History of Arnis

Arnis, as a martial art, originated and developed in the Philippine soil. This was practiced and mastered by early Filipinos for defense and self preservation. It was known in ancient Philippines as kali believed to have derived from the Indonesian word tjakalele which means fencing. Later on during the Spanish regime in the Philippines Filipinos called it arnis. Historically, It was a derivation from the word “Arnes,” a colorful trappings on defensive armors used in moro-moro plays which were then a socio-religious plays depicting the victory of Christian Spaniards over the muslims. The shows were used primarily as propaganda and also for entertainment. During that time, The Filipinos were prohibited by the Spanish regime to practice their martial arts so the staging of moro-moro gave the players a good excuse to practice their fighting art.

The Arnis system of fighting includes empty hands techniques which employ the flowing method of training like the tapi-tapi(Tapping) sytem to develop reflexes, sensitivity, timing, and good coordination. It also utilized kicking techniques but usually applied to the lower part of the body. Traditional arnis is usually practiced in three forms of play. They are solo baston or single-stick in which a long stick or baston is used; the espada y daga or sword and dagger in which a long stick or sword and a wooden dagger are used; and the sinawali, a native term applied because of its intricate movements of the two sticks resemble the weave of sawali(crisscross fashion), the bamboo split weave pattern used in walling and matting which was very common in Visayas Islands.

8 Responses to “History of Arnis”

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1. mark adrian says:

   February 11, 2010 at 7:34 pm

   iam a arnis lover can you teach me

   Reply
2. sarahmaricar pederes says:

   February 14, 2010 at 4:55 pm

   GUSTO KO MATUTO NG MARAMI TUNGKOL SA ARNIS
   KUNG
   IYONG MamaRAPATIN HA?

   Reply
3. jenevie g.o. says:

   February 21, 2010 at 11:49 pm

   i really love arnis because it was originated here in the philippines..i really hope i could learn more about it.

   Reply
4. REGINE says:

   June 9, 2010 at 6:48 pm

   hi guzto ko xanang matu2 mag arnis

   Reply
5. Rey Damasco says:

   June 9, 2010 at 11:23 pm

   @REGINE: Just wanna know where is your exact location. If you are in Iloilo, I might be able to refer you to people who could teach you Arnis.

   Cheers!
   Rey Damasco

   Reply
6. glenn says:

   June 18, 2010 at 8:49 am

   hi gus2 ko sana matuto ng arnis

   Reply
7. glenn says:

   June 18, 2010 at 8:50 am

   mga clasm8 ako toh

   Reply
8. Lisa says:

   July 7, 2010 at 8:39 am

   Thanks for posting this in a simpler form.

   I was asked by a student to research this for their P.E (college). Why? He is playin DOTA… boink!

   Reply

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