Filipino martial arts
Encyclopedia
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
devised in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the most popular of which are known as Arnis/Eskrima/Kali
Eskrima
Eskrima is the umbrella term for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons...
. The intrinsic need for self-preservation was the genesis of these systems. Throughout the ages, invaders and evolving local conflict imposed new dynamics for combat in the islands now making up the Philippines. The Filipino people developed battle skills as a direct result of an appreciation of their ever-changing circumstances. They learned often out of necessity how to prioritize, allocate and utilize common resources in combative situations. Filipinos have been heavily influenced by a phenomenon of cultural and linguistic mixture. Some of the specific mechanisms responsible for cultural and martial change extended from phenomena such as war, political and social systems, technology, trade and of course, simple practicality.
Filipino martial arts have seen an increase in prominence due to several Hollywood movies and the teachings of modern masters such as Venancio "Anciong" Bacon, Dan Inosanto
Dan Inosanto
Daniel Arca Inosanto is a Filipino-American martial arts instructor from California who is best known as a student of the late Bruce Lee and authority on Jeet Kune Do Concepts.-Martial arts:...
, Cacoy Canete, Mike Inay
Mike Inay
Michael G. Inay was the founder of the Filipino martial art of Inayan Eskrima.He studied privately under the tutelage of two great Eskrima masters, Max Sarmiento and Angel Cabales. It was Mike Inay who proposed to Angel Cabales the formation of an organization to preserve and promote the Cabales...
, Remy Presas
Remy Presas
Remgio Amador Presas was the founder of Modern Arnis, a popular Filipino martial art. Born in the Philippines, he moved to the United States in 1974, where he taught his art via seminars and camps. In 1982 he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year...
and Ernesto Presas
Ernesto Presas
Ernesto Presas was the founder of Filipino martial arts system Kombatan.Kombatan, which includes training with the stick and with bladed weapons in addition to empty-hand work, was developed from the Modern Arnis system. Ernesto Presas assisted his older brother Remy Presas in developing Modern...
.
History
Today there are said to be almost as many Filipino fighting styles as there are islands in the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. In 1972, the Philippine government
Politics of the Philippines
The Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system...
included Filipino martial arts into the national sports arena. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports also incorporated them into the physical education curriculum for high school and college students. Knowledge of the Filipino fighting skills is mandatory in the Philippine military
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
and police
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Republic of the Philippines. It is both a national and a local police force in that it does provides all law enforcement services throughout the Philippines...
.
Filipino Martial Arts are considered the most advanced practical modern blade system in the world and are now a core component of the U.S. Army's Modern Army Combatives
Combatives
Combatives is a United States Army term for hand-to-hand combat training and techniques.-History:Militaries have long taught unarmed combat, both as physical conditioning and as a supplement to armed combat. Among the samurai of Japan, such combatives were known as Bujutsu...
program and used by the Russian Spetsnaz (special forces)
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
.
Types
The three umbrella terms for the most commonly seen forms are EskrimaEskrima
Eskrima is the umbrella term for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons...
, Arnis and Kali.
The word Eskrima derives from the Spanish term esgrima which means skirmish or fencing.
Arnis comes from arnes, old Spanish for harness or armor (harness is also an archaic English term for armor with the same roots), which is what the costumes worn during Moro-moro (MorosSIS y Cristianos) stage plays were called when practitioners disguised their art as merely stage fight choreography for public entertainment under the Spaniards' noses.
The origins of the word kali are uncertain. One theory is that it may come from the Indonesian word tjakalele., another is that it's a contraction of Kamot Lihok (Cebuano for hand-body movement) The multitude of languages spoken in the 7,107 islands have not only diverged into over 170 dialects, but they have been constantly mixing with one another and as a result, Filipino martial arts comprise a vocabulary of heterogeneous terms.
