Is Eskrima a “stick art” only?
No. Many people incorrectly believe this to be true. Eskrima has short-range weapon (i.e. knife) and empty hand applications/techniques as well. However, what makes the Filipino martial arts so quick and precise with the empty hand is a direct result of the countless hours of weapons training they have undergone. Unlike most other martial art systems, the Filipino arts, generally speaking, start the students out with weapons training. The students learn to deal with angles of attack (usually 5 – 12 in most styles) and are given a set number of blocks or “counters” to perform against each of the angles. Later, as the students progress with their studies, they are introduced to empty hand training and then realize what they have been doing with weapons can usually be directly translated into complete empty hand techniques. With this empty hand approach, students retain all of the movements they have studied with the weapon, thus reinforcing what they have already learned. There is no nee
