NICK ANDREW V.

BOHOL
STEM 11- RIEMANN

BRIEF HISTORY OF ARNIS

The Philippines is an island nation rich in both culture and history. The Filipino martial art of

Arnis/Kali/Escrima has contributed to both the history and diversity of the Philippines. 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.

Pre-Spanish Era

The History of Arnis dates back before the colonization of the Spaniards, during those periods it

was called Kali and the techniques of the art is focused on bladed weapons fighting. Initially

employing sticks and bow and arrows for combat, the native Filipino were first introduced to the

long bladed weapon by the migrating Malays in 200B.C. From this initial encounter, the

Filipinos began utilizing the long blade not only for its effectiveness as a farming tool, but for

combat as well. This devised method of knife fighting was known as kalis (later reduced to kali);

a combative art specializing in all manners of bladed weaponry.

Kali was widely practiced throughout the archipelago; both nobleman and commoners were

enthusiast and practitioners of the said art. Also during those days Kali is being taught in a

school like training grounds, which was called Bothoan along with military tactics, Alibata

(Native Alphabet), and herbal medicines. It also has other influences, as traders and settlers

travelling through the Malay Region brought the silat as well as Arab, Indian, and Chinese

martial arts. A few of the people still localized Chinese combat methods called the kuntaw.

Moreover, it has been theorized that Arnis/Kali/Eskrima may have Indian roots and came to the

Philippines through the people who traveled through Malaysia and Indonesia to the Philippines.

Silambam, a stickstaff-based, ancient, Indian martial art influenced numerous martial arts in Asia

such as silat. Arnis may share ancestry with the said systems – several Arnis movements

resemble the short stick (kaji or kali) and other weaponbased combat styles techniques of

silambam.

Spanish Era

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 defences

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 time, Raja (chief) LapuLapu, displayed the true

effectiveness of kali when he struck down Magellan with two fatal blows — one to the knee and

one to the neck — warding off the impending Spanish invasion.

When the Spanish colonizers first came to the Philippines, they observed weapons-based combat

arts practiced by the Filipino natives, which are likely not related to the modern-day Arnis. The
earliest written records of the Philippines and the Filipino life and culture were documented by

the first Spanish explorers.

43 years later, in 1564, the Spanish returned to the Philippines; this time landing in Abuyog,

Leyte. Led by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the conquistadors expected another violent encounter.

However, they were met by the island chief, Malitik, and his son, Kamutunan, who excitedly

welcomed the conquistadors with great hospitality, inviting Legaspi and his men to dine with

them and witness a display of the might of kali. During this time, kali had transitioned from a

purely martial system to becoming a performance art, complete with choreographed

arrangement designed to impress royalty. However, these displays were often very dangerous,

with most accidents resulting in death.

Building upon this relationship with the natives, the Spanish eventually colonized a large

majority of the Philippines, leaving the art of kali to be mostly used for entertainment

purposes; commonly referring to it as 'the sport of kings'. During Philippines' rule by the

Spanish, the art of kali became highly influenced by its culture, taking on a more fencing-like

style and expanding into a derivative known as Espada y daga (sword and dagger). 

It should be noted, however, that although most of the Philippines was colonized and occupied

by many different cultures (from the Japanese to the Americans) the people of Mindanao and

Sulu in the Philippines have remained true experts in the original art of kali, able to ward off

all attempts at invasion through the use of  the art; alluding to why these two regions are the

only areas of the Philippines still predominantly Muslim — the first religion spread throughout

the Philippines by the migrating Malays who introduced the long bladed weapon to the

Filipinos.
As time progressed, the Spanish became overly concerned with the potential for revolt by the

Filipino people; resulting in the ban of all practice and performance of kali with bladed

weapons in 1764. This was likely established as a measure to keep the majority of Filipino

people unskilled in the art of combat, as kali had become a highly popularized pastime across

the country. Due to this ban, Filipino people began trading in their bladed weapons for the

rattan (a type of vine with a weight lighter than most wood and a density thicker than

bone). Kali exhibitions were then performed with a stick and colourfularmour was

implemented to protect performers during shows. These colourful pieces of armour were

known as arnes, the Spanish word for harness, which later became the new name for the

style; marking its transition from kali  (knife fighting) to arnes  (stick fighting). Additionally,

due to the widespread outlaw of bladed weapons for kali practice and performances, the

Filipino people began carrying concealed weapons, mostly daggers, leading to the development

of the style Olisi y baraw (stick and dagger).

