Eskrima, the Filipino art of self-protection

It’s rather remarkable: while most Filipinos flock to foreign martial arts like Karate, Judo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Taekwondo, and Kung-fu, many foreigners swear by the martial efficiency of Filipino Eskrima. It’s also sad, really. Trust a non-Filipino to glean the depth of an art developed by Filipinos, while many locals neglect the beauty of their native craft. Some eskrima legends lay claim to an undefeated record in the ring. Indeed, a few others may even be undefeated in juego todo (“anything goes") stick fighting matches. Filipino martial arts or FMA are interchangeably called arnis, eskrima, or kali. All three terms mean much the same thing — the Filipino craft of wielding weapons. The weapon may be a blade, a stick, an umbrella, a flashlight, a ball pen – even a handkerchief can be used as a defensive weapon. Indeed, for the well-versed eskrimador, bare hands may also be employed. For simplicity’s sake, let’s just call it eskrima. It takes on many forms. Kalis Ilustrisimo Kalis Ilustrisimo is a blade-based Filipino martial art founded by Antonio “Tatang" Ilustrisimo. Throughout his life, the headmaster remained undefeated in blood and guts combat, as well as countless bladed encounters and any number of duels where losing the match would have meant losing his life. Distinguished by efficiency, practicality, and combat-proven blade work, Kalis Ilustrisimo’s hallmark is the termination of conflict in as few moves as possible. Tatang lived to pass on his system, a testament to its maximal efficiency. Before his death, Tatang bequeathed the leadership of Kalis Ilustrisimo to grandmaster Tony Diego, now the best source of information about the art. Interested parties are advised to speak only to Mang Tony himself, as faux experts abound. The KI group holds practice sessions at the Luneta every Sunday, near the Quirino Grandstand. Look for the carabao statues and you’ll see the eskrimadors. Sayoc Kali Anyone who has seen the movie Hunted, starring Benicio del Toro, may have noted the intricate knife work of Sayoc Kali, which is characterized by strokes to sensitive anatomical points. It is a comprehensive martial system that utilizes short swords, sticks, knives, and empty hands. Frankly, it also registers as being a tad vicious. A look at the videos featured on the Sayoc Kali Philippines website, shows defenders blithely cutting their opponent’s throats with training blades. In all fairness, some people seem to be into that sort of thing. Ethics is a matter of personal choice. Lameco Eskrima Founded by the late Edgar Sulite, Lameco Eskrima is a system whose central tenet is equal facility in all three ranges of combat — Largo (long range), Medio (middle range) and Corto (close range) — hence the name Lameco. Its basic foundation draws upon the Caballero system, itself a venerable form of eskrima. Having trained under Tatang Ilustrisimo, Sulite integrated into his Lameco system a few of Tatang’s pet moves. Parties interested in Lameco Eskrima may inquire at 26 Negros Occidental Street, Phil-Am Life Village in Las Piñas or at the University of Makati along Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati. Balintawak Balintawak exponents pride themselves most on what they call their “fast, tough, hard-hitting approach." Theirs is a school of “hard knocks" passed down by the legendary Anciong Bacon. Balintawak exponents whip their eskrima sticks about in vigorous flourishes of flashing rattan. It’s a very macho affair. One of Bacon’s martial progeny is Bob Silver “Bobby" Tabimina. After obtaining black belts in Karate and Judo, Bob Silver was introduced to the art in 1967, and now teaches Balintawak Eskrima from Monday to Saturday at the Gold Loop Towers in Pasig. Pekiti Tirsia Known for its use of edged weapons and its preference for tight quarters, Pekiti Tirsia is a system made famous by Leo Gaje. Recently, it caught the fancy of a number of US special forces soldiers, and is also used by a number of Filipino Force Recon Marines to hunt the Abu Sayyaf in the wilds of Mindano. Instructor Patch Caballero is the head of an Eskrima club in White Plains, Quezon City. Called Pekiti Tirsia Kali Manila - Hangkilan, the club conducts classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3pm to 5pm at the White Plains Pelota Court. Doce Pares For those whose interests are more athletic than lethal, the Doce Pares system would be a great choice. A legendary eskrima system in its own right, the Cebu-based Doce Pares system has received worldwide recognition. This group is one of the strongest advocates of eskrima’s popularization as a mainstream sport. Many top sport eskrima players hail from the Doce Pares camp. Doce Pares moves are imbued with Cebuano pride. Exponents at eskrima tournaments whack at each other with utter disregard for their personal safety. Dangerous to do on the streets, perhaps, but a lot of fun when both stick-wielders are behind safety armor. Interested parties who live in Manila might be hard put to find a credible Doce Pares teacher, as the system is Cebu-based. But if you click on http://docepares.net78.net/, who knows what you might find? Lightning Scientific Founded in 1937 by the late Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema, Lightning Scientific is a system known for its fast, powerful, and fluid strikes. It shows a marked preference for blind-siding and blanketing the opponent with a wicked web of rattan. Many Lightning Scientific stick strikes are delivered from wide chambered positions — very telegraphic, perhaps, but they land with a heck of a wallop. The Lightning Scientific group is now headed by Lema’s daughter Patty. Interested parties may inquire at the Lightning Scientific headquarters in UP Diliman. They may also click on http://www.myfma.net/group/lightningscientificarnisinternational, which is maddeningly vague, perhaps purposefully so. Camouflage and misdirection, as you know, are watchwords of any warrior. - GMA News