Eskrima, also known as Arnis or Kali is a weapons based martial art which comes from the Philippines. It is the national sport of the Philippines,and has a very long history of combat effectiveness. Only recently has this art become more conspicuous in many countries and enjoyed the popularity of other more traditional Asian arts. Its difference from other martial arts is that the student is taught to train with weapons from the very start, rather than starting on empty hands training (like many martial arts do). This type of training builds manual dexterity in the practitioner and also trains faster conditioned responses to various attacks. Although it is weapons based, it also includes striking (kicking and punching), wrestling and grappling, and even groundfighting, as well as teaching practical defenses against most weapons. In the Philippines it is referred to differently depending on location such as Arnis in the northern islands (Luzon) and Eskrima / Escrima in the central islands (Visayas). The term Kali is merely a generic term used in the United States to refer to Filipino martial arts of Arnis and Eskrima.