Legend has it that Sining Panlaban ng Pilipinas or Filipino martial arts was being practised in the Southern region of the country before the Spaniards landed in Mactan in 1521.
The Italian diarist Antonio Pigafetta travelled with Magellan and recorded his fated voyage. In “Battle of Mactan”, which was later translated to English and published in 1898 in “The Shaping of Philippine History”, Pigafetta wrote, “They replied that if we had lances they had lances of bamboo and stakes hardened with fire.”
Kali, Arnis or Eskrima, is a form of Filipino martial arts, known not only for its artistry but for its effectiveness. As a matter of fact, foreign Special Forces have been known to apply its methodology to their training.
For the past 30 years, Grandmaster Andy Elliott has been travelling the world to conduct seminars and training sessions for elite groups in Filipino martial arts.
After dedicating his life to this craft, he was promoted to the rank of Grandmaster by the late Great Grandmaster Ernesto Presas Sr. who is known for modernising and popularising Arnis.
