This fighting style is not nice. Not even slightly. It stems from the time when the Japanese controlled the Phillipines. The islanders were not allowed to practice their own martial arts, so (like all smart people) they devised a work-around. They simply incorporated their killin' into their rituals.

Thus, eskrima is a very dance like combat style. It's best learned, in fact, while listening to some form of music, that you can better appreciate the rythms of the form. I suggest KMFDM or Information Society.

Its roots have led to a fairly simple modern fighting style. There are exactly 12 strikes to the form, and "Siniwali", or pattern weaving. Literally, the weaving patterns are gourgeous movements made by the hands with the weapons. If something should come into contact with the beautiful rhythm....

Which is why I stated that this form of combat is not "nice". If you use escrima successfully on a person, the best they can hope for is unconciousness and a bruised temple or limb. More likely, this style will deal you multiple broken limbs, and killing someone is fairly easy with a short piece of rattan.

The Twelve Strikes (variations from style to style exist) -

  1. Right Temple
  2. Left Temple
  3. Right Ribs or Elbow
  4. Left Ribs or Elbow
  5. Right Shoulder
  6. Left Shoulder
  7. Crotch
  8. Head
  9. Tip Thrust to Right Stomach/Ribs
  10. Tip Thrust to Left Stomach/Ribs
  11. Tip Thrust to Right Cheek/Eye
  12. Tip Thrust to Left Cheek/Eye

Additional-
Style is also known as escrima.
In addition to short pieces of bamboo or rattan and daggers, some followers of the style use a whip. Ouch.