The staff is a traditional weapon which was used in flatter and more open landscapes of the Western Visayas, the various styles were formed from tools that were used in the Philippines such as the fishing rod, the oar and the load carrying pole.
The various grips and holds are first learnt, then the various attacking motions from slashing, thrusting and whipping strikes along with defensive techniques such as blocking, scooping and parrying.
The staff is mainly a long range fighting tool, but it is also used at medium and close range to strike, disarm and off balance and throw an opponent. Drills are used to develop angle awareness and flow, training with the staff develops footwork, body positioning, timing and range awareness.
The staff in Warriors Eskrima is used for developing body mechanics as well as combat application which is trained using a numerada and Amara; the following areas are trained in this section.
- 12 Angles of attack & Defence
- Dynamic hand placement & transitions
- Tapado – meet the force
- Sciensa – Follow the force
- Bugsay – Reverse grip
- Taw Taw – grip to both ends
- Amara
- Disarms
