Escrima / Kali in the movies

We love the fact that there are a wealth of movies which are starting to use Escrima / Kali for their action scenes rather than Kung Fu which has been the tradition. This is a welcome change as Escrima / Kali look great on screen and help to demonstrate and promote the art to people who may never have come across this martial art before.

Of late, the new movie called Hanna uses Escrima. In fact, although Escrima is only used briefly, you can clearly see that some of the main knife techniques which we use in Escrima are used as well as a basic double stick drill, i do not recall double stick drill training used in movies before.

Perhaps one of our favourite movies of recent times which demonstrate the effectiveness of Escrima / Kali was the movie Taken with Liam Neeson. This movie clearly used many techniques which were lifted straight from the Escrima handbook. The scenes demonstrated the effectiveness of the system and was one of the view films to show instant kill moves in a realistic manner.

More to come......

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What is the Filipino Martial Art of Escrima?

A nice little introduction article about Escrima, good read!

http://articlescontentonline.com/what-is-the-filipino-martial-art-of-escrima/

The Filipino martial art of Escrima has occasionally been called the most harmful martial art in the world, and that is thanks in large part towards the emphasis on effectiveness, on the works, rather than on what looks good. It thinks right away with the real life combat predicament. Because of this it is not rare to see Escrima as the selected fighting system with regard to law enforcement and military personnel.

The developing interest in Escrima is also simply because that it can be used for different situations, and by kinds of people. Even though the most elementary fighting weapon is the arnis stick, the same concepts that guide the utilisation of the stick can be translated to hand-to-hand combat, in addition to using everyday things such as umbrellas, newspapers, and also ballpoint pens! So even if you are a veteran fighter or simply a college student looking to learn self defense, Escrima is extremely handy for you.
Simply because Escrima is focused on effectiveness, it didn’t originally did not have system of devices or uniforms, but, the old grandmasters would just journey around the different countries of the Philippines, and challenge the current arnis master of that region. Many grandmasters learned their own techniques through a lengthy process of trial and error. After they were defeated through another arnis master, many of them incorporated that master’s victorious moves within their own system, as well as tried to refine their particular moves in order to be capable to defend against such attacks in the future. Through this kind of long process of true to life experience, the techniques that have been faithfully transferred to us tend to be truly tried and tested, and are very effective when utilized and executed effectively.
Escrima also represents an abundant cultural heritage from your Philippines. It is said until this fighting system can trace its beginning even to Lapu-Lapu, the local of the Philippines that killed the The spanish language Magellan in 1521. From individuals early natives the key fighting moves of arnis were kept through different clans and households, never sharing the idea with outsiders. It is only lately that many of these designs were shared with people. In fact this also describes why there are so many versions of Escrima, and not just one single style. In the most this website, we reveal the basics only of an particular style of Escrima, nevertheless one should be aware that there are numerous other styles out there! You have to discover what works best for an individual!
For the purpose of self-defense and defense of loved ones, Escrima is certainly one of the best choices. Since it is emphasis is on the works, you can be assured the techniques will be efficient during a real street fight, or a life-or-death situation. We highly suppress using Escrima for ambitious purposes. One very important Filipino virtue is named pakikipagkapwa, and this involves seeing other people not as foes but as close neighbours, almost like brothers or even sisters, people of the blood (kapwa). And it is only once your neighbour stops to respect both you and your friends and family that you have to use up a stand and also defend the people you love. And that’s when Escrima demonstrates its sharp fangs!

Dan Inosanto - Kali Video

There are many great instructors in the Filipino martial arts, Dan Inosanto is one of the most respected and recognised purveyors of the Filipino arts, and for good reason. Watching this video you can see the many ways in which Dan Inosanto has kept the art evolving and developing.

