There is a form of martial arts that originated in the Philippines known as Kali, or Kali-Sikat. Literally translated to mean “body in motion,” this fighting art has developed into a very effective and efficient combat measure that combines both the body and the use of weaponry in taking down an opponent. Outside of the Philippines, this form of martial arts is known as Kali, while in the Philippines, it is chiefly known as arnis, arnis de mano, or escrima, particularly if the use of various sorts of weapons is included.

This Filipino fighting discipline requires extensive drills that involve harnessing the body's energy, as well as eye and hand coordination techniques that utilize all the senses of the body to sense the enemy and disable him, thus. Using this method, a Kali practitioner is able to bring down an opponent in the most simple and straightforward manner using any series of chokes, locks and holds.

Whether with the use of the weapons or with bare hands, students of this form of martial arts are taught to be flexible in defending themselves and attacking an opponent when faced with every manner of hostile situations. Its principles incorporate the different ways of angling and positioning the body, and moving with the flow of each stance in order to bring an opponent down. Students are likewise taught how to harness their speed, taught judicious use of footwork, and go through drills to increase their skill. As a result of this, brute strength is not given much importance, as this form of fighting is a fluid and practical method of defending oneself without having to rely on extreme force, but rather on mastering its comprehensive skills of vanquishing an opponent.

The weapon-based method of fighting include the use of swords, knives, and long wooden sticks that have been strengthened in fire. These tough batons are carved from rattan, an extremely sturdy variety of vine that is found in huge abundance in the Philippines. In some instances, stick-fighting practitioners can may make use of either a single sticks, or a pair in order to disarm and defeat their opponents.

To an outsider, observing basic training of this fighting art form as taught to large groups of students would have the impression that it is a very simple form of martial arts, involving an extremely simplified form of instruction. However, even the basic levels of the art are difficult and complicated to master, and it may take a student many years of practice before finally hurdling the basic levels. In the Philippines, Kali is not a sport reserved solely for men, either.

Throughout the history of the Philippines, women have taken an active part in various wars and battles making judicious use of this martial art. In fact, well-known explorer Ferdinand Magellan from Spain was known to have been defeated by Filipino male and female warriors using this ancient form of fighting. The native, Lapu-Lapu and his warriors successfully routed the Spanish invading forces using only swords and sticks against guns and armor. To this day, both genders study, practice, and make use of Kali still.

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Jujitsu practitioners have been schooled in a particular form of self-defense that is known as the “science of softness”. The term “ju” is literally translated to mean either ‘soft’ or ‘gentle’, while “jitsu” is Japanese for ‘art’. Despite this unlikely moniker, attacks based on this fighting style’s principles are neither soft nor gentle in any way.

Said to have began early in the 8^th century, more evidence suggests that it goes back even before Christ’s time. Dating back to A.D. 712, ancient Japanese chronicles describe how one warrior threw another down, as if throwing down a leaf, and there are records in 23 B.C. of the Emperor Shuinjin hosting fight tournaments where one warrior, Nomino Sukume, caused the death of a Sumo wrestler by throwing him to the ground and kicking him.

Evidence of this “empty hand” fighting style point towards Japan being the birthplace of Jujitsu, and not China, as some historians earlier believed. There is also some evidence pointing towards this form of martial arts stemming from the work of a 13^th century Buddhist monk. The early techniques of these ancient times were called either kumitachi or yawara, and it is clearly outlined in the antique Buddhist text of the Konjaku-monogatari.

The main philosophy of this fighting art is for a combatant to be able to vanquish an opponent using all and any means, as long as the force exerted to do so is minimal. To achieve this end, the fighting style requires stringent conformity to harsh physical and mental disciplines, which include maintaining peak physical fitness, strict diets, and adherence to a rigid code of morals. It is only through these practices that a fighter is able to achieve the utmost levels of perfection required in this form of martial arts. This is the most likely reason the reason why most practitioners confine themselves to religious foundations such as Buddhist or Shinto monasteries.

While it is generally believed that fighters who are stronger have the higher advantage, this is certainly not the case in Jujitsu. Even if a fighter is smaller compared to an opponent, if he is well versed in utilizing fulcrum leverage to be able to lift someone much heavier, then he can use this advantage over a larger person who is ignorant of such fact.

A practitioner of this form of martial arts understands that there is a system that will enable them to best a larger opponent, such as attacking an adversary at a vulnerable point, thus ending the fight instantly. One of Jujitsu’s principles states that strength and brute force will gain no ground over skill and intelligence. Jujitsu is one of the ultimate weapons for punishment, and it will be very simple to defeat and even seriously an opponent when one is skilled in this form of martial arts.

Because it is focused on self-defense to render powerless and overcome an enemy using very minimal force, Jujitsu is composed of a host of dangerous and even fatal techniques. This was particularly true in the past, when, as an older art, it was used to deal fatal death blows to annihilate an enemy.