Eskrima, Arnis and Kali are used interchangeably for weapon-based martial arts, particularly those that focus on bladed weapons or stick-fighting. Panantukan
Panantukan
Panantukan is the boxing component of Filipino martial arts, and is known in the Visayas as pangamot. It consists of upper-body striking techniques such as punches, elbows, headbutts and shoulder strikes...
, pangamut and pamuok all refer to empty-handed striking methods, while pantadyakan and pananjakman are kick-based. Dumog
Dumog
Dumog is the Filipino style of wrestling while standing upright and refers to the grappling aspect of Filipino martial arts. The word dumog is most commonly used in Mindanao and the Visayas, while the word buno is used in Luzon, specifically in the Southern Tagalog-speaking provinces as far south...
or wrestling is considered one of the oldest unarmed Filipino fighting styles.
Aside from the more commonly seen blade and stick-oriented arts Eskrima/Arnis/Kali, there are also distinctly separate arts such as Kuntao
Kuntao
Kuntao or kuntaw is a Hokkien term for martial arts created by the Chinese community of Southeast Asia, particularly the Malay Archipelago. Literally meaning "way of the fist", the word kuntao more accurately translates as fighting art...
, which came from the Chinese settlers/traders, Silat
Silat
Silat Melayu is a blanket term for the types of silat created in peninsular Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Singapore. The silat tradition has deep roots in Malay culture and can trace its origin to the dawn of Malay civilization, 2000 years ago...
(practiced in the South, next to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
), Sikaran
Sikaran
Sikaran is a distinct Filipino Martial Art focused heavily on foot fighting and played as a game by farmers inside circular arenas in the middle of rice fields....
(practiced in Rizal province, which is primarily kick-based) and Yaw-Yan
Yaw-Yan
Yaw-Yan, also called Sayaw ng Kamatayan or "Dance of Death" is a Filipino style of kickboxing developed by Napoleon Fernandez.Since its inception in the 1970s, it has dominated the kickboxing scene in the Philippines and has proven very effective against other stand-up fighting arts.Yaw-Yan closely...
, a recent style very similar to Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
.
Weapons
Filipino martial artists are noted for their ability to fight with weapons or empty hands interchangeably and their ability turn ordinary household items into lethal weapons. Weapons-training takes precedence because they give an edge in real fights, gears students to psychologically face armed opponents, and any object that can be picked up can be used as a weapon using FMA techniques. Empty hands training is then taught as the stick is merely an extension of the hand.Another thing to note is that the Philippines is a blade culture. The Southern Philippines with the Moros were never really conquered by the Spaniards and the Americans; nor the Northern mountains
Cordillera Administrative Region
The Cordillera Administrative Region is a region in the Philippines composed of the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province, as well as Baguio City, the regional center. The Cordillera Administrative Region encompasses most of the areas within the Cordillera...
of Luzon with their feared headhunter tribes
Igorot
Cordillerans are the people of the Cordillera region, in the Philippines island of Luzon. The word, Igorot is a misnomer term invented by the Spaniards in mockery against the Nortnern Luzon tribes. The word ‘Igorot’ also as coined and applied by the Spaniards means a savage, head-hunting and...
so they kept their weapons and their fighting skills. For the more "civilized" provinces and the towns where citizens had been "disarmed", bolos
Bolo knife
A bolo is a large cutting tool of Filipino origin similar to the machete, used particularly in the jungles of Indonesia, the Philippines, and in the sugar fields of Cuba...
(a cutting tool similar to the machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
) and other knife variants are still commonly used for general work (farming in the provinces, chopping wood, coconuts, controlling talahib (sword grass
Sword grass
Sword grass is a name used for some species of grasses with blades that are sharp enough to cut human skin. This is because they contain many silica phytoliths, a hardening material in many plants. The sharp blades help to discourage herbivores from grazing, protecting the grasses around it as well....
