Eskrima (Filipino Stick Fighting)

Eskrima is a martial art from the Philippines that teaches you to fight with sticks, blades and empty hands. It's also known as Arnis or Kali. Unlike most martial arts, students start with weapons, usually a pair of rattan sticks, and then learn how the same moves work without them. It's fast, rhythmic and very practical.

Arnis is the national martial art and sport of the Philippines, and Filipino stick fighting is now practised all over the world.

Single stick work uses one stick, often called a baston or olisi, to strike, block and parry. Double stick, or doble baston, puts a stick in each hand. The famous sinawali drills, named after a woven pattern, have partners striking in a flowing, criss-cross rhythm that looks a bit like a dance.

Other techniques include espada y daga, which pairs a long weapon with a short one, and empty-hand fighting that turns the same angles into punches, traps and locks. Disarms are a big part of it too, and so is footwork, with students often stepping along triangle shapes to move in and out of range.

Your Activity Leader starts with a warm-up and a few basics: how to hold the stick, how to stand and the angles of attack, the set directions a strike can come from. Then you'll pair up and practise slow, controlled drills, strike and block, strike and block, until it starts to flow.

From there you'll try a double stick pattern, learn how to take a stick or bat off an attacker and see how the same moves work with empty hands. If you're feeling brave, some sessions finish with a chance to test your skills on an Activity Leader in full padded armour.

Very. You don't need to be fit, flexible or fearless, just willing to have a go. The drills are repetitive in a good way, so your hands pick up the rhythm quickly and you'll feel the click when a pattern suddenly makes sense. It's also a brilliant intro to self defence, with a healthy dose of feeling like an action hero.

Comfortable clothes you can move and step in, and shoes with a bit of grip. Take off rings, watches and bracelets, as they can get knocked by a stick.

You might also like Self Defence, Kickboxing and Theatrical Combat.

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