Looking for Filipino Martial Arts in Auckland? Compare Practical Self-Defence Options.
An overview of FMA vs Krav Maga and how these systems approach real-world violence, weapons and personal safety.
Filipino Martial Arts and Krav Maga are both commonly researched by people seeking realistic responses to weapon threats and close-range violence. This article explores the features of each to determine who they may be suitable for.
Introduction
Filipino Martial Arts (such as Kali, Eskrima and Arnis) are widely respected for their weapon systems, coordination drills and historical depth. However, many people researching Filipino Martial Arts are actually looking for practical self-defence skills that apply to modern, unpredictable situations.
Krav Maga is also widely respected for its practical self defence focus and approach that covered not only "fighting techniques" but tactics to avoid or deescalate trouble before it gets physical.
Which One is Best For You?
- Krav Maga and Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) are both highly effective self-defense systems, each with its unique strengths and characteristics.
- Filipino Martial Arts are well-know for the use of weapons such as knife and stick as a primary defensive tools.
- Krav Maga prioritises unarmed defences but also integrates knife and stick from the beginner stages .
Filipino Martial Arts may suit you if you:
- Are interested in weapon-based systems and traditional training
- Enjoy technical drills and historical lineage
- Want to focus deeply on stick and blade work
- Are interested in sparring & competition
Krav Maga may suit you if you:
• Are looking for practical safety based on natural reactions rather than tradition or art.
• Want to learn decision-making under stress, not complex choreography or technical drills.
• Prioritise avoiding harm and getting home safely over mastering a weapon or "winning" a fight
What Are Filipino Martial Arts?
Filipino Martial Arts (often referred to as Kali, Eskrima, or Arnis) are combat systems that place weapons at the centre of training. Unlike many martial arts that begin with empty-hand techniques, Filipino systems traditionally teach defence, movement, and decision-making using sticks, blades, and improvised weapons.
These systems are widely studied by people interested in realistic self-defence, particularly where edged weapons, impact weapons, and close-range encounters are involved.
Core principles of Filipino Martial Arts
Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) are built around efficiency, adaptability, and survival. Rather than fixed forms or ritualised movements, training focuses on principles that can be applied across weapons, empty hand, and improvised tools.
Key principles include:
Angle-based movement – Understanding lines of attack and defence rather than memorising single techniques
Economy of motion – Small, efficient movements designed to work under pressure
Flow and continuity – Learning to transition seamlessly between strikes, defences, and counters
Range awareness – Managing distance from long-range weapon engagement to close-quarter control
Weapon–hand equivalence – Movements learned with weapons translate directly to empty-hand defence
Strengths of FMA
Filipino Martial Arts excel in areas that many traditional martial arts & combat sports underemphasise.
Strengths include:
- Weapon awareness – Students become highly alert to weapon threats and hand positioning
- Transferable skills – Weapon movements directly inform empty-hand defence
- Realistic attack patterns – Training reflects chaotic, non-linear violence
- Adaptability – Techniques can be adjusted based on environment, tools, and attacker behaviour
- Mental sharpness – Emphasis on timing, angles, and decision-making under pressure
Limitations in Modern Self-defence Situations
While Filipino Martial Arts are highly effective systems, certain limitations can emerge when they are applied to modern civilian self-defence situations without adaptation.
Common challenges include:
- Training context vs real-world legality – Some responses may not align with modern legal or use-of-force expectations
- Limited focus on situational awareness, prevention and deescalation
- Variable training of solutions to unarmed attacks and ground survival
- Less structured progression for everyday civilians rather than dedicated martial artists
These are not flaws in the systems themselves, but reflections of the environments and purposes they were originally designed for.
For modern self-defence, especially in urban civilian settings, many practitioners look to systems such as Krav Maga that integrate weapon awareness with scenario-based decision-making, legal context, and stress-tested responses.
Why FMA enthusiasts appreciate our Krav Maga Essentials Course.
While FMA is famous for its "flow" and complex drills, many students choose our Essentials Course because they want to build a practical safety foundation first.
