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{{short description|Filipino martial art}}
{{About||the small town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany|Arnis, Germany}}
{{Multiple issues|{{More citations needed|date=July 2019}}
{{Original research|date=July 2019}}}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox martial art
| logo         =
| logocaption  =
| logosize     =
| nationality         = [[Filipinas|Filipino]]
| image        = Terry Lim's Kali Seminar with Maurice Ruiz and Ben Poon.jpg
| imagesize    =
| name         = Arnis
| aka          = {{plainlist|
*Kali
*Eskrima}}
| focus        = {{plainlist|
*[[Stick fighting]]
*[[Knife fighting]]
*[[Swordsmanship|Sword fighting]]
*[[Unarmed combat]]}}
| hardness     = [[Hybrid martial arts|Handheld weapons]], [[Contact sport#Full-contact|full contact]]
| country      = [[Philippines]]
| creator      =
| parenthood   = [[Fencing]], [[Silat]]
| famous_pract ={{plainlist|
* Paul Ingram
* [[Riaz Amin]]
* [[Ron Balicki]]
* [[Steve Blackman]]
* [[Cacoy Cañete]]
* Dionisio Cañete
* Carlos Deleon
* [[Danny Guba]]
* [[Jeff Imada]]
* [[Dan Inosanto]]
* [[Bruce Lee]]<ref name="fmaPulseBruce">{{cite web|title=Bruce Lee and Escrima|url=http://www.fmapulse.com/content/fma-corner-bruce-lee-and-escrima|author=Perry Gil S. Mallari|date=November 28, 2011|publisher=FMA Pulse|access-date=August 11, 2015|archive-date=January 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104073536/http://www.fmapulse.com/content/fma-corner-bruce-lee-and-escrima|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Terry Lim]]
* Mark Mikita
* Doug Marcaida
* John Hutchinson
* Rene Latosa
* [[Erik Paulson]]
* Florentino Pecate, Sr
* [[Remy Presas]]
* Ernesto Presas, Sr
* Ernesto Presas, Jr
* [[Migz Zubiri]]<ref name="Spin.ph">{{cite web|title=To help cope with twin bouts of COVID-19, Migz Zubiri turned to arnis
|url=https://www.spin.ph/life/people/to-cope-with-twin-bouts-of-covid-19-migz-zubiri-turned-to-arnis-a1017-20201122|author=Leon Mangubat|date=November 22, 2020|publisher=Spin.ph|access-date=May 31, 2022|archive-date=|archive-url=|url-status=}}</ref>
}}
| olympic      = No
| website      =
}}

'''Arnis''', also known as '''kali''' or '''eskrima'''/'''escrima''', is the national [[martial art]] of the [[Philippines]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Pangilinan | first=Leon Jr. | title = In Focus: 9 Facts You May Not Know About Philippine National Symbols | url = http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/ | date = October 3, 2014 | access-date = January 8, 2019 | publisher = [[National Commission for Culture and the Arts]] | archive-date = November 26, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161126154959/http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/9-facts-you-may-not-know-about-philippine-national-symbols/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> These three terms are, sometimes, interchangeable in referring to traditional [[martial arts]] of the [[Philippines]] ("[[Filipino Martial Arts]]", or FMA), which emphasize [[martial arts weapons|weapon-based fighting]] with [[stick fighting|sticks]], [[knife fighting|knives]], [[bladed weapon]]s, and various [[improvised weapon]]s, as well as "open hand" techniques without weapons.

There were campaigns for arnis along with other Philippine martial arts to be nominated in the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists]]; and as of 2018, [[UNESCO]] has inscribed nine martial-arts-related intangible heritages.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists?text=&6term%5B%5D%3Dvocabulary_ich-125&multinational=3&display1=inscriptionID#tabs |title=Browse the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Register of good safeguarding practices |date= |website=[[UNESCO]]}}</ref>

==Name==
'''Arnis''' comes from ''arnés'',<ref name= Wiley>{{cite book| last =Wiley| first =Mark V. |title =Filipino Fighting Arts: Theory and Practice| publisher =[[Tuttle Publishing]]| year =2000| pages = 1–15| isbn =0-86568-180-5}}</ref> the [[Old Spanish]] for "armour" (''harness'' is an archaic English term from same root). It is said to derive from the armour costumes used in traditional ''[[Moros y Cristianos|Moro-moro]]'' stage plays, where actors fought mock battles with wooden swords.<ref>{{cite book| title=The Secrets of Arnis| author=[[Edgar Sulite]]}}{{Page needed|date=June 2011}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=June 2011}} ''Arnes'' is also an archaic Spanish term for weapon, used as early as 1712. (''Arms'' is an English term from the same root)<ref name="destrezaIndiana">{{cite book| title=Ilustracion de la Destreza Indiana| last=Santos de la Paz| first=Francisco| page=[https://archive.org/details/ilustraciondelad00sant/page/167 167]| date=1712| url=https://archive.org/details/ilustraciondelad00sant}}</ref> 

'''Eskrima''' (also spelled '''escrima''') is derived from the Spanish word for [[fencing]], ''esgrima''.<ref>{{cite web | title=History of Filipino Martial Arts | url=http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Modules/Modules/escrima/eskrima.htm | website=Seasite.niu.edu | access-date=November 11, 2009 | archive-date=July 25, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725010011/http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Modules/Modules/escrima/eskrima.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title =Warriors Eskrima&nbsp;– Worcestershire | url =http://www.warriorseskrima.com/info1.htm | website =Warriorseskrima.com | access-date =November 11, 2009 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090519091155/http://www.warriorseskrima.com/info1.htm | archive-date =May 19, 2009 | url-status =dead }}</ref> Their [[cognate]] in French is ''escrime'' and is related to the English term 'skirmish'.

The name '''kali''' is most likely derived from the [[History of the Philippines (900–1565)|pre-Hispanic]] Filipino term for blades and fencing, ''[[kalis]]'' ([[Spanish orthography|Spanish spelling]]: "''calis''"),<ref name="lascoKalis">{{cite web|url=https://www.academia.edu/7785019|title=Kalis – The Precolonial Fighting Art of the Philippines|author=Lorenz Lasco|date=2011|publisher=Dalumat Ejournal}}</ref> documented by [[Ferdinand Magellan]]'s expedition chronicler [[Antonio Pigafetta]] during their journey through the Visayas and in old Spanish to Filipino Mother Tongue dictionaries and vocabulary books dating from 1612 to the late 1800s, such as in [[Tomas Pinpin#Books printed|''Vocabulario de Lengua Tagala'']] by Fr. Pedro de San Buenaventura.<ref name="mallariEtymologyKali">{{cite web |url=http://www.fmapulse.com/content/fma-corner-etymology-basis-usage-term-kali |title=Etymology as the Basis of Usage of the Term Kali |author=Perry Gil Mallari |date=May 10, 2011 |publisher=FMA Pulse |access-date=July 5, 2015 |archive-date=August 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819190226/http://www.fmapulse.com/content/fma-corner-etymology-basis-usage-term-kali |url-status=dead }}</ref> The term ''calis'' in various forms was present in these old Spanish documents in Ilocano,<ref name="ilocanoCarro">{{cite book|title=Vocabulario de la lengua Ilocana|last=Carro|first=Andres|page=75|date=1849|url=https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_ilo_vocab-1}}</ref> Ibanag (''calli-t''; pronounced as kal-lî),<ref name="bugarinRodriguezYbanag">{{cite book|title=Diccionario Ybanag-Español |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=npJkAAAAMAAJ |last1=Bugarin |first1=Jose |last2=Rodriguez |first2=Ramon |date=1854}}</ref> Kapampangan,<ref name="bergano">{{cite book|title=Vocabulario de la lengua Pampanga en Romance |last=Bergaño|first=Fr. Diego|date=1732|page=[https://archive.org/details/aqn8189.0001.001.umich.edu/page/73 73]|url=https://archive.org/details/aqn8189.0001.001.umich.edu}}</ref> Tagalog,<ref name="sanbuenaventura">{{cite book |title=Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala |last=de San Buenaventura |first=Fr. Pedrio |date=1613 |url=http://sb.tagalogstudies.org/2010/10/18.html |via=Sb.tagalogstudies.org |access-date=November 30, 2015 |archive-date=November 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112202155/http://sb.tagalogstudies.org/2010/10/18.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bicolano (''caris''),<ref name="deMarcosBicol">{{cite book |title=Vocabulario de la lengua Bicol |url=https://archive.org/details/aqa2025.0001.001.umich.edu |last=de Marcos |first=Lisboa |date=1865}}</ref> Waray (''caris''),<ref name="deLaRosaWaray">{{cite book |title=Diccionario español-bisaya para las provincias de Sámar y Leyte |url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/AQH5491.0001.001?view=toc|last=de la Rosa |first=Sanchez |date=1914}}</ref> Hiligaynon,<ref name="mentridaPanay">{{cite book |title=Diccionario de la lengua Bisaya Hiligueina y Haraya de la Isla de Panay|last=de Mentrida|first=Alonso|date=1841}}</ref> Cebuano (''calix, baladao''<ref name="pigafettaPrimoViaggio">{{cite book|title=Primo viaggio intorno al mondo|last=Pigafetta|first=Antonio|date=1525|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42884/42884-h/42884-h.htm}}</ref> – "''kalis balaraw''/dagger" and ''cales''<ref name="bisayaEncarnacion">{{cite book |title=Diccionario Español-Bisaya |last=de la Encarnacion |first=Fr. Juan Felis |date=1866 |url=https://archive.org/details/diccionarioespa00unkngoog}}</ref>), and Moro-Maguindanao in Mindanao (''calis'' – the kris, weapon).<ref name="moroMaguindanaoEspanol">{{cite book |last1=Juanmarti |first1=P. Jacinto |title=Diccionario Moro-Maguindanao-Español |date=1892 |publisher=Tipografía "Amigos del país" |location=[[Manila]] |url=https://archive.org/details/afu8736.0001.001.umich.edu/page/n45 |access-date=February 10, 2019}}</ref> In some of these dictionaries, the term calis refers to a sword or knife [[Kris|kris or keris]], while in others it refers to both swords and knives and their usage as well as a form of ''esgrima'' [[Baston (weapon)|stick fighting]].<ref name="bergano" /><ref name="sanbuenaventura" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=de Mentrida |first=Alonso |url=https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001460/00001/4x |title=Vocabulario de la lengua bisaya, hiligueina y hara de la isla de Panay y Sugbú y para las demás islas |year=1637 |pages=70 |quote=Esgrimir = Naquigcalis}}</ref> The first to use this term in reference to Filipino martial arts was Buenaventura Mirafuente in 1948.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mirafuente |first=Buenaventura |date=26 June 1948 |title=Fencing: Philippine Style |journal=The Evening News |issue=26 June 1948}}</ref> While Mirafuente posits that the original term was ''kali'' and that the letter "S" was added later, the late Grandmaster [[Remy Presas]] suggests that the "S" was dropped in modern times and became presently more known as ''kali'' in FMA circles.

