Some Common Terms Used in Filipino Martial Arts
Common Terms Used in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA):
Kali - Kali is often considered a subset of FMA that focuses on the use of swords and knives. At Pamana we use the word Kali to describe the war arts of the Philippines. Guro Dan Inosanto was told by GM Floro Vilabrile to use the term Kali as a combination of the word Kamut (hand) and Lihok (movment)
Arnis - This is the general term used by the Department of Education of the Philippines to refer to the traditional martial arts of the Philippines that focus on the use of weapons, particularly the sword and stick.
Eskrima - The Cebuano/Spanish word for "fencing," Eskrima is another term used interchangeably with Arnis and Kali to refer to the traditional martial arts of the Philippines.
Balisong - A type of knife used in FMA. It is also known as a "butterfly knife" because of its unique hinged design that allows the blade to be folded into the handle.
Espada y Daga - Spanish for "sword and dagger," this refers to the use of a sword and dagger in combat. This is one of the core techniques trained in FMA.
Sinawali - Sinawali means “to weave”. It is a training drill that simulates the movement of weaving a mat to develop coordination and footwork.
Abecedario - A sequence of basic movements used in FMA training. These movements serve as a foundation for more advanced techniques.
Panantukan - Also known as "Filipino dirty boxing," this refers to the use of punches, strikes, and kicks in close-range combat.
Dumog - Grappling techniques used in FMA that involves taking an opponent to the ground, scratching, biting, breaking joints, choking, and strangulations.
Largo Mano - Spanish for "long hand," this refers to the use of long range range techniques and longer weapons in FMA.
Medio Mano - Spanish for "medium hand," this refers to the use of medium range distance -in this range a fighter has access to most targets on an opponent.
Corto Mano - Spanish for "short hand," this refers to the use of close range distance with use of short weapons such as knives or daggers in FMA, elbows strikes, knee strikes, and grappling are applied at this range..
These are just a few of the many terms used in Filipino Martial Arts, and there may be different terminology based on the specific style or school of FMA one practices.
