Questions on Eskrima and Kali

[jimmyyuan]

hello i am a aspiring martial artist looking for information on eskrima and kali
such as

what is eskrima?
what is kali?

is it worth the time?
and is it practical?


i hope you all can help me out here because im just a novice wanting to learn. thank you =)

[kruzada]

Eskrima is a term used in Northern Luzon to refer to the FMA as it pertains to the Baston (both double and single stick), Espada y Daga (stick and dagger), Bangkaw (staff) which is sometimes taught alongside various unarmed arts, but the focus is mainly on the use of weapons.

Kali is a term that there is so much debate over that no two FMA styles/systems have the same definition. It is a very touchy subject, especially in forums such as this.

Generally speaking, styles/systems outside the Philippines that go under the banner of Kali, tend to emphasize use of edge weapons, but many also teach impact weapons. In the Philippines the way they define Kali are various to say the least.

You might have a more precise response if you listed the schools available in your area, and the members of this forum may be able to explain the differences in their training methodology.

As far as whether or not Kali and Eskrima are effective or practical, all of us here in this forum are biased. But I have never heard anyone criticize the FMA concerning it's practicality and or effectivity either. In fact I used to teach in a studio side by side with many different styles of martial arts, ranging from Wing Chun to Sambo to Capoeira, and we have recieved nothing but praise from all of the other martial artists that were teaching or studying there during our 5 years renting from them. In fact some of the instructors used to watch our class for nearly an hour after their own classes were done, regularly.

I hope this helps, I definitely recommend that you try it out for yourself. That is the only way to find out whether or not the FMA are right for you.

Good luck with your training.

[jimmyyuan]

thank you very much.well the classes in my area so far i know of this academy in Houston TX here www.defend.net.However, i never found what sort of FMA they taught and i am currently under the study of wing chun and just want to absorb as many arts as i can. i think wing chun works because it is more practical then most chinese based martial arts besides Jeet Kune Do and i was just interested in Kail or escrima because i heard from my friends that it can improve hand eye coordination anyways thnks alot !

[kruzada]

Tim Mousel's academy run's this website/forum, and his school promotes JKD Concepts and Lacoste/Inosanto method of FMA. Which is a good place for you to be since you are interested in both Wing Chun and Kali.

However, I believe that Kali and Eskrima are complete arts unto themselves, and have far more to offer than just to help improve one's hand/eye coordination. Which is the reason why most, not all, Kali/JKD schools offer training in the FMA.

Good luck. I hope you find a school that suits your needs.

[VT3]

Escrima Pekiti Tirsia is the best style. My advice Just stay away from Greg Allnd and his crappy video tapes!

[krys]

Eskrima is a term used in Northern Luzon to refer to the FMA as it pertains to the Baston (both double and single stick),

just a minor correction, escrima is a term used mostly in Cebu, some peoples in the southern philippines adopted it also recently to name their blade arts.... arnis is the term mostly used for weapon based fmas in the Philippines.

[krys]

Eskrima is a term used in Northern Luzon to refer to the FMA as it pertains to the Baston (both double and single stick),

just a minor correction, escrima is a term used mostly in Cebu, some peoples in the southern islands adopted it also recently to name their blade arts.... arnis is the term mostly used for weapon based fmas in the Philippines.

[Go Jun Long]

just a minor correction, escrima is a term used mostly in Cebu, some peoples in the southern islands adopted it also recently to name their blade arts.... arnis is the term mostly used for weapon based fmas in the Philippines.

This is true, Eskrima is from the central Visayas.

For some information look here: www.komudokwan.com/escrima.html

[kruzada]

You are correct that Eskrima is practiced in the Visayas.

But according to my father who is from Illocos Norte. My Grandfather and Grand Uncle practiced Eskrima in this region. But this could have been brought into the area as they were both officers in the Bolo Battalion.

All arts eventully migrate to other regions of the Philippines, for instance Kuntaw is not known to be a native art of Luzon, but Grandmaster Ric Esteban taught the art there.

[Crucible]

Kruzada,
Who's GM Ric Estaban, and what type of Kuntaw did/does he teach?

[kruzada]

GM Ric Esteban passed away about 7 or 8 years ago. He taught his own system that he called Kuntaw Combat Escrima, of which I have only been exposed to the Empty hand and single stick methods. But there are many more levels to the art that I have not experienced.

I'm not sure what you mean by "type" but if you are referring to the origins of his Kuntaw, I believe that it came from Borneo. I do not believe that it is Chinese in origin like other Kuntao systems that are in the U.S.