There exist numerous similar terms of reference for martial arts such as ''kalirongan'', ''kaliradman'', and ''pagkalikali''.<ref name="arnisAPatling">{{cite web|url=http://www.ina.fr/video/CPF04006871/arnis-a-patling-video.html |title=Arnis à Patling |author=Institut National de l'Audiovisuel |website=Ina.fr |access-date=March 15, 2015}}</ref> These may be the origin of the term ''kali'' or they may have evolved from it.<ref name="ReferenceA">[[Remy Presas]], 1974, ''Modern Arnis'', pp. 10–12, {{ISBN|971-08-6041-0}}.</ref>

In their book ''Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth'' however, Dr. Ned Nepangue and Celestino Macachor contend that the term ''kali'' in reference to [[Filipino martial arts]] did not exist until the Buenaventura Mirafuente wrote in the preface of the first known published book on arnis, ''Mga Karunungan sa Larong Arnis'' by Placido Yambao, the term ''kali'' as the native mother fighting art of the Philippine islands.<ref name="CebuanoEskrima">{{cite book |last1=Nepangue|first1=Ned R. |last2=Macachor|first2=Celestino C. |title=Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth |publisher=Clinton |isbn=978-1-4257-4621-6 |date=2007}}</ref>
<!--:* One theory is that the word comes from ''tjakalele'',<ref name="ReferenceA">[[Remy Presas]], 1974, ''Modern Arnis'', pp. 10–12, {{ISBN|971-08-6041-0}}.</ref> a tribal style of stick-fencing from Indonesia. This is supported by the similarities between tjakalele and eskrima techniques, as well as Mindanao's proximity to Indonesia.
:* According to Guro [[Dan Inosanto]], Kali is a [[portmanteau]] of the [[Cebuano language|Cebuano]] words "kamot", meaning hand, and "lihok", meaning motion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-z7QkYP3Xw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/N-z7QkYP3Xw| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=The Bladed Hand: The Global Impact of Filipino Martial Arts|last=Ignacio|first=Jay|date=April 15, 2010|website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="blackeaglehistory">{{cite web |url=http://www.black-eagle.org/history.htm|title=Black Eagle (Detailed history of Eskrima) |website=Black-eagle.org |access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref>
:* In the [[Ilocano people|Ilocano]] language, ''kali'' means "to dig" and "to stab".<ref name="KaliChanged">Federico Lazo, "Kali Caused the Change of the Word Kali to the Words Arnis and Escrima", 2008, ''Filipino Martial Arts Digest''</ref>
:* According to Grandmaster [[Vic Sanchez]], the [[Pangasinan language|Pangasinense]] term ''Kalirongan'' means "Karunungan ng Lihim" or "Wisdom of (the) Secret (fighting arts)" or "Wisdom of Kali".
:*In his book ''KALI: History of a Forbidden Filipino Fighting Arts'', Fred Lazo put forward that ''Kali'' was an ancient root word for blade, and that the Filipino words for right hand (''kanan'') and left hand (''kaliwa'') are contractions of the terms "way of the blade" (''kali daanan'') and "without blade" (''kali wala'') as weapons are usually held with the right hand and the left hand is typically empty.<ref name="KaliAncientTime">Federico Lazo, "Kali – A Filipino Fighting Art that Originated in Ancient Time", 2008, ''Filipino Martial Arts Digest''</ref>-->

Practitioners of the arts are called ''arnisador'' (male, [[plural]] ''arnisadores'') and ''arnisadora'' (female, plural ''arnisadoras'') for those who call theirs ''arnis'', ''eskrimador'' (male, plural ''eskrimadores'') or ''eskrimadora'' (female, plural ''eskrimadoras'') for those who call their art ''eskrima'', and ''kalista'' or ''mangangali'' for those who practise ''kali''.

It is also known as ''estoque'' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]] for [[rapier]]), ''estocada'' (Spanish for thrust or stab) and ''garrote'' (Spanish for club). In [[Luzon]] it may go by the name of ''arnis de mano'' or ''arnes de mano''.

The indigenous martial art that the Spanish encountered in 1610 was not yet called "eskrima" at that time. During those times, this martial art was known as ''paccalicali-t'' (pronounced as ''pakkali-kalî'') to the [[Ibanags]],<ref name="epanolIbanag">{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6WE2AQAAIAAJ&pg=GBS.PA223|title=Diccionario español-ibanag o sea Tesauro Hispano- Cagayán sacado de los manuscritos antiguos |author=Ramirez y Giraudier |date=1867|page=223}}</ref> ''did ya''  (later changed to ''kabaroan'') to the [[Ilocano people|Ilokanos]], ''sitbatan'' or ''kalirongan'' to [[Pangasinan people|Pangasinenses]], ''sinawali'' ("to weave") to the [[Kapampangans]], ''calis'' or ''pananandata'' ("use of weapons") to the [[Tagalogs]], ''pagaradman'' to the [[Hiligaynon people|Ilonggos]] and ''kaliradman'' to the [[Cebuano people|Cebuanos]]{{Source?|date=May 2024}}. [[Kuntao|Kuntaw]] and [[Silat]] are separate martial arts that are also practiced in the Philippine archipelago{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}.

==Historical accounts==
{{blockquote|The people of this country are not simple or foolish, nor are they frightened by anything whatever. They can be dealt with only by the [[arquebus]]e, or by gifts of gold or silver&nbsp;... They kill the Spaniards so boldly, that without arquebuses we could do nothing. This was the reason that Magallanes, the discoverer of these islands, was killed; and that Villalobos and Sayavedra, and those who came afterward from Nueva España were maltreated. All those who have been killed since the coming of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi received their death through lack of arquebuses. The Indians have thousands of lances, daggers, shields, and other pieces of armor, with which they fight very well. They have no leaders to whom they look up. The havoc caused by the arquebuse, and their own lack of honor, make them seek refuge in flight, and give obedience to our orders.|Francisco de Sande, "Relation and Description of the Phelipenas Islands" (1577)<ref name="BRV4">{{cite book |title= The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898 |volume=4|last=Blair|first=Emma |year=1906 |publisher=Arthur H. Clark Company |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12635/pg12635-images.html}}</ref>}}

==Origins==
===Legend===
According to legend, It was introduced by [[Bodhidharma]], a Buddhist Monk born in [[India]] (5th or 6th century CE), who came to Southeast Asia via the Srivijayan capital of [[Palembang]] and then reached the island of [[Luzon]]. Upon his travel, he saw dried [[Rattan|Ratan canes]] on the ground and introduced this rare, martial art to the locals.

===History===
As ''arnis'' was an art usually practiced by the poor or commoner class (as opposed to [[nobility]] or [[warrior]] classes), most practitioners lacked the scholarly education to create any kind of written record. While the same can be said of many martial arts, this is especially true for arnis because almost all of its history is anecdotal, oral or promotional. Another origin of arnis can be traced back to native "[[Pintados]]" or then "Tintadus" fighting techniques during [[Military history of the Philippines|conflicts among the various Prehispanic Filipino settlements]], though the current form has Spanish influence from old [[fencing]] which originated in Spain in the 15th century. It has other influences as well, as settlers and traders travelling through the Malay Archipelago brought the influence of [[silat]] as well as [[Chinese martial arts|Chinese]] and [[Indian martial arts]].<ref>Mark V. Wiley (1997). ''Filipino Martial Culture''. Tuttle Publishing. {{ISBN|0-8048-2088-0}}.</ref>{{Page needed|date=July 2022}}<ref>Sam Buot (1991–2009) 'Eskrima-Arnis, Martial Arts of the Philippines.</ref>{{Page needed|date=July 2022}} Some of the population still practise localized Chinese fighting methods known as [[kuntao|kuntaw]].

It has also been theorized that the Filipino art of arnis may have roots in [[India]] and came to the Philippines via people who traveled through [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]] to the Philippine islands. [[Silambam]], a stick/staff-based ancient martial art of [[India]] influenced many martial arts in Asia like [[silat]]. As such, arnis may share ancestry with these systems– some arnis moves are similar to the short stick (kali or kaji) and other weapon based fighting styles of Silambam{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}.

