“…only if you carry a stick around with you…”

Stick fighting is one of the most famous parts of Eskrima, Filipino Martial Arts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Kali is only good if you carry a stick around with you.”  Gotta thank M.A. for mentioning that she heard this from someone in relation to Filipino Martial Arts Practice.

It’s a common comment from observers who see us clacking away or twirling and doing disarms.  It’s even a little more disappointing when you hear that it’s a Filipino who says it, after all, it is their native martial art.  I am not Filipino, but I am unapologetically biased for it.

So is the comment a valid point?

Hardly.  For one, it’s not a “stick” martial art, it’s a fighting art.  It encompasses weapons and more: matched and unmatched weapons, unarmed vs weapons, unarmed vs unarmed with striking and grappling, ground fighting, partner fighting and multiple opponents.

In my experience it’s one of the least segmented martial arts; one combative action may include a weapon for weapon counter, disarm, hand strikes, re-counter, kicking, joint lock, limb destruction, take-down to finish. You learn all this almost simultaneously.

Train TaeKwonDo and you’ll be kicking without learning take-downs anytime soon, take Jiu Jitsu and you won’t be learning punching that first month, take boxing and you won’t know what to do when someone bear hugs you, and on and on. Within a handful of classes my students are striking with and without weapons, kicking, locking, taking down.

A lot of us in FMA all do the same things, the differences are in training methods and order of instruction.   All in all I’d say that in ten FMA classes versus 10 classes of any other martial  art, you’ll know more, and you’ll understand that you don’t need to “carry a stick around with you!”

 

 

Sinawali Practice

Deltona Kali Silat training Group meets on Sunday at 1pm in Campbell Park, Deltona, Fl.

We do Sinawali in many variations: double weapon, single weapon, uneven weapon, empty hand, and even unusual weapons and combinations.

Training Sinawali this way keeps you in continuous flow, and makes you have to “think” less about whether you are using a weapon or not, because you are combatively functioning regardless.

You are the weapon, everything in your hand is only a tool!

Kali Silat in Campbell Park, Deltona FL on Sunday

At 1pm under the shade trees or in the shelter.

There are variations on the 64 attacks and the abecedarios.  Here’s a friend and instructor, Dennis Ocampo, doing the version I train and teach, then showing his sinawalis.  SinaTirsiaWali Kali Silat.

Related articles

• Deltona Kali Silat Training Group 1st meeting (rickva.wordpress.com)

Bag Work, Kali Style

And older video doing “bag work” Kali style. Arnis, Escrima, Silat practitioners should all do hitting practice…

Kali Silat in Campbell Park in Deltona, Sunday, 1pm Practice

A reminder that we will meet at Campbell Park on Sunday at 1pm for Kali Silat Practice.  We will continue the 64 attacks, sinawalis, empty hand training and more.
Here’s an older clip of one of my teachers Mas Guro Greg Alland, doing double stick freeflow:

How much training?

    It was Shotokan Master Gichin Funakoshi who wrote that training and practicing karate ten minutes a day was of greater benefit than one hour once a week.  Same goes for most any pursuit.