Garote: The Forgotten Club of FMA

TL;DR:

The garote is a traditional Filipino blunt weapon, often made of hardwood and designed for crushing power rather than slicing finesse. While overshadowed by blades like the bolo and kris, the garote played a significant role in tribal warfare, self-defense, and early forms of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), including Arnis, Eskrima, and Kali. Its roots trace back to Visayan and Mindanaoan regions, where heavy clubs and curved cudgels were practical tools for both conflict and survival. This article explores the garote’s origins, construction, tactical use, and its modern place in FMA systems.

A Blunt Instrument with Deep Roots

Filipino Martial Arts is best known for the blade — elegant kampilan, fearsome kris, the everyday bolo. But behind the scenes, among village guards, forest raiders, and tribal warriors, the club was an equally deadly companion. The garote — sometimes also called bunal, pamalo, or palakol depending on region and dialect — refers to a short club often carved from heavy local hardwoods. What it lacked in slicing finesse, it made up for in pure stopping power.

Unlike the flexible, whippy rattan baston popular in modern Arnis training, the garote was typically a solid, dense striking weapon, meant to crush bone, break limbs, and deliver a decisive blow.

Geographic Origins and Cultural Influence

The garote is most closely associated with Visayas and Mindanao, two southern regions of the Philippines known for rich martial traditions and centuries of resistance against foreign powers. In Visayan Eskrima systems, heavier blunt weapons were historically used in tribal raids and duels, particularly when edged weapons were scarce, too valuable, or forbidden by colonial law.

In parts of Mindanao, where Muslim and indigenous groups resisted Spanish and American incursions for hundreds of years, the use of curved hardwood clubs remained prevalent alongside blades like the panabas and kampilan. These clubs were favored for their low maintenance, concealability, and the devastating trauma they could inflict even against armored opponents.

Among the Lumad tribes, such as the Manobo and Bagobo, wood-carved war clubs sometimes bore symbolic carvings or animal motifs, linking them to ritual and status as well as battlefield use. While these versions leaned toward ceremonial, they inspired more utilitarian adaptations used in FMA today.

Even in the Cordillera highlands of Northern Luzon, where headhunting was once a cultural practice, knobbed and curved clubs were widespread. Though not referred to as garote, their combat utility and design influenced the evolution of blunt weapons throughout the archipelago.

Weapon Anatomy: Simple but Lethal

A traditional garote is usually 18 to 24 inches long, with a thickened or bulbous striking end. Designs vary:

• Some have a curved neck for leverage and improved wrist control.

• Others feature a straight shaft ending in a wide head for maximum force.

• Wood types include kamagong (ironwood), bahi (heartwood of palm), or molave — all dense, durable species native to the Philippines.

Unlike modern training sticks made from rattan, which is light and flexible, these woods are heavy, unforgiving, and often used in full-contact striking. Some garotes were even reinforced with brass bands or metal tips to increase damage or allow for counterweight balance.

These weapons were often crafted by hand, using local tools and traditional woodworking methods passed down through generations.

Combat Functionality in FMA

In Filipino Martial Arts, especially in Arnis, Eskrima, and Kali, the garote functions as a close-quarters impact weapon, favoring quick, committed strikes to vital areas:

• Temple, jaw, and collarbone were common primary targets.

• Joints and limbs could be shattered with downward or hooking blows.

• The curve or knob at the end of some garotes allows for hooking, trapping, or redirecting an opponent’s weapon.

Some Eskrima styles even teach garote disarms and counters in parallel with blade defenses. The mechanics differ subtly — the goal is disabling force, not slicing precision. Strikes are delivered with shoulder torque, body rotation, and snap from the hips, maximizing the transfer of kinetic energy through the dense wood.

The garote also lends itself well to transitional tactics — flowing from high strikes to joint locks, takedowns, or grapples, especially in dumog (Filipino wrestling) contexts.

Legacy in Modern Systems

While not as widely practiced as stick or knife work, the garote lives on in heritage-based FMA systems:

• Visayan Eskrima schools sometimes preserve garote drills under the names bunal or pamalo.

• The Inosanto blend of Kali, inspired by various traditional systems, occasionally includes heavy stick variants for impact training.

• Systems influenced by Sayoc Kali and Pekiti Tirsia may introduce weighted sticks or short clubs to simulate the physics of garote strikes.

In self-defense contexts, garote principles are adapted to everyday objects: flashlights, canes, tactical batons, and even large pens. In fact, the modern tactical cane movement — blending mobility aid with defensive tool — draws heavily from garote mechanics and mindset.

Some modern practitioners craft replica garotes from kamagong or other native woods for demonstrations, museum pieces, or cultural revival efforts. These replicas serve as bridges between ancestral combat and contemporary martial study.

Symbolism and Survival

The garote wasn’t just a weapon — in some communities, it symbolized authority, resistance, and survival. In barangays (villages), a leader or tanod (watchman) might carry a short club to enforce order. In times when blade ownership was restricted or expensive, the garote provided a democratic tool of protection — something anyone could carve from a nearby tree and wield effectively with proper training.

Oral histories from rural areas recount ambushes, family feuds, and Spanish-era uprisings where garotes were carried concealed in cloaks or slung across the back — not as primary arms, but as reliable finishers in close quarters.

Common Confusions: Garote vs. Garrote

It’s worth noting that “garote” in the Filipino context is often confused with the Spanish “garrote”, which refers to a strangulation tool or execution device. While the words share etymology (Spanish influence remains strong due to 300+ years of colonization), their martial contexts differ:

• Filipino garote: A club or blunt-force weapon, wielded like a stick or short mace.

• Spanish garrote: An execution tool or choking weapon, sometimes using wire or metal.

This confusion has led to mislabeling in books and online forums, but among seasoned FMA circles, the Filipino garote remains distinct and recognized for its role in impact-based combat.

Baston vs. Garote: What’s the Difference?

In modern Arnis, Eskrima, and Kali, the baston — a rattan stick — is the primary training weapon. But the garote offers a very different feel and function: