Arnis is the national martial art and sport of the Philippines. It has its origins in fighting techniques used by Lapu-Lapu and his men in the 16th century Battle of Mactan against Ferdinand Magellan. During Spanish colonial rule, the practice of Arnis was banned and had to be disguised as dance. It continued to be practiced in secret and fueled the Philippine revolution for independence. In 2009, Arnis was officially declared the national martial art and sport through legislation to preserve and promote Philippine martial arts heritage. The document outlines the history and development of Arnis, important terminology, benefits of practicing Arnis, and basic equipment used.
Arnis is the national martial art and sport of the Philippines. It has its origins in fighting techniques used by Lapu-Lapu and his men in the 16th century Battle of Mactan against Ferdinand Magellan. During Spanish colonial rule, the practice of Arnis was banned and had to be disguised as dance. It continued to be practiced in secret and fueled the Philippine revolution for independence. In 2009, Arnis was officially declared the national martial art and sport through legislation to preserve and promote Philippine martial arts heritage. The document outlines the history and development of Arnis, important terminology, benefits of practicing Arnis, and basic equipment used.
Arnis is the national martial art and sport of the Philippines. It has its origins in fighting techniques used by Lapu-Lapu and his men in the 16th century Battle of Mactan against Ferdinand Magellan. During Spanish colonial rule, the practice of Arnis was banned and had to be disguised as dance. It continued to be practiced in secret and fueled the Philippine revolution for independence. In 2009, Arnis was officially declared the national martial art and sport through legislation to preserve and promote Philippine martial arts heritage. The document outlines the history and development of Arnis, important terminology, benefits of practicing Arnis, and basic equipment used.
Arnis is the national martial art and sport of the Philippines. It has its origins in fighting techniques used by Lapu-Lapu and his men in the 16th century Battle of Mactan against Ferdinand Magellan. During Spanish colonial rule, the practice of Arnis was banned and had to be disguised as dance. It continued to be practiced in secret and fueled the Philippine revolution for independence. In 2009, Arnis was officially declared the national martial art and sport through legislation to preserve and promote Philippine martial arts heritage. The document outlines the history and development of Arnis, important terminology, benefits of practicing Arnis, and basic equipment used.
Martial Arts in the Philippines OBJECTIVES This lesson seeks to achieve the following: 1. Trace the historical background of Arnis; 2. Identify the basic equipment of Arnis; and 3. Value the benefits of Arnis to one’s fitness and wellness. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ARNIS
• Arnis is known throughout the world as Eskrima, Kali, Garrote. It has also various indigenous names throughout the Philippines like Pananandata (Tagalog), Pagkalikali (Ibanag), Kalirongan (Pangasinan), Kaliradman (Bisaya), Didya (Ilokano), Estocada, Estoque, and Escrima, etc. • Arnis does not merely refer to sticks or implements used in practice; it pertains to a system of fighting encompassing striking, kicking, locking, throwing, and even choking. • Arnis is designed for self-defense against armed or unarmed attacks.
2015 by Richardson C. Gialogo EARLY HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
• Early colonial records imply that an indigenous system of fighting was used by Lapu-Lapu and his men to defeat Ferdinand Magellan in the famous Battle of Mactan in 1521.
• Realizing the potential threat, the Spanish colonial government in the late 18th century banned the practice of Filipino martial arts. Consequently, the avid practitioners adapted the fighting system into dance-like patterns and practiced it with music to disguise its combat application.
2015 by Richardson C. Gialogo ARNIS AND THE PHILIPPINE’S STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE
• Dr. Jose P. Rizal reveals in his memoirs while in exhile that he taught Arnis to the children of Dapitan. The Katipunero brandishing the itak or bolo has since become the symbol of the brave fight against Spanish colonial rule. Indeed the Philippine revolution, which continued unitl America declared war on Spain in 1898, was fueled by escrimadors.
2015 by Richardson C. Gialogo AN ARNIS REVIVAL • These arts have been in danger of deformation. This means that the art becomes warped due to the influence of foreign culture and concepts or even extinction because it only transmitted from one generation to the next only through oral tradition and without detailed records. • Fortunately, there have been efforts to revive our Filipino martial art heritage. The most recent development in Arnis history is the passing of RA 9850 or the Arnis Law, which declares Arnis as the National Martial Art and National Sport of the Philippines.
2015 by Richardson C. Gialogo • The Arnis bill was signed into law on December 11, 2009, with Mr. Richardson C. Gialogo as the writer and one of its main proponents. The passing of the bill is guided by the Philippine Constitution (Article XIV, Section 19), which calls upon the State to:
Promote education and encourage sports programs,
league competitions, and amateur sports, training for international competitions, to foster self-discipline, teamwork, and excellence for the development of a healthy and alert citizenry.
2015 by Richardson C. Gialogo ARNIS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION • In 1969, Mr. Remy A. Presas taught Arnis to some public and private school teachers in Manila. He called his style as “Modern Arnis”, but this was his own personal style and not representative of contemporary Arnis. Mr. Presas also taught to the students of the National College of Physical Eduction (NCPE), and his students became proponents of his style when they became P.E. teachers themselves. This was the beginning of Arnis being taught in schools. • Through a lot of trainings, organization, and efforts of the proponents, Arnis also became part of DepEd’s Palarong Pambansa (National Games) as a demonstration sport. The 2006 games were held in Naga City, Bicol with nine of seventeen regions of the Philippines participating.
2015 by Richardson C. Gialogo THE DEEAP • The Department of Education Arnis Association (DEEAP) is the official Arnis Association in the Department of Education. • This aims to preserve and propagate Arnis in the Department of Education and to continued training and growth of the teachers in the field of Filipino Martial Arts. • The members of DEEAP are taught basic to advanced levels of martial skills. THE KAMAFI • The Kali Arnis Martial Arts Foundation, INC. (KAMAFI) was form, with the aim of promoting, propagating, and preserving Arnis because Arnis is a martial art with as many variations and styles as there are Arnis masters. This initially posed a problem because these different masters could not agree on whose style should be propagated.
•Arnis De Mano - The native art of stick fighting •Dos Pontas – One or two sticks approximately eight inches long, both ends of the sticks are used •Double Baston – Double stick or double rattan sticks are used. •Espada Y Daga (Sword and Dagger) – Long wooden and short wooden dagger are used. •Cane - The equipment use for Arnis with 28-30’ standard length •Courtesy – Respect for one’s opponent and for the cardinal rules and principles of sportsmanship. •Calisthenics – A form of exercise to develop a strong and graceful body. TERMINOLOGY
•Grip - The soul of all fighting techniques in Arnis
•Kali – A major fighting method of the Filipinos when they finally revolted against Spain. •Stances - Other form of martial arts with different body positions basic to the play of the art. •Solo Baston – Single stick in which only one wooden or rattan cane is used. •Tjakalele – A native Indonesian fencing art with techniques closely resembling Kali. •Twelve Striking Techniques – The life and soul of Arnis BASIC EQUIPMENT
