Gripping the Escrima stick

Video Transcript

"There's many different many, many, many different types of stances in a eskrima nesa. The neatest one that I'm very comfortable with, that I think is a very practical stance is just the basic power leg, power side forward, my right leg forward, the left leg in the back. I have it a little bit wider than shoulder length apart, okay. From this position, I feel that I can have a happy median. I still have the power and the speed to deliver, okay. So, I'm going to actually show now the grip, also the grip on the stick. Typically, I want to have about a fist space at the end of my stick. This is called the punial side, they call is the punial, the butt of the stick, okay. There's many different styles using many different types of sticks in length, okay. This was actually I think a twenty-nine inch stick. Some use a thirty-two inch stick. Some use even use a twenty-four, okay, for close range, kortor, sadada, the range, I'm sorry, okay. As far as the grip, some even grab the very bottom to make it flush with the handle at the end. I'm sorry, the butt at the end. Okay so, I myself, I like the having a little bit of the punial, the butt of the stick exposed, okay. The theory behind holding the stick closer to the bottom is when I twirl it, twirling it like this, circular or execute my linear strikes, I have more whip. There's more weight at the end of the stick so it's carrying the stick, okay. Thereby, increasing the speed with the weight of the stick. So it's very much like a whip, an actual whip, a bull whip, okay. When I choke up on the stick, I don't have as much power but I have more leeway as far as using this butt to hook around the neck if I want to disarm or hooking their stick. It also allows me to manipulate the stick a little bit faster, okay. It allows me to actually, at the same time doing that I can do it closer to my opponent, okay. So when I bring my stick down I have, now I have, there more of a reach. Now it's true larguamano, which is long range. Okay, I can use the full potential extention of my stick, okay. Now as far as my grip, once again I have about half a fist myself, like I said it's up to you. To cultivate a good whipping power, I like to hold it towards the end of the stick here. I want my grip to be firm, okay, not hard not tight. I also don't want it to be like this. You see a lot of people twirling their stick, their twirling. They open their fingers like that. If was doing that in the midst of battle and someone hit my stick, it's much more easier to be disarmed that way. I don't have as many fingers grasping it. Okay, so I want to have all fingers wrapped around it, have a fist on the stick, it's a fist, but just a nice firm not to tight fist. Okay, so this is the grip on my stick. The proper grip, the grip that I like and that I prefer"