When the Spaniards first arrived in the Philippines, they already observed weapons-based martial arts practiced by the natives, which may or may not be related to present-day Arnis. The earliest written records of Filipino culture and life, including martial arts, come from the first Spanish explorers. Some early expeditions fought native tribesmen armed with sticks and knives.<ref name="Draeger">{{cite book |last =[[Donn F. Draeger]] & Robert W. Smith |title = Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts |year = 1969 |publisher = Kodansha International |isbn =978-0-87011-436-6 }}</ref> In 1521, [[Ferdinand Magellan]] was killed in [[Cebu]] at the [[Battle of Mactan]] by the forces of [[Datu]] [[Lapulapu]], the chief of Mactan. Some Arnisadors hold that Lapulapu's men killed Magellan in a sword-fight, though historical evidence proves otherwise. The only eyewitness account of the battle by chronicler, [[Antonio Pigafetta]], tells that Magellan was stabbed in the face and the arm with spears and overwhelmed by multiple warriors who hacked and stabbed at him:

<blockquote>The natives continued to pursue us, and picking up the same spear four or six times, hurled it at us again and again. Recognizing the captain, so many turned upon him that they knocked his helmet off his head twice, but he always stood firmly like a good knight, together with some others. Thus did we fight for more than one hour, refusing to retire farther. ''An Indian hurled a bamboo spear into the captain's face'', but the latter immediately killed him with his lance, which he left in the Indian's body. Then, trying to lay hand on sword, he could draw it out but halfway, because he had been wounded in the arm with a bamboo spear. When the natives saw that, they all hurled themselves upon him. One of them wounded him on the left leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being larger. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide. ''When they wounded him, he turned back many times to see whether we were all in the boats.'' Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, wounded, retreated, as best we could, to the boats, which were already pulling off.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/magellan.htm |title=The Death of Magellan, 1521 |publisher=Eyewitness to History.com}}</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Katipuneros.jpg|thumb|285x285px|[[Katipunan]]]]

Due to the conflict-ridden nature of the Philippine archipelago, where [[Military history of the Philippines|settlements (Kedatuans, Rajahnates and Sultanates) were often at war with one another or raiding each other]], warriors were forged in the many wars in the islands, thus during the precolonial era, the geographical area acquired a reputation for its capable mercenaries, which were soon employed all across South, Southeast and East Asia. [[Lucoes]] (warriors from [[Luzon]]) aided the Burmese king in his invasion of [[Siam]] in 1547 AD. At the same time, Lusung warriors fought alongside the Siamese king and faced the same elephant army of the [[Toungoo Dynasty|Burmese]] king in the defense of the Siamese capital at Ayuthaya{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}.<ref name="Pigafetta">{{Cite journal
  | last = Pigafetta
  | first = Antonio
  | author-link = Antonio Pigafetta
  | title = First voyage round the world
  |translator=J. A. Robertson
  |year=1969
  | place = Manila
  | publisher = Filipiniana Book Guild
  | orig-year = 1524
  }}</ref>
The former [[Sultanate of Malacca|sultan]] of [[Sultanate of Malacca|Malacca]] decided to retake his city from the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] with a fleet of ships from Lusung in 1525 AD.<ref name="AD. SOURCE 1777, page 194">The former sultan of Malacca decided to retake his city from the Portuguese with a fleet of ships from Lusung in 1525 AD. SOURCE: Barros, Joao de, Decada terciera de Asia de Ioano de Barros dos feitos que os Portugueses fezarao no descubrimiento dos mares e terras de Oriente [1628], Lisbon, 1777, courtesy of William Henry Scott, Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society, Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1994, page 194.</ref> Lucoes influence even manifested in East Asia at [[Japan]] where Lucoes sailors initially guided Portuguese ships to the Shogunate<ref>Bayao, Bras, Letter to the king dated Goa November 1, 1540, Archivo Nacional de Torre de Tombo: Corpo Cronologico, parte 1, maco 68, doc. 63, courtesy of William Henry Scott, Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society, Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1994, page 194.</ref> and even South Asia in [[Sri Lanka]] where Lungshanoid pottery from Luzon were found in burials there.<ref>"Quest of the Dragon and Bird Clan; The Golden Age (Volume III)" -Lungshanoid (Glossary)- By Paul Kekai Manansala</ref>

Pinto noted that there were a number of them in the Islamic fleets that went to battle with the Portuguese in the Philippines during the 16th century. The Sultan of Aceh as well as Suleiman, the Ottoman Commander who was brother of the Viceroy of Cairo, gave one of them (Sapetu Diraja) the task of ruling and holding Aru (northeast Sumatra) in 1540. Pinto also says one was named leader of the Malays remaining in the Moluccas Islands after the Portuguese conquest in 1511.<ref name="Pinto">{{Cite document
  | last = Pinto
  | first = Fernão Mendes
  | author-link = Fernão Mendes Pinto
  | title = The Travels of Mendes Pinto
  | language  = en
  | translator = Rebecca Catz
  | date =  1989
  | place = Chicago 
  | publisher = University of Chicago Press
  | orig-year = 1578
}}</ref> Pigafetta notes that one of them was in command of the Brunei fleet in 1521.<ref name="Pigafetta"/> One famous Lucoes is [[Regimo de Raja]], who was appointed by the Portuguese at Malacca as [[Temenggung]] ([[Jawi script|Jawi]]: تمڠݢوڠ <ref name="turnbull">{{cite book|last=Turnbull|first=C. M.|author-link = C. M. Turnbull| title=A History of Singapore: 1819–1975|year=1977|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Kuala Lumpur|isbn=0-19-580354-X}}</ref>) or Supreme Governor and Chief General. The Luzones were so commercially and militarily influential that the Portuguese soldier Joao de Barros considered them, "the most warlike and valiant of these parts."<ref>The Mediterranean Connection by William Henry Scott Page 138 (Published By: Ateneo de Manila University) Taken from "Translated in Teixera, The Portuguese Missions, p. 166."</ref>

Opinions differ on the degree to which Spanish rule in the Philippines affected Arnis. The fact that a large number of techniques and the names of the arts themselves (arnis/''arnes'', eskrima/''esgrima'', ''garrote'', ''estoque'', etc.) have Spanish names suggest an influence. Some argue though that Spanish names in the martial art simply reflect the fact that [[Spanish language|Spanish]] was the [[Spanish language in the Philippines|lingua franca of the Philippines]] until the early 20th century, and that actual Spanish martial influence was limited.

What is certain is that the Spaniards brought with them and used their [[Historical European martial arts#Renaissance|bladed weapon arts]] (including the system of [[Destreza]] developed by [[Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza|Carranza]]) when they started colonizing the archipelago in the 16th century. What is also known is that the Spaniards recruited soldiers from [[Mexican settlement in the Philippines|Mexico]]<ref>"In 1637 the military force maintained in the islands consisted of one thousand seven hundred and two Spaniards and one hundred and forty Indians." ~''Memorial de D. Juan Grau y Monfalcon, Procurador General de las Islas Filipinas, Docs. Inéditos del Archivo de Indias, vi, p. 425.'' "In 1787 ''the garrison at Manila consisted of one regiment of Mexicans comprising one thousand three hundred men, two artillery companies of eighty men each, three cavalry companies of fifty men each.''" ''La Pérouse, ii, p. 368.''</ref> and [[Peru]]<ref>[http://www.zamboanga.com/html/history_1634_moro_attacks.htm "SECOND BOOK OF THE SECOND PART OF THE CONQUESTS OF THE FILIPINAS ISLANDS, AND CHRONICLE OF THE RELIGIOUS OF OUR FATHER, ST. AUGUSTINE"] (Zamboanga City History)
"He (Governor Don Sebastían Hurtado de Corcuera) brought a great reënforcements of soldiers, many of them from [[Peru]], as he made his voyage to [[Acapulco]] from that kingdom."</ref> and sent them to fortify the Philippines and they had also trained mercenaries and warriors from local people like the [[Pangasinan people|Pangasinenses]], [[Kapampangan people|Kapampangans]], [[Tagalog people|Tagalogs]], [[Ilonggo people|Ilonggos]], [[Cebuano people|Cebuanos]] and [[Waray people|Warays]] to pacify regions and put down revolts, thereby positing the possible cross-training between Arnis de Mano and the [[Venezuela]]n Martial Art of [[Juego del garrote]]. Of the Kapampangans, [[Casimiro Díaz|Fray Casimiro Díaz]] relates in 1718:

<blockquote><poem>''Los primeros que se decidieron á experimentar fortuna fueron los pampangos, nación la más belicosa y noble de estas Islas, y cercana á Manila. Y era lo peor hallarse ejercitada en el arte militar en nuestras escuelas en los presidios de Ternate, Zamboanga, Joló, Caraga y otras partes, donde se conoció bien su valor; pero este necesita del abrigo del nuestro, y así decían que un español y tres pampangos, valían por cuatro españoles.''<ref name="revistaAgustinianaVolumenXI">{{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/details/laciudaddedios11madruoft|title=Ciudad de Dios – Revista agustiniana dedicada al Santo Obispo de Hipona en su admirable conversión á la fe.|volume= XI|location=Valladolid |publisher=Colegio de Agustinos Filipinos |date=1886}}</ref>

The first who decided to experiment with their fortune (revolt) were the Pampangos, the most warlike and prominent people of these islands, and close to Manila. And it was all the worse because these people had been trained in the military art in our own schools in the [[presidio]]s (fortified outposts) of [[Ternate]], [[Zamboanga City|Zamboanga]], [[Jolo]], [[Caraga]] and other places where their valor was well known; but this needs the help of ours, and so they say that a Spaniard plus three Pampangos equal four Spaniards.<ref name="WarriorMercenaryMacabebes">{{cite news |url=http://www.manilatimes.net/macabebes-as-warriors-and-mercenaries/109319/ |title=MACABEBES as WARRIORS and MERCENARIES |author=Perry Gil S. Mallari |newspaper=The Manila Times |date=July 5, 2014}}</ref></poem></blockquote>

It is likely then that these native warriors and foreign soldiers would have passed on to very close friends and family members these newly learned skills to augment already existing and effective local ones. They would have also shared tactics and techniques with each other when placed in the same military group and fighting on the same side in foreign regions such as [[Spanish Formosa|Formosa]], [[Mindanao]], the [[Maluku Islands|Moluccas]]<ref name="revistaAgustinianaVolumenXI" /> and the [[Mariana Islands|Marianas]].<ref name="micronesianPampangosMarianas">{{cite journal|title=The Pampangos in the Mariana Mission 1668–1684|url=http://marshall.csu.edu.au/MJHSS/Issue2005/MJHSS2005_101.pdf|last=de Viana|first=Augusto V. |journal=Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences |volume= 4|issue= 1, Dry Season Issue |publisher=[[Charles Sturt University]], Australia|date=June 2005|location=[[National Historical Institute]], Manila |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514021845/http://marshall.csu.edu.au/MJHSS/Issue2005/MJHSS2005_101.pdf |archive-date=May 14, 2006 |url-status=live }}</ref>

