Suntukan

For the general Filipino term for fistfight, see Boxing.

Suntukan or is the boxing and empty hands strik-ing component of Filipino martial arts. In the centralPhilippine island region of Visayas, it is known as Pang-amot or Pakamot. It is also known as Mano-manoand often referred to in Western martial arts circles ofInosanto lineage as Panantukan. Although it is alsocalled Filipino Boxing, this article pertains to the Fil-ipino martial art and should not be confused with theWestern sport of Boxing as practiced in the Philippines.

1 Etymology

The term suntukan comes from the Tagalog word forpunch, suntok. It is the Filipino term for a fistfight orbrawl and for fistfighting or boxing. Panununtukanmeans“the art of fistfighting”.The Visayan terms pangamot and pakamot (“use ofhands”) come from the Cebuano word for hand, kamot.Due to Cebuano language pronunciation quirks, they arealso pronounced natively as pangamut and pakamut, thusthe variation of spelling across literature.Mano-mano comes from the Spanish word for “hand”,mano, and can translate to “two hands” or “hand-to-hand”. The phrase "Mano-mano na lang, o?" (“Whydon't we settle this with fists?") is often used to end argu-ments when tempers have flared in Philippine male soci-ety.Panantukan (often erroneously referred to as panantukenby Western practitioners due to the way Americans pro-nounce the letters [U] and A) is possibly a corruption ofpanuntukan (pronounced pa-noon-too-kan), an alterna-tive form of pangsuntukan which means “for the use offistfighting”. It is generally attributed to the empty handsand boxing system infused by FMA pioneers Leodoro“Lucky” Lucaylucay and Floro Villabrille[1] into theFilipino martial arts component of the Inosanto Academyand Jeet Kune Do fighting systems developed in the WestCoast of the United States. It is said that originally, Lu-caylucay wanted to call his art Suntukan, but he was con-cerned that it would be confused with Shotokan Karate,so he used the term Panantukan instead.[2][3][4][5] Theterms panantukan and its sibling component pananjak-man (for the kicking aspect) are virtually unknown in thePhilippines and are used more in Western Kali/Eskrimasystems of Filipino-American origin.

2 Characteristics

Suntukan is not a sport, but rather a street-orientedfighting system. The techniques have not been adaptedfor safety or conformance to a set of rules for com-petition, thus it has a reputation as “dirty street fight-ing". It consists of upper-body striking techniques suchas punches, elbows, headbutts, shoulder strikes and limbdestruction. It is often used in combination with Sikaran,the kicking aspect of Filipino fighting which includes low-line kicks, tripping and knee strikes to the legs, shins, andgroin. Common targets include the biceps, triceps, eyes,nose, jaws, temples, groin, ribs, spine, and the back ofthe neck.While many Filipino boxing champions such as Estanes-lao “Tanny” del Campo[6][7] and Buenaventura “Kid Ben-tura” Lucaylucay[1][8] (Lucky Lucaylucay’s father) prac-ticed olympic and sport boxing, they also used pang-amot dirty street boxing which is distinct from WesternBoxing.[9][10] A particular trait of Filipino boxing (as op-posed to Western Boxing) is that instead of standing andtrading blows with an opponent, suntukan practitionerstypically circle constantly to avoid getting hit and lookfor openings, just like with knife fighting. According toLucky Lucaylucay: "...if your practice is based on knifefighting, you have to become much more sophisticated withyour footwork, evasions and delivery because one wrongmove could mean death... ...Filipino boxing is exactly likeknife fighting, except instead of cutting with a blade, westrike with a closed fist."[11][12]

2.1 Weaponry

Even though suntukan is designed to allow an unarmedpractitioner to engage in both armed and unarmed con-frontations, it easily integrates the use of weapons suchas knives, palmsticks (dulo y dulo) and ice picks.[13][14]These weapons can render suntukan’s techniques fa-tal but do not fundamentally change how the tech-niques are executed. Weapons in suntukan tend to besmall, easily concealed and unobtrusive. Thus, sun-tukan minimizes contact with the opponent because it isnot always known whether an opponent is armed, andknives are very often used in fights and brawls in thePhilippines.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] As such, parries anddeflections are preferred over blocks and prolonged grap-pling.

