What are the Filipino Martial Arts - Escrima, Kali, Armis?

The Filipino Martial Arts refer to ancient Malay and newer modified fighting methods devised in the Philippines. They incorporate elements from both Western and Eastern Martial Arts, the most popular forms of which are known as Arnis, Eskrima.

Although Filipino Martial Arts do include empty hand training, weapons training with blades and sticks takes precedence because these give an edge in the brutal street fights which shaped their development. The objective in these street fights is to kill the opponent. Traditional grand masters of Filipino Martial arts are veterans of successful "death matches", the ultimate proof of superiority of a "style".

However, while the Filipino Martial Arts are highly effective in street fights, carry weapons and killing you opponents is obviously not legal. Therefore, modern training in Escrima, Arnis, Kali is competition focused where combatants wear protective clothing.

5 Similarities between Krav Maga and Escrima, Kali, Armis

1. Both systems have evolved from street fighting... focusing on what works in practice;
2. Both systems are modern in their approach... excluding traditional elements in most Asian martial arts
3. Both systems have comprehensive weapons defences vs knife and stick attacks
4. Both systems also deal with non-convential weapons (common objects)
5. Weapons defences are integrated into the systems, not an add-on to

5 Key Differences between Krav Maga and Escrima, Kali, Armis

1. Krav Maga is Defensive System... the objective is to defend yourself within the law / not to kill the opponent;
2. Krav Maga includes defences against a wider range of weapons... this includes: Pistol, Sub & machine guns, Rifles, Chains, Stones...
3. Krav Maga has a more comprehensive curriculum. This includes: defences vs chokes, headlocks, holds, unarmed strikes, ground fighting, etc
4. Krav Maga has a bigger emphasis on open hand defences... the assumption is that you are not carrying a weapon (but attacker may be) so you need to
5. Krav Maga does not have competitions