Modernizing Arnis

The Filipino martial art that Ernesto grew up learning from his father and trained with his brothers Remy and Roberto was an ancient, classic art.   In the 20th century, it was becoming obsolete.   Arnis, in its current format, had little appeal to modern Filipinos – especially to Filipinos that valued foreign lifestyles and products – including martial arts.¹  

Ernesto had a dream to “…reintroduce the art that was so long an integral part of the Filipino history and culture.”²  The art had to become ‘modern’ to stay alive. He studied with many grandmasters and challenged other experts of the martial arts.  “I knew I had to learn from the top instructors of the time and use my expertise to bring out the essence of arnis and make it ‘modern.’  Modern meaning to meet current standards of style and execution.”³

“By analyzing the conceptual framework of the classical systems, he revolutionized the native martial arts into compete [sic] effective fighting system appealing to martial arts students in contemporary society.”⁴

“A thinker and innovator, [Ernesto] observed that the practice of arnis, as handed down by past generations, largely consisted of the undisciplined and disorganized swinging of the rattan canes (sticks).  Injuries were commonplace as the haphazardly directed canes made hard contact with unprotected fingers, wrists, elbows and faces.”⁵

“In order to become acceptable for modern, widespread instructional purposes, [Ernesto] concluded, training had to be modified.  First, he introduced basic striking, blocking, and countering patterns, and devised effective footwork.  He organized the training procedures into a regimented structure not unlike karate training sessions.”⁶

Mano Mano (or Kamay sa Kamay⁷)

“‘Mano mano’ is a Filipino derivation of the Spanish-language term mano a mano, literally meaning hand to hand, and specifically referring to personal combat without the use of weapons such as sword, club or knife.”⁸  Ernesto said “‘Modern’ is used because my style of arnis is based on classic styles – but has incorporated ‘modern’ techniques…Arnis is unique in that one can become ‘good’ at this martial art in perhaps just one year of training, while other disciplines such as karate and jujitsu require many years of complex training.  Arnis is simple, easy to learn and yet it is effective, lethal.  The simplicity of arnis is in its purity – effective and immediate in its result.”⁹

“Acknowledging the fundamental truth that an arnis practitioner might not always have a weapon at his disposal, [Ernesto] accordingly places an emphasis on the mano mano aspect of his art, equaling the armed component.”¹⁰   The “mano mano regimen includes the technical categories of blocking, striking, kicking, throwing, joint locking and choking.  Efficiency and effectiveness in combat lie at the forefront of the techniques; each is a model of simplicity and directness.”¹¹

Kombatan

Ernesto developed the Filipino martial art Kombatan,“a comprehensive discipline that teaches both the weapons-based art as well as the empty-hand skills needed to survive in our turbulent society.”¹² The first documented usage of the word Kombatan that I could find was in May 2000. The Martial Arts Combat & Sports Magazine published the following headline “Ernesto Presas Filipino Kombatan.”  The article stated “Encompassing knife fighting, jiu-jitsu, karate, and kendo, Ernesto Presas’ Filipino Kombatan system might just be the ultimate combat art.”   The article was titled  “The Art of the Flow” by Jose G. Paman.  

The name “Kombatan” itself implies its core idea: “to prepare for actual combat and not to polish the techniques for demonstration purposes”.¹³  According to Ernesto,  “Effectiveness in total combat… is the art’s ultimate goal.”¹⁴  “Kombatan…[incorporates] the more commonly known features of Filipino martial arts such as the solo baston (single cane), double baston (double cane) and espada y daga (sword and dagger) with the lesser-known components of dulo dulo (a double-tipped short stick), bangkaw (staff), daga (dagger) and mano mano.” ¹⁵ “Kombatan…was developed from the Modern Arnis system.”¹⁶

A central principle in Kombatan is “The Flow.” Ernesto asserted, “All techniques in Kombatan emanate from the Flow.” He described it as “the phenomenon of one movement leading naturally to another, and then to another – endlessly.” In Kombatan, counters, follow-ups, and variations “automatically spring from the basic, initial movements.” He emphasized that “Kombatan is not stagnant – it is a living art,” constantly refined to develop “counters to the counters”. This adaptability meant practitioners could “readily switch from bare hands to blade to stick, and back,” allowing them to “flow from one range to another, from grappling to striking and kicking, and from barehanded conflict to armed fighting”.¹⁷ “Application techniques are a trademark of the system, as is the ability to adapt to the ever-changing nuances of a violent encounter.  ‘In real-life combat’ states [Ernesto], ‘the individual must be able to flow from one range to another, from grappling to striking and kicking, and from barehanded conflict to armed fighting.”¹⁸

Ernesto Presas’s innovations transformed Arnis from a potentially dangerous and disorganized art into a structured, accessible, and highly effective combat system for the modern world. 

1. Dumog Presas Style by Grandmaster Ernesto Amador Presas, 2002. ↩︎
2. Dumog Presas Style by Grandmaster Ernesto Amador Presas, 2002. ↩︎
3. Grandmaster Ernesto Presas: Teaching his Children Well, by J. Bruce Daniels, Inside Kung-Fu Magazine, June 1991. ↩︎
4. Dumog Presas Style by Grandmaster Ernesto Amador Presas, 2002. ↩︎
5. The Art of the Flow, Jose G. Paman, Martial Arts Combat & Sports Magazine, May 2000. ↩︎
6. The Art of the Flow, Jose G. Paman, Martial Arts Combat & Sports Magazine, May 2000. ↩︎
7. Filipino Modern Mano-Mano Presas Style, Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas, 1996, back cover. ↩︎
8. Filipino Kombatan’s Empty-Hand Skills, Jose G. Paman, Filipino Martial Arts Magazine, January 2001. ↩︎
9. Grandmaster Ernesto Presas: Teaching his Children Well, by J. Bruce Daniels, Inside Kung-Fu Magazine, June 1991. ↩︎
10. Filipino Kombatan’s Empty-Hand Skills, Jose G. Paman, Filipino Martial Arts Magazine, January 2001. ↩︎
11. Filipino Kombatan’s Empty-Hand Skills, Jose G. Paman, Filipino Martial Arts Magazine, January 2001. ↩︎
12. Filipino Kombatan’s Empty-Hand Skills, Jose G. Paman, Filipino Martial Arts Magazine, January 2001. ↩︎
13. Filipino Kombatan’s Empty-Hand Skills, Jose G. Paman, Filipino Martial Arts Magazine, January 2001. ↩︎
14. The Art of the Flow, Jose G. Paman, Martial Arts Combat & Sports Magazine, May 2000. ↩︎
15. Filipino Kombatan’s Empty-Hand Skills, Jose G. Paman, Filipino Martial Arts Magazine, January 2001. ↩︎
16. Grandmaster Ernesto Presas, Kombatan (1945 – 2010), FMA Pulse, June 22, 2013. ↩︎
17. The Art of the Flow, Jose G. Paman, Martial Arts Combat & Sports Magazine, May 2000. ↩︎
18. The Art of the Flow, Jose G. Paman, Martial Arts Combat & Sports Magazine, May 2000. ↩︎