Why do Filipinos like foreign martial arts than Kali?

Answer 1

No offense, but I think it's because some Filipinos don't really think Kali is "cool" because of, well, colonialism. They would rather learn a foreign martial arts 'coz those are from a different country, and that, in their opinion is considered "cooler".

In a nutshell, Filipinos are not really nationalisitic to practice a martial art developed in their own country.

Answer 2

Both Brian F and Siela are right. I remember Master Cacoy Canete of the Doce Pares Eskrima system lamenting during an interview in Cebu back in the 80s about how most of the Filipino youth today prefer to practice one dimensional foreign styles like TKD, Judo and Jujitsu when they can learn their own country's martial art which is more complete and wide ranging. Kali/Eskrima/Arnis covered weapons and all ranges, unlike TKD or Judo for example whose arsenal which are mostly limited to kicks and throws respectively, doesn't fully prepare one for real combat. The reason for this attitude towards foreign MA is due to both the Filipino colonial mentality and the nature of Kali/Eskrima training. Unlike the popular imported martial arts like TKD, Karate, Wushu, Jujitsu, Aikido and Muay Thai. Kali wasn't as exposed in the movies and the public consciousness until recently thanks to Tommy Lee Jones in "The Hunted" and Matt Damon in his Jason Bourne Trilogy. Furthermore, these other arts have a recognizable showbiz promoter or representative like Jet Li for Wushu, Van Damme and Tony Jaa for Muay Thai, Steven Seagal for Aikido etc. Before Matt Damon, who can you think of, besides Dan Inosanto who doesn't exactly make movies anymore and is not as recognized globally, can be identified with Kali? Not many, so a typical Filipino who grew up watching kung fu movies is brainwashed into thinking these arts he sees in films and on tv are better than the local art, besides, it's easier to find an accredited TKD or Karate dojo in the Philippines than it is to find a genuine Kali/Eskrima teacher. To make things more difficult, Kali/Eskrima like the Philippine archipelago is composed of different rival factions and the politics pretty much makes it difficult to form a unified body that will establish rules and regulations governing the teaching of Kali/Eskrima curriculums. This makes Kali a bit difficult to teach in a class setting as styles usually differ from one master to the next. The use of bladed weapons also brings up the argument of stick versus blades and whether using sticks wouldn't water down the arts more. Lacking unity, strong leadership and the full support from the government, it is hard to promote the art and so they end up relying on foreigners who are more interested in the art than the locals to spread it by word of mouth. As a matter of fact, Kali/Eskrima/Arnis was a dying art until it was given a new leash in life in the 1980s, not by renewed interest by Filipinos, but due to the interest of Americans and Europeans to learn it, which led to many schools opening up in the west notably those opened by the Canete Brothers of the Doce Pares Eskrima school. If we were to tally up all the schools in the world, you'll probably find more Kali/Eskrima schools in the U.S. and Europe than in the Philippines.

Answer 3

I think its mainly because most of the best Kali instructors immigrated to western countries. I'm not saying all, just most.