Eskrima (also known as Kali or Arnis) is an incredibly versatile Martial Art that originated in the Philippines. During Eskrima/Kali/Arnis training at Northwest Fighting Arts, you’ll develop a refined sense of effective angles of attack and defense. Initially trained with rattan sticks, the Eskrimador quickly learns that this attack style can be worked with a knife, a sword, an empty hand, and a variety of other objects. The versatility of this weapon-based Filipino Martial Art (FMA) derives from an ability to use whatever tool is at hand for devastatingly effective self-defense.
Your Portland Eskrima/Kali/Arnis training will focus on footwork drills to develop effective evasive movement, conditioning, and strength. With dedicated practice, you’ll notice a significant improvement in your agility and stability. The strike flow patterns are worked offensively and defensively to help sharpen coordination and refine the reflexes. These patterns progress to incorporate trapping and disarming techniques, which are used to eliminate the threat of an opponent’s weapon.
As you progress in your skill, we’ll move into free form sparring. Here, we’ll apply everything we’ve learned in a live situation. These classes are exciting, varied, and a lot of fun.
Basic Concepts of Filipino Kali or Eskrima Courses
Training in Eskrima or Kali requires you to learn simplified moves without spending too much time on flashy techniques. We only teach skills that can be easily applied in real-life combat situations. Even the more advanced and intricate techniques are practical and usable in a fight. Even the most basic concepts and skill sets in Eskrima take years of determination and hard work to understand and execute.
Stances
We begin training with teaching our students the stances. The right stance enables a fighter to make agile and effective defensive and offensive maneuvers. Individual stances take years of dedicated practice to master. One needs to learn to do the stance stationary, then while moving, in combinations with other foot work, then with changing rhythms, and in a stressful situation. Here are some of the basic stances taught at NWFA:
- Forward Stance: helps you to strike powerfully and effectively, stay mobile, and quickly change to other stances
- Back Stance: for defensive moves and launching counter attacks
- Cat Stance: for agile movements, space to yield, and quick countering
- Horse Stance: to powerfully defend against side attacks
- Cross Stance: for counter attacking, angling away from the opponent, and as a transitional stance
NWFA instructors will help you perfect these stances, giving you powerful striking ability and effective defensive techniques. With every movement learned, our instructors will evaluate your stances to make sure your foundation is strong through all the motions.
Weapons Training for Self-Defense
Numerous sticks, as well as bladed and blunt weapons, are used by the practitioners of Kali, Eskrima, or Arnis. At NWFA, our training programs include learning to safely use many of the following weapons:
- Yantok – also known as baston or garrote, this weapon has a standard length between 24-28 inches
- Largo Mano Yantok – a similar weapon to the Yantok, with a length that ranges between 28-36 inches
- Dulo Dulo – a 4 to 7-inch palm-held short stick that’s similar to the Japanese Yawara Stick
- Bankaw – A 6-foot-long staff
- Wooden Dagger – shaped like a basic round stick, this weapon ranges between 12-14 inches in length
- Bladed Eskrima weapons (Daga, Balasong, Karambit, Bolo, Barang, Binikoko, Dinahong Palay, Kris, and the Kampilan)
- Flexible Kali weapons (Sarong, Ecut, Nunchaku, and the Bull Whip)
- Projectile Arnis weapons (Bow and Arrow, Blowguns)
- Various body parts (fists, backhand, open palm, knife hand, fingers for clawing and jabbing, forearms, shoulders, elbows, knees, shins, feet, and head)
Although body parts are not normally considered to be weapons, proper training and development of skills can certainly change this and prove to be very valuable in a combat situation. One can distract the opponent with the weapon in one hand while actually striking with the other. Learning to use weapons as well as bare hands is what makes the Eskrima Martial Art so effective.
Contact us today to take a free private Eskrima lesson with an expert instructor in Portland. If you decide to continue your training, we’ll give you the first 30 days free! Call us now at 503-235-3435.