Arnis de Mano is a Philippine Martial Art that was first introduced to the U.S. on or around 1975 by Remy Amador Presas. It was a revolutionary blend of Philippine Balintawak Escrima and Indonesian Tjakele Silat (and several minor systems) that created quite the sensation in the martial arts world at the time. Besides being a comprehensive stick and knife method, it also provided a solid foundation for an advanced Empty-Hand method that rivals any of the most "sophisticated" systems out there.

Among the many attributes it teaches are:

- Using anything as a weapon
- Developing unusual body strength at any age
- Learning to keep the body safe while attacking or defending by timing and position
- How to prevent most confrontations before they get started
- Ending an attack on the very first count
- Taking a weapon away from an attacker before he realizes it's gone

Arnis is an ideal martial art for those who have little or no experience with making physical contact. Getting over the fear of doing so can be daunting. However, the traditional teaching method makes the process doable and satisfying. Over the years, some of our most outstanding students have been women and men of smaller stature. For good reason...