Spain
Philippines
Arnis/Kali/Escrima
"Like Karate but deadlier"
Arnis – also known as Kali or Eskrima – is a weapons marital art from the Philippines. The word “Arnis” derives from “arnés,” the Old Spanish word for armor. The Philippines was a Spanish colony and Arnis arose as a fusion of traditional Filipino fighting styles and new fencing techniques from Spain.
Arnis training implements unarmed combat techniques like punches, kicks, joint locks, takedowns and weapon disarms; however the weapons training is truly where the art shines. The primary Arnis training weapon a 28” rattan stick.
Arnisadores learn to single- and dual-wield these sticks, but also will learn to utilize knives and swords. Espada y daga (Spanish for sword and dagger) is the fighting style where a knife is wielded in one hand and a short sword in the other.
Training weapons are made from wood, dull aluminum, or padded foam and appropriate safety gear is used to minimize the risk of injury.
Meet your Coach!
Leland Belding
Leland Belding began learning martial arts as a boy, when his father taught him boxing and Judo. Throughout his life, Leland has trained in several other martial arts, but Filipino Martial Arts remains his passion.
He has trained directly under Arnis/Kali/Eskrima masters such as Dan Inosanto, Edgar Sulite, Remy Presas, and Ernesto Presas, and many of their senior students including Hoch Hockheim, and Ken Smith. Leland’s class is heavily based on the Presas family curriculum but includes elements from other martial arts such as wing chun, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu to complete and modernize the martial art.
Leland spent 26 years in the Iowa National Guard, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. After 9/11 he worked for the National Law Enforcement and Security Institute where he trained flight attendants in self-defense skills and has decades more experience teaching self-defense to other audiences including law enforcement officers.