History

Modern Arnis is a Filipino Martial Art developed by Professor Remy Amador Presas with a simple goal: preserve traditional Arnis while making it safer and easier to learn for modern students. Traditional Filipino weapon arts were highly effective, but older training methods often came with frequent injuries. Presas emphasized structured partner drills, stick-to-stick training, and progressive learning so students could train hard and stay healthy.

In the 1960s, Presas began organizing the principles he learned from older systems—especially Balintawak Eskrima and his family’s blade-and-stick traditions—into a more “student-friendly” curriculum. This approach helped Modern Arnis gain wider acceptance, including being approved for teaching in formal physical education settings in the Philippines by the late 1960s.

As Modern Arnis grew, it became known not just for stick work, but for how smoothly it connects weapons to empty-hand. Many of its drills teach timing, control, and positioning that translate directly into locks, takedowns, and practical self-defense applications—a big reason Modern Arnis became a gateway art for people who wanted realistic skills without needing to be a “weapons person” first.

Later in his life, Presas expanded Modern Arnis internationally through seminars, instructor development, and formal organizations to support the art’s growth. He also established/organized federations connected to Modern Arnis, including an International Modern Arnis Federation in the Philippines shortly before his passing in 2001.