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2 4 DUMOG

2.2 Eskrima/Arnis/Kali

Main article: Eskrima

Suntukan is also a key component of Eskrima. It is theo-rized to have evolved from Filipino weapons fighting be-cause in warfare, unarmed fighting is usually a method oflast resort for when combatants are too close in proximity(such as trapping and grappling range) or have lost theirweapons. Aside from this, some unarmed techniques andmovements in certain Eskrima systems are directly de-rived from their own weapon-based forms. In some clas-sical Eskrima systems, the termsMano mano, De Cadena(Spanish for “of chain”) and Cadena de Mano (Spanishfor “hand chain”) are the names for their empty handcomponents. Aside from punching, the suntukan com-ponents in Eskrima includes kicking, locking, throwingand dumog (grappling).It is interesting to note that a number of Filipino box-ing champions are also known to have practiced eskrima.World champion Ceferino Garcia (regarded as having in-troduced the bolo punch to the Western world of box-ing) wielded a bolo knife in his youth and developed hissignature punch from his experience in cutting sugarcanein farm fields with the bladed implement.[22] Leg-endary world champion Gabriel “Flash” Elorde studiedBalintawak Eskrima (under founder Venancio “Anciong”Bacon)[23] and got his innovative, intricate footwork[24]from his father, “Tatang” Elorde who was the Eskrimachampion of Cebu.[12][23][25] Elorde’s footwork from es-krima has been adopted by many boxers, includinghis friend Muhammad Ali,[12][26] by transitivity, BruceLee who was Ali’s fan and meticulously studied hisfootwork[27][28] and again by transitivity, Manny Pac-quiao who is a big fan of Lee.[27]

• A left bolo punch in attack

• A left bolo punch in counterpunch

• Ceferino Garcia

3 Techniques

3.1 Speed, flow, and rhythm

Suntukan emphasizes speed in striking, with the intentof overwhelming the adversary with a flurry of attacks.Indefinite combinations of different strikes are strung to-gether continuously to make successful defense a relativeimpossibility. Many strikes in suntukan are said to be per-formed on “half-beats”, or in between the major strikesof a combination, so as to disorient and overwhelm an op-ponent, increasing the opportunity for more devastatingattacks. An example of this could be performing a swiftslap or eye strike after throwing a jab with the same hand

in a standard jab-cross-hook combination; the eye strikeboth disrupts the defense against and masks the incomingcross. Sometimes, low-line kicks are often executed be-tween boxing combinations to further injure and disorientthe opponent.

3.2 Angles

The angles outlined in eskrima are incorporated to evadeand parry incoming strikes and to attack the opponentfrom an outside angle where they are less able to defendthemselves. Constantly switching the fighting lead allowsfor the exploitation of attack while maintaining flow. Thefighter will often use a finishing strike or kick in a com-bination to step into the new lead. Footwork is of ut-most importance for these techniques, so in some sys-tems, much time is invested into practicing stick-fightingdrills and combinations.

3.3 Gunting

Some moves which immobilise the limbs are calledgunting (scissors) techniques because of the scissor-likemotions used to stop an opponent’s limb from one sidewhile attacking from the other side. Suntukan focuseson countering an opponent’s strike with a technique thatwill nullify further attack by hitting certain nerve points,bones, andmuscle tissue to cause immediate partial paral-ysis of the attacking limb. Common limb destructionsinclude guiding incoming straight punches into the de-fending fighter’s elbow (siko) to shatter the knuckles,[29]or striking the incoming limb in the biceps to inhibit theopponent’s ability to use that arm for the remainder ofthe fight. Gunting focuses on destroying the opponent’sability to wield their weapon. This term derives from theword “scissors” in Filipino, Malaysian and Indonesian. InFilipino martial arts, gunting can be done by cutting thehand or wrist with a pair of blades (hence the name), butit can also be done with a single blade or with the emptyhand by striking nerves and tensed muscles.

4 Dumog

Main article: Dumog

Suntukan also borrows moves from dumog (uprightwrestling) which twist and turn the opponent’s body withthe goal of exposing a more vulnerable area, such as theneck, jaw and temples. This is accomplished by the useof arm wrenching, shoving, shoulder ramming, and otheroff-balancing techniques in conjunction with punches andkicks. For example, the attacker’s arm could be grabbedand pulled downward to expose their head to a kneestrike.

