talking to an old PI soldier

Battara · 22nd August 2005, 10:12 PM

I think part of what we are missing is how the kris was used. It was NOT a stabbing weapon. Most Filipino martial arts I know (including Moro) almost never used stabbing or thrusts with swords (some exception being northern Filipno martials arts influenced by espada y daga, which used rapier and dagger basically). They used slashing or chopping motions. This is even reflected in escrimia, arnis, kalis, silat, etc. in the way the stick is used - chop or slash. Stabbing motions were left to smaller arms, like the gunong, and later the balisong, etc. The kris is and was generally longer than the barong and, although the barong had a reputation to sever an arm or neck, it needed shorter range than the kris and especially the kampilan. Don't forget, as one eBay dealer put once, "the Moros liked to keep their swords "feakshly sharp!" I can still see evidence of slash marks on the horn plates on my Moro armour. This is also why you don't see Moro kris with sharp, pointy tipped blades (one exception being a Maguindanao ceremonial kris I had once that now Spunjer owns

). Slashing and chopping (especially slashing) was the key, NOT stabbing. On a more personal note, I once tried to wield some of my kris in northern escrima fashion with stabbing motions and they don't work very well. However, using them in slashing, whirling, twirling fashions as in sinawali ("weaving" - using two sticks in motion together) works wonderfully (provided you are not sloppy and cut a leg, which I did once during a demonstration when I had carpel tunnel syndrom in one hand -

. I guess you can say I was a real cut up that night

). Live and learn (and wear thick pants?

).

22nd August 2005, 10:12 PM	#11
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,280	I think part of what we are missing is how the kris was used. It was NOT a stabbing weapon. Most Filipino martial arts I know (including Moro) almost never used stabbing or thrusts with swords (some exception being northern Filipno martials arts influenced by espada y daga, which used rapier and dagger basically). They used slashing or chopping motions. This is even reflected in escrimia, arnis, kalis, silat, etc. in the way the stick is used - chop or slash. Stabbing motions were left to smaller arms, like the gunong, and later the balisong, etc. The kris is and was generally longer than the barong and, although the barong had a reputation to sever an arm or neck, it needed shorter range than the kris and especially the kampilan. Don't forget, as one eBay dealer put once, "the Moros liked to keep their swords "feakshly sharp!" I can still see evidence of slash marks on the horn plates on my Moro armour. This is also why you don't see Moro kris with sharp, pointy tipped blades (one exception being a Maguindanao ceremonial kris I had once that now Spunjer owns ). Slashing and chopping (especially slashing) was the key, NOT stabbing. On a more personal note, I once tried to wield some of my kris in northern escrima fashion with stabbing motions and they don't work very well. However, using them in slashing, whirling, twirling fashions as in sinawali ("weaving" - using two sticks in motion together) works wonderfully (provided you are not sloppy and cut a leg, which I did once during a demonstration when I had carpel tunnel syndrom in one hand - . I guess you can say I was a real cut up that night ). Live and learn (and wear thick pants? ).