Martial Arts : Sikaran Distinct Filipino Martial Art

Sikaran is a distinct Filipino Martial Art is a art of hand and foot fighting.. As Sikaran is a general term for kicking which is also used as the name of the kicking aspects of other Filipino Martial arts, this article discusses the distinct art which is specifically practiced in the Rizal province that focuses almost exclusively in kicking. Sikaran comes from the root word sikad which means kick in Tagalog, Capampangan (e.g. sikaran daka - "I'm going to kick you"), as well as Cebuano (e.g. "sikaran tika"). Sikaran is a simple but intense martial art game that originated from the town of Baras in the province of Rizal.

According to the forefathers of Baras, it had been practiced long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines in the 16th century. It is noted that like most Filipino martial arts, Sikaran has no written history as most Filipinos from the lower classes during Spanish colonial times were barely literate (free public education was only introduced during the American era) and it was passed orally from generation to generation. Like many Filipino martial arts styles, it has been endangered as it does not have as many practitioners as the more mainstream martial arts. Like Modern Arnis, in the mid-20th century, it had to adapt certain structural aspects of the more well known art of Karate like the belting system, choreographed forms or Katas and uniforms to make it more appealing other Filipinos and be more accepted internationally.
On the Third Asian Karate Championship in 1966, Sikaran was accepted as a distinct Filipino style of fighting, by the Asian Karate Association headed by Korea’s Dr. Kwai Byeung Yun,