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5 See also

• History of boxing in the Philippines

• Filipino Martial Arts

• Eskrima

• Sikaran

• Dumog

• Kuntaw

• Kinamotay

6 Further reading

• AGuide to Panantukan, the Filipino Boxing Art, RickFaye, Cambridge Academy Publishing, 2000

7 References[1] Ted Luycaylucay Final Interview, Steve Charlson, Inside

Kung Fu magazine

[2] Panantukan Book Review

[3] Martial Talk: Filipino Boxing Ernie Lake, In-osanto/Lacoste Kali instructor

[4] Filipino Indonesian Combatives History Ben Fajardo,Nubreed Fighting Systems

[5] Mousel’s MMA Academy Forum

[6] Estaneslao “Tanny” del Campo - A Legend In His OwnTime, Krishna Godhania

[7] Remembering Filipino Great “Flash” Elorde RonnieNathanielsz, BoxingScene.com, Jan 2 2008

[8] FMA Pulse - Characteristics of Filipino Boxing Perry GilMallari, October 20, 2010

[9] Western Boxing vs Filipino Boxing, two similar but dis-tinct arts?, Krishna Godhania

[10] Video: Filipino Street Boxing with Peter “Tisoy” Sescon,Jr. Footage of old school Filipino boxer “Mang Tisoy”Sescon demonstrating techniques. Note the use of elbows,shoulders, butting, getting inside the clinch and knees tocontrol the opponent. Vitalpoints, Mar 28, 2011

[11] ESPN Sports - A look at the history of boxing in thePhilippines Don Stradley, June 25, 2008

[12] Inside Karate Magazine - Did Filipino Martial Arts Rev-olutionize Boxing?, Lilia Inosanto-Howe

[13] Abante - Agawan o Holdap?

[14] Abante - Ngitngit kinambalan ng ice pick

[15] Pilipino Star Ngayon - Ex-boxer na hindi kaya sa sun-tukan, pinatay sa saksak

[16] Pilipino Star - Grinipuhan, tinarakan sa leeg...

[17] Pang-Masa - Tinalo sa suntukan, rumesbak ng saksak

[18] Remate - Ungos sa suntukan, nadale sa saksakan

[19] Abante - Panalo sa Suntukan, Grinipuhan!

[20] Remate - Kuya grinipuhan ng bunsong kapatid, tigbak

[21] Rappler - 'Male pride' led to fatal stabbing of American inMakati Carlos Santamaria, Nov 26, 2012

[22] The Manila Times: We should focus on boxing

[23] Dog Brothers Forum:Filipino Martial Arts and Boxing,see comments by Sayoc Kali instructor Rafael Kayanan(user Sun Helmet )- Kayanan’s uncle was the good friendof Elorde and user “antoy” about Elorde’s Balintawaklineage - his batchmates were Baltazar “Iti” Gumapon,former Mandaue City Mayor Pedong Ouano and TUCP(Trade Union Congress of the Philippines) honcho Dem-ocrito Mendoza

[24] YouTube: Carlos Ortiz vs. Flash Elorde II fight footage,November 28, 1966

[25] FMA Talk:Sayoc and Pekiti as they are now, RafaelKayanan (see comments by user Sun Helmet)

[26] PhilBoxing - REMEMBERING ‘FLASH’ ELORDE,Ronnie Nathanielsz, Sun, 25 Mar 2012

[27] I Am Bruce Lee (2012 Documentary)

[28] YouTube: ES News - Bruce Lee & Manny Pacquiao, in-terview with Bruce Lee’s friend and sparring partner LeoFong

[29] Video: Filipino Combat Knife Fighting Mandala Baldwin“Nonoy” Garrucho of Sundangan Baneg, demonstratingVisayan empty hands limb destruction Jun 11, 2007

30.^ www.panantukan.it31.^ www.panantukanevolution.it

4 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text• Suntukan Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suntukan?oldid=654391148 Contributors: BD2412, PRehse, Cmontero, Excirial, Yobot,AnakngAraw, Object404, LittleWink, BG19bot, Mas Luca and Anonymous: 4

8.2 Images• File:Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg License:Public domain Contributors: The design was taken from [1] and the colors were also taken from a Government website Original artist:User:Achim1999

• File:FlashElorde.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/FlashElorde.jpg License: Fair use Contributors:http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Flash_Elorde Original artist: ?

8.3 Content license• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0