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. 

When the Spanish eventually returned and successfully conquered parts of the Philippines, the

traditions of arnis were preserved, despite its prohibition, in the forms of ritual dance,

performance and mock battles. While earlier Filipino martial arts were influenced by Spanish

colonization, the modern forms have been affected by the country’s contact with both the United

States and Japan after gaining independence in 1898. In 1873, the fighting system was renamed

“Arnis” derived from the word Arnes which means colorful trapping on defensive armors used

on the Moro-Moro plays. Some of the heroes of the Philippine revolution were also practitioners
of Arnis namely Andres Bonifacio, the spouses Diego and Gabriela Silang, and the young

General Gregorio Del Pilar. The National Hero Jose Rizal was also reported to practice the

fighting system. As well as the founder of Aglipayan Church Rev. Gregorio Aglipay was also

recorded as a practitioner of the art.

Spanish Influence on Arnis History

One prominent feature of Arnis that may point to Spanish influence is Espada y Daga (sword and

dagger) method, which is a term utilized in fencing. The Filipino version of the Espada y daga is

quite different from the European rapier and dagger styles; the stances are not the same as

weapons utilized in are normally shorter that European-made swords. Following the Spanish

colonization in the Philippines, a decree was established that banned the common people from

carrying weapons such as the Kampilan and Kris. Regardless, the practitioners constantly found

ways to keep and maintain the system alive, using rattan-made sticks rather than actual swords.

Several arts were passed down from generation to generation. Occasionally, the arts took the

form of rituals or choreographed dances like the Sakuting stick dance. Furthermore, as a result,

an intricate and unique stick-based style evolved in the Luzon and Visayas regions. Mindanao,

on the other hand, retained exclusive blade-oriented methods because the Spaniards and even

Americans never entirely conquered the southern regions of the Philippines.

Many years afterward, during various attempts at propagating the new style while both losing

and gaining favour within the Filipino community, it wasn’t until 1969 when Remy Amador

Presas established Arnis within the physical education system of the Philippines as a viable

means for military practice and maintaining cultural identity; leading to what is now known
as Modern Arnis— a style more based on competition and performances. Typically, Modern

Arnis is practiced with two rattan, one in each hand, and involves many intricate partner

arrangements known as sinawali (weaving).

Though the style has flourished within the educational system of today's contemporary

Philippines, many practitioners of the original art of Arnis have derived their own expressions

of the style — from Balintawak, to TapiTapi, to Doce Pares — though made most-popular,

combatively, by the Cañete family in Cebu. However, these are stories for another time…

Modern Era

The Philippines has a blade culture. Unlike in Europe where Renaissance and Medieval fighting

and self- defence blade or weapon arts have gone nearly extinct, Filipino blade fighting is still a

living art. The local persons in the Philippines are considered more likely to carry bolos or

knives than guns. These weapons are usually carried as tools by farmers to cut vegetation, street

vendors to cut open pineapples, watermelons, coconuts, other fruits and animal meats. Also,

balisongs are very easy to procure and are easily hidden. In fact, in a few rural areas, carrying a

knife such as the itak was a sign that that person is making a living due to the area’s nature of

work. In Palau, they call Filipinos as “chad a oles” meaning “people of the knife” due to their

reputation for carrying blades and utilizing them in fights. After decades of lobbying and

overdue recognition, Arnis/Eskrima/Kali was proclaimed as the official National Martial Art and

Sport of the Philippines in January 2010.

TARGET ZONES FOR ARNIS

A. Head and Neck
B. Arms and collars including hands

C. Torso (from chest down to waist)

D. Armpit to thigh

E. Full length of leg including feet