HISTORY
WARRIORS OF THE PHILIPPINES
The pre-Hispanic warrior classes of the Philippine islands were called Maharlika which are from the North (Luzon), Timawa which are from the Central Philippines (Panay, Cebu), and the Moro from the South (Mindanao). The primary arms of Philippine warriors were kris and kampilan sword types, wide-bladed daggers called baladaw, and the bangkaw or spear with a pointed metal base and leaf shaped blades.
Colonization
The art of Escrima/Eskrima in the Philippine islands has its genesis in the recruitment of Filipino warriors into the Spanish Army of the Philippines. The Philippine soldiers were trained in Spanish warfare, officered military units on land and sea, and fought military campaigns for the Spanish both in the Philippines and abroad.
The bell tolled for the Spanish Army in the Philippines in 1898 and the garrison communities of the Philippines saw their end with the disbanding of the soldiers to their homes across the archipelago. Thus, the early 20th century marks the beginning of the modern era of Eskrima and the perpetuation of the Filipino martial arts as we know them today conserved through the efforts of families, villages, and military-fraternity.
20th Century Eskrima
During the late 1920’s and 30’s the U.S. experienced a wave of immigration from the Philippines. Stories of old tell about the constant sounds of sticks clicking in the night, or duels that were being held in the sugar cane fields of Hawaii and of various skirmishes experienced in the labor camps of California. The arts were practiced in secret and were often hidden from the young Filipino, let alone the general public. It was in the late 60’s when the Filipino arts began to surface, primarily in Stockton, California, with Angel Cabales, Max Sarmiento, Dentoy Revilar, and Leo Giron. It is through the efforts of these four men, that the Filipino arts would gain world popularity.
THE ART OF ESKRIMA
Extinct in the land that gave it birth and largely unknown in the land of its adoption, Eskrima has become the province of a select few. However, with the burgeoning of interest in the martial arts of the Philippines, it seems inevitable that this martial art (like its sister arts of Kali and Arnis) will reach a wider audience, an end toward which the present practitioners of the art are striving.
(the word Eskrima is the Philippine cognate of Spanish escrima, i.e., “fencing,” which ultimately derives from the Latin escremer meaning “to skirmish”).
During the period of Spanish dominion, the art was forced underground and was perpetuated in secret, being largely passed down within single families from father or uncle to son or nephew. Sometimes, however, students were selected on the basis of special merit, rather than on blood ties. A colorful instance of this practice is provided in a story about the near-legendary eskrimador, Felicissimo Dizon (instructor to Angel Cabales). Dizon wished to study Eskrima under the greatest living eskrimador, a misanthropic hermit who lived in a virtually inaccessible cave. In order to prove himself worthy to receive such instruction, Dizon had to climb up one side of a cliff, dive off the other side into a shark-infested lagoon, and then swim through an underwater passage into the hermit’s cave.
Another story, reminiscent of the graduation trials of the Shaolin monks, casts further light on the physical prowess of Dizon. Lacking any kind of formal ranking system, eskrimadors who wished to demonstrate their expertise were forced to engage in death matches, similar in many respects to the duels between gunfighters in the American West. It was left to Dizon’s successor and foremost student, Grandmaster Angel Cabales, to bring the art of Serrada Eskrima to the shores of America.
In his native Philippines (Panay), he had fought a number of death matches and was accounted one of the deadliest fighters of his era. Nonetheless, when Cabales moved to California, he was at first understandably reluctant to impart such a lethal art to others. But at the urging of Max Sarmiento, leading exponent of Philippine empty-hand (Cadena de Mano, or “chain of hands”), Cabales opened the first Philippine martial arts school in the United States of America.
Combat utility
What appears to confuse the general public most about the Philippine martial arts is the primacy they seem to place on weapons training over empty-handed training, a situation exactly opposite of what one obtains in more familiar arts like Karate or Tae Kwon Do. This emphasis on weaponry over empty-handed techniques is however, more apparent than real.
The basic philosophy of Eskrima is that one should always opt for a weapon over empty hands in a self-defense situation, since weapons give both a psychological and a physical advantage over an unarmed opponent. In fact, your readiness to use such a weapon, coupled with your obvious expertise in its use, may very well be sufficient in and of themselves to dissuade an aggressor from even initiating an attack. Should the attacker be armed, the importance of having a weapon and being able to employ it effectively become even more vital.
If, however, an eskrimador does find himself unarmed against an armed opponent, his superior knowledge of and expertise with weaponry makes his chances of defending himself effectively all the greater, especially since he has a keen firsthand knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of weapons.
For these reasons, Tacosa Cadena/Eskrima (TCE) continues to emphasize weaponry over empty-handed techniques in beginning Eskrima classes. But an even more compelling reason is the fact that even as running is based on walking, so Eskrima “hands” (Cadena de Mano) are based on Eskrima weaponry, often with only the slight modifications necessitated by the intrinsic differences in form and function between, say, a fist, a blade, and a stick.
THE TACOSA CADENA/ESKRIMA SYSTEM
A. 12 traditional strike positions
B. Formal delivery of strikes from
traditional strike positions
Serrada Cross Form
The Serrada Cross Form is based upon the 12 strikes of TSE. The footwork of this form pursues the figure of the Cross. Thus, practitioners will move forward, backwards, left, and right on the figure of the Cross throughout the exercise. This can be performed with single weapons or with weapons in combination.
BLOCKING POSITIONS/METHOD
‘Serrada’ blocks work by closing an opening in order to deny a target. This is accomplished by replacing the target with the defender’s weapon in a blocking position perpendicular to the strike. This method does not pursue the action of the opponent. Rather, a Serrada practitioner will accept the strikes with blocks at the site of the intended target. ‘De Cuerdas’ method of blocking is performed with the least permitted extension. The left hand is used to support the weapon from behind or the weapon is laid against the body with the left hand in reserve.
A. Serrada (Stick and Hand)
B. Decuerdas (Hand on Stick)
INTRODUCTION TO LOCK AND BLOCK
This practice requires the operator to defend against a constant array of changing attacks derived from the striking methods of the system. The practice allows the opponent to deliver multiple attacks and gain an understanding of offensive manipulation. In general, the lock and block practice will teach that most movements which involve the isolation of joints and limbs will impair the whole body movement and, therefore, serve to diminish the force, effect and economy of the system.
Concentration
The overall complexity of lock and block exercise is both mentally and physically demanding. This creates a need for intense concentration to guard the integrity of the body and weapon movement. At heightened levels of concentration, the operator will not reflect on the exchange of forces, the sense of acting or being acted upon, but will freely react or respond from the nature of the practitioner. There is the sense of a communion between inside and outside, the internal and external, in oneself at this stage of practice.
Delivery
When delivering the strikes, the operator must switch feet each time. As one strikes, the dagger goes to the mid-section each and every time. All strikes MUST be delivered to their respective targets. While countering, the operator must switch feet to square off to each strike.
INTRODUCTION TO FREE FLOW AND MENTAL PRACTICE
In general, the rapid weapon play and foot movement inherent to sparring will, in addition to increasing combative capacities, induce altered states of consciousness important to the higher levels of proficiency in Eskrima. The meeting of the weapons in conjunction with foot shuffles and tapping will tax the senses and tend to invoke a trance like state conducive to the continuous flow of sparring practice
