Arnis History, Terminology, Equipment, and Practice

Flashcards covering the history, organizations, terminology, equipment, and salutation customs of Arnis.

Lapu-Lapu

The chieftain of Mactan who first exposed Arnis to the world when he defeated Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521.

Miguel De Legaspi

A Spanish warrior navigator who landed in Abuyong Leyte in April 1564 and witnessed native fighting demonstrations from Chief Malitik and Chief Tupas.

1764 Prohibition of Arnis

The ban on practicing Arnis imposed by Spaniards under the official excuse that natives were wasting time instead of tilling lands.

Arnes

An old Spanish term meaning armor or colorful trappings on defensive armor used in Moro-Moro Plays, from which the name arnis was derived in 1873.

Eskrima

A Filipinization of the Spanish word esgrima, meaning fencing or a game between two combatants using blunt instruments, popularized during the American period.

Labangan Fencing Club

The first arnis organization established in Cebu City in 1920.

Kali

An arnis term derived from the pre-Hispanic Filipino word Kalis, which means blades and fencing.

NARAPHIL

The National Arnis Association of the Philippines, formed in 1975 by General Fabian Ver to unite all arnis groups in the Philippines.

ARPHI

Arnis Philippines, an organization established in July 1986 to promote, preserve, propagate, and regain the popularity of arnis nationwide.

WEKAF

The World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation, founded during the First World Eskrima Kali Arnis Championships in Manila on August 11-13, 1989, led by lawyer Dionisio "Diony" Canete and 78 delegates from 10 countries.

Modern Arnis

A Filipino fighting art and self-defense system created as an injury-free training method to preserve older Arnis systems, combining Presas Family style, Balintawak eskrima, Shotokan Karate, Judo, and Jiu-jitsu.

Remy Amador Presas

The founder of Modern Arnis, recognized as the Father of Modern Arnis, who established the Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines in Manila in 1969.

Republic Act No. 9850

A legislative act signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2009 declaring Arnis as the national sport of the Philippines and mandating its inclusion in Physical Education courses.

Anyo

Solo forms in Modern Arnis performed both with and without a stick, equivalent to kata in other martial arts.

Olisi

A piece of rattan or hardwood used in Arnis with an ideal length of $75\,\text{cm}$, a diameter of about $2.4\,\text{cm}$, and a weight of about $200\,\text{g}$; also known as a baston.

Daga

A knife-shaped or dagger-shaped piece of hardwood between $25\,\text{cm}$ and $32\,\text{cm}$ long; also known as a barrow.

Arnis Belt Grades

Belts made of ordinary cloth with an ideal width of $4.5\,\text{cm}$ to $6\,\text{cm}$, progressing through Novice Level 1 (white), Novice Level 2 (yellow), Intermediate Level 1 (green), Intermediate Level 2 (blue), Advanced Level (brown), and Master Level (black degrees).

Arnis Armor

Protective gear consisting of headgear, body protector, and gloves made of hard foam, leather, or leatherette required for full contact sparring or formal competition.

Yukbo

A salutation performed in Arnis to show respect, also referred to as saludo or pugay, used before and after sessions or when meeting instructors and dignitaries.

Ordinary Saludo

A 4-count salutation performed in regular practice sessions where the practitioner slides the left foot close to the right, places the right hand with the olisi on the left chest, bows the head, and slides the left foot back to a natural stance.

Formal Saludo

A 4-count salutation used in solemn ceremonies for high-ranking eskrimadors or top dignitaries, involving sliding the left foot close to the right, dropping the left knee to a kneeling position, raising the right hand to the forehead, bowing, standing up, and returning to normal stance.