Barehanded Single Striking Sinawalis – Open Position #1

John Russell
May 20, 2015
2 min read

Arnis — Escrima — Kali – Sinawali Barehanded

Mano–Mano – Panuntukan – Suntukan – Pangamot – Pakomot

Filipino Dirty Boxing

You may or may not have heard of “Filipino Dirty Boxing”. Dirty Boxing is the Filipino “Barehanded” fighting, that is derived from the moves and motions of Arnis, Escrima and Kali, weapons fighting. Filipino “Barehanded” is the natural progression from the simple stick/s and/or stick and emptyhand, onto the two hands being bare or empty, that is, a fighter having no weapon/s.

Some schools of Arnis/Escrima/Kali use the Spanish Term “Mano-Mano” when referring to these arts and techniques. Some use the Tagalog terms, “Panuntukan”, “Suntukan” and some use the V/Bisayan terms “Pangamot” or “Pakomot”.

The first basic lesson in Filipino Dirty Boxing (Barehanded) in Evolve CQC is, one can learn the basic punching of Filipino Barehanded, from their Ammara and Sinawali Double Stick Drills/Exercises. If one wishes to practice these punching techniques after they have learnt the double stick drills in our school Evolve CQC, then one can.

This natural progression to the Barehanded will be shown in the following posts of Ammara and Sinawali Exercises/Drills. The motions of these exercises, are much like the basic punches of Karate, Hap Ki Do and Tae Kwon Do, that are pulled back to the “hips” at the “Body Plane” of the Human.

The “Body Plane” is an imaginary line running down the centre of the body, if looked at from the sides of the person.

The basic punches of Karate, Hap Ki Do and Tae Kwon Do that are pulled back to the hips, are pulled back onto the same side of the trainer. That is, a left hand is pulled back to the left hip and the right hand is pulled back to the right hip. They also in basic punching only use the front of the fist as a striking point, much like traditional boxing only allows the front of the fist to strike.

The fists, with executing the Ammara and Sinawali Drills are pulled back to the body plane but rest either at the sides of the face of the trainer and sometimes across the stomach, with the fist near the hip. Also the Ammara and Sinawali Drills use the “front and the back” of the fists as striking points allowing a “Backfist” to be used. The drills are trained against focus pads.

These Ammara and Sinawali Drills are simple punching exercises to teach a beginner combinations and are not to be confused with a full style of fighting.

The first Barehanded single hand striking Sinawali drill is the Open Position High Low. (HL)