow and
oftentimes, you will be late if you think
before you react. Therefore, rely more on
your muscle memory which is faster and
more efficient.

7. Speed
At numerous demonstrations, professional
martial artists of different techniques have
been provided with a stick and a helmet and
asked to block a stick strike in escrima
fighting. To this point, nobody, including
some black belts, has been able to perform
at their best.

This isn't asserted to demean the black belts'

abilities, but to show that a strike in eskrima
kali is extremely fast. A great amount of
practice is what it takes to safeguard against
a stick used in this way before one could
even notice the stick move – you'd be hit
before you know it. It takes particular styles
like Balintawak Eskrima to block a fast blow.

Make the blows faster and more

unpredictable by not winding-up. To
maximize the blow's speed during the
fighting, snap the wrist while striking with the
body. Much of the power is generated in this
way as well. The elbow and shoulder joints
can also be used to adjust the distance.

Proper torque creates power for finishing

blows generated from the shoulder and hip
joints.
 Sports

arnis practitioners in tournament.

8. Economy
Economical movements are a necessity. Seek
out the shortest trajectory. This can be
compared with the more extended circular
trajectories for strikes and blocks that take a
longer time to hit the target. In stepping,
don't perform 270-degree turns just like the
ones found in a few other martial arts. In
Balintawak Eskrima, for example, cross-
stepping, as observed in other techniques,
isn't practiced.
9. Relaxation
Stay relaxed and loose, to make each motion
explosive. For speed, utilize muscular
explosion. The relaxation principle is one
that's applicable to swift motion because
relaxed arm and body will speed up faster.

10. Principles of blocking,

throwing and striking with
power
Numerous principles of body dynamics are
utilized to build superior power. The most
imperative perhaps is the twisting for power
principle. All arm movements, whether
executed with the rear front leg, are
performed with a powerful body twist.

This, in fact, provides strikes in the lead hand

almost as much control as strikes in the rear
hand. Another significant component in
obtaining power is using gravity by dropping
your weight. This can be increased when
stepping through, or allowing the blow to
drop into the body before planting the
stepping foot.

Power can be created in strikes when one

slants into a blow. Finally, many blows create
extra power by snapping or twisting the
wrist.

Balintawa

k Master performing “Cuentada” with student.

11. Distance and Range
Even though it's obvious to the inexperienced
person, controlling the space between you
and your enemy might be the one most
significant aspect of achieving success.
Additionally, at various ranges, various
dynamics just appear out of nowhere and
various techniques can be applied.

During the engagement, you might come

across numerous distinct ranges in an
explosive exchange. The following
classification scheme resembles several
others in regular use and must be functional.
Distance is arranged from far away range to
a very close one, with five categories.

1st – outside range – initial distance. At

this point, no contact is made with a weapon
or foot without coming closer first. You keep
your head farther than the range and utilize
long-range defense styles. This is temporarily
a safe position. If you move toward any
nearer than this range, you must stay at the
offensive.

2nd – long-distance range. This will allow

you to successfully strike your enemy with a
long weapon or a leg, without stepping. You
must never remain within this range and do
not engage in the attack.

3rd – punching range. This will let you hit

your enemy with close kicks, hand, or a knife.

4th – in the – fighting range -a little

closer. At this point, you can utilize hook
punches, elbows, disarms, uppercuts, arms
leverage kind takedowns, off- sweeps,
balancing, restraining, trapping and turning
techniques.
5th – grappling range – the closest. You
may utilize judo and wrestling kind
groundwork and take-downs. This is the ideal
range of the Jiu-jitsu exponent or the
wrestler.

Even though the ground is typically related to

grappling styles, it is likely to use in- fighting
styles on the ground and not get into
wrestling holds.
Balintawak eskrima practitioner performing basic strikes on target.
12. Positioning Yourself
Weapons must be delivered at the proper
distances for defense or attack. Use the body
motion to set the weapons for a successful
attack. Apply body motion to evade from the
attacker's weapons. Thus, excellent footwork
is necessary. If your footwork is very slow,
the evasion or attack would be slow, and
power won't be optimal.

When positioning in proportion to the

opponent, you should control your distance.
If you control the distance, you can control
the fight. Remember that different styles and
techniques are appropriate for various
ranges.