Filipino martial arts
Some of the specific mechanisms responsible for cultural and martial change extended from phenomena such as war, political and social systems, technology, and trade and practicality.
[1] There have been numerous scholarly calls on the inclusion of the many martial arts of the Philippines into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
As of 2019, a total of nine elements scattered in eight countries, such as Thailand, Georgia, and Korea, have successfully inscribed their martial arts in the UNESCO list.
Because of the lack of historical accounts and archaeological records that made references and descriptions on the natives' ways of fighting and training in a combat system, it is somewhat difficult for historians and anthropologists to pinpoint the exact year or era when native Filipinos started to codify or drill their personnel in an established fighting system.
[6] The earliest description on the natives' fighting methods is in a report by Francisco de Sande in Manila, about natives in Zambales carrying "several daggers around their belts" and men carrying battle-axes in their squadron and some well-placed arquebusiers,[7] but none about describing any kind of formalized drills and training for combat which would define a martial art as archeological discovery and historical accounts on the description of centuries-old weapons does not mean that there was a systemized method of fighting.
Native martial arts that were possibly forerunners to the modern Arnis de Mano started to exist by the 14th century.
The competition of Sikaran involved two teams or individuals in the area of a rice paddy in the time of dry season [citation needed].
The efforts of the two and Senator Miguel Zubiri resulted in Arnis being declared as the National Martial Art and Sport of the Philippines by virtue of Republic Act 9850 which was signed into law in 2009.
Weapons-training takes precedence because they give an edge in real fights, gears students to psychologically face armed opponents, and any object that can be picked up can be used as a weapon using FMA techniques.
The Southern Philippines with the Moros were never really conquered by the Spaniards or the Americans; nor the Northern mountains of Luzon with their feared headhunter tribes so they kept their weapons and their fighting skills.
For the more "Christianized" provinces and the towns where citizens had been "disarmed", bolos (a cutting tool similar to the machete) and other knife variants are still commonly used for general work (farming in the provinces, chopping wood, coconuts, controlling talahib (sword grass), which could grow higher than roofs if not cut, etc.)
[3] These are the combat practices that have likely existed since antiquity and not born during colonization, but doubts should be raised about sikaran because of insufficient dedicated research on the subject.
These are the weapons that do not penetrate the flesh but can deliver a fatal damage to an unprotected opponent usually bruises but depending on the body part in contact, can cut through the skin.
Applications of the triangle are found in defensive and offensive tactical strategies, including footwork, stances, blocking and disarms.
This sign language, utilizing hand, body and weapons signals; is used to convey ideas, desires, information, or commands.