), which could grow higher than roofs if not cut, etc.) and of course, the occasional bloody fight. Production of these weapons still survives and there are a few who still make some. In the province of Aklan, Talibongs are still being made in the remote areas. Until the 80s, balisong
Balisong (knife)
A Butterfly knife, also known as a fan knife or Balisong, is a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. It is sometimes called a Batangas knife, after the Tagalog province of Batangas in the...
knives were still commonly used in the streets of Manila as general purpose pocket knives much like Swiss army knives or box cutters until new laws on allowable kinds of knives made it illegal to carry them in public without a permit or proof that it was a vital to one's livelihood (e.g. Martial arts instructor, vendor). They're still openly sold in their birthplace of Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
, in the streets of Quiapo
Quiapo, Manila
Quiapo is a district and city square of Manila. Referred as the "Old Downtown", Quiapo in known for where cheap buys or goods are being sold at rock-bottom prices and was the home of the Quiapo Church, where the feast for the Black Nazarene is held, with over millions of people attending...
, souvenir shops and martial arts stores, wielded by practitioners and of course, street gangs. Thus, even when fighting systems were outlawed by the Spaniards, Filipinos still maintained their centuries-old relationships with blades and blade fighting techniques that survive from ancient times and are still much alive as they have been adapted and evolved to stay relevant and practical in colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
and modern times.
What separates Filipino Martial Arts from other weapon-based martial arts like Japanese Kendo
Kendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
& Kenjutsu
Kenjutsu
, meaning "the method, or technique, of the sword." This is opposed to kendo, which means the way of the sword. Kenjutsu is the umbrella term for all traditional schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration...
, European Fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
and traditional Chinese Martial arts that teach the usage of classical Chinese weapons is that FMA teaches weapon use that is practical today: how to use and deal with weapons that one can actually encounter in the streets and how to turn ordinary items into improvised weapons. No one walks around with sabers, katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
s or jian
Jian
The jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BCE during the Spring and Autumn Period; one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian.Historical one-handed versions have blades...
s anymore, but knives, machetes and clubs are still among commonly encountered weapons on the street and in the field, thus making FMA very practical and geared towards military and street fighting.
Traditional weaponry varies in design, size, weight, materials and usage but because of the similarity of techniques and that the human being can move in only so many ways, any object that can be picked up can be turned into a weapon by a Filipino martial artist as a force multiplier.
Unarmed
- Mano Mano: (lit. hands to hand) Incorporates punches, kicks, elbows, knees, headbutts, finger-strikes, locks, blocks, grappling and disarming techniques
- SikaranSikaranSikaran is a distinct Filipino Martial Art focused heavily on foot fighting and played as a game by farmers inside circular arenas in the middle of rice fields....
: Kicking techniques, also a kick-based separate art practiced in Rizal province - DumogDumogDumog is the Filipino style of wrestling while standing upright and refers to the grappling aspect of Filipino martial arts. The word dumog is most commonly used in Mindanao and the Visayas, while the word buno is used in Luzon, specifically in the Southern Tagalog-speaking provinces as far south...
and BunoBunoBuno is a system of Filipino wrestling like Dumog.Harimaw Buno, formerly Harimaw Lumad , is a style of Buno used by the Mangyans of Mindoro and the Aetas of Infanta, Quezon....
: styles of grappling/wrestling
Impact
- Baston / Olisi: Short sticks, traditionally crafted from rattanRattanRattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...
or kamagongKamagongKamagong or "Mabolo" is a fruit tree found only in the Philippines, the wood of which is extremely dense and hard, and famous for its dark color. It belongs to the ebony family , and like many other very hard woods is sometimes called "iron wood" so called because its wood is iron-like and nearly... - Bangkaw / Tongat: Staff, rod or pole
- Dulo-Dulo: Palmstick
- Tameng: Shield
- Improvised weapons: pens, keychains, keys (push knife grip), umbrellas, rolled-up newspapers/magazines, walking sticks, etc.
The walking stick in the middle of photo just left of the three arrows and right of the Luzon shield, doubles as an improvised weapon coming apart into two pieces, both with fixed blades on a long and short stick.
