History

Arnis, as a martial art, was spawned in Philippine soil. It was known in ancient Philippines as kali,
an ancient Malayan word that implies a large bladed weapon longer than a knife. This art was practiced
primarily for self-defense by the pre-Spanish Filipinos who were noted for their friendly nature and
legendary hospitality.
The art of hand-to-hand combat has always been an integral part of the Filipino in his long,
turbulent, and bloody history. By force of necessity and self-preservation he became an expert in fighting
with his hands, either bare or with a stick and a bladed weapon. Even before the introduction of the bladed
weapon, the early Filipinos were already a fighting people using the bow and arrow or the longbow. The
primitive Negritos, coming from Central Asia during prehistoric times, were experts in these weapons.
Arnis de mano is the best known and the most systematic fighting art in the Philippines. It is a
perfected art after a long historical development from the kali systems designed to train the student to defend
himself against armed or unarmed attacks. Arnis, as it is commonly called, has also been known in other
dialects as estacada among the Tagalog provinces and estoque or fraile in other regions.

Arnis Courtesy
This is the official modern arnis salute.
1. Face your partner/ opponent with your feet together, body erect holding your
stick parallel to the ground in both hands (palms down).
2. Move your left foot until your feet are shoulder width apart an open leg stance.
3. Bring your left foot back and raise your stick up in your right hand so that it is
perpendicular to the ground, and bring your left hand up, palm flat against your
chest.
4. Return to the open leg stance with your stick held horizontally in both hands
(the same as step 2).
Arnis Grip
The first step is to locate the intersection of your fingers and your palm. This is the area
where your palm and fingers connect. Second, at this intersection, you should place the
Arnis stick so that the stick is perpendicular to your fingers. Third, fold your fingers around
the stick so that you can have the maximum surface area of your fingers and palm in contact
with the stick. This will help you in having a comfortable yet strong grip on the stick.
Finally, try to wiggle or shake the stick in your hand a little so that your grip can adjust
around the stick and be more comfortable.
ARNIS STANCES
1. Ready Stance
This is the most common used stance when you are standing at ease. You can
use this stance in tournaments and fights before you start engaging with the opponent. In
this stance you need to stand with your toes pointing forward and your feet parallel to
your shoulders. Standing with your feet apart gives you balance so that you can move to
the next position and attack your opponent. You need to keep your knees straight and
your whole body facnother weapon.
2. Attention Stance
This stance is different from the ready stance, since you stand with your feet forming a 45
degrees angle. Your torso and the legs should be facing forward while keeping the knees straight. In
this stance, you will stand with the heels close to each other and the shoulders dropped to the sides.
Both hands should be kept at the waist level. This attention stance is usually used for courtesy in
preparation for a fight at the beginning before sparring.
3. Forward Stance
As you start from the ready stance, you will have to move one foot to the
front. You will have to do this until your toes and your knee are in line with each
other. Your toes, torso and waist will be facing forward, hence the name of the stance.
Make sure that your foot is not too much extended or the body is too low, otherwise
it will be hard to maneuver or attack from this position. You should be able to
distribute the weight of the body equally on both legs. There are two types of forward
stances. The right foot stance or the left foot one, depending on the foot you are
extending to the front. It is usually used in striking or blocking techniques.
4. Oblique Stance
This stance starts again from the ready stance. In this stance, you will start moving
one foot in 45 degrees angle until the toes and the knees are in line with each other.
The foot is moved forward away from the body to reach the right position. Your
moving foot is called the lead foot. You will have to move your body in the same
direction of the lead foot. The waist and the torso are kept moving to the front along
with the toes.
It is essential not to extend your feet too much to the front or lower your
body too much otherwise it will be hard to move and maneuver. And it is critical to
keep your body weight equally distributed on both legs. Again the oblique stance can be right or
left foot led depending on the foot you choose to move. This stance is used in blocking and evasion.
5. Straddle Stance
You should start from the ready stance then move either the left or
right foot for a distance of 2 feet to the left or right direction. This is done
until both lower legs are now perpendicular to the ground. The whole body,
the legs and the toes should be facing forward to make sure that this stance
is a success.
Again, it is crucial to make sure that the feet are not too extended
as this makes you in a position where you are unable to move properly in
order to attack or defend. The name of this stance is due to the resemblance
to the position a horse rider would maintain. This is why it is also sometimes
called the Horseback Riding Stance.
This stance is one of the most efficient stances used to block the strikes especially to the
side of the body.
6. Side Stance
 This is very close to the straddle stance as you again start from the steady
stance then move your feet either to the right or the left. However, in this position
the moving foot
will be kept perpendicular to the ground while the other leg would be
extended.
This Arnis stances somehow looks as if you are about to engage in a side
kick. Again, the torso, the legs and the toes should be kept pointing forward. Also,
it is very important to make sure that the body is not too low by extending your
foot too far to the side. You can engage in a right side stance or a left side stance
depending on the foot you choose to move. This stance is usually used in evasion
techniques or strike deflection.
7. Back Stance
As the name suggests, in this stance the foot is moved to the back
rather than the side. You will start from the ready stance then extend his foot
to the back in a 45 degrees angle away from the body. While the legs are in
a straddle position, the heels should form an imaginary “L” shape. The
weight of the body should be equally distributed on both legs and it is very
important not to extend the foot too far. Back stances can be done by
extending the right or left foot. They are used in back evasion techniques
and in blocking.

