The influence of religion on Filipino martial arts

Religion and spirituality played an important role in the development of Filipino martial arts (FMA). Just like in other martial cultures, religion helps the Filipino warrior deal with the issue of his eventual demise. In pre-colonial Philippine society, when marauders, enemy tribesmen and foreign invaders were constant threats, a warrior had to be at peace with the fact that he could die in battle any day.

In between invasions, Filipino fighting men during peaceful times preoccupied themselves with the brutal sport of arnis-escrima stick fighting. Practitioners entering the deadly contest of juego todo (all-out stick fighting matches without the aid of armor) must deal with the possibility of death. For the men involved in these deadly arts, religion offered the promise of protection, invincibility or in the case of death in combat, a pleasant passage to the afterlife.