Escrima is all about adaptation and innovation. The Filipino martial art also known as Arnis or Kali has a martial arts item that has been specifically designed for use with its weapons-based techniques. But those techniques were also designed to be applicable to almost any item that a practitioner might have on hand when they needed to defend themselves. In theory, anything could be an Escrima weapon if you wield it well enough.
With a little out-of-the box thinking, Escrima Sticks can also be adapted for a number of purposes outside of Escrima. So in the spirit of Escrima’s versatility, let’s take a look at five ways to use Escrima Sticks.
Martial Arts
While almost anything that you can hold and manipulate in your hands can be used in Escrima techniques, Escrima sticks are particularly good at the job of being Escrima weapons. They’re also an especially effective training tool for anyone who wants to learn Escrima techniques. It’s known as stick fighting for a reason, after all.
Escrima sticks are versatile in terms of how they can be used in Escrima techniques, too. The tip of the stick is useful for long range combat, where you can hold and move the stick sort of like a sword. The body of the stick is perfect for medium range engagement. And the bottom of the stick comes in handy during moments of close contact.
Training with Escrima sticks can also improve a number of aspects of your overall fitness, including hand/eye coordination, agility, reaction time, muscle tone, and cardiovascular conditioning. Which will help to make you more effective in your Escrima practice overall.
Cross-Training
The benefits of training with Escrima sticks aren’t limited to Escrima practitioners, either. Every martial artist needs to have strong hand/eye coordination, agility, reaction time, muscle tone, and cardiovascular conditioning. And even a little training with Escrima sticks can help you with all of the above.
There are two ways that you can use Escrima sticks for cross-training purposes. First, you can learn basic Escrima techniques and practice them with your sticks. Escrima’s adaptability and practicality also makes it a solid complement to a number of other martial arts, and learning some of its techniques can actually help to make you stronger in your own discipline.
Alternately, you have the option of adapting Escrima sticks to basic coordination and agility drills. Or even to drills and weapons-based techniques from your martial art.
Both approaches have the ability to improve your overall fitness and sports-specific performance. Which makes training with Escrima sticks a great form of cross-training.
Mind-Body Workouts
When we looked at how to get the most out of your bo staff, we talked about incorporating the classic martial arts weapon into Pilates routines. Our reasoning behind that can apply to Escrima sticks, too. A dowel, bo staff, or pair of Escrima sticks can provide tactile cues to help exercisers develop better awareness of shoulder blades, head and neck position, and overall posture. This awareness will contribute to more effective workouts and maybe even healthier and more effective movement in day-to-day life. The little bit of extra weight that these props add to these exercises can also contribute to better muscles tone and a stronger core.
Unlike a dowel or bo staff, Escrima sticks require a little extra body awareness and stability to keep in place during exercises, because you’re working with two shorter sticks that you’ll need to stabilize as opposed to if you’re holding one long stick. The downside is that you’ll have to focus and work extra hard to keep both sticks stabilized. The upside is that this extra work is going to improve your overall stability and body awareness even more.
This can apply to other forms of mind-body exercise like Yoga and Tai Chi, too.
Massage Tools
In an ideal situation, you’re probably going to want to reach for a tool that’s been specifically designed for self-massage and myofascial release, like a foam roller, massage stick, or a thera cane. If you find that a knot is bothering you during a training session or you realize you have a few minutes to dedicate to mobility work after class, though, an Escrima stick can make a great substitute. It’s just thick and solid enough to provide the right amount of resistance for rolling. Which means you can get a great impromptu massage as long as you have one on hand.
Travel
Escrima sticks’ size and portability makes them an excellent choice for travel. A pair of Escrima sticks will take up almost no room in a suitcase or duffel bag. And they won’t add much to your luggage’s overall weight, either. But they come packed with possibilities for training while you’re on the go.
For example, all of the uses that we tackled above? They can also be done on the road as long as you take a pair with you.