One of the more prominent features of Arnis that point to possible Spanish influence is the ''Espada y Daga'' (Spanish for "sword and dagger") method, a term also used in Spanish fencing. Filipino ''espada y daga'' differs somewhat from European [[rapier]] and dagger techniques; the stances are different as weapons used in Arnis are typically shorter than European swords.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://fencingclassics.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/eskrima-spanish-rapier-and-the-lost-continent-of-mu/ | title=Eskrima, Spanish rapier, and the Lost Continent of Mu | author=J. Christoph Amberger| date=December 8, 2008 }}</ref> According to Grandmaster Federico Lazo† (1938–2010), unlike in European [[historical fencing]], there is no lunging in the Northern Ilocano ''Kabaroan'' style of Arnis&nbsp;– it is more of an evasive art. On the other hand, it is present in some Visayan styles documented by FMA researchers Celestino Macachor and Ned Nepangue such as ''Yasay Sable Estocada'' from [[Bago, Negros Occidental|Bago]].<ref name="yaysaySableVid1">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-QO5xr4Efc  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/h-QO5xr4Efc| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Yasay Sable sparring |author=Lapulapu Viñas Arnis Huck Combat System |publisher=YouTube |date=December 8, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Having done comparative studies, [[Kalis Ilustrisimo]] archivist Romeo Macapagal also estimates that 40% of the blade-oriented style of [[Antonio Ilustrisimo|Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo]]† (1904–1997) descends from European styles, brought by the Spanish.<ref name="musingsMacapagal">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.realfighting.com/issue7/romyframe.html |title= ?|website=Real Fighting |date=February 21, 2008 |access-date=December 1, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221002253/http://www.realfighting.com/issue7/romyframe.html |archive-date=February 21, 2008 }}</ref> Some authors state that these Filipino Martial Arts were also cross-trained with martial arts brought over by Spanish soldiers and Jesuit priests.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://public-history-weekly.degruyter.com/9-2021-3/history-capoeira-eskrima/#_ftnen13|title=History Culture, Identity, and the Post-Colonial Martial Arts - Public History Weekly - The Open Peer Review Journal|first=Parkes|last=Robert|date=April 1, 2021|website=Public History Weekly}}</ref>

After the Spanish colonized the Philippines, a decree was set that prohibited civilians from carrying full-sized swords (such as the [[Kris]] and the [[Kampilan]]). Despite this, the practitioners found ways to maintain and keep the arts alive, using sticks made out of rattan rather than swords, as well as small knives wielded like swords. Some of the arts were passed down from one generation to the other. Sometimes the art took the form choreographed dances such as the ''Sakuting'' stick dance<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sakuting |title=sakuting |publisher=YouTube |access-date=March 15, 2015}}</ref> or during mock battles at ''Moro-moro'' (''[[Moros y Cristianos]]'') stage plays. Also as a result, a unique and complex stick-based technique evolved in the [[Visayas]] and [[Luzon]] regions. The southern [[Mindanao]] retains almost exclusively blade-oriented techniques, as the Spaniards and Americans never fully conquered the southern parts of this island.<ref>{{cite book| last = Wiley| first = Mark V.| title = Filipino Martial Culture| publisher = Tuttle Publishing| year = 1997| location = Vermont| isbn = 0-8048-2088-0}}</ref>

Although Arnis combines native fighting techniques with old Spanish fencing and other influences, a degree of systematization was achieved over time, resulting in a distinguishable Philippine martial art. With time, a system for the teaching of the basics also evolved. However, with the exception of a few older and more established systems, it was previously common to pass the art from generation to generation in an informal approach. This has made attempts to trace the lineage of a practitioner difficult. For example, aside from learning from their family members like his uncle Regino Ilustrisimo, [[Antonio Ilustrisimo]] seemed to have learned to fight while sailing around the Philippines, while his cousin and student Floro Villabrille claimed to have been also taught by a blind Moro princess in the mountains; a claim later refuted by the older Ilustrisimo. Both have since died.

==Modern history==
[[Image:Filipino knives.jpg|thumb|Various Filipino knives]]

The Philippines has what is known as a ''blade culture''.<ref name="EnduringKnifeCulture">{{cite web|url=http://www.fmapulse.com/content/fma-corner-enduring-knife-culture-philippines|title=The Enduring Knife Culture in the Philippines|author=Perry Gil S. Mallari|publisher=FMA Pulse|date=July 14, 2009|access-date=April 18, 2014|archive-date=April 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414031405/http://www.fmapulse.com/content/fma-corner-enduring-knife-culture-philippines|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="BladeCultureFirearms">{{cite web|url=http://www.fmapulse.com/content/fma-corner-filipino-blade-culture-and-advent-firearms|title=Filipino Blade Culture and the Advent of Firearms|author=Perry Gil S. Mallari|publisher=FMA Pulse|date=June 8, 2010|access-date=April 20, 2014|archive-date=November 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113141535/http://www.fmapulse.com/content/fma-corner-filipino-blade-culture-and-advent-firearms|url-status=dead}}</ref> Unlike in the West where [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] and [[Renaissance]] combative and self-defense [[Historical European martial arts|blade arts]] have gone almost extinct (having devolved into [[Fencing|sport fencing]] with the advent of firearms),<ref name="reclaimingTheBlade">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0961079/|title=Reclaiming the Blade documentary|author=Daniel McNicoll|publisher=Galatia Films}}</ref> blade fighting in the Philippines is a living art. Local folk in the Philippines are much more likely to carry knives than guns. They are commonly carried as tools by farmers, used by street vendors to prepare coconuts, pineapples, watermelons, other fruits and meats, and [[Balisong (knife)|balisongs]] are cheap to procure in the streets as well as being easily concealed. In fact, in some areas in the countryside, carrying a farming knife like the ''itak'' or [[Bolo knife|''bolo'']] was a sign that one was making a living because of the nature of work in those areas.<ref name="espera1">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdEif2otFMs&feature=player_detailpage#t=288s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/DdEif2otFMs| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=GM Henry Espera Talks About How He Started Out With Kali|author=Isagani Gabriel Jr|date=April 16, 2012|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In the country of [[Palau]], the local term for [[Filipino people|Filipino]] is ''chad ra oles'', which literally means "people of the knife" because of Filipinos' reputation for carrying knives and using them in fights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marshall.csu.edu.au/MJHSS/Issue2006/MJHSS2006_148.pdf|title=From Soul to Somnelence: The Palau Community Association of Guam, 1948 To 1997|author=Francesca K. Remengesau, Dirk Anthony Ballendorf|publisher=Micronesial Journal of The Humanities and Social Sciences|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908122319/http://marshall.csu.edu.au/MJHSS/Issue2006/MJHSS2006_148.pdf|archive-date=September 8, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Asia-Pacific and the Americas ===

Soldiers and mercenaries trained in the Philippines which were recruited by France which was then in an alliance with Spain, had fought in [[Cambodia]] and [[Vietnam]] justified by defending newly converted Catholic populations from persecutions and had assisted France in establishing [[French Cochinchina]] centered in [[Saigon]].<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.nigelgooding.co.uk/Spanish/Cochinchina/cochinchina.htm|title=Filipino Involvement in the French-Spanish Campaign in Indochina|author=Nigel Gooding|access-date=July 4, 2008}}</ref> Also in Asia, at China, during the Taiping Rebellion, Filipinos who were described as Manilamen and were 'Reputed to be brave and fierce fighters' and 'were plentiful in Shanghai and always eager for action' were employed by the Foreign forces as mercenaries to successfully quell the Taiping Rebellion.<ref>Caleb Carr, The devil soldier: the story of Frederick Townsend Ward, New York: Random House, 1992, p. 91.</ref><ref name="Smith p. 29">Smith, Mercenaries and mandarins, p. 29.</ref><ref>
Bryna Goodman, Native place, city, and nation: regional networks and identities in Shanghai, 1853–1937, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1995, pp. 72–83.</ref><ref>Carr, Devil soldier, p. 107</ref> In the opposite side of the world at the Americas, descendants of Filipinos were active in the Anti-Imperialist Wars in the Americas. Filipinos living in Louisiana at the independent settlement of Saint Malo were recruited to be soldiers commanded by Jean Lafitte in the defense of New Orleans during the War of 1812 against a Britain attempting to reconquer a rebel America.<ref>{{cite news |first=Rudi |last=Williams |title=DoD's Personnel Chief Gives Asian-Pacific American History Lesson |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=16498 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615091238/http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=16498|archive-date=June 15, 2007|work=American Forces Press Service |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |date=June 3, 2005 |access-date=August 26, 2009}}</ref> "Manilamen" recruited from San Blas together with the Argentinian of French descent, Hypolite Bouchard, joined other nationalities living nearby such as Frenchmen, Mexicans and Americans in the assault of Spanish California during the Argentinian War of Independence.<ref>Delgado de Cantú, Gloria M. (2006). Historia de México. México, D. F.: Pearson Educación.</ref><ref>Mercene, Manila men, p. 52.</ref> 
Mexicans of Filipino descent being led by Filipino-Mexican General [[Isidoro Montes de Oca]] assisted [[Vicente Guerrero]] in the Mexican war of independence against Spain. Isidoro Montes de Oca was a celebrated war hero famous for the battle action of the Treasury of Tamo, in Michoacán on September 15, 1818, in which the opposing forces numbered four times greater, yet they were totally destroyed.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guevarra |first1=Rudy P. Jr. |title=Filipinos in Nueva España: Filipino-Mexican Relations, Mestizaje, and Identity in Colonial and Contemporary Mexico |journal=Journal of Asian American Studies |date=2011 |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=389–416 |id={{Project MUSE|456194}} |doi=10.1353/jaas.2011.0029 |s2cid=144426711 }}</ref>

=== Philippine Revolution ===

Contrary to the view of some modern historians{{Who|date=April 2024}} that it was only guns that won the Philippine revolutionaries [[Philippine Revolution|against the Spaniards]], blades also played a large part.