Forms of Play
As a fighting art, Arnis has three forms of play.
1. espada y daga ("sword and dagger") in which a long wooden sword and a short wooden
dagger is used
2. the solo baston (single stick) in a single long muton or baston (wooden stick or rattan cane
hardened by drying or heating) is used
3. Sinawali, a native term applied because the intricate movements of the two muton resemble
the weave of a sawali (criss-cross fashion), the bamboo splits weave pattern used in walling
and matting.
Arnis Exercises
The Arnis (Eskrima) systems identify the nature of fights by the distance between opponents. The
range is usually classified into 3 categories where each has its own techniques and footwork.
Each style combines techniques that will work for long, medium and short range attacks but might focus
on one range more than the others.
At the same time, the Eskrima focuses on defending against the angle of the attacker rather than a particular
strike or weapon. For this reason, different styles give attack angles names or numbers to make them easier
to understand and identify. The number of angles differs from one style to another and these angles describe
the different exercises.
1. Sinawali- This is one of the most famous exercises where the attacker uses double sticks in a
weaving motion that resembles the woven coconut leaves. The exercise is usually seen in double
stick demonstration.
-Begin with the right hand up and the left tucked under the right shoulder.
-Strike the opponent’s temple with the right hand.
 -As you retract the right hand to the left shoulder, strike the opponent’s knee with the left hand.
-As you strike a backhand to the opponent’s temple with the
right hand, retract the left hand to the left shoulder.
2. Redonda

Redonda is the Spanish word for round and as the name

suggests, this strike moves in a circle until it gets back to its
point of origin.
This strike allows for fast attacks but needs a lot of practice.

3. Puno
This is a rather difficult strike that is delivered by the butt of the
weapon.
The strike can cause a lot of damage especially when it is
delivered to a nerve point or a soft spot on the opponent’s body.

