Rizal Park is packed with people every day. Several groups
wield canes for their arnis training. Towering over them is the bronze statue
of Lapu Lapu, a master in eskrima. Further across the park is the monument of Jose Rizal, a fencing aficionado.
Although there is no concrete evidence of his having been trained in eskrima,
Rizal was portrayed in the film Rizal sa Dapitan as having taught arnis/eskrima
to local kids.
With an illustrious history
and heroic practitioners behind it, arnis was declared as national martial art
and sport of the Philippines
The documentary film The
Bladed Hand shows the growing clout of respected arnis/kali experts around the
world. They help foreign police groups with their self defense training. They
choreograph jaw-dropping action sequences for film productions.
Clips from the Jason Bourne film series showcase the efficiency of kali as a form of self defense. If
only I’ve been exposed to these types of footage early in my life, then I
would have enjoyed my arnis lessons in high school. Back then, I thought arnis
is useful only with sticks. Boy, was I wrong. A mere ballpen in the hand of a
kali expert is more than a writing implement. It becomes a deadly weapon. That scenario
gives new meaning to the saying ‘the pen is mightier than the sword.’
With or without a weapon at
hand, a kali expert uses blinding speed and coordinated movements to thwart
enemies during close combat. In the documentary, politician Juan Miguel Zubiri
shared his secret in winning an arnis competition. He narrated that he practiced
learning one movement until it became second nature to him. He repeated it with
every new movement. It is akin to the training regimen of Ralph Macchio’s
character in the Karate Kid. Zubiri was responsible for the passage of the
arnis bill into law.
There had been a
crucial change in the world of arnis since 2009. In that year, a documentary
titled Eskrimadors by Kerwin Go dealt with in-fighting among the numerous FMA
groups. Nowadays, the focus is on standardization of techniques and forms and
the creation of a unified system of rules. Those are major challenges to the
popularization of arnis as a sport.
The task is
doubly hard as other close combat sports such as taekwondo and wrestling, both
of which risk losing their Olympic status, try to improve their own popularity.
Another issue for arnis is the need for competitors to wear protective gear
which hinders some movements, thus taking away the potent, enchanting mix of
breathtaking speed and dangerous blows.
Still, arnis as
an art is a wonder to behold. With the dazzling sequence of attacking and
parrying movements and side-steps, it is akin to a dance. It is tinikling,
self-defense, komedya, and cha-cha rolled into one. Now, that is what I call a
beautiful, lethal concoction of mixed arts.
The Bladed Hand,
just like its subject Filipino Martial Arts, is a work in progress. At the time
of its screening at Cinemanila 2012, director Jay Ignacio came across more
footages of interest. But, as it is, the work screened at the Market Market cinema
is striking enough to lure more people to the world of arnis. So, who wants to
take up arnis/eskrima and join the company of Matt Damon, Professor Felipe Jocano,
Dan Inosanto, and the legendary Bruce Lee?