Jason Bourne - Bourne Trilogy using Kali/Escrima

Charlie - Profile

Martial Arts Background

I started boxing at Epping Forest Country Club in Essex when I was 16. My boxing instructor was boxing promoter and local hard man Alan Mortlock. From here, I started to get into Kung Fu and more traditional martial arts. I started to train Wu Shu Kwan, achieving black belt status. After 6 years of training in Wu Shu Kwan, I felt that I had progressed as far as I could within the system so I started to seek alternative martial arts to train. After witnessing many knife incidents, I realised that I needed to learn a weapon based martial art. I started to train Escrima at a club in Romford which was run by Jay Dobrin and Phil Chenery. My love for weapon training was cemented here. I moved to East London and seeked out a club which was closer to where I lived. Luckily, I found Escrima Concepts in Tottenham, run by Paul Leslie. This is my martial arts home. I have been training with Paul Leslie and Master Steve Tappin and Wayne Tappin for over 10 years now, working my way up to 12^th Grade and Instructor.

Working with Paul, helped me to become a fighter and to become aware of situations which may arise. Paul helped me to win the gold medal at the 2005 Escrima Concepts Championships in Denmark for light heavyweight category as well as winning and taking part in many other competitions. Throughout this time I was also training MMA and Muay Thai. I trained MMA for 5 years; my MMA training took me to some of the most important MMA gyms in London, such as, London Shootfighters in Kilburn, Pancrase London in Bethnal Green and the MMA Clinic in Islington. Due to a serious neck and back injury which I suffered on the mats, I had to give up MMA, although MMA and grappling are one of my passions and always will be. This however, has allowed me to focus on Escrima and to spread the system to as wide an audience as possible.

Why Escrima?

Escrima is the perfect martial art for the street. Escrima, from the very first lesson teaches you how to handle and use weapons, as far as I am aware no other martial art does this. It does not matter which weapon you use, it could be a pen, mobile phone, a bottle, what actually matters is that you understand the Concepts involved. When you understand the Concepts, weapons become easy to learn. Additionally, there are many types of Escrima systems out there, I should know I have tried most of them, but Escrima Concepts as taught by Master Steve Tappin appeals to me the most; it encourages a realism and energy missing elsewhere.

The things I like most about teaching are?

My interest is in teaching people who have had little or no martial arts training and to see them progress and become proficient at using weapons. People can find it hard to engage in a martial art which focuses primarily on weapons; let's face it, this does not appeal to everyone. It is my job therefore, to make Escrima engaging for the student and fun, while maintaining the integrity and realism that the martial art deserves. It is rewarding to chart the student's progress and to see them over time, become comfortable at using a variety of weapons.

Other interests

Fitness is something which I care passionately about. I am a qualified Fitness Instructor under WABBA (World Amateur Body Building Association). I love training at the gym and i am lucky enough to train at Muscle Works gym in Bethnal Green, surrounded by Pro’s such as Gilbert Alascasti and JD Dawodu among others, is inspiring. I am a regular at White Hart Lane, watching my beloved Spurs. And diet and nutrition are also very important to me, hence my dietary choice of veganism.

Nigel - Profile

During my childhood I always had a keen interest in martial arts, which culminated in me practising and learning Taekwondo, Kateda and Karate. However I've always had a curiosity in weapons and was disappointed in not having the opportunity to use weapons until I reached an advanced level.

I was a regular reader of Combat Magazine and read an article from Master Steve Tappin talking about the concepts of Escrima. I was immediately attracted to the martial art as you learn how to use weapons and transitions between the weapons and fighting unarmed. I was even happier when I realised that Master Steve was offering lessons in my local area Wood Green.

In February 1999 I started learning Escrima and my passion for the marital art has grown and developed ever since. I continued training under Senior Instructor Paul Leslie after Master Steve moved to Clacton later that year. In November 2000 I flew to Copenhagen to compete in the Escrima World Championships and received a silver medal. This ignited me even further boosting my confidence.

Since then I have continued studying hard and developing my skill as Escrima Concepts evolves. This has consisted in me going to seminars across the UK, Italy, Germany, Holland and Denmark and also assisting in teaching in the seminar circuit. In addition to this, I performed in demonstrations across London and Essex.

During this period I've seen many students come and go but I remained focused on improving my ability to use different weapons achieving greater control. I began to teach as an Assistant Instructor under Paul Leslie. Through teaching I am able to deepen my understanding of the concepts, learning body mechanics, fluid footwork and movement.

In January 2008 I received my 1st TG and continue to train and teach in London. After 12 years I'm still learning and thoroughly enjoy being part of the Escrima Concepts family.

When I'm not training I like to spend time with my son, travel, read books on a variety of topics and support my football team Spurs.