Escrima

Filipino national martial art of stick and blade — rattan stick fighting, empty-hand and knife defence.

👥1 per team🌤indoor

What is Escrima?

Escrima (also arnis or kali) is the national martial art of the Philippines, focused on stick, sword, knife and empty-hand combat. Training centres on paired drills with rattan sticks that translate directly into edged-weapon and unarmed applications. Full-contact stick sparring is contested under the WEKAF and Arnis Philippines federations.

Quick facts

Category

Combat Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇵🇭 Philippines

Estimated origin

Pre-Hispanic Philippines (>500 years)

Olympic

No

Popularity

global

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified