Description
FIRST PHILMAA NZ ARNIS TOURNAMENT
Pistang Pilipino 2026
24-25 October 2026
Akau Tangi Sports Centre
Wellington, New Zealand
- Tournament Philosophy
- This tournament promotes Arnis/Eskrima as a disciplined martial art and must be true to our Filipino Roots
- Fighters must be respectful and demonstrate grace, purpose, control and tactical intelligence.
- Points are awarded only for deliberate, clean and dedicated strikes and techniques.
- Random, reckless, or excessive striking is discouraged and may be penalized.
- Tournament General Guidelines
- This Tournament is open to PHILMAA NZ-Affiliated Clubs and Affiliated Practitioners ONLY
- Clubs and Practitioners will need to Pre-Register their participants and will be ID-Verified on the day of the event
- Safety is UTMOST PRIORITY and is the responsibility of ALL tournament attendees
- Each Club must have their own Uniform provided that following rules are adhered to:
- Must show the Club Name and other relevant details
- Sponsor Logo is allowed provided it is smaller than the Club Logo and is respectful
- No Political Branding and/or Insignia is allowed. This includes Gang Patches.
- There must be at least one (1) Club Representative in the Judge/Referee Roster
- Decisions of the Referees, Judges and Officiating Officials are FINAL
- Demonstrate RESPECTFUL CONDUCT at all times
- Match Format
- Weapon: Single Padded Sticks (28–30 inches) – Provided by PHILMAA NZ
- Rounds: 2 Rounds and a Round 3 Tie-Breaker (When necessary)
- Round Duration: Two (2) minutes each
- Mandatory Rest Period: One (1) minute after each round
- Tie-Breaker Round (Round 3): If the match ends in a tie, one additional two-minute tie-breaker round will be conducted. Scores reset for this round only. The fighter with the highest score wins.
- Sudden Death Round if score is even after the Tie-Breaker Round. “First to Score” a clean hit wins
- Match Area:
- Area: 6 Meters X 6 Meters (4M X 4M Fighting Area plus 1M Free Zone)
- Red and Blue Corners
- 2 Additional personnel: 1 Coach and 1 Assistant allowed per corner
- Scoring System
- 1 Point: Clean strike to the Legal Target Areas (Head, Hands, Arms, Torso or Thighs)
- 1 Point is added to the Opponent if the other player accidentally or incidentally let go of his/her weapon (See Penalties Section below)
- Only 1 Point is awarded for every engagement. This prevents players from striking unnecessarily to score a point.
- A Winner is decided per Round and previous scores are not carried over to the next round
- If one player wins both rounds (i.e. Rounds 1 and 2), then Match Winner is declared.
- If both players draw the first 2 rounds, then a Round 3 Tie-Breaker will decide the match winner.
- If after a Tie-Breaker round the score is still even, Sudden Death will ensue which means “First to Score WINS”
- Legal Target Areas
- Head
- Torso
- Arms and Hands
- Thighs (Above the knees only and groin area is excluded)
- Illegal Target Areas
- Spine or the back
- Back of the Head
- Groin
- Knees and below
- Any part of the body that is unprotected or un-armoured
Note: Players will be given a maximum 1-minute Recovery Time if necessary
- Definition of a Clean, Dedicated Strike
- Must land on a legal target
- Must be clearly visible to the judges
- Unblocked or undeflected
- Delivered meaningfully with balance, control, proper structure, and must show clear intent
- Defense and Counter-Striking
- Fighters may block, control or deflect an incoming strike using their weapon and immediately execute a counter strike.
- 1 Point is awarded if the block is clean and the counter lands cleanly.
- Catching an opponent’s weapon mid-strike is not considered a Defensive move and will count as a strike
- Continuous Fighting Rules
- Action/Time continues for each round unless stopped by the referee.
- The timer doesn’t stop if there is a clean hit and referee halts the fight and all judges agree with the call
- Fighting can only be stopped for Medical Break, Equipment Fix or if a Foul is committed
- If there is a clean strike scored in by the judges, the referee breaks the engagement but will stay where they are and not reset in the middle of the fighting mat.
- It is encouraged that players recognize a clean strike by the other player by ceasing to strike back and agree with the referee that a point is scored
- Prohibited Actions
- Strikes on all Illegal Target Areas
- Excessive force
- Blind swinging
- Uncontrolled flurries
- THRUSTING
- Striking after the stop command
- Excessive pushing, prolonged clinching, wrestling, leg sweep and prolonged grabbing
- Any joint manipulation attempt beyond the wrist
- Deliberately turning your back against your opponent
- Deliberately obscuring your opponent’s vision or pushing on the headgear
- 10-Second Non-Combativeness (First Warning, then 1 Point Penalty each for both players)
- Unsportsmanlike Conduct
- Penalties
- Warning for Minor Offenses (Not limited to):
- 10-Second Non-Combativeness
- Not following Referee’s Instructions
- Excessive Pushing
- Exiting the mat
- Hitting a body part that is unprotected
- Pushing on your opponent’s headgear
- Penalty for repeated minor offenses
- All Penalties are tallied to the offender and 1 point is added to the other player
- Penalties that are tallied may affect the outcome if score is a draw at the end of each round
- Only 3 Penalties are allowed per player per round and will immediately lose the Round
- Loose Weapon – will be tallied as a Penalty against the offender and 1 Point score is added to the other player
- Mandatory Protective Equipment
- Headgear with Face Protector (Stix, Fencing Helmet, HEMA, et al)
- Padded Gloves (FULL COVERAGE)
- Forearm Pads
- Body Armour (Recommended: STIX) – Padded or Live Stick Armour
- PHILMAA-Approved Padded Sticks (Any form of modification is not allowed)
- (Optional) Groin Guard, Upper Arm Pads
- Armours
- Protective Armours used should be the same for both players during the match
*Any equipment not listed above must first be approved by the Officiating Officials before use.
- Officiating Officials
- Referee
- Controls the match, ensures safety, and enforces rules
- Only person allowed to stop the fight (Violation, Medical, Equipment Fix)
- When necessary, will request a conference with the judges regarding severe violation that warrants a Disqualification
- Will declare the winner for every round after conferring with the judges
- Judges
- 3 per match
- Independently score clean strikes
- All 3 judges will confer and adjudicate every round, confirm if scoring is accurate and decide the winner
- Scorekeeper – Records and Tallies Results (i.e. Points and Penalties)
- (Optional) Time Keeper – Keeps track of the time
DEFINITIONS:
- Affiliated Practitioners – Practitioners who are active in Arnis/Eskrima but do not belong any clubs
- Continuous Time – Time is not stopped unless referee calls for a halt in the proceedings
- Tie-Breaker Round – When necessary, Round 3 will decide the match winner
- Sudden Death – Final Round if the score is still even after the Tie-Breaker Round. First to score a clean strike wins the match.
- Blind Swinging – Strokes that are not intended to land on a target
- Excessive Force – If a strike is meant to injure or incapacitate the opponent rather than land a clean strike. Deemed too much.
- Uncontrolled Flurries – Countless and Fast Strikes that are deemed unmeaningful and unnecessary
- Non-Combativeness – When both players fail to engage in a combat for a certain period
- Loose Weapon – When a player, under any circumstance, lets go of the weapon
- Minor Offense – A less serious violation that warrants either a referee reprimand or a warning
- Disqualification – When a serious breach of conduct is committed that poses harm or danger to fellow players or officials. Offending player’s participation will immediately be dropped from the entire tournament.
ADDENDUM: (Any addition to the rules at a later date that the TWG finds relevant)
Eskrima is not measured by how many strikes you throw, but by how well you choose the right one.
