Kabaroan Eskrima
Ilocano family eskrima of the Estalillas with longer and heavier weapons. Wiley divides it into sencilla, bambolia and compuesta.
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Training
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About Kabaroan Eskrima
Kabaroan is an eskrima that Wiley, in Filipino Martial Culture, describes as the Rigonan-Estalilla family art of kabaroan. According to him it uses weapons larger, longer and heavier than the usual stick of eskrima or arnis. Ramiro Estalilla Jr. calls it, in articles published by Tambuli Media, big stick eskrima and a system popular among the Ilocanos. According to Wiley, Ramiro Estalilla Jr. was born on 23 January 1930 in San Pablo and from 1941 trained under his father Ramiro Estalilla Sr. and his uncle Bernard Banay. According to Wiley, his father taught kabaroan from 1920 to 1929 at the Minneapolis Athletic Club. Estalilla Jr. came to the USA in 1976, preached in Orange Cove and taught at Fresno City College and at the university in Fresno. Wiley divides the system into three subsystems, sencilla for one hand and one weapon, bambolia for both hands and one weapon, and compuesta for both hands and two weapons. According to him defense rests on two kinds of block, tiradin and todosan. According to KMPH, Estalilla Jr. died on 7 September 2024 at the age of 94.
History
Wiley states that Ramiro Estalilla Sr. learned fencing and eskrima from his grandfather Major Eusebio Estalilla, and Bishop Gregorio Aglipay introduced him to Don Mariano Rigonan of Ilocos Norte, a known kabaroan. According to Wiley, Estalilla Sr. came to study law in Minneapolis in 1920 and in 1936 began teaching estocada in Nueva Ecija. According to Wiley, Estalilla Jr. trained full time with his uncle in Zamboanga from 1946 and, in his own words, ran the Filipino Martial Arts Academy in Manila from 1957 to 1967. According to Wiley, he was invited to the USA on 1 February 1976. Wiley states a move to Fresno in 1985, while KMPH, citing the family, gives 1982 as the start of teaching at Fresno City College. Estalilla Jr. himself claims that kabaroan reappeared before 1900.
Technique
Wiley describes tiradin as a block of force against force at close range and todosan as a block that goes with the force of the attack, at long range. Estalilla Jr. writes todasan and says that tiradin and todasan in defense make up the whole system. Wiley generally describes kabaroan on Luzon as systems with linear footwork and long-range tactics. In his article on two weapons, Estalilla lists pairs of equal length, for example two daggers, two sticks, two kampilans or two spears, and pairs of different length such as espada y daga.
Training
According to Wiley, the student goes through four stages. First he imitates the instructor's forms, strikes and blocks, then practices planned strikes in set drills, then performs a free solo form of his own creation, and finally free sparring. Only then is he, according to Wiley, a practitioner of kabaroan. At Fresno City College, according to Wiley, Estalilla taught in nine-week courses of the physical education department.
Ranks and progression
Neither Wiley nor Estalilla's articles mention a belt or sash system. They describe four training stages and scored matches.
Competition
Estalilla writes in his article that a match scores a hit, real or indicated, to any part of the body. Disarming the opponent without injury, according to him, earns double points.
Today
According to ABC30, Fresno City College held a kabaroan workshop in April 2024, led by instructor Jamie Visitacion of the group Estalilla Kabaroan Eskrima. According to GoFundMe, the family states that Estalilla published the book Estalilla Kabaroan Eskrima, Overview of the 3-Part System in 2017. Tambuli Media states that he taught under the names Kabaroan of America, Filipino Interstyle Eskrima and Portable State University.
Did you know
Wiley gives three explanations of the name, after the town of Kaba where Estalilla's father was born, after the word for newest, and as the art of barons. Estalilla himself gives the explanations newest, equal to himself, and a compound of ka and baroang. According to Wiley, Angel Cabales recalled a fight with a kabaroan practitioner and listed it among long-range styles.
Frequently asked questions
Who taught kabaroan in the USA?
According to Wiley, Ramiro Estalilla Sr. in Minneapolis from 1920 to 1929 and his son Ramiro Estalilla Jr. later in California, among other places at Fresno City College.
What parts does kabaroan consist of?
Wiley names sencilla, bambolia and compuesta, that is, one hand with one weapon, both hands with one weapon and both hands with two weapons.
Does kabaroan have matches?
Estalilla describes a match in which a hit to any part of the body scores and disarming without injury gives double points.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.