Classifying your Art?

[Bob Hubbard]

I've heard and seen numerous comments that the FMA's are "stick arts", "blade arts", etc. From what I've seen of them, that is both true, and not true. So, I've been wondering and figured I'd ask:

What do you do, How do you classify it, and why?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I study Modern Arnis. I see it as a hybrid system, a decent balance between empty hand, blade and stick work. While training we do I'd say the majority of techniques all 3 ways, which can really change the dynamics of things significantly.

 

[Blindside]

Pekiti-Tirsia Kali, blade art.

 

[MJS]

Yes, I hear the same thing. We also have that equal balance between the stick, blade and empty hand techniques. My instructor also draws some from some of the other arts that he has studied. From time to time, he'll add in some ideas/concepts from some of the other Kali systems. The striking and kicking tends to draw a bit more towards boxing and Thai style kicking.

Mike

 

[Rich Parsons]

Modern Arnis: Empty Hand/Stick/Blade

Baliantawak: Stick Dueling


*** Yes the concepts and techniques learned from Balintawak can be used empty handed and also with a blade, but that is not the tradition of the system.

 

[The 14th Style]

I just call it Eskrima, mostly Serrada, but my teacher would blend in techniques from other styles. Some Largo Mano, Sinawali, boxing, Cadena De Mano and what he called generic Kali. We spent a lot of time studying the transfer from weapon to empty hand (especially with Sinawali). And the difference between a blunt weapon strike and a blade strike.

I really loved the Cadena drill that he showed me. It was sort of my reward for working hard. we didn't do a lot of it, but I loved what little I learned.

 

[tshadowchaser]

white leopard sikaran Empty Hand/Stick/Blade in that oder
sikaran feet then maybe sticks if it is combined with arnis

 

[Phadrus00]

Hmmm.. an interesting question... LEt me break it out by System and then add caveats

Inosanto Kali - Stick (Largo Mano)/Double-Stick/Blade
Alambra Arnis - Stick(Corto Mano)/Double-Stick/Blade
Doce-Pares Escrima - Stick(All ranges)/Double-Stick/Stick and Dagger/Blade

Maphalindo Silat - Empty Hand
Nusantara Silat - Empty Hand/Golok (like a barong but shorter)

The caveats I would add would be that each of the magor systems has a different character to it. My expereinces with studying Inosanto Kali (My nomeclature not an official designation) was that it was a "montage" of systems focussing on Largo Mano range primarily but with some close drills for knife work. Now I might have had a very different experience if I had been studying directly under Guro Inosanto but... I did not include Stick and Dagger work in it's classification because although I was introduced to it by my Instructor I never really flet that we treated it as a core competency, more of a curiosity than anything else.

The Alambra style Arnis was primarily Corto Mano and it was taught to me by an Instructor who was also an RCMP officer so it really focussed on the pragmatic, especially the Knife work. The Double-Stick work is exceptional and really gave me a much better appreciation for using double weapons above and beyond what I had experienced before.

Doce Pares has a very diverse background but I find that the drills that establish basic skills and the forms REALLY build upon one another. The system scales well across all it's influences. The drills are very "complete" in that they cover wide varieties of skill levels and variations as well as ranges and weapon configurations. The Double-Stick work and the Blade work is really very impressive and the drill work for timing and senstivity are incredible. The Espada y Dagga is very impressive as well. It also has been heavily influenced by it's practicioners involvement in competitive stick-fighting so many of the patterns and sparring techniques are tuned for that. These changes make the art much better in general and are not limited to applying only in the ring (Once you feel the power of the Arco you NEVER want to go back! *grin*). I would say that the Mano-y-Mano drills are not as sophisticaed as Silat drills but that is to be expected to some degree. My own Instructor is an acclaimed grappler and has a very diverse background so in our school we have a very strong Grappling influence that is outside of the normal curriculum.

I'm not sure if I am coming to a real conclusion here but I would submit that any art's final classification is a function of the original systems core curriculum + influence of it's practicioners + your immediate instructors background/approach.

Rob

 

[avm247]

Estalilla Bansuelo Kabaroan is both a stick art and blade art. It also includes the use of the bankaw, the sibat, the knife...etc.

First and foremost we are taught that the baston is representative of the sword, the second knuckles aligning with the edge of the weapon. Likewise, there are some techniques that work great with baston that don't work so great with a sword and vice versa, I'm sure.

"Kabaroan" has many translations, one of them being a "newer" style versus "cadaanan" being the "older style. I have seen "kabaroan" spelled with both a "C" and a "K" and both are correct. Kabaroan tended to be longer heavier stick arts, Cadaanan tended to be shorter, faster stick arts of the Philippines. There was an article in Black Belt magazine where GM Leo Giron and GM Estalilla were featured that described the above. GM Estallilla referred to Kabaroan and Cadaanan as two sides of the same coin.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

IRT is definately a blade oriented art. I personally think the transition from blade to stick is easier than the reverse. However that is just my opinion.

Yet it is hard to classify IRT just as a blade are in that we also work with other tools such as blunt, projectile, etc. Plus of course the entire empty hand spectrum as well.

 

[kuntawguro]

Maharlika Kuntaw is a sword shield art, but there are facets of stick, double stick, empty hand, ground fighting , and other weapontry in there as well.

 

[John J]

Kali(s) Ilustrisimo IS a sword method of combat. And both principles and strategies transfer within each weapon category whether knife or longer weapons like the kampilan or pingga

While an offshoot to KI, Bakbakan Kali offers both but focus is primarily stick with the exception of tulisan.