Recommended Books & Articles

There are lots of books on martial arts methods, history, philosophy, and strategy, and it is often hard to know where to start. Below are some of the books we recommend.​

 

Bernas Estocadas Book

This is the essential work for students of the Bernas Estocadas system. The paperback version may be bought directly through the club at a members' only discount.

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• Bernas Estocadas, Vol. 1 Abesedario, William Bernas, Paolo Pagaling, & Robert Parkes

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Eskrima Methods

These books provide an interesting overview of different Arnis/Eskrima methods that may help to enhance your understanding of Eskrima, and compliment the Bernas Estocadas system. 

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• Filipino Martial Arts: The Core Basics, Structure & Essentials, Dan Anderson

• Eskrima: Filipino Martial Art, Krishna Godhania

• Filipino Fighting Arts: Theory and Practice, Mark Wiley

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​Strategy and Tactics

These are a very useful collection of texts that explore the strategy and tactics of the art of "de-fence": Somera and Solderholm's books have a specific focus on Eskrima; Winsor explores strategy and tactics from the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) perspective; and Lovret and Bennett present insights from the Japanese Samurai tradition.

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• The Secrets of Giron Arnis Escrima, Antonio E. Somera

• The Liar, the Cheat, and the Thief: Deception and the Art of Sword Play, Maija Solderholm

• The Hustler: Sword Play and the Art of Tactical Thinking, Maija Solderholm

• The Swordsman's Quick Guide, Book 3: Preparing for Freeplay, Guy Winsor

• The Swordsman's Quick Guide, Book 6: Fencing Theory, Guy Winsor

• ​The Way and the Power: Secrets of Japanese Strategy, Fredrick J. Lovret

• The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works, Trans. Alexander Bennett

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​History & Culture

These are some of the few books centred on, or with good sections on, the history and cultural aspects of the Filipino Martial Arts.

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• Filipino Martial Culture, Mark Wiley

• Arnis: Reflections on the History and Development of Filipino Martial Arts, Mark Wiley

• Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth, Ted R. Nepangue & Celestino C. Macachor

• LAMECO Eskrima: The Legacy of Edgar Sulite, David E. Gould

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​Teaching Martial Arts

Learning how to plan, teach, and assess are important elements of the craft of martial arts teaching, and each of these texts offers something useful for the aspiring Eskrima Instructor.

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• The Swordsman's Quick Guide, Book 5: How to Teach a Basic Class, Guy Winsor

• This is Fencing, Ziemowit Wojciechowski

• Principle-Driven Skill Development: In Traditional Martial Arts, Russ Smith

• Principles-Based Instruction for Self-Defense, Rory Miller

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​Chivalric Ethics and Self-Mastery

The contemporary practice of Filipino Martial Arts is rarely connected with its roots in esoteric spiritual practices. An alternative base for personal development is to consider ideas about chivalry, ethics, and philosophy that are common to many traditions of swordsmanship.

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• The Swordsman's Quick Guide, Book 1: The Seven Principles of Mastery, Guy Winsor

• The Swordsman's Quick Guide, Book 4: Ethics, Guy Winsor

• Rules for a Knight, Ethan Hawke

• Samurai Strategies: 42 Martial Secrets from Musashi's Book of Five Rings, Boye Lafayette De Mente

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Methods, History & Culture

The following articles are the result of academic research into the history, culture, and practice of the Filipino Martial Arts, or are from martial art magazines dedicated to the study of the Filipino Martial Arts.

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• Parkes, R. J., Pagaling, P., & Parkes, R. J. (2023). Kinaesthetic anthropology kinetic-aesthetic embodiment and the preservation of De Campo 123 Original, Ido Movement for Culture, 23(3), 18-33. https://doi.org/10.14589/ido.23.3.3

• Rollo, A. (2022). New insights into the history of Filipino Martial Arts. Kali Filipino. [From Doctoral Thesis]. Available online: http://www.kalifilippino.it/storia/new-insights-into-the-history-of-filpino-martial-arts.html

• Parkes, R. J. (2022). Bernas Estocadas: In the footsteps of the Grandmaster. Angle 1, 1(1), 51-55.

• Parkes, R. J. (2022). Strike first, and strike last: Fundamental tactical methods of De Campo 1-2-3 Original and the genius of Jose Diaz Caballero. Angle 1, 1(1), 10-23.

• Parkes, R. J. (2021). History culture, identity, and the post-colonial martial arts. Public History Weekly, 9(3), https://doi.org/10.1515/phw-2021-17815.

• Parkes, R. J. (2016). The Kali controversy: Public history in unusual places. Public History Weekly, 4(34). https://doi.org/10.1515/phw-2016-7508

• Gonzales, R. C. T. (2015). Filipino Martial Arts and the construction of Filipino national identity. Doctoral Thesis. University of Manchester.

• Macachor, C. C., & Nepangue, N. R. (2015). Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the myth. FMA Informative, 187.

• Parkes, R. J. (2010). Discipline and the dojo. In Z. Millie, T. G. Griffiths, & R. J. Parkes (Eds.), Re-theorizing Discipline in Education: Problems, Politics & Possibilities (pp. 76-90). Peter Lang: Bern. [Pre-publication Final Draft].

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Zines & Blogs

• FMA Digest

• FMA Informative

• FMA Pulse

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Academic Journals

• Ido Movement for Culture: Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology

• Martial Arts Studies

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Ilonggo/Hiligaynon Language Resources

• Bernas Estocadas Glossary

• Hiligaynon Dictionary

• Hiligaynon Reference Grammar, Elmer P. Wolfenden