If This Is A Sword Art, Why Are We Using Rattan? KALI, ARNIS, ESCRIMA

[@RacerX1971]

Because knives and bolos were outlawed by the Spanish so the Filipinos kept on practicing with sticks, like rattan, so that they can remember the art. Also they used other types of wood like bahi and kamagong.

[@chrispariso1040]

All great reasons to use rattan for sparring or impact training! Another consideration I think is worth considering is the weight of the training item, and how those items can be wielded. Moving a 20oz steel blade feels different than a 7oz rattan stick, and requires more body movement and tighter mechanics to make it effective. If someone is training with the idea of it being a blade-based art, I think there is a lot of value in using heavier sticks/metal trainers when they can (solo drills, hitting tires, etc).

[@gurobadger]

Absolutely agree with you. Using a variety of weights and sizes I think is essential, and as you mention, they also need to be used in different settings like solo drills or hitting tires.

[@johnlloyddy7016]

There are actually sticks made from hardwood like Kamagong(ebony)and Magkuno(ironwood)which are heavier and more stiff that resembles a blade's weight. But it's mostly used by the more experienced practitioners for solo training as it is dangerous for use in sparring considering it would be like sparring with G.I. pipes. I own a pair made from Magkuno and they are lethal as heck. Wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of a strike from those.

[@chrispariso1040]

@@johnlloyddy7016 I trained in the Villabrille - Largusa system for a long time, which traditionally uses a heavier garote (flat stick) as the standard weapon. That or 1lb cocobolo sticks are what I tend to use for any training outside of full speed/contact partner drills. For use as a weapon on their own, or as a proxy for bladed items, I much prefer the heavier sticks. Rattan certainly has it's place for safety reasons, but I never liked training with them.

[@gregory4154]

Alright, you got a subscriber. This is good stuff. I'm a firm believer that some of the best martial arts is when you train with weapons. FMA hits the nail on the head for certain.

[@gurobadger]

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[@ziggydog5091]

I so appreciate you, you are knowledgeable and traditional. I am only sad that the people that do not understand what you are saying probably won’t hear this. God bless!

[@gurobadger]

Thank you for the kind words, and I hope you enjoy my upcoming videos as well.

[@erichoppe8228]

Because its a safe training tool. If an attorney represents himself in a court case, he has a fool for a lawyer. If a knife fighter trains with a (sharpie), he has a fool for a surgeon.

[@johnemmanlongabela6149]

Our late Guro, GM Brian "Buzz" Smith always tell us, " The Stick is use to teach the way of the Blade".

[@gurobadger]

And may your guro rest in peace, with his students carrying on his legacy.

[@knw-seeker6836]

What I love about escrima is that it’s so intense from a coordination aspect It has a long history Every now and then people talk and question it’s effectiveness for Self Defense purposes but I love this martial art And I want to start training again

[@gurobadger]

Well, friend, I hope you *do* start training again - it sounds like you got a lot out of your training previously.

[@knw-seeker6836]

@@gurobadger yeah I just want to start again

[@wu17]

I definitely agree 💯%... As a kid During the 90s i remember i brought my dads shiny arnis kamagong in school. It has a thin strip of leather that wrapped around it served as a handle. i bring it simply bcoz i just want to showing it off with my classmates, coz they're just using a much cheaper and lighter version, which is the rattan... The P.E. class started, i mightily wielded it. When my instructor suddenly appeared Infront of me, telling that i will not participate unless i have the rattan. I ended up warming the bench watching them.

[@gurobadger]

That's a great memory - you would've ruled the class!

[@stevestanley5183]

The old rattan sticks make good hearth boards for friction fire.

[@gurobadger]

Really? Fascinating, thanks for sharing!

[@RoarIrish]

Nicely done and articulated.

[@gurobadger]

Thank you kindly!

[@curtrod]

uh...so you don't chop each other's fingers off?

[@KingMob4313]

Great stuff! A great 101 to why

[@gurobadger]

Thanks!

[@TimRHillard]

New subscriber, thanks for a very informative video. I kinda always guessed this, or maybe just assumed it.

