Filipino Martial Arts: Weapons of War

Originally printed in 1994 in: "The Path", a local martial arts publication in Portland, OR. At that time the kali and eskrima community was very minimal. It reads a bit dated, so I did make a few edits throughout. I thought it would be a good start to an archive section for the site.

Original publication 1994

Filipino Martial Arts: Weapons of War

By Christopher Clarke

As long as there has been a fight for survival, there have been weapons. Before there were "styles" of fighting, there were weapons of every imaginable dimension and characteristic. Before there were civilizations, weapons existed.

Most likely, a weapon was simply what was at hand: a rock, a sharp bone or a stick. Often, the use a weapon, determined whether you provided for your family or survived aggression. Weaponry was simple at first with blunt force impact by crude clubs, and rocks. The technology eventually improved with various shapes of rocks and tools and inevitably lead to spears and arrows. Then came copper, bronze, iron and steel. Weapons with an edge, bringing about better tactics, strategies and efficiency for both offense and defense.

The prevalence of weapons in the daily life and cultures of the many peoples of Southeast Asia, is undisputed. To be armed, was a necessity for safety and protection, not to mention the practicality of having a suitable blade at hand for tasks and work outdoors. The blade has long been a symbol of status and maturity for males - often completing the ensemble of formal dress and attire within the insular cultures of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Southern Philippines (Maphilindo).

The Philippines, like most places and peoples, have historically experienced territorial disputes, tribal wars and regional conflict. What unity they experienced in large part ultimately came about through domination by a foreign power - in this case, Spain.

Following the decline of the maritime hegemony of the Majapahit empire, islands in the central region of the Philippines were set upon by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who chartered a course for the Iberian empire to consolidate governance over the majority of the islands. Moving forward, the islands would come to be known by the namesake of the future King of Spain - but at the time a Prince - Philipp. This was due in large part to the peoples of the Visayas and Luzon embracing the faith of the Spanish and becoming Catholic.

The ability of the Conquistadors to impress the Filipinos with their technology and faith provided new conscripts and converts to assist in conquering other local tribes and was a crucial pathway to secure the ambitions of the crown and the cross.

The southern Philippines, however, was a different matter. Never brought under Spain's rule or religious influence, the tribes that are home to the large island of Mindanao, and chain of islands known as the Sulu archipelago, adhered to Islam, brought to the Southern islands by early Arab traders, and who were fiercely opposed to Spanish conquest.

Termed Moros by the Spanish, (similar to the Muslim Moors of Spain), the Tausug, Mindoro and Maguindanao tribes among others, were able to successfully repel most all foreign invaders to their lands because of their fighting skill and knowledge of bladed weaponry.

Known by different terms in different dialects, pagkalikali, kalirodman, or simply kali, the term refers to the fighting systems / styles of the Southern Philippines that existed before the Spanish era (hence the pre-Spanish name), and shares much with the cultures, traditions, look and movement of the Indo-Visayas. Kali, helped keep the Moros free from foreign rule for nearly 400 years.

The Filipino martial art of Kali as taught in the Inosanto method, comprises12 areas of study. Each category lists a principle by which a weapon/s with a similar characteristics can be utilized. For example, the principle of flexible weapons will share similar reactions and movement patterns in application. Be it a scarf, a sarong (traditional clothing), a length of rope or chain - the common denominator being flexibility and the objects ability to wrap or tie.

Another example is the category of double stick. The principle by which the use of two batons is the same regardless if the weapons were two swords, a sword and shield, or two axes. Of course there are differences between impact and edged weapons, weight, etc., but the commonality of two long implements would be the valid interpretation. Other areas of study include single or double knife, sword and dagger, throwing weapons and projectile weapons. Also integrated and native to the curriculum is a very comprehensive empty-hand method including boxing, kicking, throwing and locking.

In many classical systems of karate and kung-fu, it was primarily the senior students or higher belt ranks who were allowed to learn the weaponry of the system. Usually, even then it was restricted to the practice of solo forms or kata for competition. The Filipino philosophy and training method is quite unique and contrary to many of the East-Asian methods and train of thought.

The Filipino approach can be viewed as a pragmatic one. Armed conflict, with village against village or tribe against tribe, could be a prescient issue at any time. To the Filipinos, it made sense to train young warriors in the usage of a sword first, before empty hands, out of necessity. Rarely - if ever - should one be without a weapon. "Only while bathing", is an often heard sentiment in this regard.

Passage from boyhood to young man was affirmed by the wearing of a sword, known as a kris or barong. The environment of most men being always armed and the warrior ethos supported the viewpoint of teaching weapons first.

Most traditional martial art systems promoted the idea of forms or practice routines for each particular weapon and a different form for empty hands. The result all too often can be extra forms, and dis-similar movements, possibly leading to a student whose training is segregated, disconnected and not integrated

The Filipino approach differs in that it makes use of the same motion for weaponry as for the empty hand. This allows a student to be proficient with any weapon at hand: stick, knife, flashlight, umbrella, a rolled newspaper or even when no weapon is available.

Another benefit of Kali weaponry training is realizing enhanced attributes. An attribute can be defined as a specific quality: speed, strength, coordination, timing, rhythm, etc.

The attribute of speed is a good example. Physics tells us that a baseball bat when swung, moves faster than the handle. A sword or stick relates the same. The tip of a stick, moves considerably faster than the hand holding it. The stick in the hands of an expert, has been clocked at speeds up to 150 miles an hour.

When training with weapons capable of such speed, students are forced to react and respond more quickly. Speed in all it's forms is improved: vision, decision-making, and movement.

Awareness is keenly amplified when dealing with all weapons, particularly the knife.

Knife training especially, heightens awareness, hand speed, and contact reflex. Although Kali and many FMA methods have excellent knife defense techniques in particular, much of this type of training benefits the overall increase of performance attributes and not just the defensive techniques alone.

The awareness gained from consistent training with weapons in Kali allows a practitioner to better judge distance and threats both armed and un-armed.

Because an armed assailant has added reach with the length of the weapon, the student must be certain of critical range factors.

In order for a punch or kick to land properly and and have the desired effect, it must penetrate into the target. However, a knife on the other hand, need only graze to

injure - and possibly with fatal results.

Because of the extreme nature of potential injury with weapons, defenses must be extremely efficient and uninterrupted. Mobility is mandatory along with the principles of zoning and sectoring to understand and better limit an opponent's attacks - or the attacks of multiple opponents.

Weapons training is also a great way to develop proper and efficient body mechanics. The ability to effectively strike with a weighted weapon requires power. That power can be transmitted as the impact of a hammer or as the slash of a sword. The physics of weight transfer, leverage, torque and acceleration learned by way of weapons training is the same as needed to throw a powerful cross or elbow effectively. It is why old-time boxers would chop wood as an exercise to enhance punching power.

These are only a few reasons that support the Kali philosophy of training with weapons first. The Kali student gains valuable tangible benefits that will soon transfer over to the empty hand portion of the art. In this way a student can jumpstart his or her development and progress in the arts and at the same time be better equipped - physically and mentally - to effectively deal with an armed or un-armed confrontation.