Nathasja Nicole R.

Villanueva 12 – ABM August 23, 2019

Simple but Deadly

Cultures define countries. It is the culture that makes a country unique from all others; it
is their identity. This encompasses language, cuisine, music, arts, religion, clothing, beliefs, and
sports to name a few. Each country has its own unique representative for each of these categories
that best represents their nation. When we talk about sports, the Chinese have their Ping Pong,
the Americans have their Football and the Japanese have their Sumo Wrestling, but we Filipinos
– we have our Arnis. Some of us often associate this sport with fencing or “espadahay” where it
makes use of sticks instead of real swords. However, what most of us do not know is the
interesting history of how Arnis came to be and the complex and intricate movements an
arnisador can do.

For centuries, Arnis has been passed down from generation to generation. According to
(Lim, 2018), It all started with the indigenous populations of the Philippines. Back then, they
knew nothing about guns or any of the more advanced weapons that other countries already had
and so, for their own protection, they made use of what was easily available and convenient to
them. They soon developed a variety of spears, rattan sticks and daggers for both defense and
offense. With practice, they gradually adapted series of techniques that makes use of the weapon
to its full potential and after such time, their movements became more complex, fast, and
accurate. Practitioners of this way of combat first called it as eskrima which is later known as our
national sport, arnis.

Arnis is otherwise known as kali, garote and many more in other Filipino languages. It is
characterized by its swinging and twirling movements, accompanied by thrusting, parrying and
striking techniques (Carrol 2017). It is also considered as a deadly martial art because it makes
use of everything that has got to do with fighting, not only weaponry but even one’s own hands.
This is why it requires the whole body to coordinately move as one unit. According to Siguenza
(2018), other than hand techniques pertaining to the use of sticks, it also includes that of boxing,
wrestling, grappling, pressure points and locks. As such, Arnis is not just simply an art of stick
fighting.
 Arnis is unlike any other martial arts. Since it was basically developed for self-defence
purposes it tackles with more practical conflicts such as where the enemy might use knives
instead of hand to hand combat: an important aspect that other martial arts, such as tae kwon do
and karate, do not have. This is much proven in 1521 where the Filipinos defeated the heavily
armoured troops of Ferdinand Magellan when they first tried to invade our country (Carrol,
2017). Filipinos back then were equipped with nothing but their handmade weapons and
formidable arnis abilities. But still they were able to defend their lands which only prove the
potential of arnis to be one of the most convenient and deadly combat a person can adapt.

According to Mariallen (2011), when the Spaniards, Japanese, and Americans started to
successfully colonize our country, the tradition of arnis disappeared in the cities and preserved in
the provinces. However, it never ceased to exist. It only developed more into the modern arnis
that we know today. Arnis is practiced more as a sport today rather than a way fighting in the
real world. Regardless, it is never a waste of time for generations of today to learn this martial art
because first of all it is not only extremely helpful for self-defence, but it is also good for body
fitness and coordination. Unlike other martial arts, arnis as a sport does not necessarily require
strength. Thus, it is also suitable for women, elderly and young. It is also not as complicated as
other martial arts and yet it almost combines almost all martial arts.

Our culture is what makes us Filipinos and arnis, nonetheless, is part of that identity. It
may not be as fancy as other kinds of sport but there is nothing in the world like it. It represents
who we are. Arnis shows just how innovative and creative Filipinos can be with what we have.