DISCOVER OUR PHILIPPINE KALI CLASSES
Filipino kali, also known asEskrima, is a martial style from the Philippines. Like many other styles or methods of combat, it is the result of direct influence with ancient Spanish fencing, in part because the island was colonized by Spain until 1898.
The Filipino kali in particular, focuses on learning to use and combine different weapons including the wooden stick, the knife, the dagger, the dagger, knives… having as a priority the work of different combat distances, as well as the use of different techniques to hit, disarm or control the opponent.
THE CLASSES
The main theme of the Filipino Kali classes is not only the knowledge of the weapons found in the system, but they are also focused on enhancing the student’s capabilities through distance control exercises, displacements, grappling, disarming, timing and combat applications.
All these skills not only allow you to gain expertise and skill with weapons, but also foster strategic and tactical capabilities by posing realistic combat situations, where it is not always possible to find an accessible weapon. This knowledge also allows to complement other styles such as Kung Fu and Aikido, since many of their fundamentals are connected.
THE INSTRUCTOR
Fabián Simó is in charge of the Philippine Martial Arts department at Moho Kwoon in Hospitalet.
He is co-founder of the Kara an Eskrima project which aims to spread and practice the traditional martial arts of the Philippine archipelago.
He practiced different martial arts and contact sports until he learned about Filipino martial arts in 2010, when he started practicing them.
Since then he has traveled regularly to the Philippines where he has trained with the main masters of the archipelago, such as Flint and Bob Tabimina (Tabimina Balintawak), Rodrigo Maranga (Combate Eskrima Maranga), Narzo Arnold (Kalis Ilustrisimo), Eduardo Ceniza (Baraw Sugbo), Eduardo Ceniza (Baraw Sugbo) and others.
The methodology of the classes is based on the search for technique, tactics and strategy through clear, concise and practical explanations.
This allows the student to understand the grassroots system and develop a fighting spirit while learning the roots and history of the Filipino culture.
WEAPONS
The Eskrima system has as its main weapons the staff, knife, dagger, machete, daggers and different types of sticks. Unlike other martial styles such as Shaolin Kung Fu the initial learning begins with weapons, rather than empty hand or unarmed combat.
This knowledge of weapons subsequently enables practitioners to use the applications and concepts learned in different fighting situations or scenarios, paying special attention to the perception of the environment.
Although nowadays Kali is usually combined with other martial arts such as Jeet Kune Do or Wing Chun, it is applicable to many other styles such as Karate or Aikido.