All You Need to Know About FMA Filipino Martial Arts is an umbrella term that covers a host of ancient

as well as new martial arts that originated in the Philippines. The Philippines have seen a number of battles and strife over the years, all of which have led to the maturing of ancient forms of self-defense as well as attack. The martial art has developed over the years and has seen several ma or improvements as well. The martial art has now spread all over the world and is available to almost anyone who wishes to practice it. Today the awareness of Filipino Martial Arts has grown by leaps and bounds. There are already thousands of people practicing it and the demand for training is growing at a steady pace. The people practicing Filipino Martial Arts come from all types of backgrounds. !ome of them want to learn self defense while some of them are looking for fitness and a healthier lifestyle. "n any case, a large number of people are making the choice to benefit from this form of martial art. Arnis The Filipino Martial Arts are split into three main categories. Arnis is known to be one of the most highly regarded and the name is derived from the #ld !panish term for $armor%. As legend has it, the discipline was initially developed as a form of self-defense and attack for rival tribes. &owever, once the !panish con'uistadors arrived on Philippine soil, these tribes did everything they could to hide their martial arts from the invaders. As a result, they would practice in dance form so the !panish would never be suspicious. To this day, a number of Filipinos practice the martial art in dance form. Arnis makes e(tensive use of thrusting and butting techni'ues. #ne of the most well known techni'ues of Arnis is the )* basic strikes. +hile it is considered to be a very basic techni'ue, it is so effective that even students in the upper echelons of learning practice it on a daily basis. The techni'ue comprises of 'uick, sharp and forceful attacks on the opponent. Arnis is a very effective form of self defense and is used for that very purpose. ,ong time practitioners of Arnis can easily defend themselves against any attackers. Most people find it possible to apply their Arnis skills after around a year of training and practice. Eskrima -skrima is more of a weapon-based method of .ali and one of the key differences between this form of martial arts and most others is the fact that students are re'uired to train with weapons from a very early stage of their learning. +hile weapons are used, it also does re'uire the student to use other parts of his body to strike. "t is more of a combination form of attack, where some techni'ues will use the weapon as a distraction as the more deadly strikes are made with the hand or leg. /round fighting is another very important part of the entire learning as the student is taught to make use of his surroundings in order to negate the threat of an armed opponent. ,earning to defend against other weapons is also an important part of the process. -skrima skills have to be developed through a lot of practice. They cannot be learnt without putting in a lot of effort. Most people need to practice for two or more years to have reasonable -skrima skills. Kali

.ali is considered to be one of the most advanced and deadly forms of martial arts when used correctly. The fact that it incorporates the use of weapons at an early stage of learning means that it can be dangerous - but the danger is part and parcel of building not only a strong physical combative frame, but also in developing a mind that is capable of keeping calm and collected in the heat of battle. As with all forms of martial arts, there is as much focus on the mental aspects of combat as there is with the physical aspects of it. A skilled practitioner of .ali can not only successfully defend himself but also learns important life skills like discipline and focus. .ali is often cross-trained with other forms of martial arts as there is a continual desire to develop and broaden the hori0ons of the discipline. This premise was set as a result of the ever changing conflict within the country and as a result of the fact that it continuously had to defend itself against foreign invaders.