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Dii Mak January 31, 2007 at 10:37 am The vid says the finest strikers, but I guess you never know where this was, or the actual quality of these fighters. It looked pretty sloppy. I guess one of the things I notice in actual muay thai fights in Thailand is the precision of techniques. MT (in Thailand) just appears to be a whole different level. Thanks for sharing though, did not even know this existed. Ill have to ask the pinoy foo at the gym if he knows anything. You know, that guy that wears the short shorts and makes all the inappropriate comments. Log in to Reply

2. Tong Po January 31, 2007 at 5:05 pm Damn it! I dont make inappropriate comments. Anyway, I am not familiar with Yaw Yan. I do know, however, that their was another filipino guy- with short shorts, maybe, from and trained in the Philippines. He looked like he did Muay Thai, but had some spinning back kicks just like Yaw Yan. He told me that he fought San Shao before, but Im not sure about Muay Thai. Also, if Yaw Yan is so great, why is it not more popular in the PI or anywhere else. Also, I have not heard of many Yaw Yan fighters going up against Muay Thai, which is generally thought of as the toughest ring sport in Asia. Log in to Reply

3. viking February 11, 2007 at 9:10 am I am not a Yaw-Yan practitoner,From what i know ,its a filippino art developed from arnis.There strikes are taken from arnis movements.They have a number of kicks which includes unorthodox kicks like scorpion kick and all.They are heavily conditioned .one ooof their famus champions is Emilano Zapata. http://www.geocities.com/partyzoo88/Zapata.html Log in to Reply

4. jhoedi April 4, 2007 at 5:54 pm YAW YAW is famous in the Philippines to those who only have the exposure in Full Contact Karate Tournaments since early 80s It dominated the full Contact Tournaments with is undeafeted champion Emiliano Zapata. It was never commercialized. Thats why it is not that famous but it is really deadly. Not just on tournaments but on the streets as well. Log in to Reply

5. Yaw_Yan_Warrior May 17, 2007 at 5:54 am From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Yaw Yan LogoYaw-Yan (Filipino Kickboxing/Footboxing) Sayaw ng Kamatayan (Dance of Death) is the proper name for Yaw-Yan, a Filipino martial art developed by Napoleon Fernandez. The art resembles Muay Thai in a sense, but differs in the hip torquing motion as well as downward-cutting of its kicks. Log in to Reply

6. Don Leandro June 4, 2007 at 7:50 am Yaw-Yan (Sayaw ng Kamatayan/Dance of Death)YupMay look like Muay but its notPunches are from Bolo strikes based on the traditional Itak (Jungle knife) used by pinoys to cut rice or sugar canes and errrr people(Historic Wars here in R.P.)and kicks : Scorpion kicks,etchhave this downward cut stylea must see is the Mountain Storm Kick Log in to Reply

7. Gary Ferguson June 10, 2007 at 2:04 pm yaw yan resembles muay thai and san shou, it has as many kick as taekwondo, and it utilizes the spinning back fist thats what Ive been looking for an art that will let me use my boxing ability with muay thai elbows, knees, and shins and similar kicks of taekwondo, and also some throws. I dont believe in ground fighting but I do believe in knife fighting: as in sayok kali and baraw (Doce Pares) which are filipino arts, the filipinos also have combat judo which is Dumog. Log in to Reply

8. illusio June 12, 2007 at 1:48 am i am a yaw-yan fighter and i personally think that yaw-yan is a good sport. emiliano zapata. that name, the pride of yaw yan has never been defeated by a muay thai practitioner. it was when the ambassador of thailand here in the philippines asked for muay thai fighters to go up against sir emiliano. but did the muay thai peope prevail? nope, they cried.. yaw yan has more punching and kicking techniques than muay thai which makes them more versatile.muay thai king of the ring? maybe so..but lets wait and see.

