Rattan and bahi bastons and bangkaws in Quiapo

The baston (Spanish and Filipino for "

cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick, or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking * Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance * White cane, a mobility or safety device used by blind or visually i ...

") is one of the primary weapons of

Arnis Arnis, also known as kali or eskrima/escrima, is the national martial art of the Philippines. These three terms are, sometimes, interchangeable in referring to traditional martial arts of the Philippines (" Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA), wh ...

and Filipino martial arts. It is also known as ''yantok'', ''olisi'', ''palo'', ''pamalo'', ''garrote'', ''caña'', cane, ''arnis'' stick, ''eskrima'' stick or simply, stick.

History

The usage of bastons for historical

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

(''esgrima'' in Spanish) has been recorded at least as far back as 400 years ago. In Fr. Pedro de San Buenaventura's "''Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala''" published in 1613 in

Pila, Laguna Pila, officially the Municipality of Pila (), is a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 54,613 people. The town of Pila is the site for some well-preserved houses dating back ...

, it states:

''Esgrimir: Calis pp: dos con palos o canas, nagcacalis.'' (Fencing: Kalis pp. two with sticks or canes, nagkakalis)

Another instance where it is recorded is in "''Vocabulario de la lengua Pampanga en Romance''" by Fr. Diego Bergaño published in 1732:

''CALIS. (pp.) N.S. Espada, ó daga. V. de Mi, de compañia esgrimir , ó pelear con ellas. Picalisin, el motivo, ut dama, y el lugar y tambien el de compañia: Micalis, ludir ut cañas, espadas, y todo lo demás.'' (Micalis, to rub canes, swords and everything else)

Material

Traditional common materials for wooden bastons are usually rattan, kamagong, and bahi wood.

Rattan

Rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...

is the most commonly used material for bastons in Arnis training. They are light, flexible and good for training in speed. They are made from dried and cut reeds and are typically cut in length, in diameter, and rounded at both ends. Prolonged impact training with rattan sticks will tend to splinter their ends so some practitioners use electrical or duct tape in order to protect their bastons, as they are more expensive outside of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Kamagong

Kamagong ''Diospyros blancoi'', (synonym ''Diospyros discolor''), commonly known as velvet apple, velvet persimmon, kamagong, or mabolo tree, is a tree of the genus ''Diospyros'' of ebony trees and persimmons. It produces edible fruit with a fine, velvet ...

(also known as Mabolo) is a dark, dense, expensive type of wood known for its weight and hardness. It is said that bone will break before a good kamagong baston will, but those of low quality can splinter or shatter on impact due to their hardness and lack of flexibility. Kamagong is also an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

wood, and its export outside the Philippines is illegal without a permit.

Bahi

Bahi is a type of wood made from the heart of a palm tree. In weight and density, it is similar to kamagong, but is made of a porous material, which tends to slightly dent on impact, making it less prone to shattering than kamagong. Kamagong is a critically endangered lumber species so it is recommended that practitioners purchase bahi instead.

Modern materials

More modern materials are also used such as

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

and

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

s, as well as

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

s like

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

Training

In Arnis and Filipino martial arts, aside from being a primary weapon, bastons are also used as implements to train in bladed weapons such as bolos,

machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...

s and other Philippine knives and swords as many motions using the canes are applicable when translated to blades and vice versa. Using wooden training weapons like the baston in lieu of live blades is also done for safety considerations. For training in ''espada y daga'' styles, a baston and a balisong knife is a common combination. Hitting suspended or mounted vehicle

tire A tire (North American English) or tyre (Commonwealth English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineeri ...

s is also a common practice in order to build speed, power and impact by practitioners.

References

{{stick fighting Philippine martial arts Weapons of the Philippines Arnis Stick and staff weapons