About Us

CASASAI (Combative and Sportive Arnis System Association Incorporated) is an organization that promotes CASAS. CASAS means Combative and Sportive Arnis System, designed by Guro Melecio O. Balberde and Guro Lino B. Baldevarona. Arnis or Escrima is often misunderstood by non- practitioners of the Filipino Martial arts. They thought that arnis training is confined to the used of sticks only. On the contrary Arnis is a complete system of Martial Arts. Arnis System is unusual because the practitioner begins by learning armed combat and progress to unarmed fighting skills that includes boxing, kicking, grappling and trapping. CASAS is actually a system of arnis training which utilizes modern and scientific approach in training students in acquiring self-defense techniques and skills in arnis sport competitions. What makes CASAS unique is that it begins training the practitioner with the use of two sticks. CASAS teaches twenty four variations of sinawali movements designed by Guro Mel O. Balberde to enhance good coordination in both right and left hand. Mel believes that good coordination plays an important role in sports competition as well as in real combat. After learning the basics of the sinawali movements the students are taught the basics strikes using single stick, and progresses to defenses and counters and disarming and locking techniques. After learning the single stick as weapon, the students will learn the espada y daga, and then the Filipino style of knife fighting. Knife fighting include dagger versus dagger, empty hand versus dagger. After learning these skills, practitioners are taught to apply the movements of hands with weapons to empty hand fighting techniques.

Arnis in itself is already a mixed system of martial arts which uses sticks as main weapon. It also employs mano mano or empty hand techniques which uses almost all parts of the body, like the fist used in boxing and other martial arts, kicking or sikaran, head butting, elbow strikes, grappling, and dumog or the Pinoy wrestling. The CASAS therefore utilizes the use of boxing focus gloves, punching and kicking bags, kicking pads and shields and also using traditional equipment to enhance the development and sharpening of skills. Traditionally, serious Arnis practitioners become expert in using bladed weapons both offensively and defensively. The CASAS will also give emphasis in teaching self defense techniques using bladed weapons like knives and swords.

CASAS recognizes that Arnis sport is a good avenue wherein an arnis practitioner can express his learned skills in arnis. Though it is different in a real combat, it will encourage students to become very disciplined, sharpen their skills, and also promote unity through the spirit of sportsmanship. It is in this notion that CASAS will help in promoting Arnis sports which are already established by other organizations like the International Modern Arnis Federation, Arnis Philippines Inc., and other Arnis international and local organizations.

CASAS training methods include Aerobic exercises such as running, skipping and jumping ropes, and other exercises that are designed to develop stamina. Besides practicing coordination exercises with the use of sticks, CASAS will also employ flexibility exercises to enhance good coordination and timing in delivering different techniques whether in actual combat or in sports.

 

What Makes Combative and Sportive Arnis System Unique?

In this system we first teach our students the double-stick striking techniques to develop dexterity. This is because we believe that double-stick drills develop good coordination, timing, and of course speed and power. So before we proceed to the single-stick training we develop the right and left hand of the practitioner. He should know the art of striking using both his left and right hands. This will also give the practitioner a good foundation in using both hands even in the art of knife and empty hand fighting which requires dexterity.

The CASASAI adapted twenty four variations of Sinawali techniques which will enable the practitioner to adapt to more advance techniques like tapi-tapi, mano a mano or bare hand techniques. When a student has already understood the application of stick movements to knife fighting, and bare hand self defense techniques we will subject him or her to what we call as the sharpening stage. Here we train students to punch using the focus gloves and heavy bags just like training a boxer and we give emphasis in actual sparring using protective gears and armors to avoid injuries. Of course in our training we don’t only punch we also teach our students to kick though we give more emphasis in low kicking techniques in order not to expose the legs to danger of being damaged by a counter attack. In fact most of our traditional fighters seldom used their legs as weapons to attack. In the Filipino Martial arts system legs are considered as the wheels to avoid an attack and to counter attack especially if you are fighting with the used of weapons like stick, knife or sword which requires speed in footwork both in offense and defense. Remember, even if you loss your hand in fighting you still have a greater percentage of survival than losing a leg. With your legs intact, you can still run like hell!

The Escrimador should know how to apply stick movements to bare hand striking, parrying or blocking, trapping and should know how to apply locking with the use of stick to empty hand grappling and locking. This is what makes the Filipino Martial Arts system unique. We begin practicing by using weapons like sticks swords, and knives then progress to empty hand techniques. In fact, this is a better way of training a martial artist both physically and mentally. If the Escrimador is able to defend himself against the stick and other bladed weapons there is no reason he could not depend himself in an unarmed encounters.

We just go one step forward from the traditional way of Arnis by first training our students to double-stick drills and then single stick, and we train them in espada y daga then progress to unarmed self defense techniques.

 

Philosophy

The natural universe is an expression of profound love and beauty. In Arnis, both the origin and center of universal love is God. The flexibility of rattan and bamboo sticks symbolizes the unselfish love which is willing to sacrifice pride and honor in order to unite all the creation. The solid stick and bladed weapons represent strong determination to uphold righteousness for the attainment of peace. Thus the principle of Love is the guiding principle of Combative and Sportive Arnis System or CASAS.

The Tenets of CASAS