kalis ilustrisimo

Part of the on/off writing project that is Hinirang is developing societal backgrounds for the world. This encompasses a large gamut of things, and one of the aspects I'm thinking of expanding is the Katao martial arts.

In a bit of retrofitting, I'm thinking about adapting elements from Topher Rickett's Bakbakan International system, which is based on Kalis Ilustrisimo.

In his book Filipino Martial Arts, author Mark Wiley says that "the art of Kalis Ilustrisimo encompasses the ancient sword fighting techniques of the southern Philippines, the classical sword and dagger methods of the central Philippines, and the systematizations and structure of the Northern Philippines."

Of interest to me is the Tulisan knife-fighting system which makes use of constant sparring as oppossed to pre-planned drills plus the fundamentals of the dagger.

The classical Sinawali, a double-stick style popular in the Central Luzon plains, is fluid and requires ambidexterity - a primer for the sword and dagger system.

For empty hand, there's Sagasa in combination with Hagibis, which involves throwing, grappling, and disabling an opponent in such a way as to be able to continue fighting against multiple opponents.

With the arms and armor of the Ispancialo plus their magic from their Oradors and Priests, the native Katao need some beefing up to give them a fighting chance against the oppressors.

At the very least it will force me to write action sequences - something I'm not fantastic at.