[@gurobadger]

Thanks. I was kind of going through that same train of thought before I did this video. - "everybody already knows this, right? Or maybe they don't ... "

[@zywrxcodera1681]

Remember the half inches, lower hand of stick is a dagger to hold the wrist and some rotation hand to hand combat. It is not same of fencing.

[@muizismail4844]

Cool stuff, i love kali eskrima. Another channel i subscribe after kali center.

[@gurobadger]

Glad to have you join!

[@Stick_jitsudad808]

It’s funny the people labeled it as a bladed art but I see techniques were people grabbed a stick, and how does that work out?

[@gurobadger]

Certainly the further we get from an era where people would have engaged in sword fights, things get muddier. When I was taught disarms, for instance, about half might have worked against a blade, but there was never any distinction made. They were all just lumped into "disarms".

[@blaa443blaa2]

Have you broken your eye in fma training? If yes , that's just badass ❤

[@gurobadger]

Ha, thankfully not! I've had plenty of FMA injuries (kind of unavoidable as a Dog Brother), but the eye is a burst blood vessel from an extended sneezing session!

[@zywrxcodera1681]

Good for safe by using a basic one or two sticks. If you professional and experts by single sword and double dagger. The best with hand to hand (Sticky Hands).

[@kolinstewart1254]

I've noticed that practitioners don't kick higher than your waist. Is this because you saw the stick as a blade? Is it really required to follow the rule, or can you choose to kick higher?

[@gurobadger]

Good observation - arnisadors, etc., don't often kick above the waist, and many don't kick above the knee. The idea is that knives are common (especially in some parts of the world like the Philippines) so you're taking an unnecessary risk at putting your leg into range of a blade. That said, rules are made to be broken, and a well-timed high kick can be a fight ender - risks vs. rewards. In contrast, we kick high in the Thai weapons art of Krabi Krabong, so there's definitely ways to make it work.

[@marloubanas]

theres. a sikaran for kicking. hubod lubad for grappling, sarong for chains/rope/fabric. sibat for spears. it is a Filipino martial arts... .. . oido de caburata/tapado. for long sticks. or whip into stick. . literarry everything is a weapon.. but the foundation of all filipino martial arts are similar if one wielding a weapon . hubod luvad or dumog is a grappling arts where every parts of the body of enemy is tools against him. and sikaran the kicking style.. every taekwondo fighter get kick in the ass by sikaran fighter

[@KingMob4313]

OMG your eye! You okay?

[@gurobadger]

Thanks, hombre. Eye is okay - it's an extended sneezing fit, not a training injury. Painless and harmless.

[@burgertime72]

See: your eye bro

[@gurobadger]

Ha, luckily that's from an extended sneezing jag, not from poor training choices, but it kinda works in context, eh?

[@burgertime72]

@@gurobadger we trained with full machetes briefly in early 90s at IU . I’m glad I still have my eyeballs

[@SoldierDrew]

This is why grabbing the stick in training isn't realistic or good Training.

[@gurobadger]

Absolutely. I expect a lot of people have learned disarming techniques, but never take a moment to think about whether it's a stick-only technique, or potentially for a blade as well.

[@robertfarris3744]

i've been training in various escrima styles since 1982....and for a long time i was told that the stick is the same as the blade.. BULLSHIT...most filipino instructors NEVER train with a blade (you can use metal trainers) most styles are stick oriented. The exception being Decuerdes and a few others..after practicing with metal trainers i came to see the shortcomings of stick...sticks are primarily impact weapons(oh you can stab or poke but it's not a SHARP tip) i can take a blow to the ribs for instance and while it would be painful it won't necessarily stop me,especially if i was fighting for my life...whereas try that with a sharp weapon (a machete for instance) and it's game over...when you fight with a bladed object the techniques are different, the timing is different, the approaches are different and so many other things that i can't list them here..bottom line ...stick and blade are NOT the same , and any escrimador who says they are doesn't know what he's talking about.

[@gurobadger]

Thanks for your comment - I agree with all your points.