Escrima

Escrima is a centuries-old Filipino martial art that has traditionally focused on the use of weapons. This includes stick and blade techniques with single and double sticks, knife, machete, long staff and other traditional weapons such as spear, sword or shield. The term Escrima comes from the Spanish word esgrima, meaning fencing or the art of fencing. Training usually begins with a rattan stick about 60 centimetres long. As experience grows, students move on to working with two sticks, the long staff and various blade techniques.

But Escrima is not limited to armed combat. Unarmed elements such as Filipino boxing, kicks, grabbing, grappling and throwing are also part of the system. Training covers striking, blocking, grabbing, kicking, disarming and throwing techniques, among others. Timing, distance, coordination and quick reactions play a special role. Many of these movement principles can also be applied to everyday objects, such as an umbrella, a bag, a broom, a bunch of keys or a rolled-up newspaper. In this way, Escrima combines traditional weapon arts with versatile principles of self-defence.

For Sifu Hassan Mahamid, Escrima is an important addition to his many years on the martial arts path and to the Fight & Defense System. He has been practising Escrima, the Filipino art of weapon fighting, since 2003. Working with different distances, directions of movement and training weapons adds a further perspective to the unarmed disciplines. In 2022, he was awarded the 4th TG in MAA Escrima by the Martial Arts Association International. The experience he has gained in this field still shapes his understanding of movement, coordination and self-defence today.