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Sunday, 20 April 2008
More information about Filipino Martial Arts
How Did U.S. Soldiers Get Their 'Leathernecks' Nickname?
When US soldiers invaded the south the skilled 'Moros' of Mindanao use to ambush and take them out of action by employing bladed weapon slashes to the neck (often resulting in a fatality). So many soldiers were felled in this way that the US Army made it mandatory for soldiers to wear leather protective fastenings round their necks, which is why they were nicknamed the 'leathernecks' - strange but true. Later when Filipinos began settling many parts of the U.S. such skills where introduced to the American martial arts community. Today, Filipino knife fighting is recognised to such a high degree that it is implemented in a lot of American military training schools - more notably the 'Navy Seals' and Special Forces academy. It is also highly reknowned in the martial arts community for its immense sophistication and systemisation.
Recent Hollywood Films featuring FMA: -
- Out For Justice - Steven Segal fighting Dan Inosanto with pool sticks
- Stars Wars Episode 1 - Darth Maul (AKA Ray Park - Kali practitioner)
- Chronicles of Riddick - Vin Diesel trained with 2 Filipino Masters for the role
- Hunted - Click here for Matt Damon Interview and his comments on Filipino Martial Arts
The Filipino Martial Art is a complete fighting art encompassing:-
- Mano-Mano (Filipino empty hands drilling and trapping)
- Panantukan (Filipino boxing)
- Sikaran/Pananjakman (Filipino low-line Kicking)
- Dumog (Filipino locking and grappling)
- Eskrido (weapons & empty hand grappling/locking)
- Arnis (single and double stick)
- Chuko (nunchuka)
- Labtik (sling-shot)
- Espada y daga (sword and dagger)
- Knife fighting (including throwing knifes)
- Balisong (butterfly knife)
- Bankaw (long staff)
- Edged Yo-Yo (long range projectile weapon)
- Dulo-Dulo (double edged pocket stick)
- Handkerchief
- Whip and Chain
- Empty hand, knife and stick sparring (unprotected or with body
armour)
Unique to the Filipino martial arts is the fact that, unlike other oriental martial arts, students learn the weapons first before moving on to the empty hands. The reason? ... A lot of the empty hand techniques comes from either the knife, sword & dagger, single or double stick movements. Essentially, drilling with double weapons naturally increases empty hand co-ordination and sensitivity of both arms in equal measure.
Filipino Martial Arts Symbol
The Filipino Martial Arts (Kali) symbol represents the 'Katipunan's (revolutionary brotherhood) struggle for independence from Foreign invaders. The triangle represents the triangular footwork so prevalent in the art, the unity of the three major island groups (which together formed the Philippine nation), and lastly the three major cultural religious influences Christianity, Islam, and Animism. This is encompassed in a circle which symbolises associates the finite with the infinite, the linear with the circular, the physical world with the spiritual, beginning and ending with that which is constant. This infusion of opposites becomes a Philippine equivalent of the Taoist concept of yin and yang, or unity of opposites.
Colours of FMA
Dan Inosanto wearing 'Moro' freedom fighter clothing in the film 'Game of Death' were he appeared as the Eskrimador guardian (FMA) trying to prevent Bruce Lee from ascending to the next floor of the Pagoda.Black & Red Colours OF The Filipino Martial Art's Uniform According to the book 'The Encyclopaedia of Martial Arts' when the Philippines passed into the hands of the United States, the American marines found themselves face to face with a people who had no respect for a .38 gun. They would fire round after round into the oncoming Muslim, whose Kris (sword) would just keep flailing (killing any soldier or civilian in its path) until he would finally collapse.Therefore higher calibre .45 revolvers were issued to knock attacking Muslims backward to stop them hacking one last victim as they fell forward. Theses fighters were the freedom loving Moros of Mindanao, who wore black dress with red headbands that symbolised that they had sworn a blood oath and were prepared to fight to the death. Hence most uniforms today are black with red strips - to symbolise the red headband of the Moros. For those of you who didn't know ...the Moro resistance fighter uniform was what Dan Inosanto wore in the film 'Game of Death' - as the eskrimador guardian fighting Bruce Lee.
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posted by bexterkane at 22:28 - Email this item
