Kali Sikaran?

[Einar]

Theres a Kali Sikaran class starting at the same gym where I used to do BJJ. I dont train BJJ anymore, and I thought it would be fun trying something new and more self defense oriented to add to my amazing white belt BJJ skillz.

Does anyone here have any experience with it? Is it worth checking out?

 

[krellik]

Well the filipino arts are suposed to be the best arts concerning knifes so from a defence point of view I say go for it and try it out. Im thinking that the sporting aplications of it are limited, but it is just speculation from my side...

 

[Gregster]

Kali has both really good stick and knife-fighting techniques but also a pretty good empty-hand fighting curriculum; not surprisingly, it has some really good counters and defenses against a guy with a knife or a cudgel for when you're both armed an unarmed.

If the guy teaching is legit, I say go for it.

 

[Vilo Magee]

I have a good friend whois from the Philippines by the name of Morris East and he is a Kali practioner who turned pro in boxing and won a title. He was showing me how he switched alot of the Kali stuff over into boxing defense ect. and it is a mazing how well his combos flow and he is a very powerfull puncher.

 

[Gregster]

I have a good friend whois from the Philippines by the name of Morris East and he is a Kali practioner who turned pro in boxing and won a title. He was showing me how he switched alot of the Kali stuff over into boxing defense ect. and it is a mazing how well his combos flow and he is a very powerfull puncher.

That's what has impressed me about Kali from what I've seen: it's very dynamic and fluid, with lots of transitions that allow you to continue pressing an attack as things change or counter quickly.

 

[recoil]

kali or arnis is fucking awsome..... they put out some really talented fighters..... make sure the guy is legit though cuz there are alot of people who have no idea and try to teach knife and stick

 

[Vilo Magee]

Probably the coolest thing about Kali is the way they flow and transition between defense and offense with so little effort

 

[mixicus]

I do not know about the 'sub-style' Sikaran. Just about every region in the Philippines has a variation on Kali/Arnis/Escrima.

Generally, Kali is a simple fascinating, elegant and brutal at the same time. Most styles have you working with blades and sticks from day one. Footwork is a significant portion of the training, lots of offline movement incorporated with offense and defense. Both hands and arms are involved constantly. Your defense quickly turns to attack and back to defense in seamless transitions, very fluid. The strikes tend to be in flowing combos. The techniques are interchangeable between each weapon and empty hand with range being the major variable (great mind set). As you progress through studies, multiples of the same weapon are used (i.e. 2 sticks or 2 knives) then mixing of weapons.

If the guy is legit, take it.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

Kali=Good Sikaran=Filipino TKD

 

[Einar]

What do you mean by filipino tkd? Lots of kicking, I suppose, but TKD can mean positive or negative things depending on who talks about it.

 

[toufeksian]

im training kali right now, its a very good thing , the flow , as many have said , is one of the basis of kali , it is very interesting because the concept is kinda different from other martial arts, and yes , its very efective , speaking of using and defending against a knife, i think learning to use and defense against a knife is the real thing about self defense ...

 

[loui_ludwig]

Kali Sikaran, well kali is also known as arnis and escrima, depends on the region/province in Philippines. Sikaran means kicking(including using the knee).

According to the book "Filipino Martial Culture", farmers in a town called Baras Rizal, intergrated kicking into kali. It is known as Sikaran Arnis. According to Meliton Geronimo, that the Koreans learned the Biakid(spinning hook kick) from Sikaran and added it into taekwondo during a competition in Korea in 1957. Before that, the Koreans did not know the spinning hook kick.

When i was 11 years old in Philippines, i enrolled in Sikaran Arnis school in the town of Baras, i lived about 2 towns away(20-30 min away). On my first and only class, me and my older cousin were late, we had to do knuckle push up as a punishment for being late. I do not remember who was the instructor, its either Mr. Geronimo or one of his assistant. The training area is a big yard next to the owners house. That was back in 1986. When i went on vacation to Philippines in 2000, the school is located now next to the main highway and the facility is bigger, probably accomadating 50 students or even more. I only had one class because my cousin quit the class, and as kid, i did not know how to go to the school. Plus my parents disapproved of me traveling alone due to the high kidnapping in Philippines, espcially that my father worked in Saudi Arabia. I went back to karate after that. I am now looking for Filipino martial art school here in the Silverlake area here in Los Angeles.

 

[stinkoman]

Pardon my ignorance but how much hand to hand is used in kali? I was thinking about taking it as martial art since their is a school in my town,but everytime I did a search on the internet about it all it really mentions stick and knife fighting.

 

[KingSnake]

Pardon my ignorance but how much hand to hand is used in kali? I was thinking about taking it as martial art since their is a school in my town,but everytime I did a search on the internet about it all it really mentions stick and knife fighting.

I learned a some kali during my days training silat. Both arts teach you that knife and stick are extensions of the hand. Most of the time you learn barehand 1st. Kali has a lot of good defense moves. Make sure the instructor is legit.

 

[Pidol]

travel to the Philippines and get real training
the best Escrima trainer is currently in jail for slicing someone over an arguement

 

[babyjay]

Is arnis, kali and escrima basically the same thing?

 

[peregrine]

Is arnis, kali and escrima basically the same thing?

yes.

i am training fillipino martial arts(fma) now. the old timers here know i have a seasoned background in ma so i am not some ignorant newb touting fma. i believe that fma has a place and it is a group of styles that are well diveresed with there most potent arts being those of the stick and blade. most of the hand to hand stuff is based off similar movements of using one of those weapons. i will go out on a limb and say that if you want to be a good all around fighter fma could definatelly add something to your game. i would not use it as a standalone in mma, but much of fma can be applied to the cage succesfully if you train correctly and not use low percentage moves. i will say that there most underated achievements of fma is the footwork. silat and fma footwork can be impressively used in the cage or street by the knowledgable and efficient.
i do not feel that high levels of trapping can be used effectivelly on a seasoned fighter. saddly much of the fma places feel otherwise and some think that the fancy movement drills can be directly transferred over to direct application.
i have moved to training fma as i am getting older and i do not wish to incur an injury such as a mcl or r/c tear. with fma, though we do spar the stick the majority of the time is padded.

to the one who said the spinning hook kick was not used by the koreans till post 1957 i highly doubt that. consdier that most cultures have similar movements, such as everyone pretty much does a hip throw the same way. we all have the same bodies and mechanics so i doubt that statement as fact.

if you want to see something impressive watch the dog brothers. fullcontact stickfighting with just gloves and a fencing helmet which is basically a screen to protect your eyes. lately the advent of bjj has imposed its will on many of the dog bros fights, but watch the fights that don't go to the ground and the fighters rely on there weapons like there stick, fists, knees, elbows and kicks.

from the site i just saw sikaran is kickboxing.

 

[guinnesstime]

There is a retired navy vet that teaches kali-arnis here in my town and I plan to sign up. There was an old guy at the place I used to train karate/bjj that learned from some filipino man, the old guy sparked my intrest in kali but he really wouldnt spend much time showing me any kali cause he had moved on to focusing on mma.