Interview With Magnus Larsson About Kali Exercises

On one of the social networks, we found interesting content about a little-known sport. For that reason, we decided to get in touch with Magnus Larsson, a connoisseur of martial arts called Kali.

In this article, we present you a conversation we had with him about his work and the martial arts he practices, most notably about Kali.

QUESTION

Hello Magnus! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your involvement in martial arts?

ANSWER

I am 45 years old. As a kid i did other sports with my friends. When I was 17 another friend talked me into coming along to a tae kwon do practise. I did that to yellow belt and then started some boxing and muay thai. When I saw the first UFCs I hooked up with some people that did greco roman wrestling and BJJ and tried to build a base in grappling the next five years. And then I have explored a lot of other martial arts on and off.

QUESTION

The cover photo of your YouTube channel says “Hybrid MA swe” – what does it refer to? 

ANSWER

Hybrid MA swe refers to my hybrid style. I have been in a lot of martial arts. Broad spectrum. Jack of all trades – master of none. The swe is for Sweden. 

QUESTION

Can you tell us a bit more about Kali? 

ANSWER

Kali is a fighting art from the Philippines. Over the archipelago there are several thousand islands and in some parts the name used is arnis and others eskrima or escrima. The systems have developed very differently in different parts of the Philippines. At the roots these are combat arts and not initially intended for sports but for war and survival – so it is a weapon based art. There are different sub systems like: single stick/machete, double stick/ machete, spear, single and double knife, stick/sword and dagger and empty hands. Emphasis is on fluid footwork and striking in motion, you can’t be still since the intended focus is on fighting multiple armed opponents and you don’t want to be a stationary target.

QUESTION

When it comes to your experience with martial arts, to whom do you recommend to train them? If a child wants to train martial arts, what’s the minimum age at which they can enroll? 

ANSWER

Anyone can train martial arts. You just need to adjust the training to the individual. I’ve seen 3-4 year olds running around and rolling on mats in judo and wrestling. If you teach as play its possible to start very early. Generally I’d wait a couple of more years regarding striking arts. But it depends on the child’s development.

QUESTION

What video from your channel would you recommend to those of our readers who are interested in learning more about what you do? Where should they start?

ANSWER

I don’t have much up at YouTube yet. But I am going to focus on that from now on. 

I would suggest looking up

Doug Marcaida and Kali Center on YouTube as well as local schools.

QUESTION

Other than your Youtube channel, do you have any other social media pages that you would like to share with us?

ANSWER

Instagram: @hbd.ma.swe

YouTube: bit.ly/magnuslarsson

TikTok: @hybrid_ma_swe

Twitter: @MaHybrid

Thank you for this interview Magnus! We wish you a lot of success with your online platform!