Eskrima Kali Arnis History

Arnis, the only known traditional Philippino Martial Arts, has its roots deep in the culture and history of the Philippino people. The exact date of its origin, however, remains unclear. Traces of historical evidence reveal that this manly art of self defense no doubt existed long before the arrival of the first Spanish colonizers in the country.

Lapulapu

The first known Philippino hero, Lapulapu, was believed to be one of the foremost masters of arnis, which was known during that time in the native dialect as pangamut. In fact, Lapulapu had vigorously trained and prepaired his men for "Showdown" fights against his enemies long before his historic battle with Ferdinand Magellan on April 27, 1521, in Mactan Island. It was no surprise then, that when the first circumnavigator of the world tried to subdue the recalcitrant Lapulapu, who refused to come and meet him in Cebu, Magellan and his men were met not with a hail of bullets but with wooden instruments, spears, and bolos. It was ironic that when the smoke of that epic battle cleared, the Spanish conquistadors more "modern" weapons were no match for the crude wooden arms of Lapulapu and his warriors. Magellan lost his life in that battle.
dlade fighting at the battle of Mactan
In the book De Los Delitos, printed in 1800 by Don Baltazar Gonzales in Madrid, Spain, the author tells that it may have been Datu Mangal, the father of Lapulapu, who brought the art of stickfighting to Mactan Island, and Sri Batugong and his son Sri Bantug Lumay who brought the art to the neighboring island of Sugbu (Cebu). Bantug Lumay was the father of Sri Humabon or Rajah Humabon. Humabon was the chieftain of Sugbu at the time when Magellan arrived in 1521.

Lapulapu, even before his momentous meeting with Magellan, had been training his men because of his bitter rivalry with Rajah Humabon, whom he accused of having grabbed a portion of his father's land, particularly the sea area between the Mactan Island and Cebu. The feud between these two local chieftains contributed significantly to the early development of the 'old' arnis. The showdown between Lapulapu and Humabon, however, was never realised. Rather, it was in the battle of Mactan where the native martial art was put to a real test against the modern weapons of the forein invaders. The rest is history.
pintado warrior

Exceptional skill of Philippino warriors

When Miguel Lopez de Legaspi landed in the Philippines and established the first settlement in 1565, he and his men noted that the Filipinos were a class by themselves in the art of stickfighting and blade or swordfighting. He had his first glimpse of the natives exceptional skill and ability during his landing in Leyte in 1564 when he was entertained with an Arnis demonstration by the warriors of Chieftain Malitik. Similar demonstrations were made upon visits in Limasawa, Camiguin, Cebu and other places.

Total ban of Arnis

However, when the Spaniards gained substantial control of the country it discouraged the practice of Arnis. Fearful of the Filipinos exceptional skill, they imposed a total ban in the practice of the art. Although the reason given was the unusual long hours spent by the natives in the practice and training, hence, neglecting their works it was obvious the authorities were fearful of the threat to their lives at the hands of the very skillfull and well trained people. Hence, the Filipinos put aside their training devices and abandoned the practice of Arnis.

Moro Moro plays and dances

It was not until the 19th century that Arnis began to surface again into popularity among the natives. The rapid growth was attributed to the introduction of the Moro Moro plays and dances which became popular among the Filipinos and gave them the opportunity to circumvent the rulr which prohibited the display and carrying of bladed weapons. It was believed that the sayaw dancerMoro-Moro plays and dances were invented to primarily give the Filipinos excuse or cover to resume the practice and training of Arnis. As a result, the people concentrated in mastering the art with the use of a piece of hardwood called "bahi" or "kamagong" or with the use of rattan or cane known as "oway". Through some kind of subterfuge behind the disguise of performing stage plays and dances or dance movements, the Filipinos were able tp practice and continue their arnis training with the use of bladed weapons known as "kali". "Kali" is a type of broad sword still popular among the Filipinos particularly those in the southern part of the country including the Muslim provinces.

Eskrima

Due to the Spanish influence this Filipino Martial Arts came to be known as "Arnis de Mano", derived from a Spanish word "arnés", meaning defensive armor. It also acquired namesakes such as "estokada", "estoque", "fraile", "arnes de mano", or simply "arnis". Among the tagalogs, it is known as "pananandata", the Pangasinan natives "kalirongan", the Ilocanos "didya" or "kabaraon", the Ibanags "pagkalikali", the Pampanguenos "siniwali" and the Visayans "kaliradman" or "pagaradman", later on "esgrima" or "eskrima".
The word "eskrima" is derived from the Spanish word "esgrima" which means fencing. The name of the stick which could either be rattan or a piece of hardwood used in "eskrima" is called either "olisi", "baston" or "garote". The word "eskrima" became popular in the early years of the American regime, when the first Arnis club organized in Cebu City, Central Philippines in 1920, the Labangon Fencing Club used the term in their practice of the art.

Competitive sport with Doce Pares

In 1932, Doce Pares Association, with all the well known grandmasters based in Cebu as nucleus, came into being. This organisation became so popular that its name was almost synonymous with martial art or Arnis and it was to its credit that Arnis was widely practiced as a sort of competitive sport. Its rule on sparring matches had received broad acceptance, so that in early 1970, it was generally accepted by all the arnis clubs, schools and organisations in the country. In fact, the present tournament rules adopted by the Worl Eskrima Kali Arnis Organisation (WEKAF) and the National Arnis Association of the Phlilippines (NARAPHIL) have been substantially lifted from this old rules of Doce Pares.
protective gear can be seen on the orderpage

Revival of Eskrima Kali Arnis

The revival of arnis to its present level of popularity is credited to the National Arnis Association of the Philippines (NARAPHIL), which was organized in 1975 mainly to promote and propagate the Filipino art. NARAPHIL implemented major programs which in a short time catapulted arnis to a level of acceptability and popularity on a par with other known martial arts. During the first world championships in 1989 NARAPHIL organizeed a congress which led to the formation of the World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF). Some 78 representatives from ten countries including the Philippines became charter members of the federation.