WHAT MAKES PRESAS ARNIS DIFFERENT?
The Filipino Martial Arts, often known as Kali, Eskrima, Arnis, or Escrima, are living, breathing, growing systems, grounded in the methods regular people have used to defend themselves and their country in the Philippines for generations. Presas Arnis is a modern martial art with the trappings most people expect in modern martial arts training (kimonos, belts, ranks, etc.), yet we are still deeply connected to our roots in the indigenous martial systems of the Philippines.
The founders of Modern Arnis and Kombatan - the core of the art of Presas Arnis - hail originally from the city of Hinigaran, in Negros, but also include influences from Cebu City, Manila, and other places in the Philippines as well as influences from martial systems of a variety of cultures, including Judo, Karate, Kendo, Kempo, and Small Circle Jujitsu.
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In Presas Arnis, we start training with tools such as rattan sticks from the very first day in training. We connect rattan sticks to using a variety of tools in self defense in our everyday environment, and we connect empty-hand techniques with tool use in the early stages of our training. The use of tools helps people who have physical limitations due to injury, age, or other barriers defend themselves effectively.
Everyone can train in Presas Arnis, regardless of age, fitness level, disability, or experience.
IS PRESAS ARNIS TRAINING SAFE FOR KIDS?
All physical activity is risky in some way.
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Martial arts training has a much better safety track record than other sports such as football, cheerleading, basketball, and soccer.
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Presas Arnis training does not have any additional risk compared to other martial arts training, and is as safe as common styles like Karate, Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo.​​
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In Presas Arnis, our use of tools and weapons early in training gives our students an excellent awareness of the dangers involved, and the habits we teach are well-grounded in being safe for all participants.
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Sparring is an optional activity, and when we spar, we wear a lot of safety equipment and use special padded weapons. Our rule set for kids sparring does not reward points for hits on the head.
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Children in the Philippines learn Arnis as the official martial art and martial sport of the nation in physical education classes. We know our kids in the Kansas City area can do the same.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TRAIN AT KPA?
Tuition at KPA depends on several factors.
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First, we offer a 12 month membership to our school or a month-to-month, no-contract tuition option. Tuition with a 12 month commitment is cheaper monthly than our month-to-month option.
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Second, our basic tuition is for 1 class a week, our standard tuition is for 2 classes a week, and we offer an unlimited class option as well (applies to the Presas Arnis programs only).
Thus, tuition varies based on how often a student plans to attend and if they join as a club member or not. Classes cost between $79/month and $169/month for a single membership.
We offer a discount for additional family members, and tuition does not include some uniform and weapons costs, testing fees, and additional, optional seminar fees.
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Check with us about a free, no-obligation trial class and our two-week trial membership specials.
ARE ARNIS AND ESKRIMA/ESCRIMA AND KALI DIFFERENT THINGS?
No. They are all commonly used terms for the indigenous martial arts of the Philippines.
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Ultimately, there are literally hundreds of different lineages and styles in the Filipino Martial Arts. After all, the Philippines consist of thousands of islands and nearly 170 different languages and dialects.
In our case, the term "Arnis" was chosen deliberately. One of the early books by Remy Presas, the founder of Modern Arnis, is titled "The Practical Art of Eskrima". The style could have been "Modern Eskrima" and today we might have been teaching "Presas Eskrima"!
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Kindred Protective Arts is the only full-time Filipino Martial Arts school (where what we teach is primarily FMA's to all students, versus an add-on for other styles) in the Kansas City area, and is one of the few in the United States to teach FMA's as the primary style.