Arnis practitioners, both experienced and beginners alike, are often confronted with a baffling choice, as to what is the most appropriate fighting stick to use whether in practice sessions or in tournament, let alone in actual combat.
Enthusiasts of this art, should know first-hand the various types of fighting stick, especially on the kinds of woods they are made of. Thus, these aficionados must familiarize himself/herself with Escrima sticks such as the rattan-made bastons comprising of palasan / labsika / basiko sticks, kamagong-made fighting sticks, bahi sticks, molave sticks.
The palasan stick tend to be stronger since their skins are often intact and thus has more nodes. The basikos stick are semi-skinned and thus have less nodes which tend to make them weaker. However, these are not always the case. If one can have a good dense feeling while gripping the basikos stick, any thickness of its kind will certainly outlast any stick in the arsenal of fighting sticks.
An arnis practitioner always carries with him an arsenal of fighting sticks wherever he goes. Basikos sticks give the practitioner versatility and flexibility he needs for different purposes. For instance, light stick for full body contact, dense stick for durability, practically all types of bastons-thin, thick ,heavy and suchlike, the veteran practitioner should carry this arsenal of escrima sticks. Whatever the purpose- be it a for a two-man drill, double stick drills, etc.- the adaptability of Basikos sticks is a sure-fire thing.
However, if a practitioner wants to have a tougher stick, one should vouch for palasan stick. If one wishes to use heavy unbreakable stick, experts recommend bahi stick. But if a practitioner wants to have a very sturdy bahi stick, one can have a stick hand-crafted from Anahaw palm. This type of bahi stick is denser and weighs 500grams and is suited for solo and two-man drills. Most Filipino martial arts(FMA) practitioners would vouch for fighting stick made from Kamagong because it is uniquely dense, and when one holds it, you will realize why they call it ‘Ironwood.’
Fighting sticks made of Kamagong are virtually unbreakable on impact since its properties are of solid wood. Due to its sheer density, Kamagong fighting sticks may be weakened when it hits solid object but is still very effective on flesh and bones, hence, it is the preferred baston to use in real combat situations. Molave sticks are slightly lighter than bahi and kamagong sticks, due to its softer density, hardly breaks on impact, cheaper compared to the latter.
Close Node sticks are stronger but are hard to find because they are the result of aged rattan that been left growing for longer periods of time. But these sticks are not good to be used in drills because they easily splinter due to its age. A good alternative to the Close Node kind is the Labsika stick. The Labsika stick has the same appearance as the close node type but it is lighter and thus it is well-suited to be used for training sessions. And because Labsika sticks have more nodes, points of component parts, than that of Basiko or Palasan sticks, Labsika sticks are tougher bastons.
Choosing the right fighting stick is a personal thing and depends largely on the purpose of using it and the level of experience and competence of the practitioner- be it a drill or in tournament or real-life combat.
Enthusiasts of this art, should know first-hand the various types of fighting stick, especially on the kinds of woods they are made of. Thus, these aficionados must familiarize himself/herself with Escrima sticks such as the rattan-made bastons comprising of palasan / labsika / basiko sticks, kamagong-made fighting sticks, bahi sticks, molave sticks.
The palasan stick tend to be stronger since their skins are often intact and thus has more nodes. The basikos stick are semi-skinned and thus have less nodes which tend to make them weaker. However, these are not always the case. If one can have a good dense feeling while gripping the basikos stick, any thickness of its kind will certainly outlast any stick in the arsenal of fighting sticks.
An arnis practitioner always carries with him an arsenal of fighting sticks wherever he goes. Basikos sticks give the practitioner versatility and flexibility he needs for different purposes. For instance, light stick for full body contact, dense stick for durability, practically all types of bastons-thin, thick ,heavy and suchlike, the veteran practitioner should carry this arsenal of escrima sticks. Whatever the purpose- be it a for a two-man drill, double stick drills, etc.- the adaptability of Basikos sticks is a sure-fire thing.
However, if a practitioner wants to have a tougher stick, one should vouch for palasan stick. If one wishes to use heavy unbreakable stick, experts recommend bahi stick. But if a practitioner wants to have a very sturdy bahi stick, one can have a stick hand-crafted from Anahaw palm. This type of bahi stick is denser and weighs 500grams and is suited for solo and two-man drills. Most Filipino martial arts(FMA) practitioners would vouch for fighting stick made from Kamagong because it is uniquely dense, and when one holds it, you will realize why they call it ‘Ironwood.’
Fighting sticks made of Kamagong are virtually unbreakable on impact since its properties are of solid wood. Due to its sheer density, Kamagong fighting sticks may be weakened when it hits solid object but is still very effective on flesh and bones, hence, it is the preferred baston to use in real combat situations. Molave sticks are slightly lighter than bahi and kamagong sticks, due to its softer density, hardly breaks on impact, cheaper compared to the latter.
Close Node sticks are stronger but are hard to find because they are the result of aged rattan that been left growing for longer periods of time. But these sticks are not good to be used in drills because they easily splinter due to its age. A good alternative to the Close Node kind is the Labsika stick. The Labsika stick has the same appearance as the close node type but it is lighter and thus it is well-suited to be used for training sessions. And because Labsika sticks have more nodes, points of component parts, than that of Basiko or Palasan sticks, Labsika sticks are tougher bastons.
Choosing the right fighting stick is a personal thing and depends largely on the purpose of using it and the level of experience and competence of the practitioner- be it a drill or in tournament or real-life combat.
RSS Feed
