Blade vs Stick - Kali Escrima Arnis Martial Arts

[@claudiopontarollo177]

I prefer the stick, I think it's the perfect mix of strength, concentration, coordination and movement fluidity, all concentrated in a single weapon. Plus you know what moves to avoid in order to not kill the opponent, while it's impossible to "have mercy" with the sword, the same hit you'd use with a stick could turn lethal if done with a sword

[@johnwilkinson5811]

Really good video. Made me think of a few points. Most martial arts training acts as if weapons don't exist or no-one is going to use one. Or that you can do all kinds of disarms and you'll never get cut or anything else. There's the flip side to what happens if you lose. What happens when you do succeed in defending your own life or the life/lives of other people? You have to learn your local laws on self defence (and what counts as reasonable force) inside out and you have to know that there is a very good chance the police will be looking to prosecute you for 'going too far'. You have to be able to calculate and scale your use of force for what is in front of you, and then be able to explain it afterwards so you don't end up in prison. What marks most Kali/Escrima/Arnis/FMA out from most martial arts is that it retains everything as a complete system of non firearm warfare. From empty hand (dumog, pangamot, panantukan, suntukan) all the way out to bows and arrows at distance. It's not split up and all the real life, and nasty, stuff hidden away and forgotten. The reality of violence and the consequences of it are always right there. Especially when training with a blade.

[@sopwithcamelus]

It's comprehensiveness is a large part of its appeal. You're absolutely correct about understanding the use of force laws and learning to deal with the aftermath of a violent encounter. Rory Miller discusses this quite well in several of his books and DVDs. I'm sure there are others.

[@GBlues1]

I like these types of discussions myself. I think it helps in understanding what the methodology is behind the training. When you are looking for a martial arts school, you have in your mind a particular mindset, and you’d like the school you decide to train with to be as close to your goals as possible. I think discussions like this help people determine if your way of doing Kali is appropriate or in line with the goals they want to reach or not. Good stuff.

[@r4gn4aarshelby59]

I wil train both no matter the time it will take. Support from France ! 🇫🇷

[@jamesdevine6452]

Really enjoy these videos and insights. Majority of my training has been with stick but always tried to keep the blade in mind. More recently though be looking at using blade more as in improves your technique, accuracy and mental focus so much more as you mentioned. Also footwork is key with any weapon. I don't focus alot on teaching specifically Self Defence but when I do I always point out the part of this term for me is Self. Being smart, being health and educating your Self is key and part of that as you say is being prepared for the worst. Keep up the work sir 🙏

[@michaelrishot1839]

In Kali, I follow more closely the stick mentality; as that feels like a base weapon, that a lot of mods can be added to, to create better stick type weapons; such as nunchaku, or flails; which enhances my training so much when I transition in design from stick type movements, to nunchaku style movements, to flail style movements; and test to see what I can transfer to another (I use only wooden flails, as those things suck when mistakes are made). But really, my weapon of choice are chains; as those are, in my opinion, the ultimate weapons to disarm aggressive opponents, because of their abilities to latch, and their durability against other weapons. I find a lot of modern martial arts, doesn't concentrate high on movements, that are great for practicing medieval weapons; so I practice medieval weapons, as a way of enhancing my mentality on other types of weapon scenarios in that same types of chess games. Stick meets blade, you got yourself a scythe. The entire pattern of movement you train body for, changes, and the fight style incorporates some from the stick, some from the blade, and some techniques from handling warhammers, halberds, or various other polearms; such as the traditional treeworking, curved saw attachment tree pruner. The double stick baton is a great start for development of many different types of short handle mods in weapons development; and the bo staff large stick, is a great beginning for developing out various polearms. Not all techniques transfer over, but the ones that do, forward from unmodded to modded, or backward from modded to unmodded, really enhance form in fighting style. With the blade, I do not get the same vibe of upgradability, unless I attach it to a rope based weapons, or full of sting together a flail ball, sling bolo ball, or mace head, out of multiple knives become a spiked ball mentality.

[@michaelrishot1839]

I will add, the weapons practice is essential to understanding how to use various weapons, but the practice I work at toward manufacturing (not necessarily selling; for personal practice, or intended art/weapon donations to the right platforms), provides a great addition to "how to improvise in the heat of the moment", and "Rambo-style" learn how to really look at the entire environment, to know how to defend oneself greatest. It is like the mentality of slipping off the shoes, and kicking one to the other side of the room, to send out a decoy noise; looking at everything in the environment, even one's own clothing or personal objects, as potential measures of self defense.

[@gegaoli]

Ultimate goal is the live blade but not there yet. Also, agree the impact weapon is also important. All important.