Pictured above is a closer look at the carving of a Negrito/Filipino man on top of the stick.
Also, a braid/weave encompasses the top portion of the walking stick to ensure a good grip.While partially unsheathed, we see the two blades hidden inside.Very rare from late 19th to early 20th century, beautiful weapon and great example of ingenuity and master craftsmanship of the people.
Edged
- Daga/Cuchillo: Spanish for dagger or knife. Traditional varieties include the gunongGunongthumb|350px|An antique gunong from Mindanao.The gunong is a knife from Mindanao, the Philippines. It is essentially a diminutive form of the larger kalis or kris. The gunong serves both as a utility knife and as a thrusting weapon used for close quarter fighting - usually as a last defense...
, punyalPunyalthumb|350px|An antique punyal de kris from Mindanao.The punyal is a small knife used as both tool and weapon by the Maranao people of the Philippines. Designs of the knife vary; some are straight, while others are wavy, resembling a small kris...
and barung or barongBarong (knife)The barong is a thick, leaf-shaped, single-edged blade sword. It is a weapon used by Islamic tribes in the Southern Philippines.- Description :-Blade:... - BalisongBalisong (knife)A Butterfly knife, also known as a fan knife or Balisong, is a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. It is sometimes called a Batangas knife, after the Tagalog province of Batangas in the...
: Foldable butterfly knife - Karambit: Small blade shaped like a tigerTigerThe tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
claw - Espada: Spanish for sword. Includes kampilanKampilanThe kampílan is a type of single-edged long sword of the Filipino people. Being ancient origin, it has been used in the Philippine islands of Mindanao, Visayas, and Luzon for centuries, used for head-chopping....
, ginunting, pinuti and talibong - KalisKalisA kalis is a type of double-edged Filipino sword, often with a "wavy" section, similar to a kris. Unlike the kris, the Kalis's double-edged blade can be used for both cutting and thrusting....
: Poison-bladed dagger, also known as krisKrisThe kris or keris is an asymmetrical dagger or sword nowadays most strongly associated with the culture of Indonesia, but also indigenous to Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Brunei. It is known as kalis in the southern Philippines. The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade , but many have... - GolokGolokright|thumb|Golok copying the Martindale No 2 designThe golok is a type of machete or broadsword originating in Southeast Asia. The word golok is of Indonesian origin but is also used in Malaysia and is known as gulok in the Philippines...
: Machete or broadsword - SibatSibatright|300px|thumb|Spearheads used by Filipino natives.A sibat is a staff or spear used as a weapon or tool by natives of the Philippines. It also called bangkaw, sumbling or palupad in the island of Negros. Sibat are typically made from rattan, either with a sharpened tip or a head made from metal....
: Spear - Sundang: Single-edged thick short sword
- Lagaraw: Single-edged flexible long sword with a bent tip
Flexible
- LatigoLatigoLatigo was a comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist Stan Lynde, who also created the Rick O'Shay comic strip. After a dispute over the ownership of Rick O'Shay with the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, Lynde left and went to Field Enterprises to launch Latigo.The daily Latigo daily strip began 25...
: Whip - Buntot PagiBuntot PagiBuntot pagi or Sting ray tail is a type of Filipino whip like weapon. Famous weapon in fighting and warding off aswangs and its like. In actual combat a Buntot Pagi is often used with a balaraw or a short knife or sword....
: Stingray tail - Lubid: Rope
- SarongSarongA sarong or sarung is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and worn as a kilt by men and as a skirt by women throughout much of South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric most often has woven plaid or...
- Cadena / Tanikala: Chain
- Tabak-ToyokTabak-ToyokThe Tabak-Toyok is a Filipino weapon closely related to the Okinawan nunchaku. The primary difference between the Filipino version and other versions of the weapon is that the Tabak-Toyok tends to have shorter handles as well as a longer chain. Each handle is approximately four inches long. The...