The 6-Week Essentials Course offers a structured alternative to open-ended training:
Focus on Fundamentals:
- Instead of complex weapon variations, we focus on the core movements that work under high stress.
Clear Progression:
- You learn a specific syllabus designed to take you from "nervous beginner" to "capable student" in a set timeframe.
Immediate Practicality:
- FMA mastery takes years. Our goal is to give you usable decision-making skills and self defence from Week 1.
A Detailed Comparison of FMA & Krav Maga
Krav Maga
Filipino Martial Arts
Practicality for Self Defence
- Krav Maga is primarily focused on self defence with a comprehensive curriculum to prepare practitioners for realistic street scenarios.
- It is highly applicable to self defence as it is an integrated system of techniques and tactics to address modern self defence threats and attacks within the law.
- Techniques are relatively quick to learn and do not depend on strength or size so applicable for men and women of all sizes and ages.
- Krav Maga training includes comprehensive defences against common attacks such as grabs, chokes, holds, ground fighting, protecting others, and dealing with multiple attackers.
- Filipino Martial Arts are effective for self defence, and training offers competition and cultural elements.
- It should be noted that there is a high emphasis on using weapons which is problematic in countries such as New Zealand where it is illegal to carry or use knives or sticks for self defence purposes. This reduces the practicality of Filipino Martial Arts as a self defence system.
- Filipino Martial Arts are also less focused on unarmed self defence techniques (chokes, grabs, holds, etc), with these generally being taught at higher levels.
Origin
- Krav Maga was developed by Imi Lichtenfeld a champion Boxer, Wrestler and Gymnast in response to street violence in Europe pre-World War II. Imi adapted his traditional sporting combat skills for practical application in street situations.
- While he spend many years in the military, and a version of Krav Maga is used in the military, the version of Krav Maga ordinary people learn is designed specifically for practical and effective self defence in real-world street situations.
- A key component of Krav Maga is scenario training to prepare trainees to react effectively in dynamic situations, including avoiding or escalate fighting where possible.
- Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), have a history deeply rooted in the culture and survival needs of the Filipino people. FMA is actually a collection of different systems (Arnis, Eskrima, or Kali,) which vary in approach and traditions.
- The origins of these martial arts can be traced back to pre-colonial times, influenced by indigenous fighting techniques, foreign interactions, and the need for self-defense.
- 1v1 competition is a common focus of FMA schools
- While Filipino Martial Arts can be used for self defence, many of the defensive techniques that rely on use of knifes or sticks which is illegal in NZ.
Learning Path & Focus
- Learning Krav Maga starts with open hand self defence techniques. But even beginner stages include integration of weapon defences such as vs knife threats and attacks.
- The focus is to neutralise the attacker's use of the weapon (e.g., incapacitate the attacker or disarm the attacker). A disarmed weapons is only used against attacker(s) in exceptional circumstances so not to cross the bounds of the law (such as a second attacker with a weapon). However, Krav Maga does incorporate use of "common objects" in defences such as for shielding or striking.
- Filipino Martial Arts training starts with weapons techniques and at higher levels incorporates open-hand techniques.
- Training is primarily 1v1 with some extensions to multiple attackers, Training incorporates many repetitive partner drills and sparing to develop muscle memory.
Practicality for Self Defence
- Krav Maga is primarily focused on self defence with a comprehensive curriculum to prepare practitioners for realistic street scenarios.
- It is highly applicable to self defence as it is an integrated system of techniques and tactics to address modern self defence threats and attacks within the law.
- Techniques are relatively quick to learn and do not depend on strength or size so applicable for men and women of all sizes and ages.
- Krav Maga training includes comprehensive defences against common attacks such as grabs, chokes, holds, ground fighting, protecting others, and dealing with multiple attackers.
- Filipino Martial Arts are effective for self defence, and training offers competition and cultural elements.
- It should be noted that there is a high emphasis on using weapons which is problematic in countries such as New Zealand where it is illegal to carry or use knives or sticks for self defence purposes. This reduces the practicality of Filipino Martial Arts as a self defence system.
- Filipino Martial Arts are also less focused on unarmed self defence techniques (chokes, grabs, holds, etc), with these generally being taught at higher levels.