ARNIS FOUNDER

One of the characteristics of Filipino martial arts is the use of weapons from the very beginning of training and
Modern Arnis is no exception.  The primary weapon is the rattan stick, called a cane or baston (baton), which
varies in size, but is usually about 28 inches (71 cm) in length.  Both single and double stick techniques are
taught, with an emphasis on the former; unarmed defenses against the stick and against bladed weapons
(which the stick is sometimes taken to represent) are a part of the curriculum.

It is said that, originally, the cane was considered sacred by practitioners (Arnisadores), and therefore an arnis
practitioner was expected to hit his cane at the hand or forearm of his sparring partner and not at the latter’s
cane.  This had the advantage of being the preferred method in actual combat, referred to as “defanging the
snake”, that is, making the opponent drop his weapon so that he is less of a threat.  However, it discouraged
many would-be practitioners who found this training too painful and injury-inducing.  The result was that the
Filipino martial arts became in danger of dying out; in most areas of the Philippines, Japanese martial arts such
as Karate and Judo were much more popular than the indigenous systems.  Remy Presas’ modernization of the
training method was intended to help preserve the Filipino martial arts.  He taught the method of hitting cane-
on-cane during practice, which attracted more newcomers to the art and allowed the art to be taught in the
Philippines’ school system.  “Defanging the snake” remains a principle of Modern Arnis, however, and in
practical application, one would typically strike the hand or arm.  The technique can be used empty-handed,
where it is known as “limb destruction”.

Training covers empty-hand self-defense (striking, locking, throwing, etc.) as well as the trademark single and
double stick techniques of the Filipino martial arts.  Other aspects of the art include espada y daga (sword and
dagger fighting), sinawali (double stick weaving patterns), and tapi-tapi (locking drills with the stick).  In
addition to partner drills, Modern Arnis includes the use of anyo (kata), solo forms both with and without the
stick.  Emphasis is placed on fitting the art in with a student’s previous training (“the art within your art”),
smoothly reacting to changing situations in the fight (“the flow”), and countering the opponent’s attempt to
counter strikes directed at him (“tapi-tapi”).  Practitioners are called arnisadors or Modern Arnis players.[6]

In addition to its Filipino influences, elements of Judo, Shotokan Karate, and Wally Jay’s Small Circle Jujutsu
appear in the system.

Remy Presas studied his family’s system from an early age.  He went on to study the Japanese systems of
Shotokan Karate and Judo, achieving high rank in each; but he simultaneously studied a variety of other
Filipino systems, most notably Venancio Bacon’s Balintawak .  Beginning with a small gymnasium in Bacolod in
the 1950s, he attempted to spread the art to the local youth as both a cultural legacy and a form of physical
development or sport.  He taught the art at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos.  His desire to
reinvigorate interest in his country’s traditional martial art grew over time, and he began making modifications
and improvements to what he had learned.  In 1969 he moved to Manila at the request of a government
official, and formed the Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines.  He continued to develop and spread his
art, including via books, until political considerations forced him to relocate to North America.

There he met Wally Jay, George Dillman, and other martial artists who influenced his development of the art of
Modern Arnis.  In particular, many locks from Small Circle Jujitsu were added to Modern Arnis.  The art
continued to grow and change, in technique and in emphasis, though it always retained a focus on the single
stick and on general self-defense.   Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he traveled extensively for seminars – the
principal form of instruction in the system was through weekend training camps held around the world but
especially in the U.S.  – and produced books and videos.  The International Modern Arnis Federation
Philippines would come to be the lead Modern Arnis organization in the Philippines, and the Deutschen Arnis
Verband of Germany would be the lead organization in Europe.  In the United States, the International Modern
Arnis Federation (IMAF) was the principal organization.

Sadly, Professor Remy Presas passed in 2001.  The Masters of Tapi-Tapi titles were created to provide
leadership and steerage for the IMAF following Remy Presas’ passing.  His legacy and art lives on in thousands
of practitioners across the world and the leadership in the IMAF.
ARNIS LAW

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-seventh day of July, two thousand nine.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 9850

AN ACT DECLARING ARNIS AS THE NATIONAL MARTIAL ART AND SPORT OF THE PHILIPPINES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. It is the policy of the State to inculcate patriotism, nationalism and appreciation of the
role of national heroes and symbols in the historical development of the country. Furthermore, the
State must give priority to education, science and technology, arts and culture, and sports to foster
patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and
development.

Section 2. Definition of Arnis. - Arnis, also known as Eskrima, Kali, Garrote and other names in
various regional languages, such as Pananandata in Tagalog; Pagkalikali, Ibanag; Kabaraon and
Kalirongan, Pangasinan; Kaliradman, Bisaya; and Didja, Ilokano, is an indigenous Filipino martial art
and sport characterized by the use of swinging and twirling movements, accompanied by striking,
thrusting and parrying techniques for defense and offense. This is usually done with the use of one
(1) or two (2) sticks or any similar implements or with bare hands and feet also used for striking,
blocking, locking and grappling, with the use of the same principle as that with the canes.

Section 3. Arnis is hereby declared as the Philippine National Martial Art and Sport.lawphil The
official adoption of arnis as the national martial art and sport shall be promulgated by inscribing the
symbol of arnis in the official seal of the Philippine Sports Commission and by making it as the first
sport competition to be played by participating teams on the first day in the annual Palarong
Pambansa. The Philippine Sports Commission shall be the lead agency to implement the provisions
of this Act.

Section 4. The Department of Education, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the
Philippine Sports Commission shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry out the
provisions of this Act.

Section 5. Any provision of law, decree, executive order, rule or regulation in conflict or inconsistent
with the provisions and/or purposes of this Act is hereby repealed, amended or modified
accordingly.

Section 6. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete publication in the Official
Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.