[@bryanreyes7382]

Thank you, Paul for this video

[@sourabhkumar9031]

Thanks Guru 😊 🙏

[@mymartialartacademy2343]

wow nice sir Oss!! Respect from Pakistan

[@sopwithcamelus]

Very well said. The principles you discuss apply to other sword arts as well. For example, in Japanese sword arts, you can get away with things using a bokken that you could never get away with using a katana. Also there are mechanics to cutting you must understand. It's entirely possible to cut your opponent with a large blade and then wound yourself if you don't understand what will happen. You can never experience this with impact weapons. That's why training by cutting through the tatami is important.

[@qadimmuhammad8343]

Excellent comparison .

[@kalicenter]

🙏🏻

[@DrSetzer]

Really insightful video Paul. You mentioned a few things I had never thought about which will definitely help improve my Kali, thanks!

[@nikolab.4065]

I split the difference and train with steel pipes (although I still do use rattan often)

[@basiliomendoza6244]

Another great video thank you. I was pleasantly surprised today when I came back from my first training session with bolos to see this video. Personally I like to straddle both mentalities (there are times I put a piece of tape on my sticks and say it is the edge just to be mindful of which way it's facing) because you never know if you're going to be put in a situation where you have to defend yourself and you don't have a blade on you so you have to go with an impact weapon. Or even an impact weapon and a knife.

[@JackShen]

Much more blade side for me, always been interested in knives and swords since I was a kid. Difference in sparring is with the sticks there is a lot of aggressive closing in and grabbing the opponents stick. When sparring with the metal trainers, no one wants to get too close to the other person, and there is a lot of hand sniping.

[@chrissymcgee5930]

Great video and well explained, I like training both and totally agree with the stick to edged weapon skill transfer. Edge alignment plays such a big part, something you don't need to worry about with blunt weapons, so if you always did stick and then had to use an edged weapon, you could find yourself being over confident in your abilities, which is a dangerous thing.

[@eaglelee805]

Nice I wish one. Day you show some drills. For this knife. Exactly thx. For the. Vedeo

[@kalicenter]

? Every drill I do can be done with the Ginunting.

[@eaglelee805]

I know sir but I beleave you know samething alse. But anyway I’m seen everyday your video it helping me to mush exactly because now our academy we stop kali because of covid they said it’s about. Distance and no check hands. But I kept practicing. With you thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@quincyfeliscuzo602]

it depends on what the intention is. the stick is used for competition or training. but the live blade in our country's rural context is a tool used for agriculture. we defend ourselves with it. it could be life or death. even in our myths or supernatural epics the blade is a weapon. in understand your point about the two things you mentioned in the intro because you live in a country where the blade has lost its place in the daily life of people. thanks for keeping our martial arts alive through your practice.

[@sharpfactory3705]

Good video

[@RyanCoke1001]

What is the weight of the stick? I have some light sticks but I don't know if they are too thin and light.

[@stevenbradley5796]

Maybe you want a sattalite school in Delray FL? (Then I wouldn't have to WISH I could train at Kali Center - also, I know a gym to use.). BLADE Camp is my choice.

[@Cysubtor_8vb]

Interesting that you brought up dance as Lindybeige had a vid on the historical significance of dance in culture and the overlap with showing fighting ability was brought up. Granted, both him and I know how to dance, so there may be some bias, but the faster partner dances does have you keeping track of not only your own movements, but those of your partner and other couples around you if it's a style that incorporate travel step. Oh, and it bothers me how much some people underestimate the stick. Yeah, it's not a blade or gun, but that doesn't mean an assailant with a stick isn't still a threat, especially if they know how to use it.

[@jamiirali1]

I love to stick although I'm a bit more partial to the shorter one because it coincides with my collapsible baton and also I lean towards the knife because I can extrapolate some techniques from the 4-inch knife to the Dulo dulo or the tactical pen that I carry with me... In the area I live in New York we have a lot of central Americans and people from the Caribbean who own machetes so of course I train with the sansibar sword but also a shorter machete... Hopefully I will never have to have a blade encounter at my age of 52 but one can never be too prepared... when I was 19 in California I was attacked by a gang banger trying to gut me and at that point in my training all I did was at that time what I considered boring footwork on three 5 lb weight plates on concrete which slid all over the place and I was about to quit the class but after that encounter the only thing that saved my life was the footwork that I had learned.. I got a couple of Nicks but nothing life-threatening.. and so I apologized to my instructor for being a impatient towards the footwork drills and after I told him about my encounter he just chuckled and said okay now we can move on to the next stage of the training since you did your footwork under real life pressure.. but then encounter as I'm told from an onlooker lasted about 20 seconds but for me it was an eternity and it was the scariest situation I had been in with the exception of almost drowning...

[@TheKinomutai]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@kalicenter]

🙏🏻

[@rashidsayyedattack007rdsat5]

I love stick machete round up in defance i love A good 🗡🗡💥👊🏽

[@allanbautista4209]

I learn the hard way... don't train with a live blade.