During the 1898 [[Battle of Manila (1898)|Battle of Manila]], a report from ''[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]'' went:<ref name="cincinnatiKnifeWounds">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2676841/the_cincinnati_enquirer/|title=Parang, Bolo, Kris, Kampilan, are The Malay Names for the Big Knives with which Natives Slash the Spanish Soldiers|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=July 23, 1898|newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]|access-date=June 24, 2015|location=Cincinnati, Ohio|page=9|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{Open access}}</ref>

<blockquote><poem>... The Philippine native, like all the kindred Malay races, cannot do any fighting as a rule except at close quarters, slashing with his heavy knife. The weapon is called machete, or bolo, or kampilan, or parang, or kris. The plan of action is the same&nbsp;– to rush in unexpectedly and hack about swiftly, without the slightest attempt at self-preservation.

The Mauser rifle, too, in hard work is found to be a mistake. It has a case of five cartridges, which have to be all used before any others can be inserted. That is, to say, if a soldier has occasion to fire three cartridges he must go on and waste the other two, or else leave himself to meet a possible sudden rush with only two rounds in his rifle. Perhaps it may be the fault of the men, or their misfortune in being undrilled, but they are often knifed while in the act of reloading their rifles. Whatever be the explanation there is something wrong in troops with rifles and bayonets being driven steadily back by natives armed with knives. '''The insurgents have some guns, but most of the wounded Spanish soldiers seen in the streets have knife wounds'''.</poem></blockquote>

=== Philippine–American War ===

Americans were first exposed to Arnis during the [[Philippine–American War]] in events such as the [[Balangiga massacre]] where most of an American company was hacked to death or seriously injured by bolo-wielding guerillas in [[Balangiga, Eastern Samar]]&nbsp;– and in [[Moro Rebellion|battles in Mindanao]], where an American serviceman was decapitated by a Moro warrior even after he emptied his [[.38 Long Colt]] caliber revolver into his opponent. That and similar events led to the request and the development of the [[M1911 pistol|Colt M1911 pistol]] and the [[.45 ACP|.45 ACP cartridge]] by [[John T. Thompson|Col. John T. Thompson]], [[Louis La Garde]] and [[John Browning]] which had more stopping power.<ref name="potocki">The Colt Model 1905 Automatic Pistol, 1998, John Potocki</ref><ref name="sightsM1911">{{cite web|url=http://www.sightm1911.com/1911-History.htm|title=History of the M1911 Pistol|website=Sightm1911.com|date=April 29, 2011 |access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref>

=== World War II ===
During [[World War II]], many Filipinos fought the Japanese hand to hand with their blades as guerilla fighters or as military units under the [[USAFFE]] like the Bolo Battalion (now known as the [[1st Infantry Division (Philippines)|Tabak Division]]).

Some of the grandmasters who are known to have used their skills in World War II are [[Antonio Ilustrisimo]], Benjamin Luna-Lema, Leo Giron,<ref name="giron">{{cite web|url=http://www.bahalana.org/gme-leo-giron|title=Biography of Grand Master Emeritus Leo M. Giron|website=Bahalana.org|access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref><ref name="insosantogiron">{{cite web|url=http://inosanto.com/?p=258|title=Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts Instructor Profiles, Leo Giron|date=July 23, 2008|website=Inosanto.com|access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref> [[Doce Pares|Teodoro "Doring" Saavedra]],<ref name="atillo">{{cite web|url=http://atillobalintawak.com/History/atillo-balintawak_history.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809171544/http://atillobalintawak.com/History/atillo-balintawak_history.html|url-status=dead|title=Atillo Balintawak History|last=David|first=Paolo|website=Atillobalintawak.com|archive-date=August 9, 2015|access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref>  brothers [[Doce Pares|Eulogio and Cacoy Cañete]],<ref name="doceParesWW2">{{cite web|url=http://docepares.com/doce-pares-history/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909231932/http://docepares.com/doce-pares-history/|url-status=dead|title=History of Doce Pares|website=Docepares.com|archive-date=September 9, 2014|access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref> Timoteo "Timor" Maranga, Sr,<ref name="timor1">{{cite web|url=http://www.maranga.8m.net/custom.html|title=GM Timor Maranga bio|website=Maranga.8m.net|access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref> Jesus Bayas<ref name="suanico1">{{cite web|url=http://www.kaliacademy.net/Academy/bio_suanico.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105122548/http://www.kaliacademy.net/Academy/bio_suanico.htm|url-status=dead|title=Master Norman Z. Suanico bio|website=Kaliacademy.net|archive-date=November 5, 2016|access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref> and [[Pekiti Tirsia|Balbino Tortal Bonganciso]].<ref name="balbino">{{cite web|url=http://www.ptkgo.com/PTKGO/HISTORY.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717013534/http://www.ptkgo.com/PTKGO/HISTORY.html|url-status=dead|title=History of Pekiti Tirsia Kali|website=Pekiti-tirsia Kali system Global Organization|publisher=Ptkgo.com|archive-date=July 17, 2014|access-date=November 30, 2015}}</ref>

=== Spread ===
[[File:Kali seminar 2.jpg|thumb|Kali stick seminar group at Ben Poon's Riseup Crossfit center, by [[Terry Lim]], in [[Melbourne]], Australia]]

The arts had no traditional belting or grading systems as they were taught informally. It was said that to proclaim a student a "master" was considered ridiculous and a virtual death warrant as the individual would become challenged left and right to potentially lethal duels by other Arnisadores looking to make names for themselves. Belt ranking was a recent addition adopted from Japanese arts such as [[karate]] and [[judo]], which had become more popular with Filipinos. They were added to give structure to the systems, and to be able to compete for the attention of students.

With regards to its spread outside the Philippines, Arnis was brought to Hawaii and California as far back as the 1920s by Filipino migrant workers.<ref name="eskrimadors2">''[[Eskrimadors]]'' documentary, 2010, Kerwin Go</ref> Its teaching was kept strictly within Filipino communities until the late 1960s when masters such as Angel Cabales began teaching it to others. Even then, instructors teaching Arnis in the 1960s and 70s were often reprimanded by their elders for publicly teaching a part of their culture that had been preserved through secrecy. The spread of Arnis was helped in Australia through brothers Jeff and Chris Traish, Richard Marlin and [[Terry Lim]] (founder of Loong Fu Pai martial arts academy) who also holds a 4th Dan in International Philippine Martial Arts Federation.
 
In recent years, there has been increased interest in Arnis for its usefulness when defending against knives in street encounters. As a result, many systems of Arnis have been modified in varying degrees to make them more marketable to a worldwide audience. Usually this involves increased emphasis on locking, controls, and disarms, focusing mainly on aspects of self-defense. However, most styles follow the philosophy that [[the best defense is a good offense]]. Modern training methods tend to de-emphasize careful footwork and low stances, stressing the learning of techniques in favor of more direct (and often lethal) tactics designed to instantly end an encounter.

In the Philippines, the spread is more significant due to the efforts of Richardson "Richard" Gialogo and Aniano "Jon" Lota, Jr. through the Department of Education (DepEd) Task Force on School Sports (TFSS). Arnis was first introduced in 1969 to some public and private school teachers when [[Remy Presas]] taught his personal style of Arnis which he called "[[Modern Arnis]]". He taught his own style to the students of the National College of Physical Education (NCPE) when he was given the chance to teach there. The style "Modern Arnis" is not synonymous with the concept of modern or contemporary Arnis, where it has become a full blown sport embraced by the Department of Education, although there are some similarities. There was no formal program for Arnis from the 1970s to 1980s. Although some schools taught Arnis, these were not official nor prescribed.

The earliest historical record was the DECS Memorandum No. 294 Series of 1995 which entailed the Arnis Development Program Phase I. This was a joint effort of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports or DECS and the Office of then Senator Orlando "Orly" Mercado who awarded a budget from his pork barrel for the implementation of a national Arnis program. The Office of Senator Mercado was given the authority to designate the Arnis instructors for the said program.

The next stage was the Arnis Development Program Phase II. It was just a continuation of Phase I through DECS Memorandum No. 302 series of 1997. The same group conducted the seminars; known as the Arnis Association International (AAI). The Arnis instructors designated by Senator Mercado were informally called the "Mercado boys". They were Mr. Jeremias V. Dela Cruz, Rodel Dagooc and others who were direct students of Mr. Remy Presas of the Modern Arnis style. In this memorandum, there were two seminars conducted: October 6–11, 1997 in Baguio City and November 10–15, 1997 in General Santos City. The Arnis Module Development however did not push through. 
It was also during this time when the first Arnis instructional video was developed by the Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports (BPESS) entitled "Dynamic Arnis". This video featured the Gialogo Brothers: Richardson and Ryan Gialogo, direct students of Jeremias V. Dela Cruz.

However, the national Arnis program of Senator Orly Mercado and DECS died a natural death. It was only after nine years that Arnis found its way back into the Department of Education (formerly known as Department of Education, Culture and Sports or DECS). On February 5, 2004, the Task Force on School Sports (TFSS) of the Department of Education (DepEd), the new agency after the defunct BPESS, met with the National Sports Association (NSA) for Arnis in a Senate hearing. The Head of the TFSS was National Coordinator Mr. Feliciano N. Toledo II, considered the "Father of Arnis" in the Department of Education.  He met with the top NSA officials at that time; however, nothing happened.

It was only in 2006 when the Task Force on School Sports had a new program for Arnis. The "National Training of Trainors in Arnis and Dance Sports", sponsored by the Task Force on School Sports, Department of Education (DepEd), was held at Teacher's Camp, Baguio City on March 13–17, 2006 and was conducted by two top-caliber figures in the Arnis community: Mr. Aniano Lota, Jr. and Mr. Richardson Gialogo, then Secretary-General and vice-president respectively of the National Sports Association for Arnis. And this was the start of the modern, contemporary and prevailing Arnis in the Department of Education.

