Modern Arnis is the system of Filipino martial arts founded by Remy Presas as a self-defense
system. His goal was to create an injury-free training method as well as an effective self-defense
system in order to preserve the older Arnis systems. The term Modern Arnis was used by
Remy Presas' younger brother Ernesto Presas to describe his style of Filipino martial
arts; since 1999 Ernesto Presas has called his system Kombatan. It is derived principally
from the traditional Presas family style of the Bolo and the stick-dueling art of Balintawak
Eskrima, with influences from other Filipino and Japanese martial arts.
Arnis is the Philippines' national martial art and sport, after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
signed the Republic Act. No. 9850 in 2009. RA 9850 is a consolidation of House Bill No.
6516 authored by South Cotabato Rep. Arthur Pingoy Jr., and Senate Bill No. 1424 authored
by Majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri. RA 9850 is expected to help propagate arnis as
a modern martial art/sport that can compete with its popular foreign-originated brethren
like taekwondo, karate and judo. The Act mandates the Department of Education to include the
sport as a Physical Education course. Arnis will be included among the priority sports
in Palarong Pambansa beginning 2010.
Training One of the characteristics of Filipino martial
arts is the use of weapons from the very beginning of training and Modern Arnis is no exception.
The primary weapon is the rattan stick, called a cane or baston, which varies in size, but
is usually about 28 inches in length. Both single and double stick techniques are taught,
with an emphasis on the former; unarmed defenses against the stick and against bladed weapons
are a part of the curriculum. It is said that, originally, the cane was
considered sacred by practitioners, and therefore an arnis practitioner was expected to hit
his cane at the hand or forearm of his sparring partner and not at the latter's cane. This
had the advantage of being the preferred method in actual combat, referred to as "defanging
the snake", that is, making the opponent drop his weapon so that he is less of a threat.
However, it discouraged many would-be practitioners who found this training too painful and injury-inducing.
The result was that the Filipino martial arts became in danger of dying out; in most areas
of the Philippines, Japanese martial arts such as Karate and Judo were much more popular
than the indigenous systems. Remy Presas' modernization of the training method was intended
to help preserve the Filipino martial arts. He taught the method of hitting cane-on-cane
during practice, which attracted more newcomers to the art and allowed the art to be taught
in the Philippines' school system. "Defanging the snake" remains a principle of Modern Arnis,
however, and in practical application, one would typically strike the hand or arm. The
technique can be used empty-handed, where it is known as "limb destruction".
Training covers empty-hand self-defense as well as the trademark single and double stick
techniques of the Filipino martial arts. Other aspects of the art include espada y daga,
sinawali, and tapi-tapi. In addition to partner drills, Modern Arnis includes the use of anyo,
solo forms both with and without the stick. Emphasis is placed on fitting the art in with
a student's previous training, smoothly reacting to changing situations in the fight, and countering
the opponent's attempt to counter strikes directed at him. Practitioners are called
arnisadors or Modern Arnis players. In addition to its Filipino influences, elements
of Judo, Shotokan Karate, and Wally Jay's Small Circle Jujutsu appear in the system.
History Remy Presas studied his family's system from
an early age. He went on to study the Japanese systems of Shotokan Karate and Judo, achieving
high rank in each; but he simultaneously studied a variety of other Filipino systems, most
notably Venancio Bacon's Balintawak . Beginning with a small gymnasium in Bacolod in the 1950s,
he attempted to spread the art to the local youth as both a cultural legacy and a form
of physical development or sport. He taught the art at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos.
His desire to reinvigorate interest in his country's traditional martial art grew over
time, and he began making modifications and improvements to what he had learned. In 1969
he moved to Manila at the request of a government official, and formed the Modern Arnis Federation
of the Philippines. He was assisted by individuals such as those who now are on the Modern Arnis
Senior Masters Council: Rodel Dagooc, Jerry dela Cruz, Roland Dantes, Vincente Sanchez,
Rene Tongson and Cristino Vasquez. He continued to develop and spread his art, including via
books, until political considerations forced him to relocate to North America.
