Arnis: Philippines martial art that evokes Magellan's nemesis

Philippine's Carloyd Tejada (right) competing against Vietnam's Thanh Tung Vuong during their men's welter weight 65kg padded stick competition arnis final match at the 30th SEA Games at the Clark City, Tarlac province, northern Philippines. - AP

Angeles City:- To the untrained eye, arnis -- the stick-wielding martial art of the Philippines -- is brutal and frenzied, but behind the chaos lies a tradition dating back hundreds of years.

With some contests lasting just a few minutes, the fast and furious combat sport made a triumphant return to the South-East (SEA) Asian Games this week, boosting the home nation's haul of golds by 14.