In just two months, Arnis became part of the Palarong Pambansa (National Games) as a demonstration sport. The 2006 Palarong Pambansa was held in Naga City, Bicol Region with nine out of the seventeen regions of the Philippines participating. National, regional and provincial Arnis Seminars were conducted by the tandem of Mr. Aniano Lota, Jr. and Mr. Richardson Gialogo from 2006 to 2007 in coordination with the TFSS National Coordinator, Mr. Feliciano "Len" Toledo, and with the financial and logistical backing of the Department of Education. In 2007, Arnis was already a regular event in the Palarong Pambansa with all seventeen regions participating. Five weight divisions in the Full-contact Event and four categories in the Anyo (Forms) Event were played and became part of the official medal tally of the participants. This was held in Coronadal in Mindanao.

Arnis Seminars were continued in national, regional and provincial levels. These were all conducted by the tandem of Mr. Aniano Lota, Jr. and Mr. Richardson Gialogo, now both Arnis Consultants and official Lecturers of the Task Force on School Sports of the Department of Education. In 2008, Arnis was played in the Palarong Pambansa and again, with all seventeen regions participating. All nine events were played. This was held in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Aside from Sports Officiating and Accreditation seminars, coaching and skill training seminars continued in national, regional and provincial levels. Requests from cities and even districts were also welcomed. The "evangelization" of Arnis was continued and both Gialogo and Lota were careful not to teach their personal styles. Both taught in "generic" form and focused on the rules of sports as promulgated by the Department of Education.

In 2009, Secondary Girls (High School Girls) were finally included in Palarong Pambansa and again, all seventeen regions participated. From the original five member teams, the number doubled with the inclusion of the girls. The medal tally also doubled from nine to eighteen. The 2009 Palarong Pambansa was held in Tacloban, Leyte in the Visayas.

In 2009, the "Writeshop of the Revision of the Physical Fitness Test and the Development of Learning Competencies in Arnis and Archery" was held in Teacher's Camp, Baguio City in October 5–8, 2009. Phase I of the National Curriculum for Arnis was finished and the curriculum writers were Mr. Richardson Gialogo and Mr. Aniano Lota, Jr.

The 2010 Palarong Pambansa was held in Tarlac, In Luzon. Again, both secondary boys and girls competed in the eighteen categories. It was here that the Department of Education Arnis Association Philippines or DEAAP had its first national elections.

In the 2011 Palarong Pambansa, elementary students joined.{{Citation needed|reason=Missing cite|date=June 2017}}

===Duels===
One of the most important practices in classical Arnis was dueling, without any form of protection. The matches were preceded by [[cock-fighting]] and could be held in any open space, sometimes in a specially constructed enclosure. Arnisadores believe this tradition pre-dates the colonial period, pointing to similar practices of kickboxing matches in mainland [[Indochina]] as evidence. Spanish records tell of such dueling areas where cock-fights took place. The founders of most of the popular Arnis systems were famous duelists and legends circulate about how many opponents they killed. In rural areas throughout the Philippines today, modern Arnis matches are still held in dueling arenas. In bigger cities, recreations of duels are sometimes held at parks by local Arnis training-halls. These demonstrations are not choreographed beforehand but neither are they full-contact competitions.

In modern times, public dueling with blades has been deemed illegal in the Philippines due to high potential of severe injury or death. Dueling with live sticks and minimal protection still occurs during barrio fiestas in some towns such as in [[Paete]] in [[Laguna (province)|Laguna]].

==Organization==
There are two main types of Arnis practised as a sport. The most common system used internationally is that of the WEKAF ([[World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation]]), established 1989. The earlier Arnis Philippines<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arnisphilippines.com/|title=Arnis Philippines&nbsp;– HOME|website=Arnisphilippines.com|access-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703130445/http://www.arnisphilippines.com/|archive-date=July 3, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> (ARPI) system, established in 1986, was most prominently used during the [[Arnis at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games|2005 Southeast Asian Games]].

==Weapons==
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2019}}
Arnis students start their instruction by learning to fight with weapons, and only advance to empty-hand training once the stick and knife techniques have been sufficiently mastered. This is in contrast to most other well-known [[Asian martial arts]] but it is justified by the principle that bare-handed moves are acquired naturally through the same exercises as the weapon techniques, making [[muscle memory]] an important aspect of the teaching. It is also based on the obvious fact that an armed person who is trained has the advantage over a trained unarmed person, and serves to condition students to fight against armed assailants. Most systems of Arnis apply a single set of techniques for the stick, knife, and empty hands, a concept sometimes referred to as motion grouping. Since the weapon is seen as simply an extension of the body, the same angles and footwork are used either with or without a weapon. The reason for this is probably historical, because tribal warriors went into battle armed and only resorted to bare-handed fighting after losing their weapons.
Many systems begin training with two weapons, either a pair of sticks or a stick and a wooden knife. These styles emphasise keeping both hands full and never moving them in the same direction, and trains practitioners to become ambidextrous. For example, one stick may strike the head while the other hits the arm. Such training develops the ability to use both limbs independently, a valuable skill, even when working with a single weapon.

A core concept and distinct feature of Filipino martial arts is the ''Live Hand''. Even when as a practitioner wields only one weapon, the extra hand is used to control, trap or disarm an opponent's weapon and to aid in blocking, joint locking and manipulation of the opponent or other simultaneous motions such as bicep destruction with the ''live hand''.

=== Baston === <!-- This section is linked from redirect [[Rattan sticks]] -->
[[Image:Arnis Sticks.jpg|thumb|300px|A pair of rattan bastons]]

{{main|Baston (weapon)}}

The most basic and common weapon in Arnis is the ''[[Baston (weapon)|baston]]'' or ''yantok''. They are typically constructed from [[rattan]], an inexpensive stem from a type of [[Southeast Asian]] vine. Hard and durable yet lightweight, it shreds only under the worst abuse and does not splinter like wood, making it a safer training tool. This aspect makes it useful in defense against blades. [[Kamagong]] (ironwood or ebony) and ''bahi'' (heart of the palm) are sometimes used after being charred and hardened. These hardwoods are generally not used for sparring, however, as they are dense enough to cause serious injury, but traditional sparring does not include weapon to body contact. The participants are skilled enough to parry and counterstrike, showing respect in not intentionally hitting the training partner. In modern times, many Arnis practitioners have also come to wear head and hand protection while sparring with rattan sticks, or otherwise use padded bastons. Some modern schools also use sticks made out of aluminium or other metals, or modern high-impact plastics.

===Impact weapons===
*[[Baston (weapon)|Baston, olisi, yantok]]: stick ranging from twenty-four to twenty-eight inches long
*Largo mano yantok: longer stick ranging from twenty-eight to thirty-six inches
*Dulo y dulo: short stick about four to seven inches in length, held in the palm of the hand
*[[Bangkaw|Bankaw]]: six-foot pole. Staves can be used to practise sword techniques
*Wooden dagger measuring {{convert|12|to|14|in|mm}}
*Panangga: shield
*[[Improvised weapons]]: Wood planks, steel pipes, umbrellas, flashlights, rolled-up magazines/ newspapers, books, cellular phones, tennis rackets, butt of billiards cue, bottles, coffee mugs, chair legs, tree branches or twigs, etc.

=== Edged weapons ===
[[Image:Visayan swords a ginunting b to c talibong.jpg|thumb|Traditional bolos from the Visayas islands (''ginunting'' on the left, and three ''talibongs'').]]
''Baraw'' is a Cebuano term used in eskrima that means knife or dagger. The term ''Baraw'' is more commonly used on the Cebu Island in the Visayan region whereas other islands and regions more commonly use the term ''Daga'' but both terms are often interchangeable within the Filipino martial arts community.

The terms Baraw and Daga can be used either as ''Solo Baraw'' or ''Solo Daga'' associated with single knife fighting and defense systems, ''Doble Baraw'' or ''Doble Daga'' associated with the double knife fighting systems or even with a combination of long and short weapons e.g. stick and dagger fighting systems ''Olisi Baraw'' or sword and dagger fighting systems ''Espada y Daga''.

*Daga/Cuchillo (Spanish for [[dagger]] and [[knife]]) or Baraw/ Pisaw: daggers or knives of different shapes and sizes
*[[Balisong (knife)|Balisong]]: butterfly knife or fan knife from Barrio, Balisong in [[Batangas]] province; the handle is two-piece and attaches to a swivel that folds to enclose the blade when shut
*[[Karambit]]: claw-shaped Indonesian blade held by inserting the finger into a hole at the top of the handle
*[[Bolo knife|Bolo]]: a knife/sword similar to a machete
*[[Pinuti]]: a type of sword from [[Cebu]] blade shaped similar to a Sundang but elongated
*[[Bolo knife|Iták or sundáng]]: a farm or house hold bladed implement; its blade has a pronounced belly, chisel ground edge with the handle angled down
*[[Barong (knife)|Barong]]: wide flat leaf-shaped blade commonly used by Muslim Filipino ethnic groups such as the Tausug, Sama-Bajau and the Yakan.
*Binakoko: long blade named after a porgy fish
*[[Dahong Palay|Dinahong palay]]: has a very narrow blade shape similar to a rice leaf
*[[Kalis]]: Larger, thicker Filipino [[kris]]
*[[Kampilan]]: fork-tipped sword, popular in the southern Philippines
*[[Sibat]]: spear
*[[Improvised weapons]]: Icepicks, box cutters, screwdrivers, scissors, broken bottles, pens, car keys (using the push knife grip)

===Flexible weapons===
*[[Sarong]]: a length of fabric wrapped around the waist
*Ekut: [[handkerchief]]
*[[Tabak-Toyok|Tabak-toyok]]: chained sticks/ flail or [[nunchaku]]
*[[Whip|Latigo]] (Spanish for whip): consisting of a handle between {{convert|8|and|12|in|mm}}, and a lash composed of a braided thong {{convert|3|-|20|ft|m|abbr=on}} long. The "fall" at the end of the lash is a single piece of leather {{convert|10|-|30|in|mm}} in length.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwfighting.com/Kali_Eskrima_Arnis_Weapons.html |title=Kali-Eskrima-Arnis Weapons by Jeff Patterson |publisher=Nwfighting.com |access-date=August 22, 2012}}</ref>
*[[Improvised weapons]]: Belt, bandana, handkerchiefs, shirts, towels/socks with hard soap bars/rocks, ropes, power cables, etc.