: Two sticks attached together by rope or chain, similar to nunchakuNunchakuis a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
, but with shorter sticks and a longer chain - Improvised: Belt, bandana, handkerchief, shirt, towel
Projectile
- Pana: Bow and arrow
- Sibat: Spear
- Sumpit: Blowpipe
- Bagakay: Darts
- Tirador/Pintik/Saltik: Slingshot
- Kana (as in Indian Pana Kakana-kana/kakanain kita): Darts propelled by slingshots used by street gangs
- Lantaka: kerosene-propelled bamboo cannon
- Luthang: gas-powered mini bamboo cannon
Signs and symbols
The triangle is one of the strongest geometrical structures and stands for strength. Many training halls incorporate the triangle into their logo. It represents numerous underlying philosophical, theoretical and metaphysical principles in the Filipino martial arts. Applications of the triangle are found in defensive and offensive tactical strategies, including footwork, stances, blocking and disarms.During training, non-verbal gesture communication and recognition is used in teaching and identification. This sign language, utilizing hand, body, and weapons signals, is used to convey ideas, desires, information, or commands.
Basic tactical ranges
The three combat ranges in the Filipino martial arts are corto (close-range), medio (medium-range) and largo (long-range).- Hakbang: general term for footwork
- Corto Mano: close range, short movements, minimal extension of arms, legs and weapons, cutting distance
- Serrada: "split step", short range footwork, quick, split action, front and back, low stance. Serrada footwork is the base of a triangular framework methodology
- Largo Mano: long range, extended movements, full extension of arms, legs and weapons, creating distance
- Fraile: short range footwork, hopping action, balanced position, short hop, pushing off from the lead foot
- Ritriada: short range footwork, shuffling action, pushing backward by pushing off the lead foot, giving six to eight inches of range per action.
- Banda y banda: side to side action
Basic tactical methods
Filipino martial arts contain a wide range of tactical concepts, both armed and unarmed. Each art includes several of the methods listed below. Some of these concepts have been taken in isolation to serve as the foundation for entire fighting systems in themselves.- Solo baston - single stick
- Doble Baston - double stick
- Bati-Bati - butt of stick methods
- Dulo-Dulo/Dulo y Dulo - palm stick methods
- Bantay-Kamay, Tapi-Tapi- "guardian hand" or "alive hand", auxiliary weapon used in conjunction with the primary weapon for checking, blocking, monitoring, trapping, locking, disarming, striking, cutting, etc. Examples include the empty hand when using a single stick or the dagger when fighting with sword and dagger
- Mano Mano, pangamut, pamuok - empty hands
- Baraw - knife and dagger
- Mano y Daga - hand and dagger
- Baston y Daga - stick and dagger
- Daga y Daga - pair of daggers
- Espada y Daga - sword and dagger
- Latigo y DagaLatigo y DagaLatigo y Daga is aFilipino martial art which focuses on the use of flexible weapons,particularly whips. It combines elements from a number of martial arts found inMalaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia....
- whip and dagger - Tapon-Tapon - hand thrown knives and weapons tactics
- Numerado - striking and blocking by the numbers, refers to the most basic strikes and angles
- Cinco Teros - five strikes, refers to the five most basic strikes and counters
- Doblete - two-weapon blocking and countering method of doubles
- Sinawali - "weaving"; rhythmic, flowing, striking patterns and tactics, utilizing two impact or edged weapons.
- RedondaRedondaRedonda is a very small, uninhabited Caribbean island which is part of Antigua and Barbuda, in the Leeward Islands, West Indies.This small island lies southwest of Antigua, in the waters between the islands of Nevis and Montserrat...
- circular double-stick vertical downward pattern of six strikes - Ocho ocho - repeating pattern, strikes and tactics, such as the figure-eight. This also refers to a dance move.
- Palis Palis - meeting force with force
- AbanikoAbanikoAn abaniko is a type of hand-held fan that originated from the Philippines. The abaniko, together with the baro't saya, was once a part of a lady's attire. Various ways of using and holding the abaniko may convey different meanings...