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When we talk of martial arts, one of the first things that would come to mind is the discipline and structure that comprise the practice of each movement. From this discipline and structure grows the art from which both defense and attack movements are based on. According to Bruce Lee, a master of Jeet Kune Do, one need not learn an art to the letter. What is important is to understand how the system itself is delivered. What he meant is that a student must know how the delivery of the attack gets from point A – the attacker, to point B – the person who is attacked.

During his time in the 1960’s, a person’s style was given the utmost importance. This meant that if you were a Jujitsu practitioner, you didn’t have to study Karate or Taekwondo. All a Jeet Kune Do (JKD) student did in those days was to practice against other fighters who studied the same martial art. Martial arts tournaments during that time were also limited because they were mostly non-contact in nature.

This has drastically changed after Bruce Lee’s time. Today, Jeet Kune Do is frequently incorporated into a free-form style of fighting, together with other forms of martial arts, best demonstrated in the octagon ring of the UFC.

Even so, despite the revolutionary changes introduced by Bruce Lee, a lot of misconceptions surrounding Jeet Kune Do remain. One is that this particular form of martial arts has no discernible techniques or concepts. This is misinterpreted due to the precept of “using no way as way”. There are however very specific value sets and structure models in the art of using JKD in combat. What Bruce Lee did was to simply liberate practitioners from the strict confines of its particular style. While one fighter’s style may appear different from that of another practitioner of JKD, it is merely each person’s utilization of the technique that spells the difference. A person with longer arms may choose to fight at a longer range away compared to a person with shorter arms, for instance.

Another misconception is that Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do is merely a combination of other martial arts and forms of defense such as Wing Chun, western boxing, and even fencing, among many others. This myth grew from the time when Bruce Lee, in order to expand his own understanding of martial arts, started researching and examining other forms of fighting. In fact, his book, and other works he wrote that were published after his death, contained many references to other forms of martial arts. He looked at each method from every angle and studied each technique and strategy in the quest for understanding. Bruce Lee believed that fighting was a universal thing, and his intention was not to put together all the best fighting techniques from the different forms of martial arts, but simply to learn the truth of each, and what made them work best.

One cannot call Jeet Kune Do a mixed form of martial arts, culled from different techniques, structures and disciplines. It merely shares some elements of the different fighting styles while evolving on its own through the years.

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Iaido is a form of martial art wherein the Iaidoka (an Iaido practitioner) reacts to a surprise attack with a counter attack using a sword.  It is a Japanese art that consists of the continuous and graceful movements starting from the drawing of the sword, cutting an adversary, removing the opponent’s blood from the sword and returning the sword inside the scabbard.  Iaido came from the Japanese words “I” meaning “being”, “ii” meaning harmony and “do” meaning “way”.  Iaido when translated means “The way of harmonizing oneself in action”.

              Iaido is a contemporary and authentic Japanese martial art that has proven its importance during warfare which was preserved and later passed on from masters to students from generation to generation for about 450 years now.  The Iaidoka uses the sword to actually control himself and not the opponent.  He develops the mind to attain an active but harmonious and peaceful state in order for it to be able to react or deal with any type of situation.  This is why Iaido is presently taught to students not only for them to learn sword-drawing techniques and forms but also to as a form of physical as well as mental discipline which emphasizes on meditation, right techniques and development of the student’s character.

            Iaido, kenjutsu (literally means combative swordsmanship) and kendo are forms of martial arts that make use of swords.  They are however different from each other.  The kendo is actually the sport of fencing in Japan.  There is no drawing or re-sheathing of a sword in kendo.  The weapon used is a shinai or a bamboo sword that is very flexible.  Kenjetsu on the other hand are performed with a partner with routines that involves the sword’s drawing and re-sheathing.  Iaido is commonly performed alone as a series of “Waza” which beginnings and endings have the sword sheathed.  The Iaidoka performs different techniques one or many opponents that are just imaginary.  For the Iaidoka to do the waza gracefully and correctly, he should also be knowledgeable with the right grip, swing and posture.  Iaidokas do not use Iaido in a sparring manner.  The techniques in this martial art are quite simple and direct but very refined with no unnecessary movements.    An iaidoka not only practices for waza performances but also to prepare themselves when there are surprise attacks.  When this happens, the iaidoka has no choice but to employ aggression.

            In an Iaido training, a practitioner will learn solo kata (meaning forms) and the kumadachi (meaning partner forms).  These forms of training put emphasis on the correct etiquette on the way the sword should be handled.  The former concentrates on how to correctly draw, cut and return the sword to the scabbard.  The nukitsuke, also called the life of iai, is an important part of Iaido, which is a really fast draw done by drawing the sword from a “saya” when it was moved back in the “saya biki”.  The sword could be brought out from the saya and used to make a slashing motion in a nukitsuke manner.

            Many schools in America still teach the Iaido.  Any interested individual may look online for the nearest school and begin learning the martial arts that is also termed the “moving Zen”.

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