12 Vital Striking Points

1. Left side of the head attack
From the fighting stance, the warrior will hold the stick with one hand at 1 o’clock. He will then
move the stick in a slashing action while keeping the free hand on the chest. This is
a diagonal downward forehand swing to the left temple.
2. Right side of the head attack
Like the left temple strike the warrior assumes fighting stance, this time
with the stick held at 11 o’clock and the free hand kept on the chest. The strike to
the right temple is then done in a diagonal downward backhand swing.
3. Left side of the body or torso
In this strike, the practitioner will extend the weapon hand. Then he will
proceed to strike any part of the trunk located between the shoulder and the hips. The stick will be held in
a diagonal forehand slashing swing.
4. Right side of the body or torso
Again the practitioner will extend the weapon hand to strike any part of the body located on the
right side between the shoulder and the hips. The weapon of choice will be moved in a backhand slashing
swing.
5. Thrust to The Stomach
This is a strong thrust to the solar plexus or the stomach and can cause fatal damage to the vital
organs in the abdomen. In this strike, the practitioner will thrust the weapon hand to the target point, which
is the solar plexus.
6. Left Chest Stab
In this strike, the practitioner will assume the fighting stance with the weapon of choice in his
hands. The weapon hand is then extended to the front with the palm facing outward and the elbow kept up.
This strike can cause real damage to the rib cage. A weapon like a knife, spear or sword will end your
opponent’s life immediately as it punctures the lungs and the heart.
7. Right Chest Stab
After assuming fighting stance, the practitioner will practice the scooping action. The weapon hand
is then extended forward with the palm facing outward. The elbow should be kept up in order to deliver an

efficient strike to the right lung that will puncture it and end your opponent’s life immediately.
8. Left Lower Leg
A practitioner here will try to deliver a powerful strike to the lower leg, targeting the knee, the shin
or the ankle. The aim of the strike is to throw your opponent off balance and immobilize him.
9. Right Lower Leg
This strike is just like the previous one. The practitioner will extend the weapon hand and lower his body
to hit the knee, the shin or the ankle. This time the palm should face downward.
10. Left Eye Poke
A targeted thrust to the eye socket will not just blind your opponent, but will also deliver real
damage to the brain. Using a sharp weapon like a sibat or the right baston can end your opponent’s life right
there. The practitioner should assume fighting stance then extend the weapon hand forward with the palm
facing outward and the elbow kept down.
11. Right Eye Poke
This thrust is similar to the previous one except that the practitioner will have to hold his elbow
down. This will allow him to hit the eye precisely with the right weapon penetrating all the way through to
the brain.

12. Strike to the crown/top of head.

This is a straight downward overhead swing directed towards the crown of the head. Hitting the top
of the head can immobilize your opponent, deliver damage to the brain and throw him off balance.
Using a real sharp or powerful weapon can even shatter the skull bones ending the fight to your favor in a
matter of seconds.
Different Kinds of Blockings
1. Outside blocking- performed by bringing the cane forward supported by the left hand at the middle
of the cane.
2. Inside blocking- performed as an outside block, however, on the right side of the body.
3. Downward inside blocking- performed by positioning the hand holding the cane above the right
shoulder then swinging the cane downward to block the opponent’s attack.
4. Downward outside blocking- performed by positioning the cane behind the ear then swinging it
downward to block the opponent’s blow.
5. Rising blocking- performed by raising the cane over the head to block the opponent’s blow.
6. Vertical blocking- performed by raising the elbow and hand holding the cane to shoulder level
while the other hand is supporting it at the middle.

References
Rothermel, M. (2015) Martial Arts Kung Fu Tai Chi Modern Arnis Yoga. Retrieved from
https://www.mbgkungfu.com/new-page-47
Apalin, R. (n.d.). Arnis ppt. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/RendellApalin
Santiago, J. (2015 Jan 27) Arnis Basic Steps. Retrieved from
https://www.scribd.com/presentation/253893012/Arnis-ppt
Sterling, R. (2019 September 4). Arnis Techniques- Weapons and Exercise. Retrieved from
https://martialartskills.com/arnis-techniques/
Sterling, R. (2019 September 4). Arnis Stances- Important Things You Must Know. Retrieved from
https://martialartskills.com/anis-stances-important-things/
Sterling, R. (2019 October 22). 12 Striking Techniques in Arnis-Basic Lessons. Retrieved from
https://martialartskills.com/12-striking-techniques-in-arnis/