==Rank and grading system==
The practitioners must conform to criteria based on the number of years of training and level of proficiency in technical skills. Practitioners are screened by the rank promotion committee to determine their rank in the grading system. Note: Most systems do not have a belt based grading system. this is a western affectation and is not followed in systems like IKAEF, IKSA, Lameco, Inosanto-Lacosta, Balicki etc. that use titles only.

{| class="wikitable" style="background-color:white; text-align:center;"
|+ Arnis grading system<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.arnisphilippines.com/Downloads/RANKS/iARNIS-GRADING_SYSTEM-Public-v02.pdf |title=Sports Arnis Grading System |access-date=August 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709004436/http://www.arnisphilippines.com/Downloads/RANKS/iARNIS-GRADING_SYSTEM-Public-v02.pdf |archive-date=July 9, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" style="width:20%;" | Rank
! scope="col" style="width:20%;" | Belt
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" | English name
! scope="col" style="width:30%;" | Filipino name
|-
! scope="row" | White Belt
| [[File:Judo white belt.svg|55px]]
| Novice
| Baguhán
|-
! scope="row" | Yellow
| [[File:Judo yellow belt.svg|55px]]
| Intermediate 1
| Sanáy 1
|-
! scope="row" | Green
| [[File:Judo green belt.svg|55px]]
| Intermediate 2
| Sanáy 2
|-
! scope="row" | Blue
| [[File:Judo blue belt.svg|55px]]
| Intermediate 3
| Sanáy 3
|-
! scope="row" | Brown
| [[File:Judo brown belt.svg|55px]]
| Advanced
| Bihasâ
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="10" | Black
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Master 1
| Lakán/Lakámbini 1
|-
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Master 2
| Lakán/Lakámbini 2
|-
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Master 3
| Lakán/Lakámbini 3
|-
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Master 4
| Lakán/Lakámbini 4
|-
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Master 5
| Lakán/Lakámbini 5
|-
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Master 6
| Lakán/Lakámbini 6
|-
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Master 7
| Lakán/Lakámbini 7
|-
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Master 8
| Lakán/Lakámbini 8
|-
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Master 9
| Lakán/Lakámbini 9
|-
| [[File:Judo black belt.svg|55px]]
| Grand Master
| Dakilang Lakán/Lakámbini 10
|}

==Technical aspects==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2013}}

===Ranges===
Most systems recognize that the technical nature of combat changes drastically as the distance between opponents changes, and generally classify the ranges into at least three categories. Each range has its characteristic techniques and footwork. Of course, some systems place more emphasis on certain ranges than others, but almost all recognize that being able to work in and control any range is essential. The Balintawak style for example, uses long-, medium- and short-range fighting techniques, but focuses on the short-range.

To control the range, and for numerous other purposes, good footwork is essential. Most eskrima systems explain their footwork in terms of triangles: normally when moving in any direction two feet occupy two corners of the triangle and the step is to the third corner such that no leg crosses the other at any time. The shape and size of the triangle must be adapted to the particular situation. The style of footwork and the standing position vary greatly from school to school and from practitioner to practitioner. For a very traditional school, conscious of battlefield necessities, stances are usually very low, often with one knee on the ground, and footwork is complex, involving many careful cross-steps to allow practitioners to cope with multiple opponents. The Villabrille and San Miguel styles are usually taught in this way. Systems that have been adapted to duels or sporting matches generally employ simpler footwork, focusing on a single opponent. North American schools tend to use much more upright stances, as this puts less stress on the legs, but there are some exceptions.

Many systems, including the Inosanto/Lacosta system of escrima/kali recognize and teach 3 basic ranges: long range (largo), medium range (medio) and short range (corto). The long range is typically defined as being able to hit the opponents lead/weapon hand with your weapon/stick only. Medium range is where you are able to strike the opponent's body/head with your weapon/stick while also checking/monitoring the opponent's lead hand with your rear/live hand. And the short range is when you can strike the opponent's body/head with your rear/live hand or being able to strike the opponent's head/body with the hilt/punyo end of the weapon/stick. Some styles or systems may also define a closer range for elbows to the head or body, or grappling.

===Strikes===
Many Filipino systems focus on defending against and/or reacting to ''angles of attack'' rather than particular strikes. The theory behind this is that virtually all types of hand-to-hand attacks (barehanded or with a weapon) hit or reach a combatant via these angles of attack and the reasoning is that it is more efficient to learn to defend against different angles of attack rather than learn to defend against particular styles, particular techniques or particular weapons. For instance, the technique for defending against an attack angle that comes overhead from the right is very similar whether the attacker uses bare fists, a knife, a sword or a spear.

Older styles gave each angle a name, but more recent systems tend to simply number them. Many systems have twelve standard angles, though some have as few as 5, and others as many as 72. Although the exact angles, the order they are numbered in (numerado), and the way the player executes moves vary from system to system, most are based upon Filipino cosmology. These standard angles describe exercises. To aid memorization, player often practise a standard series of strikes from these angles, called an '''abecedario''' (Spanish for "alphabet"). These are beginner strikes or the "ABC's" of Arnis.

While most systems do incorporate a numbering system for the ''angles of attack'', not all use the same numbering system, so always get clarification before training in a new system or style. Additionally, while the angles are numbered for ease of discussion, the numbers do not generally define how the attack is thrown. That is to say, usually (excluding thrusts) a #1 angle, means an attack that starts on the right side of the practitioner and comes down at about a 45° from right to left. But, it does not matter whether this is done with the right or left hand (forehand or backhand) or if the hit continues through the target or returns back along the same line.

Some angles of attack and some strikes have characteristic names:
* '''San Miguel''' – a [[forehand]] strike with the right hand, moving from the striker's right shoulder toward their left hip. It is named after [[Saint Michael|Saint Michael the Archangel]], who is often shown in traditional icons as holding a flaming, divine sword at this angle. This is the most natural strike for most untrained people. It is commonly referred to as "angle #1" in systems where striking angles are numbered for training purposes, because it is presumed the most probable angle of attack.
* '''Sinawalì''' – the double-stick weaving movement most associated with Arnis, it is named for woven coconut or palm leaves called ''sawalì'' that are used as walls of [[nipa hut]]s. It is commonly seen in double-stick continuous attack-parry partner demonstrations.
* '''Redonda''' – a continuous, circular downward-striking, double-stick twirling technique. It whips in a circle to return to its point of origin. This is especially useful when using sticks rather than swords; it enables extremely fast strikes, but needs constant practice.
* '''Lobtik or Laptik''' – a through hit (forehand or backhand) where the weapon/stick swings through the target, coming from one side of the practitioners body and ending on the other side. Note: many systems do not allow the elbow to cross center (centerline) even though the stick or weapon is. 
* '''Witik''' – a returning hit (forehand or backhand) in which the strike "bounces" off the target and comes back or returns to the same side as it started.
* '''Abanico''' – from the Spanish for "fan", it is done by flicking the wrist 180° in a fan-shaped motion. This kind of strike can be very quick and arrive from unexpected angles. This motion is often done in secession hitting targets from opposite sides creating a nearly 360° arc. And can be done in front of the practitioner or over the head. 
* '''Pilantík''' – executed by whipping the stick around the wrist over the head in a motion similar to the ''abanico'', but in alternating 360° strikes. It is most useful when fighters are in grappling range and cannot create enough space for normal strikes.
* '''Hakbáng''' – From the Filipino for "step" or "pace", it is a general term for footwork. For example, ''hakbáng paiwás'' is pivoting footwork, while ''hakbáng tátsulók'' is triangular footwork.
* '''Puño''' – Spanish for "fist", "hilt", or "handle". It uses the butt of a weapon, and often targets a nerve point or soft spot on the opponent. In skilled hands, the ''puño'' strike can be used to break bones.

Many Arnis techniques have Spanish names, because Spanish was the [[lingua franca]] spoken during colonial times among the natives, who spoke over [[Languages of the Philippines|170 languages]] across 7,600 islands.

Arnis techniques are generally based on the assumption that both student and opponent are very highly trained and well prepared. Thus, Arnis tends to favour extreme caution, always considering the possibility of a failed technique or an unexpected knife. On the other hand, the practitioner is assumed to be capable of quick, precise strikes.

The general principle is that an opponent's ability to attack should be destroyed rather than trying to injure and convince them to stop. Many strikes are therefore aimed at the hands and arms, hoping to break the hand holding the weapon, or cut the nerves and tendons controlling it (the concept of "defanging the snake"). Strike to the eyes and legs are also important. This is summed up in a popular mnemonic: "Stick seeks bone, blade seeks flesh".

===''Mano Mano''===
{{Main|Suntukan}}

''[[Mano Mano]]'' is the empty-hand component of [[Filipino martial arts]], particularly Arnis. The term translates as "hands" or "hand-[to]-hand" and comes from the Spanish ''mano'' ("hand"). It is also known as ''[[suntukan]]'' or ''panununtukan'' in [[Luzon]] and ''pangamot'' in the [[Visayas]], as well as ''De Cadena'', ''Cadena de Mano'' or ''Arnis de Mano'' in some FMA systems. American colonists referred to it as "combat judo" or "Filipino boxing". 

''Mano mano'' moves include [[Sikaran|kicking]], [[Suntukan|punching]], locking, throwing, and ''[[dumog]]'' (grappling). Filipino martial artists regard empty hands as another weapon, and all movements of ''Mano Mano'' are directly based on weapon techniques. In Arnis, weapons are seen as extensions of the body, so training with weapons naturally leads to proficiency in bare-handed combat. For this reason, ''Mano Mano'' is often taught in higher grades after weapons training has been mastered, as advanced students are expected to be able to apply experience with weapons to unarmed fighting. This not always the case though, as some systems of Arnis start with (and at times only consist of) empty hands fighting{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}.

