panantukan

Panantukan is a Filipino martial art focused on empty-hand combat and is considered a core component of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA). The name, derived from Tagalog, is typically rendered as "hand fighting" or "Filipino boxing." In many Western descriptions it is associated with close-range, improvised fighting and is sometimes referred to as dirty boxing, although lineages emphasize practical self-defense rather than sport competition.

Techniques emphasize close-quarters efficiency: short-range punches, palm strikes, elbows, knee strikes, headbutts, trapping, and grappling; combined with defensive parries, footwork, and body angling to create openings. Panantukan training often includes conditioning and application drills that mirror street encounters, including simultaneous striking and clinching, off-balancing, and disarms. Some lineages integrate entry into or from weapons training, reflecting its place within the broader Eskrima/Kali/Arnis tradition.

Historically, panantukan developed among Filipino communities as a practical response to armed conflict and social conditions; it evolved alongside weapon-based systems. In the modern era, it has been popularized worldwide by instructors who teach FMA concepts in combination with weapons. Notable figures include Dan Inosanto, who helped bring attention to the art in the United States; many schools maintain regional variations.