Escrima Curriculum

Hi!

The first weapon in the curriculum is Escrima sticks. Students learn four basic patterns and the six-count pattern. The four basic patterns are:

1) High, Low
2) High, Low, High
3) High, Low, High, Around the Head, High
4) High, Low, High, Down and Around (strike the floor, actually), High

Starting position is sticks on your shoulders. They're done first with the right hand, then with the left. Typical practice is one pattern for a while, then the next, and so on. Here's a video of Sensei Scott Morrill and I doing the basic patterns with both hands, one after the other:



Note that we shift our weight, but don't step forward or back. Also, note that we keep our hands in front and use the sticks to generate the force with our wrists, rather than swinging our arms. Finally, note that we turn our hands out so that we're striking as if we're using blades. This ensures that our hands are supporting the force of the strike, rather than our fingers.

The six-count pattern uses both hands alternating. Starting position is right stick on right shoulder, left stick under right arm. The six-count pattern is:

1) Right high and follow-through to left shoulder
2) Left low and follow-through to left shoulder (outside right hand)
3) Right low and back to under left arm (ending in the opposite position as the start)
4) Left high and follow-through to right shoulder
5) Right low and follow-through to right shoulder (outside left hand)
6) Left low and back to under right arm (ending in the same position as the start)

This pattern is usually done repeated many times. The "stationary," "rotating around," "up/down," and "roll" mentioned in the curriculum are body movements to be done while repeating the pattern. Rotating around means we'd circle around one another. Up/down means that we'd alternate going down to our knees; and roll means that one (or both) of us will do a forward roll (without colliding) then re-engage in the pattern. Here's a video of Sensei Morrill and I doing the stationary six-count pattern a few times:



What makes this interesting is being able to do the patterns quickly and with a lot of power behind each strike. It's a good forearm workout and will definitely test your focus. Getting hit in the hand with an Escrima stick is pretty painful, so it helps to have a partner you trust.

Thanks,
Matt