Contrary to what the so-called "authorities on FMA" had declared, eskrima or arnis is still alive in the land of its origin, the Philippines.
Contrary to the official status, real eskrima or arnis is not a sport and was not designed as such.
Contrary to the popular propaganda, eskrima, arnis or the so-called kali, are one and the same. Arnis or eskrima are into sticks as well as blades.
Contrary to the popular allegation, eskrima, arnis, estocada, estoque are not modern cognates of an older mother art called kali, insinuating that the Filipino Stickfighting is something pre-Hispanic.
Contrary to the myth, eskrima or arnis has no connection, whatsoever, to the martial art called silat.
Contrary to the popular myth, there never was an ancient mother art called kali, in the archipelago called the Philippines. As a matter of fact, there never was any proof of any kind, written in paper, parchment, etched on clay pots, contained inside any burial jars, inserted between the cracks of the ruins etc. Neither mentioned in earlier Spanish Chronicles nor chanted in any of the old Visayan epics.
Contrary to the popular story, nobody can prove that earlier warriors like Lapulapu and his contemporaries were eskrima or arnis adepts. In fact, the oldest available written record in Mactan Island is only circa 1719. Nothing earlier than that. So nobody can trace an eskrima school lineage back to Lapulapu or describe how Lapulapu's eskrima looked like.
The traditional practice of eskrima or arnis is never to be found amongst the non- Christian groups.
All kali schools today cannot show us any link with any older kali school or system, either extinct or extant. It is even expected that most of them are actually derived from an older arnis or eskrima school or system.
These are mentioned here not to embarrass or question the integrity of many of these mythmakers but to uphold the truth. Unfortunately, truths is sometimes embarrassing. To uphold truth . . . nothing bad about that.
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