Fight Times

An Italian’s Odyssey Into The Filipino Martial Arts

It’s been said that arnis, escrima and kali collectively known as Filipino Martial arts (FMA) are more appreciated abroad than in their country of origin.

But in the last three decades, military organizations around the world began to recognize the tactical value of Filipino weapons systems particularly knife fighting skills. In an interview with FIGHT Times, Italian FMA practitioner and military operator Andrea Rollo tells how his exposure to the Filipino fighting arts served him well in and out of the battlefield and the growth of arnis, escrima and kali in Italy.