There he met Wally Jay, George Dillman, and other artists who influenced his development
of the art of Modern Arnis. In particular, many locks from Small Circle Jujitsu were
added to Modern Arnis. The art continued to grow and change, in technique and in emphasis,
though it always retained a focus on the single stick and on general self-defense. Those who
trained with Remy Presas in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s experienced the
art differently from those who began training in the late 1990s. Throughout the 1980s and
1990s he traveled extensively for seminars – the principal form of instruction in the
system was through weekend training camps held around the world but especially in the
U.S. – and produced books and videos. During this time he experimented with different forms
of titles and leadership in the art. The International Modern Arnis Federation Philippines would
come to be the lead Modern Arnis organization in the Philippines, and the Deutschen Arnis
Verband of Germany would be the lead organization in Europe. In the United States, the International
Modern Arnis Federation was the principal organization as far as certification was concerned,
but the founder created a variety of titles that indicated some level of organizational
or leadership authority in the art or Punong Guro that recognized teaching and/or technical
ability). Most prominent among these titles were Datu, meaning a chieftain or leader,
awarded in this order to Shishir Inocalla, Kelly Worden and Ric "Bong" Jornales, Dieter
Knuettel, Tim Hartman and David Hoffman; and Master of Tapi-Tapi, awarded to Jeff Delaney,
Chuck Gauss, Jim Ladis, Gaby Roloff, Randi Schea, Ken Smith, and Brian Zawilinski. The
Masters of Tapi-Tapi titles were created to provide leadership and steerage for the IMAF
following Remy Presas' passing; the Datus were expected to take leadership roles that
might see them move in different, and perhaps less conventional, directions. Through 2001,
however, the art remained largely united under the founder.
In the wake of the 2001 death of Remy Presas, there has been a splintering of the remaining
leadership of Modern Arnis. The IMAF, previously the organization of record for North American
Modern Arnis practitioners, split into two subgroups, one headed by Randi Shea and one
headed by Jeff Delaney; the remaining five Masters of Tapi-Tapi continue to be associated
with the former group. Remy Presas' son Remy P. Presas and his siblings formed a group
following his father's death, and Tim Hartman and Dieter Knuettel increased the independence
of their organizations. Other groups, such as that headed by Kelly Worden, had become
independent well before the founder's death. Dan Anderson formed another branch of the
art which he calls "MA80 System Arnis/Eskrima" which adds influences from Balintawak Eskrima
and Integrated Eskrima. He heads this group out of Gresham, Oregon. While both IMAFs have
claimed that rank must be certified through them to be valid, other individuals feel that
the dynamic structure of the art, Remy Presas' frequent instructions to "make the art your
own", their rank or title, and/or specific authority granted to them by the founder,
mean that they are entitled to head their own organizations or groups that teach their
own interpretation of the art. In many ways, the situation is analogous to
what occurred in the Jeet Kune Do and American Kenpo communities following the deaths of
their popular and charismatic founders. In particular, the question of how high-ranking
arnisadors should test for higher rank has been settled by different organizations in
different ways. In some cases this has caused controversy. However, the fact remains that
several groups are promoting what they see as 'traditional' Modern Arnis, while others
are promoting variations of Modern Arnis, in keeping with its "modern" approach. The
art is healthy and continues to attract students. Current practitioners of Modern Arnis or arts
strongly influenced by Modern Arnis who head their own organization or group or are otherwise
prominent include: Jeff Delaney, Tim Hartman and Dieter Kneuttel.
Belt ranks Modern Arnis uses a ranking system similar
to the Dan ranks used in Karate or other Japanese systems. There are some minor variations between
organizations as to the exact number of belts. There are 10 or 11 black belt ranks in Modern
Arnis, depending on the organization. They are numbered in Tagalog:
Isa Dalawa
Tatlo Apat
Lima Anim
Pito Walo
Siyam Sampu
Labing-isa Many groups use a "zero-degree" black belt
rank as a probationary stage that comes before Isa. The actual name of the ranks is gender-specific.
For men the rank is referred to as Lakan while for women it is referred to as Dayang. Thus,
a first degree black belt in Modern Arnis would be referred to as either a Lakan Isa
or a Dayang Isa, depending on his or her gender. The "zero-degree" rank, if used, is referred
to as simply Lakan or Dayang. The black belt is traditionally bordered with red; however,
some groups use a plain black belt. In addition to rank, titles such as Datu,
Commissioner, Master of Tapi-Tapi, Senior Master, Punong Guro, etc., have occasionally
been granted to certain high-ranking individuals. The title Guro is typically given to all Lakans
and Dayangs. Organizations
Modern Arnis is currently perpetuated by a number of organizations worldwide, with some
of the largest being the DAV of Germany, the International Modern Arnis Federation, and
the World Modern Arnis Alliance. Countries where the art is most popular include the
Philippines, the United States, Canada, and Germany, but there are practitioners in many
other nations. See also
Balintawak Eskrima Doce Pares
Eskrima References
External links Article on Modern Arnis
The are term of Arnis in the Philippines is Baston.