Manonuda - Jeet Kune Do, Kali, Silat, MMA – Bruxelles/Brussels

One of the most used combination in every Filipino Kali style is the IKIS, a double diagonal-downward slashing motion (forehand to backhand or the other way around).

The IKIS, in fact, is used extensively when training with the "shadow", and as a prefix or a suffix in many stick fighting drills (the motion is used in the knife and empty-hands portions of the art as well, by the way).

Because it is often said that the IKIS motion consist basically in drawing an "X-shape", not everybody is aware that this well-know combination can actually have 3 slightly different declinations (among which the "X-shape").

In this article I'd like to illustrate those declinations, because the subtle differences are better shown graphically than with words, or even than with live examples.

The first of the 3 is the one I refer to as the "Flat" IKIS, and looks like that:

The second one is, actually, an exact "X-shape". I call it the "Squared" IKIS, to keep a logical consistency with the other two names.

The last one is what I call the "Tight" IKIS. Some refers to it as the "V", for obvious reasons.

The images here are very much self-explanatory, I guess, and they provide an easy visualization of the possible patterns for the IKIS.

Here's a representation of the 3 patterns overlapped.

Well, as basic as this may be, I thought to share the information with my students and with everyone else involved in the art of Filipino Kali/Arnis/Escrima, and I hope you find it somehow useful.