Chain of Hands

Kadena de Mano (often misspelled Kadena Demano) is an empty-hand flow system in Filipino Martial Arts, especially within Kali / Eskrima. It is a foundation of the Inayan System of Escrima and is used in drills here at Strickland’s Marrtail Arts.

Translated from Spanish:

• Kadena = chain

• Mano = hand

So it literally means “chain of hands.”

What Kadena de Mano Is

It’s a continuous striking-and-trapping flow designed for close-range fighting.

Think:

Panantukan + Hubud + Sumbrada (empty hand)

It emphasizes:

• Non-stop striking

• Hand fighting

• Limb control

• Flowing between offense and defense

Core Characteristics

🥊 Chained strikes

• Punches, slaps, elbows, hammerfists

• No single isolated shots—everything connects

🪤 Trapping & clearing

• Parry → check → strike

• Wrist traps

• Elbow pins

• Arm drags

🦴 Gunting (limb destruction)

• Attacking biceps, forearms, hands

• Elbows and forearms against punches

🧠 Flow & adaptability

• Feels like controlled chaos

• Constant forward pressure, but not rigid

How It’s Trained

• Partner flow drills

• Progressive resistance

• Rhythm breaking

• Clinch integration

• Eventually turns into live Panantukan sparring

It starts structured, then becomes unpredictable.

How It Differs from Hubud

Hubud: Sensitivity-focused - More circular - Often cooperative - Emphasizes feel

Kadena de Mano : Strike-focused - More aggressive - More pressure-based - Emphasizes damage

Hubud teaches you to feel openings.
Kadena de Mano teaches you to capitalize on them immediately.

Why It Matters

Kadena de Mano trains the range where:

• Punches collide

• Guards crash

• Clinches happen

• Fights get ugly fast

That’s the reality range of most self-defense encounters.

Big Picture

In many Kali systems:

• Sinawali builds coordination

• Sumbrada builds timing

• Hubud builds sensitivity

• Kadena de Mano builds finishing pressure