Eskrima Kombat

Here are a few real-life conflicts that have occurred locally here in the Philippines:

 

1.  Clubbed with a Rock

A local city councilor is accused of clubbing a teenager in the head with a rock during a melee at 4 o’clock in the morning at a club just a stone’s throw from where I hang out. The kid nearly died, and a portion of his skull was removed to accommodate the swelling of his brain.

 

2.  San Miguel Grande

A guy I met got into an argument with a Filipina. Tempers flared, and he pushed her –not violently, but a “get out of here” sort of push. She yelled out “Kuya!” which is Filipino for “older brother.”

Realizing he was in trouble, he took off running. He was headed down the stairs while “kuya” was coming up the stairs, carrying a grande (liter) bottle of San Miguel beer. The American managed to partially shield his head as kuya swung the bottle, but he still took a shot to the back of the head, which drew blood. He was running down the street when the grande bottle landed on the street behind him.

 

3.  Jeepney Holdup

My Filipino friend Mario was riding a jeepney late one night when he and the other passengers were held up by two young punks with knives. Mario was carrying some wood to work on his house, and had a 2×2 on him. Holding the 2×2 in rifle grip, with one hand palm up and the other palm down, he thrust the tip into one robber, and then the other. He kicked one guy aside and jumped out the back of the jeepney. He dashed to the nearby barangay hall, and the robbers were caught.

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Lessons Learned

If we look at these 3 incidents we see that there’s a weapon involved in each one, but nothing that fits the traditional martial arts schools’ idea of a weapon. Maybe somewhere there’s a “real kali” school that teaches the rock, the liter beer bottle, and the 2×2, but I doubt it.

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If you were in the stairs scenario, that would be a good time to kick. The opponent’s head and body, being lower than yours, is more vulnerable to the low kick and the thrust kick. You can use the railing to anchor yourself, and if you’re descending the stairs, your kick is aided by momentum and gravity.

 

As I say, there’s always a weapon. Something as simple and as mundane as a rock picked up off the ground can kill.