Kali, Arnis, Escrima, which style is best?

Interesting! Thanks Shooto. Though I wonder whether those distinctions carry over to FMA outside of the Philippines. I think that migration resulted in a lot of mutation in the terminology ("kali" being a great example).

 

I was told (somewhere, years ago) that Kali comes from KAmut LIhon (spelling excused) which means "body motion". I also heard Kali comes from the blade type "kalis", also called the "kris"...
Interesting points, but as Slipthejab has said elsewhere:

Training>semantics

Cheers
Harry

 

And that is just two versions of where it comes from which its self has caused many arguments as many of the explanations did not stand up to scrutany. But it is an excepted term for the art and many of us now simply use the term FMA to stop confusion and arguments.

 

Ultimately, it's just a name!!!

That said, I think it is fair to say (correct me if I'm wrong Pat) that the term Kali tends to be far more popular outside of the Philippines. Sometimes, it seems to be attached to arts with a strong commercial focus. i.e. Kali = high fees!

 

Kali = high fees? Does that work? ...OK, I'm changing what I do from Escrima (also Eskrima) to Kali. I can $mell the money already! LOL

 

Doce Pares

 

So some say. Then term Kali is certainly more popular outside the Philippines and there are some with some high fees. But I also know Arnis and Escrima/Eskrima groups that also have high fees and are very commercial and Kali groups that do it for the love of it. Kali the term certainly sells more as some people think it is more mystical? But its just a name.

 

Eskirma or Arnis or Eskrima Kali Arnis? which one?

 

just to further confuse you guys. estocada is generally used in systems that come from the provinces close to manila such as cavite, laguna, and batangas (south of manila).

in bulacan (north of manila) and in rizal (east of manila) they call it arnis.

to the west of manila they call it fishing. why? because if you're holding a stick in the middle of manila bay, you should be fishing.

 

And in central Manila if your being hit with a stick, your being arrested.

 

Eskarnis?

 

What about Kalarnis? Eskrila, Kalima, Calima, Cali and Haveitontheheadwithabiglumpofwood?

 

eskrila has some promise. will let you know how it pans out.

 

karneskrima...

 

i won't say anything other than they're related

 

I went to teach at a south east asian festival 15 yrs ago,the silat guys referred to what i did as kali,when i told some filipino women i was doing kali they looked at me blank,then i said eskrima -still blank-so i said arnis---they looked blank still-----then one said "oh ,he means arnis and rolled her rrr,s when pronouncing it---then she looked at me and said-"yes but how can this be?-"you are not filipino-lol---i explained to them how i aquired the knowledge---in my yorkshire tongue and inability to roll rrs they hadnt a clue what i was saying------mind you the rest of the uk dont always understand what us yorkies are saying always lol------I teach eskrima,kali,arnis------and sayoc kali-----.

 

Back in the 90,s eskrima wars in the uk-there was a lot of heated debate about the words and which was right-crazy now looking back.-but made good reading and hearsay looking back to those days.

 

Sounds like a manual for sexual positions!

 

Uhu! and some very interesting responses and reasons for terminologies that have been debunked to many times and guess what they still keep comming up to entertain us all

 

The UK scene had some awesome feuds! Remember the "Wing Chun wars?"