Subject Code: P.

E 3
Subject Description: INDIVIDUAL AND DUAL SPORTS

Lesson 1.

Introduction to Arnis
Objectives: At the end of 120mins online sessions the Students will be able to:
a) discuss the historical background of arnis and different names;
b) enumerate the terminology used in arnis;
c) differentiate the skills and techniques used in arnis;
d) recognize the importance of arnis in the aspects of physical education and contribution in the
Philippine history.

What is Arnis?

Arnis is a sports and martial arts originated in the Philippines. Arnis is arts that expresses feeling and
emotion and also cultivate body composition.
Arnis is the national martial art sport of Philippines. It is also known as Eskrima and Kali. This sport
actually emphasizes weapon-based fighting which is done using knives, bladed weapons, sticks and
various improvised weapons. It also includes hand to hand combat, grappling and weapon disarming
methods.
It is a martial art characterized by the use of “swinging and twirling movements, accompanied by striking,
thrusting and parrying techniques for defense and offense.” Having been handed down from generation to
generation for centuries, the discipline hones the skill, speed, accuracy and agility of its practitioners.
Arnis was developed by the indigenous populations of the Philippines, who used an assorted range of
weaponry for combat and self-defense. Encompassing both simple impact and edged weapons, arnis
traditionally involved rattan, swords, daggers and spears.
Arnis, Eskrima, Kali where do these different terminologies come from?
Arnis, Eskrima and Kali are the 3 most commonly used terms to designate the Filipino martial arts that
use weapons. These terms do not represent a specific martial art. These are common term, like Kung Fu,
Karate or Jujutsu, which do not indicate a specific style.
Historical background of Arnis also called Eskrima or Kali.
The name used usually depends of origin’s place of the martial art in the Philippines. From the 16th to
the 19th century, Spanish colonization deeply spread out the north and the center of Philippines. Spanish
influence was less present in the southern Philippines because the conquistadors found it difficult to
establish themselves permanently on the island of Mindanao.
In the northern and central regions, the Spanish terms are most used: Arnis for Luzon and Eskrima for
the Visayas.
Arnis is a Tagalog word derived from an old Spanish word arnes which means “armor”.
The full term is called Arnis de mano, it refers to the hand guard worn by actors of Moro-Moro plays.
Passed down only to certain Filipino classes, similar to that of the Samurai in Japan, kali was a highly
effective weaponized fighting system that helped aid the Filipino people in many defenses against foreign
invaders. Historically, it can be said that in 1521, during the landing of Ferdinand Magellan in Cebu, the
greatest kali warrior of the
Eventually, performers ended up doing away with the harness altogether, and by 1853 the word
kali was completely replaced by the new term, Arnis (or Eskrima), a modification of the term arnes.
Esrkima comes from the Spanish esgrima which means “fencing”. Spanish colonization not only
influenced the terminology, it also conditioned the practice of the FMA. It spanned several centuries
through an evolutionary process in which Spanish techniques mixed with local indigenous Filipino
techniques to give birth to modern Filipino martial arts. We still find traces of this with the widespread
practice of Espada y daga in the FMA; direct legacy of rapier and dagger use in 17th century Europe.
Note that the term Escrima (written with c instead of k) also exists. This spelling is used for some FMA
developed in the United States, like Cabales Serrada Escrima.
As for the term Kali, it is less used in the Philippines. However, it is much popular in other
countries. For instance, there are Lacoste Inosanto Kali and Sayoc Kali in the United States.
Unlike Arnis and Eskrima, Kali doesn’t come from Spanish origin. It may be from the Kalis swords which
are a southern Philippine version of the kriss found in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and
Indonesia. Another hypothesis would be that Kali comes from the contraction of the Cebuano
words Kamot/Kamay which means “hand” and Lihok which means “movement”
Facilities of Arnis:
          Shall refer to the area by which the conduct of the competition shall be set or held including the free
zone around it.
Dimensions:
The playing area is a square measuring 8.0 meters by 8.0 meters with a two (2) meters minimum free zone
around it, and a clear space without any obstruction up to a height of not less than 5 meters from the
playing surface.
Lines of the Playing Area:
All lines of the playing surface are 5.08 cm. (2 inches) and must be of different color from that of the
floor and other lines previously drawn for other purposes.
Boundary Lines:
Four lines mark the boundary of the playing area. The free zone distance measuring 2.0 meters are drawn
outside of the playing area.
Match Lines
Two lines of 1.0-meter-long and 2.0 meters apart mark the horizontal match line. The horizontal match
lines are drawn 3 meters from the boundary lines that run perpendicularly to the official's table, and 3.5
meters from the boundary line that run parallel to the official's table.
Equipment of Arnis:
Wooden Stick- The wooden stick shall measure not less than 60 cm and not more than 90 cm in length
with a diameter of not less than 1.3 cm and not more than 3.8 cm. It must not have sharp edges or pointed
ends.
Wooden Replica of a Bladed Weapon- The wooden replica shall measure not less than 60 cm and not
more than 90 cm in full length and should be Ethnic Asian in origin. It must not have sharp edges or
pointed ends.
Foam- cushion material- should be foaming the padded sticks and shall have a maximum grip diameter
not greater than 3.81 cm.
Head Protector- refers to a pair of protective head gear to include an impact-worthy face mask.
Explanation:
Arnis- is a stick made out of rattan that is 28 inches long. It is a Filipino martial art, and is used as self
defense.
The game is played by using prescribed padded stick in delivering artistic and legal blows, strikes, thrusts,
and disarming the opponent to gain scores.
BODY PROTECTOR
Refers to a pair of protective body protector, properly cushioned, the specifications of which shall
be in accordance with the ARNIS standard.
Male and female player must both wear body protector and groin protector.
Body protector and groin protectors’ specifications shall be in accordance with the ARNIS
standard.
Both body protectors and groin protectors shall be color coded to match the color of the player.
Forearm and shin guards are compulsory.
The specifications shall be in accordance with ARNIS standard. Both shin and forearm guards
must be color of the player.
Two Types of Arnis
1. Anyo or form
Athletes would perform sequences of movements using single stick or 1baton, two stick or 2 batons.  
2. Laban, or full combat competitions
Players are required to strike their opponents’ different body parts with one baton or the padded stick
(with cover foam).