The Filipino martial art of Kali and Eskrima are world renowned as devastating stick fighting systems. However, they are equally efficient in unarmed combat. Training in these arts provides several benefits to the martial artists. Increased eye-hand coordination, sharpened reflexes understanding of body mechanics, leverage and evasiveness are among these benefits. The history of any fighting art is a reflection of the society and culture from which it was created. Early records dating back to the 8th century A.D. of the Malay Sri Vishaya Empire contain references to Kali as the martial arts of the Philippines. According to one Kali master, the word Kali comes the root words Kamot, meaning hand or body, and lihok, meaning motion. Kali is also known as the mother art to both Eskrima and Arnis.

In the early part of the 16th century the first famous foreigner to encounter Filipino Sticks was Magellan. As a pirate, he burned homes and tried to enslave the people as part of the great Spanish Conquest. It was on the small island of Mactan, now known as the province of Cebu, where Megellan was finally stopped by the fiery Chieftain Lapu Lapu and his men. Villagers fought the armored Spaniards on the beach. They battled their steel armor with pieces of rattan, homemade lances and sharpened, fire hardened sticks. Magellan died there and after his death the Spaniards returned with reinforcements and firearms. Though the Filipinos understood combat with empty hands, with sticks and with bladed weapons, they had little chance against the Spanish guns. Once Spanish rule was secured the martial arts were outlawed. In defiance of Spanish law, the Filipinos practiced and preserved their outlawed martial arts by integrating many combative moves into native Filipino dances.

The old Fillipinos who made stick fighting an art preferred to hit the bone and preferred a stick to a blade. Instead of a clean cut, the stick left shattered bone. The fact that the end of the stick can travel many times faster than the speed of the empty hand, the Kali practitioner or Eskrimador developed faster reflexes, speed, coordination, timing and increased eye focus. This is why the stick combat is taught before the empty handed combat unlike many other arts. There is a common denominator in the Fillipino arts and it is their principals of combat. These principals are based on a pattern of angles that all attacks must follow, regardless of the style or weapon.