12 Basic Strikes
A student starts with the learning of the 12 basic strikes. These strikes are as follows:
1 - strike to the left side of the opponent’s head
2 - strike to the right side of the opponent’s head
3 - strike to the right side of the opponent’s body or ribs
4 - strike to the left side of the opponent’s body or ribs
5 - thrust to the opponent’s stomach
6 - thrust to the right side of the opponent’s chest
7 - thrust to the left side of the opponent’s chest
8 - strike to the opponent’s left knee
9 - strike to the opponent’s right knee
10 - thrust to the opponent’s right eye
11 - thrust to the opponent’s left eye
12 - strike to the center to the opponent’s head
A strike or thrust has its own stance or foot work. When it’s a strike on the left side of the opponent, the right foot should be leading. When it’s a strike on the right side of the opponent, the left foot should be leading. Opposite when it comes to the thrusts and the 12th strike. If it’s a thrust to the left side of the opponent, the left foot should be leading. If it’s a thrust to the right side of the opponent, the right foot should be leading. The 5th and 12th strike, the left foot should be leading.
Defense and Counter
When the student mastered the 12 basic strikes along with its footwork, he is in the 2nd stage of training – defense and counter. This second stage is a one-on-one training. The defense and counter teaches the student how to block the 12 basic strikes and how to react. The basic reactions are only the 1st and the 2nd basic strikes. If it’s a 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 11th basic strike, the student blocks and reacts using the 2nd basic strike. If it’s a 2nd, 6th, 8th, 10th basic strike, the student blocks and reacts using the 1st basic strike. The 12th strike is a little complicated. When it’s the 12th strike, the student first parry the strike before he can react using the 1st basic strike.
The student is taught these defense and counter by the order of strikes starting from the 1st basic strike up to the 12th. When he mastered them, he will be given a random strike.
Grouping System
An advanced set of attacks are now used by the instructor against the student and the student will learn the advanced series of counters and defense to the instructor’s attacks. These sets are called the ‘Grouping System’, and are considered a type of grading system. They answer questions such as "What do you do if your counter has been grabbed, what is the defense?" One of the groups will show the student how to defend in this situation. "What if the opponent tries to disarm or grabs and locks your stick or arm and punches?" The Groups answer these questions and the style is gradually built up, further and further by showing the counters to the counters, from the basic platform of the style.
This system has 5 groups:
1 – Lifting and Clearing
2 – Clearing w/ Butting Strikes
3 – Thrusting Defense
4 – Abaniko Defense
5 – Developing Punches while in Stick play
Advance Teaching
Lessons to be learned that are outside the regular method of teaching. These lessons are as follows:
- Stick and Knife Disarming
- Butting Techniques
- Push and Pulling
- Tripping Techniques
- Punches and Kicking (Yaw-Yan Ardigma Method)
- Knees and Elbows Techniques
- Combat Disarming and Locking
- Stick Cross Striking
- Stick Triple Response
- Cuentada
“Imparting the knowledge of eskrima needs no delay while maintaining the best of its attribute in reality-based fighting.”
-Dr. Ben Marapao-
