Eskrima or arnis is today a well known sport with increasing popularity. This traditional Filipino martial art dates back to pre-Spanish colonialism widely practiced in all the provinces of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Eskrima has been taught from generation to generation like many other martial arts.
Historically, a form of eskrima killed the Spanish explorer Fernando Magalhaes (Ferdinand Magellan) by the forces of Raja Lapu-Lapu. In the Spanish era of the Philippines, Filipino peasants or "indios" were prohibited from practicing eskrima because of the Spanish governments fear that Filipinos would be a substantial threat if uprising began. This did not stop Filipinos from practicing eskrima in the rural areas though. Many Filipinos still practice the ancient martial art of eskrima. Though this is not commonly practiced by people in the city, people in the rural areas, still pass on this heritage from father to son.
Eskrima, as traditionally practiced, is a form of hand-to-hand combat, weapon based or a combination of both. Unlike any other form of martial art, eskrima is more of a survival form rather than a graceful form of body movements, although it can sometimes yield that effect for advanced practitioners. Its main goal is to end any engagement as quickly as possible. It is an innovative technique that makes use of anything from car keys and umbrellas to phones and tea cups. How a practitioner reacts to the opponent is a very important tool for eskrima. Reaction is also affected by the angles of attack the opponent makes which in eskrima is called "numerado" or numbered. The concept behind the "numerado" is that each angle of attack will always be the same for stick weapons, blade weapons, and even on empty hand.
Eskrima techniques vary with the weapons a practitioner uses. Unlike any other sport where the more advanced practitioners gain weapons as they progress, advanced eskrima practitioners use empty hand. This is based on the theory of muscle memory where training for basic weapons will also train empty hands to react appropriately. This is used in hand to hand combat and is especially useful in close range fighting. The most basic and common eskrima weapon is the "yantok" which is a local rattan stick twenty to thirty inches long and 1.5 - 2 inches in diameter. Some of the popular techniques include the "San Miguel" which is a forehand blow made from the upper dominant shoulder (e.g right shoulder) toward the nondominant hip (e.g. left hip). The "Redonda" is a flow of skillful downward strikes using "doble baston" or double sticks. One of the most popular is the "Redondo" where two sticks are moved in a circular or semispherical direction serving as a defensive form.
As a sport eskrima has uses padded "yantok" to provide protection. Scoring systems of are similar to boxing for the WEKAF system and similar to fencing for the ARPI system. The ARPI system is a safer way to practice eskrima as a sport.
Unlike any other form of martial art eskrima uses the concept of survival in a very innovative way. Making use of weapons that can be found in the surroundings gives the practitioner the upper hand in confrontation.
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