Abbreviated as FMA, Filipino martial art is the term of the different martial art styles that originated in the Philippines. The main styles include Panantukan which are empty handed forms, Eskrima/Kali/Arnis de Mano which utilize blades and sticks, and Pantadyakan which is kicking. All of these forms were developed in the Philippines, and practitioners of them – especially the Filipinos – take learning these martial arts very seriously. The Filipinos themselves have made many sacrifices to develop their martial arts.
There are 7,107 islands in the Philippines, and the residents there have developed the Filipino martial arts styles as a way to keep up with their ever changing environment and culture. FMA is actually a ‘system of systems’ style and because of this there are a lot of heterogeneous terms used throughout the form. Many of the things found in Filipino martial arts have influenced their political systems, social systems, and even economic conditions.
Filipino martial arts use a ranking system for level proficiency that varies from the different forms that make up this unique martial arts form. Instructors will use a variety of methods to train their students, and they draw on these methods when addressing a situation and determining whether or not their students understand what they have to do. There are no two masters of the Filipino martial arts who are alike because of the ‘system or systems’ methods. This doesn’t mean that they are not equal in their abilities. It just means that the masters are better than others in certain aspects of the art form.
Filipino martial arts are not as commercialized as many other martial art forms and because of this, many of the traditional focuses of the forms are still there. Additionally, the traditional hierarchies found in this form are still in place, such as master/instructor/student. Some of the FMA forms found outside of the Philippines have even adopted their own ranking and evaluation system.
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