Escrima and the Internet

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It is interesting to meet practitioners from different styles of eskrima and learn their naming and numbering structure.  Seems we all have some things in common, yet, certain things may be stressed a little more or a little less depending on the background of the escrima instructor.It doesn't matter if you describe your art as specific as the Defensor Method, or something more broad like Filipino Martial Arts, we are finding out that we are very much alike while maintaining our unique individualism.  We’re all different shades of the same color, so to speak.

Now it seems that people are less likely to create a fuss over different spellings or pronunciations of words used in Filipino Martial Arts because we have better access to global information.  I can remember discussing such trivial things as, arnis is this, whereas kali escrima is that.Years ago I asked Guro Nathan Defensor about the similarities and differences between escrima and arnis. Guro Nathan Defensor used to say that whether we call our arts Arnis, Eskrima, or Escrima it is much like saying car, auto, automobile, they are just words that refer to the same thing.It seems to me that more and more people describe their martial arts approach very differently today than they did just two decades ago.

Today we live in an Internet age, and I’ve been very pleased with how the communication and collaboration between martial artists have opened up the minds of FMA practitioners all over the globe.MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter are allowing martial arts practitioners to network and are helping to bring our perspectives closer that we have so much in common.Online video sources can show that we are not too different at all.Now there is a great deal of people learning more than one martial art, as we now see the benefits of a multiple system approach that just would not have happened back in the 80's in many schools.

We are also seeing greater access to international trade, which means that escrima practitioners have greater access to exotic arnis sticks such as ironwood sticks and bahi sticks. Twenty years ago, you may have known someone in your group that had fighting sticks made of Filipino hardwood, but finding a source was somewhat difficult. Now, we only need to have an Internet connection and a credit card to be able to have the very best arnis sticks.

Since the use of technology now assists martial artists to spread and share their martial styles globally, it may be the fastest current method of spreading martial knowledge in our global society!