Whack the Whack Before the Whack Whacks Back

Balintawak Arnis is a Filipino Martial Art (FMA) primarily focused on self-defense. Sometimes referred to as escrima / eskrima, and occasionally, kali. It utilizes close-quarters drills to develop increased reaction time, reflexes, and power generation. The primary training tool is the single rattan stick, also known as a baston or olisi. There are applications to empty hand, blade, improvised weapons, and can be applied to your other systems. It is designed to develop attributes of speed, timing, distance, control, and maintaining focus under pressure. Additionally, emphasis is placed on economy of motion, flexibility, natural body movement, and delivery of direct line strikes to produce lightning fast counter attacks. The concepts and techniques that are developed with the stick in Balintawak work regardless of what is being held in the hands.



The system gets its name from Balintawak Street in Cebu City, in the Visayas Region of the Philippines, where the late Great-Great-Grandmaster Venancio "Anciong" Bacon, along with other eskrimadors started the Balintawak Self-Defense Club. The late Great-Grandmasters José Villasin and Teofilo Velez systematized Great-Great-Grandmaster Bacon’s teachings and passed these down to their student, Grandmaster Bobby Taboada, who has made it his life’s mission to spread the art of Balintawak escrima around the world.