It is said that, originally, the cane was considered sacred by practitioners, and therefore an arnis practitioner was expected to hit his cane at the hand or forearm of his sparring partner and not at the latter's cane. This also had the advantage of being the preferred method in actual combat, referred to as "defanging the snake", that is, making the opponent drop his weapon so that he is less of a threat. However, it discouraged many would-be practitioners who found this training too painful and injury-inducing. The result was that the Filipino martial arts were in danger of dying out; in many areas of the Philippines, Japanese martial arts such as Karate and Judo were much more popular than the indigenous systems. Defanging the snake remains a principle of Modern Arnis, however, and in practical application, one would typically strike the hand or arm. The technique is also used empty-handed, where it is known as a 'limb destruction'.



Training covers empty-hand self-defense (striking, locking, throwing, etc.) as well as the trademark single and double stick techniques of the Filipino martial arts. Other aspects of the art include espada y daga (sword and dagger fighting), sinawali (double stick weaving patterns), and tapi-tapi (locking drills with the stick). In addition to partner drills, Modern Arnis includes the use of anyo (kata), solo forms both with and without the stick. Emphasis is placed on fitting the art in with a student's previous training ("the art within your art"), smoothly reacting to changing situations in the fight ("the flow"), and countering the opponent's attempt to counter strikes directed at him ("tapi-tapi"). Practitioners are called arnisadors or Modern Arnis players.

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Punong Guro Myrlino P. Hufana, the founder and grandmaster of the Hufana Traditional Arnis International, is demonstrating several fighting styles with some of his dedicated students from Bellevue Martial Arts Academy.