Fighting Formats

Kapatiran arnis is founded on the traditional warrior arts of the Philippines and utilises various fighting formats to promote the advancement of both our students and art. Click on a link below to learn more.

Self Defence

Filipino Martial Arts have grown to a spectacular proportion around the world with different groups springing up almost overnight. Can all of these be wrong? The answer is no, many student all around the world are training in the art of arnis/eskrima be it in tournaments or just to keep fit, or for whatever reason we cannot deny the popularity of Filipino Martial Arts.

As a method of self defence it is a very comprehensive martial art indeed. The most popular concept is that it is just a weapons art, but it is much more than that. A practitioner of the Filipino Martial Arts can be a very formidable opponent indeed. With his weapon skills and blade skills he can be very hard to beat, but add to this empty hand skill and "dumog" grappling he will be a formidable foe.

Single Stick

In Kapatiran Arnis you will learn the 12 basic strikes, disarms, blocks and counters.Various drills for the enhancement of reflexes and coordination. Multiple strikes, foot work and use of the live hand. You will also be taught locks, take downs and counters and learn different ranges of combat.

Double Stick

This is where the student trains with 2 sticks. Doing various drills to train coordination, hand and eye training, blocking and striking at different ranges and using one stick to defend while counter attacking with the other.

Knife

You will learn the angles of attack, empty hand skill against the blade, drills for coordination and reflexes, 2 man drills to develop reflexes, disarms, locking and take downs and using the blade against blade.

Stick and dagger

"espada y daga". This is the stick and dagger art which is taught with the stick in one hand and the dagger in the other. This teaches the student to use the stick in defence or attacking mode, and to use the dagger for attacking and to defend. This art teaches footwork, blocking with either weapon, lock ups and takedowns.

Mano-mano

Empty hands against weapons and empty hands against empty hands. You will learn kicks and punches, elbow and knee strikes, blocks and striking to take downs. This art should blend in with your use of the weapons.

Dumog

These are the dirty arts: the eye gouging, head butts, pinching, biting and grappling. This can be done with weapons or without. This is the art of surviving in combat. It does not look good but if you are to walk away you will need this art.

Padded stick sparring

This is ideal for beginners and intermediates as the competitors have the double protection of using rubber-padded sticks and WEKAF style helmet, gloves and groin box. All strikes apart from thrusts, punios and double-handed strikes are allowed and targets are anywhere above the knees.

WEKAF sparring

This is an area of competition Kapatiran Arnis has continued to excel at and lead the way as the major contributor for fighters on the British Team. WEKAF sparring consists of 3 x 1 minute rounds, full contact in full armour. Points are won by skill with striking, blocking and evasion. Targets are the same as for rubber stick sparring. Each round is scored by 3 independant judges over the 3 rounds and controlled by an experienced referee. The competition is in a knock-out format. Kapatiran Arnis Chief instructor John Harvey is the British Team coach and both he and Assistant Chief Instructor Jude Tucker are international referees.

Low armour sparring

This format is for higher grade/ability stickfighters; beginners are not eligible. Kapatiran Arnis Head Instructor John James is 2 x British Low Armour Champion.

Low armour rules: Dress code for low armour

  1. Footwear: trainers only, no boots or other footwear. No bare feet.
  2. Black or dark kickboxing pants. No shorts please.
  3. Club t-shirt only, no sleeveless t-shirts and no vests. No sweat shirts.
  4. WEKAF helmet
  5. Stickfighting gloves. Gloves will be checked by the referee. No ice hockey gloves.
  6. No knee pads. No elbow or arm pads.
  7. Pads can be only used if carrying an injury. This is at the referee's discretion.
  8. Groin box is obligatory.
  9. We are trying to make this exciting sport presentable to the general public so a dress code is a must. This is a British Championship event so lets make it an event the fighters are proud to take part in.
  10. This dress code is obligatory so do not arrive with shorts or vest because you will lose your chance to become a British champion in low armour eskrima.

Weighing in

  1. All fighters must present themselves to the weigh in desk with their corner man or trainer at the correct time before the fights start. Late fighters will not fight.
  2. Matching up will be done as soon as the fighters are weighed in. Trainers or corner men can check the matching up to see if their fighters are in the correct division.
  3. Changes to the matching up sheets can only be done before the first fight.
  4. All fighters after the weigh in will be put in groups of 4 fighters. This is because this type of stickfighting is so intense, 2 fights is all you need.
  5. The 4 fighters will be chosen in a draw from numbers to find your opponent. Previous champions do not get byes. If your number is called you fight your opponent or you lose by default.
  6. If there are only 3 fighters in your divison you will fight a round robin to find a winner. All fighters must have 2 fights to become a champion.

Fighter's code

  1. Fighters must show respect to each other even if they lose their fight. This is a sporting event not a free for all.
  2. This is a contest to show your stick skills; if you do not have any it will soon show. Just as in boxing if you are taking to much punishment the referee will stop the fight. Please respect the referee's decision.
  3. At the end of the fight you will shake your opponents hand and also go to his corner and shake the hand of his corner men. Win or lose.
  4. You are stickfighters taking part in a martial arts event. Please act accordingly.

Fight rules

  1. Each fight will be 2 rounds of one and a half minutes.
  2. This is stickfighting only. The only weapon will be solo stick.
  3. No punching, no kicking, no grappling, no foot sweeps.
  4. Strikes can be to all parts of the body above the knees.
  5. All strikes must have power. 'Tippy-tappy' hits from armour fighting will not count.
  6. No thrusts or punio strikes allowed.
  7. No clinching allowed.
  8. Fighters must keep in the fight area at all times. If you keep leaving the area you will lose points.
  9. No checking to the face, only to the body.
  10. Disarms are allowed, 1 disarm you lose the round, 2 disarms you lost the fight.
  11. You will be judged on your ability to strike with power. to block or avoid a strike. also on variety of strikes. You are being tested as a stickfighter. This is a test of your skills and a test of yourself.
  12. You will be judge by a panel of 3 judges who will decide the result. In the event the judges cannot agree you will be asked to fight one extra round of one minute. In this last round the referee will also assist the judges to make a decision.
  13. Just as in boxing if the referee decides a fighter is taking to much punishment or is not defending themselves the referee will terminate the fight and announce the winner.
  14. This is an event for serious stickfighters, low armour is ideal for showing your skills. Strikes must have power. You must be able to block. You must be able to avoid the stick. After this event you can call yourself an eskrimador.
  15. Respect each other and respect the rules.

No-rules sparring

This consists of 2 or 3 minute rounds of stick strikes, punches, kicks and grappling with no-holds barred. Only helmets, gloves and groin box are allowed for protection. This is for elite fighters and higher grades only.

Call2Arms

The Prelim: This was a format devised by Kapatiran Arnis Chief Instructor John Harvey and consists of 1 x 1.5 minute round of striking with the stick only 1 x 1.5 minute round of striking with stick, punching and kicking 1 x 1.5 minute round of striking with stick, punching and kicking and grappling Only helmet, gloves and groin guard are allowed for protection. For Call2Arms sparring rules see their website: Call2Arms

No Armour sparring

This is for top eskrimadors only because of the dangers involved and the control needed: no armour - no helmet, no gloves. This must be strictly supervised with first-aiders on hand.