Escrima now and Then

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It is interesting to meet practitioners from different styles of kali and learn their naming and numbering structure.We all seem to have common elements in our FMA style, although different guros may teach concepts from different perspectives.  Whether you refer to your art in general terms like Arnis, Escrima, Kali, or something specific such as Serrada or Doce Pares, we are learning that, many times, we have more similarities than differences.We are all part of the bigger picture.

Now it seems that people are less likely to create a fuss over different spellings or pronunciations of words used in Filipino Martial Arts because we have better access to global information.  I can remember discussing such trivial things as, arnis is this, whereas kali escrima is that.  When I asked my instructor the difference between arnis, escrima etc. Guro Nathan Defensor used to say that whether we call our arts Arnis, Eskrima, or Escrima it is much like saying car, auto, automobile, they are just words that refer to the same thing.Years ago, there were people that felt very strongly about whether to spell their are as Escrima or Eskrima or that some described the word Kali as an older word used to describe the Filipino Martial Arts.

With social media like MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook, we now can reach out and network with other martial artists to get their philosophy on techniques or martial arts weapons.The Internet is loaded with social media web sites that connect martial artists from all over the world and are a big influence to show us that we are very much alike.  YouTube video clips show us that, yep, we do that too.Now there is a great deal of people learning more than one martial art, as we now see the benefits of a multiple system approach that just would not have happened back in the 80’s in many schools.

We are also seeing greater access to international trade, which means that escrima practitioners have greater access to exotic kali sticks such as kamagong sticks and bahi sticks. Twenty years ago, you may have known someone in your group that had fighting sticks made of Filipino hardwood, but finding a source was somewhat difficult. Today, one need only search Google for great deals on kali sticks.

While allowing martial artists to meet and compare notes all over the web, the Internet may have done more to spread martial arts all over the world in a short period than any other source!