Gunting
Gunting
Literally: scissors
Defensive technique of Filipino martial arts in which one hand deflects the attack while the other simultaneously strikes the muscle of the attacking arm.
Quick Facts
About
Gunting literally means scissors, and the name refers to the technique's cutting-like motion. The basic gunting combines two simultaneous actions: one hand deflects the opponent's attack with a parry (pawas), while the other simultaneously strikes the attacking limb. The target is the biceps, triceps, forearm, hand, or wrist — the muscle, not the joint — so the attacking limb stops functioning. The technique comes from Filipino martial arts — eskrima, kali, and arnis — and appears in related systems such as jeet kune do and silat. The kuntao and silat glossary also lists a variant performed with a stick (tongkat) as a scissor strike. Gunting differs from guntang, a direct strike to the wrist or biceps without a simultaneous parry by the other hand. We have not been able to document who introduced the technique.