Short Stick or Arnis
Stick fighting has been around since before cave man existed. Animals such as apes and chimpanzees have been filmed using sticks as weapons in the wild to fend off and even kill other rival groups. Countries such as Japan, China, Philipines, Indonesia and many others have a long history of weapon fighting including sticks and staves of various shapes and sizes. Weapons such as nunchuku, Jo, Arnis, Bo, Bastion, Three sectional staff, Tonfa, etc. are just a few examples of stick like weapons that have been around for centuries. Some of these current day weapons were originally farming implements that farmers and field hands used against their oppressors.
Jo, Bo and Arnis are probably the most popular and most widely used weapon used by modern day martial artists. The Arnis , also known as (kali and escrima) is a short stick approximately 80 to 90 cm in length usually made of wood, rattan cane or bamboo. The short stick is easily managed and with dexterous hands and much practice can become a very fast and formidable weapon to use against an aggressive assailant.
SEMPAI GENEVIEVE & SEMPAI LUKE PRACTICE STICK FIGHTING
By Sempai Luke Buchanan
The history of using sticks as a weapon is as unclear as it is diverse in origins. However it has been dated back to the 1500’s in the Philippines. This art of self-defence has the diverse dynamics of involving a single stick, two sticks, a long and short stick, a dagger and other blunt objects. The main areas in developing techniques with the sticks are to focus in the fields of grips, twirling, strikes, defence and counter attacks, and drills.
Gripping is important in managing the stick. When gripping the stick there must be a strong clasp as the stick must be held securely to ensure that it can withstand fast changes in direction, impacts on attackers, impacts on other sticks and defending any form of attack (either by the attackers sticks or by the attacker themselves). However the clasp must not interfere with the flexibility and fluency of the wrist. There are three common gripping styles- the under thumb, the side thumb and the overlap. The under thumb is where the thumb runs up the shaft of the stick. The side thumb is when the thumb is half bent to help in manoeuvring the stick sharply. Lastly the overlap in the most common of all three where the stick is held in the same fashion as a basic punch with the thumb tucked. The grip is situated at the base of the stick allowing for maximum striking range.
Twirling is used to develop the handling of the sticks. It is used to allow the handler to gain experience with wielding the weapons. It not only looks attractive but also allows for developing speed, power and wrist flexibility. Twirling can either be done with one or two sticks. By only using one stick you can focus on the one hand and stick movement to focus on weaknesses on one or both of your wrists. Then by combining the two sticks, coordination and timing can be developed. Twirling usually consists of a figure eight motion crossing in the centre of your attackers body. This figure eight motion can consist of the two sticks following each other through the motion, or by breaking up the figure eight motion to employ three strikes for every cross of the body.
There are three categories of strikes. The first is the slash. This is where the strike passes through the target area from one side to the other. It can consist of either a horizontal, vertical or diagonal motion. On the stick the impact is on the middle to top part of the stick. The second strike is the thrust. This is where the top of the stick makes contact with the attacker. The thrust can be done using one or two hands on a stick depending on the number of weapons are in your possession. It can be compared to spearing your attacker. The last category is the butt. It is using the hand held end of the stick in a shot range attack. This strike is used when the attacker is in close quarters and is too close for the other strikes to be used. Although this strike may not have the velocity behind it as the slash and thrust, it has the necessary strength and stability to make it an equal with the other two strikes. In all these strikes, they can either be in movement in a backhand or forehand attack. Both the backhand and forehand must be developed, as they exist mutually as one follows the other after every strike.
Defence and counter attacks are the first stages to developing stick techniques when relating to an attacker. When defending, the first technique is blocking either towards the outside or the inside of the attacker with the stick itself. This can be done either unsupported or supported with a free hand. Then there is using two sticks in conjunction with each other to form an X to stop a strike from an attacker. The third technique is to parry an attack. This technique does not use strength to overpower the strike or thrust, but to guide it along the path it is already travelling on. It is also important to learn how to disarm an attacker using traditional open hand techniques, as you may not have any weapons in your possession during an attack. Once the attack has been blocked or parried, it is important to develop a counter attack to stop or hinder another attack. The most optimum point for this to take place is usually the closest point on your attacker to your block or parry. If this cannot be achieved, like with all weapon self-defence techniques make sure your attacker is disarmed.
Drills involving a partner are important in any part of martial art training. It allows us to learn how to adapt our techniques to succeed when a second person is present. In the circumstance of using the sticks, it allows not just the refinement of the techniques, but also to develop stamina with the instruments. The “stick to stick” drills can be used with either one or two sticks. These drills are sequences of a variety of attacks and defences that are put together to make a routine. The exact ingredients in the drills vary however it is the objectives that are the same. Speed is important in both an attack and defence situation and by developing drills, the speed can be improved in a safe and controlled manner. Accuracy is also a target in performing drills as they allow little room for missing the mark as injury or a miss strike are clearly noticeable. In terms of a self-defence technique, drills allow the participants to predict and respond in a safe and respecting environment, which can be converted into a real life situation.
It is by developing techniques with the sticks in the subjects of grips, twirling, strikes, defence and counter attacks, and drills that an understanding of this weapon can be implemented into your self-defence. It is vital that this understanding becomes as fluent as any other part of your body as in an authentic situation it is necessary that your skills in stick fighting become instinct.
