Kinamutay ( ceb, kinamutay, lit. "effeminate hand fighting"; tl, kinamotay;

Baybayin (, ''pre-kudlít'': , ''virama-krus-kudlít'': , ''virama-pamudpod'': ; also formerly commonly incorrectly known as alibata) is a Philippine script. The script is an abugida belonging to the family of the Brahmic scripts. Geographically, it ...

: ᜊᜒᜈᜋᜓᜆᜌ᜔), commonly but incorrectly orientalized kino mutai, is a specialized subsection of some

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

that emphasizes

biting Biting is a common zoological behavior involving the active, rapid closing of the jaw around an object. This behavior is found in toothed animals such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, but can also exist in arthropods. Myocytic contrac ...

, pinching, eye-gouging, and other forms of "dirty" fighting techniques. Kinamutay involves extensive use of grappling and manipulation of nerve and pressure points, so as to allow the kinamutay practitioner to inflict pain and control the opponent while applying the techniques. Although in Cebu it is culturally associated with women's catfighting, the techniques used are effective against opponents of all sizes. The root word of the term is Cebuano ''

kinamut Kamayan (Tagalog language, Tagalog for " atingwith the hands"), also known as kinamot or kinamut in Visayan languages, is the traditional Culture of the Philippines, Filipino method of eating with the bare hands. It is also used to describ ...

'', "using the hands" (such as in eating food), from ''kamut'', "hand" (and compare related

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

''kamot'', "to scratch"), with the feminizing suffix ''-ay''. Formalization of kinamutay as a martial art is a Western tradition not founded in Filipino martial arts or culture, where the term has little difference in meaning from "catfight". It was popularized in the magazine ''

Black Belt Black Belt may refer to: Martial arts * Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of expertise in martial arts * ''Black Belt'' (magazine), a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals Places * Black B ...

'' in the late 1980s, especially by martial artist Paul Vunak; it is also associated with Jeet Kune Do. One key principle is uninterrupted biting: This means that the kinamutay practitioner places himself in such a position that he can continue to hold a bite as long as he wants, disabling his opponent from escaping his bite. The biting aspect of kinamutay concerns itself with what targets to bite, how much to bite at a time, and the angle and movement of the bite. Favored targets include sensitive and easily accessible areas such as the face, neck, ear, groin, nipple, and latissimus dorsi muscle. These targets are also chosen over others because of the difficulty countering a kinamutay practitioner biting them, ensuring an uninterrupted bite can take place. It can be used to inflict pain and can be used to cut arteries which can cause severe bleeding.

References

See also