Untitled - FMA Informative

count rhythm. Do NOT speed it up at first, just seek to play the rhythm smoothly and
evenly.
On the FIRST beat (Down) step your right foot between the poles. If you were
adding the double sinawali this when you would do the first strike.
On the SECOND beat (Down) replace your right foot with your left foot, the right
foot lifting up either to the front or back as this happens. If you were adding the
double sinawali this when you would do the second strike.
On the THIRD beat (Up) step your right foot down outside the poles on the far
side from where you began and simultaneously lift up the left foot so it is not
caught between the poles as they come together on beat three! If you were adding
the double sinawali this when you would do the third strike.
Immediately on the next beat repeat the sequence starting with the left foot and
moving back across. Congratulations, you are now doing the tinikling!
Note: Do not accidentally kick the people working the poles. It is very bad form. Sounds
obvious, but I have seen it happen when people get excited. Usually the person working
the poles that is behind the dancer is the one who gets kicked, so when in this position
always watch out for flying feet! This is why longer (8 foot or so) poles are better for
safety than short ones.
Note: For greater safety when the poles inevitably do catch someone’s ankle, I have seen
groups use long pieces of PVC plastic pipe for their poles. These tend to flex and not hurt
the ankle as badly as the wood poles can. If you were doing this with kids it might be an
idea to explore. Tinikling sets that are made for elementary school use are usually of this
design.
There you have it! This is a very simple dance that can really be a lot of fun and
can add to your enjoyment of the Filipino martial art of Arnis. If you do public demos for
your school, this is also a very lively and interactive dance that you can also invite the
audience to come up and try.
About the author: Pete Kautz is the Director of Alliance Martial Arts and produces
Modern Knives DVD in association with his friend and mentor James A. Keating of
Comtech. Visit AllianceMartialArts.Com and ModernKnives.Com for more articles
and to learn about Modern Knives - a quarterly DVD featuring blade weapon arts from
around the world. Past issues have included instruction in Spanish, Filipino, Indonesian,
German, Italian, Japanese, French, and American styles of combat.