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Pananjakman is the Filipino art of kicking. Although not as
appealing to the eye as the kicks found in Capoeira, Karate and Tae-kwon do, the
kicks are all designed to inflict pain, destroy an attackers mobility or
distract him for an upper body strike. The kicks are done with the point of the
foot, the heel and the shin. Popular targets include the shin, the knee, the
inside and outside of the thigh and the groin. The art of Filipino kicking is
still prevalent in the Philippines today, in the traditional form of Sipa
, a game which involves kicking a small rattan ball with the foot over a net to
another player. Another more village based activity with the same name, starts
out with two competitors in a small circle. Once the game begins, both
contestants attempt to kick each other until one contestant falls outside the
ring or can no longer continue. This "game" is not as popular today,
and is perhaps one of the fundamental training exercises in Pananjakman.
Finally, Pananjakman is frequently paired with Panantukan to create a complete
fighting system. The kicking art serves to distract the opponent while the
punching art incapacitates him. Alternatively, the punching art can distract the
opponent or neutralise his attacks while the kicking art cripples the attackers
mobility.
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