Escrima FAQ
This area contains answers to specific questions about the system of Escrima which is taught by the UKKFF. If the question or answer you seek is not shown below, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.
What is Escrima?
Escrima is one particular type of martial art discipline. It is mainly armed, and employs a wide variety of non-projectile hand weapons plus the natural tools of the human body for the purposes of combat.
What does ‘Escrima’ actually mean?
The term Escrima is the Filipino translation of the Spanish word Esgrima, in reference to the art of Fencing, armed & unarmed fighting, or combat employing all hand weapons plus empty hands. It is used as an umbrella term to refer to the traditional martial arts of the Philippines.
Is Escrima the same as Kali or Arnis?
The terms are often used interchangeably to describe the overall Filipino approach to weapons-based combat, however like all branches from the same martial tree, there are differences in the individual focus, training method, and preferred weaponry of each style.
Are there different styles of Escrima?
Yes, there are many different styles, methods, approaches and family lineage which would fall under the general heading of Escrima.
Which style of Escrima does the UKKFF teach?
We teach the Escrima Concepts Weapons System, a unique, conceptual approach to armed & unarmed combat, developed by Master Steve Tappin.
Is Escrima Concepts a stick system?
No. Escrima Concepts is a weapons system. Although rattan sticks are indeed used in the majority of training, this is because they are cheap, easily replaceable, versatile, relatively safe (being fibrous, rattan will not break or shatter even under the hardest of impacts), legal to transport to training, and the general mechanics of a stick can be applied to most other forms of impact weapon.
Which weapons are used in Escrima training?
The most common weapons used in Escrima Concepts training are single & double rattan sticks, hickory sticks, rattan staffs, single & double short-bladed knives, palm-sticks, tonfa, single & double machetes, all with the addition of empty-hands & feet.
Will I get hurt during Escrima training?
Yes, you might – weapons are dangerous by definition. We don’t teach children, we don’t use padded/foam weapons, and we don’t hit off-target because that’s not the reality of weapons combat. However we DO use a lot of control, an excellent structured, progressive training programme, and students only use the amount of power that they can handle. Don’t be under any illusions though, mistakes can & do hurt, but you won’t be harmed in training unless a serious accident occurs, and so far in over 10 years we’re injury-free.
Do you do sparring in Escrima?
Yes. There are progressive sparring drills at every grade within the training programme, leading towards fully free sparring with a variety of weapons once people are controlled, safe and confident.
Does Escrima have an unarmed component too?
Yes. The principles of weapons apply equally well to empty-hand situations, and these are covered within the syllabus and the training programme. The vast majority of Escrima training time will involve a weapon though, which is why for solely unarmed training time, our members study our Kung-Fu system too.
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