- fanning techniques - Witik - whipping, snapping back or picking movements
- Lobtik - follow-through strikes; horizontal, vertical, diagonal methods
- Crossada - cross blocking methods, hands and weapons
- GuntingGuntingGunting is the component of Filipino martial arts that focuses on destroying the opponent's ability to wield their weapon. This term derives from the word scissors in Filipino, Malaysian and Indonesian...
- "scissors"; armed and unarmed scissoring techniques aimed at disabling an opponent's arm or hand - Lock and block - dynamic countering, attacks based on the striking and blocking methods of the system
- Free flow - live interaction and play, flowing practice, rapid, rhythmic, weapons tactics
- Kadena De Mano - chain of hands, close quarters, continuous, empty-handed combat
- Hubud Lubud - to tie and untie, continuous trapping methods
- Trankada - joint locking and breaking techniques
- Kino mutaiKino mutaiKino mutai is a specialized sub-section of some Filipino martial arts that emphasizes biting and also covers eye-gouging. It involves extensive use of grappling, so as to allow the practitioner to control the opponent while applying the techniques.The biting aspect of kino mutai concerns itself...
- a sub-section of pangamut that specializes in biting and eye-gouges - Panganaw - disarming techniques
- PanantukanPanantukanPanantukan is the boxing component of Filipino martial arts, and is known in the Visayas as pangamot. It consists of upper-body striking techniques such as punches, elbows, headbutts and shoulder strikes...
/ Panuntukan - dirty street boxing method with elbows, headbutts and low kicks - Pananjakman, Sipa - low kicks (heel impact point)
- Suntukan - empty-hand striking (usually with closed fist)
- DumogDumogDumog is the Filipino style of wrestling while standing upright and refers to the grappling aspect of Filipino martial arts. The word dumog is most commonly used in Mindanao and the Visayas, while the word buno is used in Luzon, specifically in the Southern Tagalog-speaking provinces as far south...
- wrestling or grappling methods with an emphasis on disabling or controlling the opponent by manipulation of the head and neck. This also refers directly to a wresting competition on muddy ground. - Tigbas - slashing and cutting stroke
- Dunggab - stealthy stabbing stroke
- Luwa - spitting technique using poisonous substances also called 'laway'
- Ku-ot - stealthy grabbing technique designed to grab whatever is underneath the clothes, especially sensitive parts
Esoteric practices
- AgimatAgimatAgimat or bertud or anting-anting, is a Filipino word for amulet or charm. Although stereotyped as a cross, a flat, round or triangular golden pendant accompanying a necklace or a necklace-like item, it is also depicted as an enchanted stone that came from the sky or from the heart of a banana...
: An eskrimador's amulet worn to protect against misfortune and increase the chance of victory. Also known as habak or anting-anting - AlbularyoAlbularyoAlbularyo , sometimes spelled albulario, is a Tagalog term for a folk healer or medicine men.-Etymology and Alternative Names:The word arbularyo derives from herbolario, a Spanish word meaning herbalist....
: A shaman who carries out the initiation ceremony and treats injuries - HilotHilotHilot is an ancient Filipino art of healing, commonly used today to relax stressed muscles. Manghihilots as well as arbularyos are usually cheaper alternatives to medical doctors in the Philippines, especially in very deep rural areas...
: A traditional system of herbalism, massage and first-aid that was traditionally taught alongside martial arts - KulamKulamKulam is a Tagalog word meaning "hex or "curse"." Often, the same word is used as a term for witchcraft.-Usage and Related Terms:Kulam is actually a Tagalog noun which literally means bewitchment or hex....
: Witchcraft or spell-rituals carried out by witch-doctors. Also known as barang in Visayas. - Oracion: Special prayers, incantations or mantraMantraA mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
that may be recited before battle as a protective armor. This is also used for driving out or summoning spiritual entities.