ARNIS

History of ARNIS
 This martial art was originated in the Philippines.
 The primary weapon used in this traditional martial art is the cane or baton.
 It also involves hand-to-hand combat grappling, and weapons disarming.

Martial Arts
- are combative practices that act as a form of self-defense, physical and spiritual development,
and preservation of cultural heritage.

Arnis
 also know as “kali” or “eskrima”
 refers to a category of Filipino martial arts that emphasizes the use of weapons –
whether it be fighting sticks, blades, or improvised weapons.
 It is a Filipino Martial art that can be performed individually or with a partner.
 Because of the new culture brought by our colonizers, Arnis was overshadowed and
almost went out of the spotlight.
 Luckily, with the rise of martial arts as a popular sport during the 1980s, arnis was able
to recapture the interest of the Filipinos and the whole world in general.

Remy Presas
 Modern Arnis is the system of Filipino fighting arts founded by Remy Presas as a self-
defense system.
 His goal was to create an injury-free training method as well as an effective self-defense
system to preserve the older Arnis systems.

 It is a combination of pre-arranged or choreographed striking, blocking, and body shifting

techniques.
 Arnis was declared as the national sport of the country.
 Today, the governing body of Arnis in the Philippines is the PEKAF Philippine Eskrima
Kali Arnis Federation.

SKILLS THAT ARNIS DEVELOP

*SELF-DEFENSE
*SELF-DISCIPLINE
*BALANCE
*STAMINA
*SPEED
*POWER
*FLEXIBILITY

Equipment
A. Facilities and Equipment
1. Weapons.
a. The primary weapon is rattan sticks called baston, cane or baton.
b. Standard size – 28 inches or 71 cm in length and 1 inch or 3 cm in diameter.

2. Foam
- cushion material- should be foaming the padded sticks and shall have a maximum grip
diameter not greater than 3.81 cm. for competition use.
3. Head Protector
- refers to a pair of protective head gear to include an impact-worthy face mask.

4. Body Protector
- refers to a pair of body protector, properly cushioned to avoid injuries and the specifications
shall be according to the i-ARNIS.

5. Groin & Body Protector

- to avoid injuries and the specification shall be according to the i-ARNIS.

6. Forearm & Chin Guards

- a compulsory to also avoid severe injuries while having a fight or competition.

Facility
Playing Area
- A square measuring 8 m by 8 m with a 2 m minimum free zone around it, and a clear space
without any obstruction up to a height of not less than 5 m from the playing surface

Terminology
1. Abanico corto and abanico largo
- are striking techniques that consist of moving the stick in front of the body in fanning-like
movement, hence term "abanico," which is the Spanish word for "fan."

2. Anyo
- is a combination of pre-arranged or choreographed striking, block and body shifting
movements that is equivalent to the kata of martial arts.

3. Banda y banda
- is a striking technique that consists of pointing the forward and moving it rapidly and
horizontally from left to right in front of the body.

4. Cross strike
is an upward-downward strike with counterstrike horizontally to the right and left alternately
across the body.

5. Double zero-is a right, downward

- strike performed diagonally while twisting the forearm to make a circling movement overhead
and to strike forward in a horizontal motion.

6. Redonda
- is a striking technique wherein all the blows are directed to the head or crown. It involves
synchronized movements of the shoulder, arms, wrists, and trunk.

7. Rompida
- is a striking technique that consists of circling the stick in front of the head prior to each up and
down striking movement of the body.

8. Sangga at patama
- is a prearranged or choreographed form of play consisting of striking, thrusting, and parrying.
Forms of Play
1. Solo Baston (Single Stick)
- uses a single wooden stick or cane.

2. Espada y Daga (Sword and Dagger)

- uses a long wooden sword and a short dagger.

3. Sinawali or Doble Baston (Double Stick)

- is a form of play showing the use of two sticks depicting the sawali, a native material made of
tiny bamboo slits in crisscross design used for house walling

Grip
 Arnis teaches you the proper gripping technique for you to control the movement of your
chosen weapon, especially for wooden sticks or canes. Always keep your fist away from the
lowermost portion of the stick or your chosen weapon. Close your grip with your thumb
 Hold the stick one fist away from the punyo (butt) of the stick. Close the grip with the thumb.

Posture
Good posture aids you in executing the proper strikes.
1. Front-facing. You directly face your opponent.
2. Half front. Your body faces 45 degrees to either left or right.
3. Side-facing. Your body entirely faces either left or right.

Ready Stance/ Handa

•It is how you move your body when preparing for an attack or block.

1. Ready Stance (handa)

 is standing with ease during training or tournament.
 Stand with your feet apart parallel to the shoulder with both toes pointing forward. The knees
should be straight, the waist and the body facing forward. Hands are on waist level and the
hands should hold the sticks on both sides. The ready stance is commonly used when
standing at ease during training or tournaments.

2. Attention Stance (Pugay)

is used in preparation of bowing or courtesy. It is a sign of respect to your opponent and a
display of sportsmanship.

3. Forward Stance
 is used with frontal striking or blocking techniques.
 Starting with the ready stance, move one foot forward until the knee and the toe are in line to
each other. Both toes are pointing in front, the waist and the body is facing forward. The body
should not be too low or the lead foot too extended otherwise it will be hard to maneuver.
 Forward Stance is commonly used with frontal striking or blocking techniques.

4. Oblique stance
Oblique stances can be right foot lead, which is the Right Foot Oblique Stance or it can be left
foot lead which is Left Foot Oblique Stance. Oblique Stances are commonly used for forward
blocking and evasion techniques.
5. Straddle Stance or horseback-riding stance
is used to block the strikes to the sides of the body. It mimics the position of riding a horse.
6. Attention Stance
 Side Stance
 Side Stances are commonly used for strike deflection and evasion techniques.
 If the left foot moves to the side it becomes the Right Foot Side Stance, if the right foot moves
to the side it becomes Right Foot Side Stance.

7. Attention Stance
 Back Stance
 Back stances are used for blocking and backward evasion techniques.
 Back stances can be right foot lead, which is the Right Foot Back Stance or it can be left foot
lead which is Left Foot Back Stance.

The 12 Striking Techniques

1. Left Temple
2. Right Temple
3. Left Arm
4. Right Arm
5. Thrust to the stomach
6. Left Chest
7. Right Chest
8. Right Foot
9. Left Foot
10. Left Eye
11. Right Eye
12. Crown or top of the head