Some notable masters of ''Mano Mano'' include:
* [[Cacoy Canete]]
* [[Richard Bustillo]]
* [[Antonio Illustrisimo]]
* [[Balintawak Eskrima|Venancio "Anciong" Bacon]]
* [[Rey Galang]]
* [[Edgar Sulite]]
* [[Danny Guba]]
* [[Francisco Guilledo]]
* [[Ceferino Garcia]]
* [[Gabriel Elorde]]

===Kicking===
''Paninipa'', ''Pagsipa'', ''Pananadiyak'', ''Pagtadiyak'', and ''Sikaran'' (all terms for "kicking" in various regions, dialects and styles) are components of eskrima that focus on knees, tripping, low-line kicks, and stomps. ''Pananjakman'' is also a term used in [[Filipino-American]]-developed and Western FMA systems, usually referring to the system from the Lucky Lucaylucay, Floro Villabrille and [[Dan Inosanto]] blend lineage. Except for the distinct style of [[Sikaran]] from the Baras area of the province of [[Rizal (province)|Rizal]], which also uses high kicks, kicking as a separate art is never taught by itself in the Philippines, and this practice is only done in the West with ''Pananjakman''. ''Pananjakman'' is usually taught together with [[Suntukan|Panantukan]].

''Paninipa'' can be regarded as the study of leg muscles and bones and how they are connected, with the goal of either inflicting pain or outright breaking or dislocating the bones. Most striking techniques involve applying pressure to bend the target areas in unnatural ways so as to injure or break them. Such pressure may be delivered in the form of a heel smash, a toe kick, a stomp, or a knee. Targets include the groin, thighs, knees, shins, ankles, feet and toes. The upper body is used only for defensive maneuvers, making pananadiyak ideal for when combatants are engaged in a clinch. When used effectively, the strikes can bring an opponent to the ground or otherwise end an altercation by making them too weak to stand.

Fundamental techniques include kicking or smashing the ankle to force it either towards or away from the opposite foot (severe supination or pronation, respectively), heel-stomping the top of the foot where it meets the lower leg so as to break or crush the numerous bones or otherwise disrupt the opponent's balance, and smashing the opponents knee from the side to break the knee (with severe supination and pronation as the desired result).

===Drills===
[[File:Kali seminar drills.jpg|thumb|Kali stick drills during seminar at Ben Poon's Riseup Crossfit center by [[Terry Lim]] in Melbourne Australia]]
Several classes of exercises, such as ''sombrada'', ''contrada'', ''sinawali'', ''hubud-lubud'' and ''sequidas'', initially presented to the public as a set of organized drills by the Inosanto school, are expressly designed to allow partners to move quickly and experiment with variations while remaining safe. For example, in a ''sumbrada'' drill, one partner feeds an attack, which the other counters, flowing into a counterattack, which is then countered, flowing into a counterattack, and so on. The ''hubud-lubud'' or ''hubad-lubad'' from Doce Pares is frequently used as a type of "generator" drill, where one is forced to act and think fast. Initially, students learn a specific series of attacks, counters, and counter-attacks. As they advance they can add minor variations, change the footwork, or switch to completely different attacks; eventually the exercise becomes almost completely free-form. Palakaw, from the Balintawak style, are un-choreographed and random defensive and offensive moves.  Palakaw in Cebuano means a walk-through or rehearsing the different strike angles and defenses. It may be known as ''corridas'', or striking without any order or pattern. Disarms, take-downs, and other techniques usually break the flow of such a drill, but they are usually initiated from such a sequence of movements to force the student to adapt to a variety of situations. A common practice is to begin a drill with each student armed with two weapons. Once the drill is flowing, if a student sees an opportunity to disarm their opponent, they do, but the drill continues until both students are empty-handed. Some drills use only a single weapon per pair, and the partners take turns disarming each other. ''Seguidas'' drills, taken from the San Miguel system, are sets of hitting and movement patterns usually involving stick and dagger.

Rhythm, while an essential part of eskrima drills, is emphasized more in the United States and Europe, where a regular beat serves a guide for students to follow. To ensure safety, participants perform most drills at a constant pace, which they increase as they progress. The rhythm, together with the southern Filipino attire of a vest and sashed pants, is commonly mistaken for some sort of tradition when practising eskrima in the Philippines&nbsp;– perhaps incorrectly derived from traditional rhythm-based dances or an attempt to add a sense of ethnicity. Eskrima is usually practised in the Philippines without a rhythm, off-beat or out of rhythm. The diversity of Filipino martial arts means that there is no officially established standard uniform in eskrima.

===The live hand===
The ''live hand'' (or alive hand) is the opposite hand of the practitioner that does not contain the main weapon. The heavy usage of the ''live hand'' is an important concept and distinguishing hallmark of eskrima. Even (or especially) when empty, the ''live hand'' can be used as a [[companion weapon]] by eskrima practitioners. As opposed to most weapon systems like [[fencing]] where the off-hand is hidden and not used to prevent it from being hit, eskrima actively uses the ''live hand'' for trapping, locking, supporting weapon blocks, checking, disarming, striking and controlling the opponent.

The usage of the ''live hand'' is one of the most evident examples of how Eskrima's method of starting with weapons training leads to effective empty hand techniques. Because of ''Doble Baston'' (double weapons) or ''Espada y Daga'' (sword and [[parrying dagger]]) ambidextrous weapon muscle memory conditioning, Eskrima practitioners find it easy to use the off-hand actively once they transition from using it with a weapon to an empty hand.

===Doble baston===
''Doble baston'', and less frequently ''doble olisi'', are common names for a group of techniques involving two sticks. The art is more commonly known around the world as ''Sinawali'' meaning "to weave". The term ''Sinawali'' is taken from a matting called ''sawali'' that is commonly used in the tribal Nipa Huts. It is made up of woven pieces of palm leaf and used for both flooring and walls.

This technique requires the user to use both left and right weapons in an equal manner; many co-ordination drills are used to help the practitioner become more ambidextrous. It is the section of the art that is taught mainly at the intermediate levels and above and is considered one of the most important areas of learning in the art.

===Sinawali===
[[File:Sinawali.jpg|left|thumb|Practising Sinawali activity at Arnis seminar by [[Terry Lim]] at Marcos Dorta's Essential Defence Academy in Melbourne, Australia]]

''Sinawali'' refers to the activity of "weaving", as applied Eskrima with reference to a set of two-person, two-weapon exercises. The term comes from "[[Sawali]]", the woven material that typically forms the walls of [[Nipa Hut|nipa huts]].

''Sinawali'' exercises provide eskrima practitioners with basic skills and motions relevant to a mode of two-weapon blocking and response method called ''Doblete''. ''Sinawali'' training is often introduced to novices to help them develop certain fundamental skills&nbsp;– including: body positioning and distance relative to an opponent, rotation of the body and the proper turning radius, recognition of one's center of gravity, eye–hand coordination, target perception and recognition, increased ambidexterity, recognition and performance of rhythmic structures for upper body movement, and muscular developments important to the art, especially, the wrist and forearm regions. It helps teach the novice eskrimador proper positioning while swinging a weapon.

==Cross-training==
[[File:Kali seminar 1.jpg|thumb|Kali stick seminar by [[Terry Lim]] at Marcos Dorta's Essential Defence Academy of combat Jiu Jitsu in Melbourne Australia]]
The Chinese and Malay communities of the Philippines have practiced eskrima together with [[Kuntao|Kuntaw]] and [[Silat]] for centuries, so much so that many North Americans mistakenly believe silat to have originated in the Philippines.

Some of the modern styles, particularly [[Doce Pares]] and [[Modern Arnis]] contain some elements of [[Japanese Martial Arts]] such as joint locks, throws, blocks, strikes, and groundwork, taken from: [[Jujutsu]], [[Judo]], [[Aikido]] and [[Karate]] as some of the founders obtained black belt Dan grades in some of these systems. Some eskrima styles are complementary with Chinese [[Wing Chun]] because of the nervous system conditioning and body mechanics when striking, twirling or swinging sticks.

In Western countries, it is common to practice eskrima in conjunction with other martial arts, particularly [[Wing Chun]], [[Jeet Kune Do]] and silat. As a result, there is some confusion between styles, systems, and lineage, because some people cross-train without giving due credit to the founders or principles of their arts. For example, [[Kenpo#American Kenpō|American Kenpo]] and [[Kajukenbo]] cross-training traces back to the interactions between Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants in territorial/pre-statehood Hawaii, and to a lesser extent in other parts of the United States.  In the United States the cross-training between eskrima and Jeet Kune Do Concepts as headed by [[Dan Inosanto]] of the Inosanto Academy in Marina del Rey, California, goes according to the maxim "Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless".

Proponents of such training say the arts are very similar in many aspects and complement each other well. It has become marketable to offer eskrima classes in other traditional Asian martial arts studios in America but some practitioners of other eskrima styles often dismiss these lessons as debased versions of original training methods.

==Notable styles and practitioners==
{{main|List of Arnis systems and practitioners}}

== In popular culture ==
{{main|Arnis in popular culture}}

==See also==
* [[Arnis in the Philippines]]
* [[Filipino martial arts]]
* [[Doce Pares]]
* [[Balintawak Eskrima]]
* [[Modern Arnis]]
* [[Pekiti-Tirsia Kali]]
* [[Suntukan]]
* [[Sikaran]]
* [[Kinamutay]]
* [[Yaw-Yan]]
* [[Juego del palo]]
* [[Silat]]
* [[Jendo]]
* [[Kenpo]]
* [[World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation]] (WEKAF)
* [[International Arnis Federation]] (IAF)
* [[Arnis Philippines International Federation]] (iARNIS)
* [[World Modern Arnis Alliance]] (WMAA)

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Eskrima}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190703130445/http://www.arnisphilippines.com/ The Arnis Philippines organization website]
* [http://www.ikaef.com/ IKAEF&nbsp;– International Kali Arnis Eskrima Federation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317231826/https://www.ikaef.com/ |date=March 17, 2018 }}
* [http://www.buot.net/History/history.html Eskrima-Arnis, Martial Arts of the Philippines]

{{Symbols of the Philippines}}
{{Sports in the Philippines}}
{{Filipino weapons}}
{{stick fighting}}
{{martial arts}}
{{Philippines topics}}

[[Category:Arnis| ]]
[[Category:National symbols of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Philippine martial arts]]
[[Category:Stick-fighting]]
[[Category:Swordsmanship]]