Infos from Wikipedia.... Thanks.. Yaw-Yan (Filipino Kickboxing/Footboxing) Sayaw ng Kamatayan (Dance of Death) is the proper name for Yaw-Yan, a Filipino martial art developed by Napoleon Fernandez. The art resembles Muay Thai in a sense, but differs in the hip torquing motion as well as downward-cutting of its kicks. History

The acknowledged originator of Yaw-Yan is Grandmaster Napoleon A. Fernandez,a native of Quezon province, himself an undefeated All-Asian and Far-East Kickboxing champion. The word Yaw-Yan was derived from the two last syllables of "Sayaw ng Kamatayan" meaning "Dance of Death". Since its inception it has dominated the kickboxing scene in the Philippinesand has proven very effective against other Stand-up fighting arts such as karate, taekwondo and Muay thai in professional bouts in the Philippines. With the growing popularity of Mixed Martial Arts in the Philippines and the world it had upgraded its fighting style that includes striking, takedowns, grappling ,arnis and knife fighting with the new and complete Yaw-Yan Ardigma. Also note that this is not an internaitonally recognized "martial" arts and cannot be compared with institutions like Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do and the Brazilian Capoeira from which their techniques was derived. Techniques Yaw-Yan is not purely a full-contact no-holds barred sport martial arts. It is a complete martial training with body-mind coordination and test of enduring indomitable spirit. More than just physical training, it also involves the mental disciplines of focus, concentration, alertness, flexibility, stamina, speed and continuity. Students train for real confrontation and actual fights -- on or off the ring. Advanced Disciples have to go through a rigorous ritual of practice and discipline consisting of actual full-contact sparring, bag hitting, and flexibility exercises. The Elbows (siko), knees (tuhod), and shin (lulod) are utilized in much the same way as in Muay Thai. Yaw-Yan practitioners have to learn 40 basic kicks, advanced disciples have to be able to execute and apply complexed advanced kicks requiring great dexterity, flexibility, and mastery. Most of these advanced kicks are trick kicks could catch unsuspecting opponents by surprise. Yaw-Yan Back-kick, reversed Yaw-Yan roundhouse stomp thrust and the famous scorpion kicks were some of these kicks popularized in national motion picture by action stars Boy Fernandez and Rey Malonzo, both Yaw-Yan experts. Yaw-Yan practitioners are also train with Philippine bladed weaponries as balisong and bolo. Bladed weapons are treated as extensions of the hands. The forearm strikes, elbows, punches, dominating palms, and hand movements are empty-hand translations of the bladed weapons. There are 12 bolo punches which were patterned from Arnis, the philippines' very own armed art. These punches have continuous fluid striking motion quite similar to western boxing but incorporating the art of Arnis. Grappling, ground-fighting, and knife-fighting had always been a part of the philippines' martial art and are always incorporated during the Yaw-Yan practice period. Yaw-Yan is a transformation of ancient Filipino Martial Arts and a Modern Competition Sport with high emphasis on practicality and actual confrontation. "Mountain-Storm Kick" The mountain-storm kick had been debatable as who originated it, where and when, similar to Thai roundhouse kick except that the kicking leg was drawn up and swung-through in full force swiftly with a continuous downward cutting motion of the shin as the hips torque in instead of burst through. A carefully planted mountain-storm kick had left opponent with agonizing pain. Yaw-Yan fighters have been known for breaking their opponent's strong femur bone if not the ribs or jaw, with one mountain storm kick.

Eskrima, Arnis and Kali refer to a class of Filipino martial arts that emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, blades and improvised weapons. Although training starts with weapons, empty hand techniques, trapping and limb destruction are core parts of these arts as the weapon is considered merely an extension of the body. Eskrima and Arnis are the most common among the many names often used in the Philippines today to refer to these arts.[1] The teaching of the basic skills in Eskrima are traditionally simplified. With limited time to teach intricate moves, only techniques that were proven effective in battle and could easily be taught en masse were used. This allowed villagers, generally not professional soldiers, a measure of protection against other villages, as well as foreign invaders. This philosophy of simplicity is still used today and is the underlying base of eskrima. Because of this approach, eskrima and the Filipino martial arts in general are often mistakenly considered to be "simple". However, this refers only to its systematization, not effectiveness. To the contrary, beyond the basic skills lies a very complex structure and a refined skillset that takes years to master.[2] For the purpose of simplification, Eskrima shall be used to refer to the interchangeable terms of Arnis and Kali for the rest of the article. Origins When the Spaniards began colonizing the Philippines, they saw an already-developed weapons-based martial arts practiced by the natives. The name Eskrima came from the Spanish word for fencing due to the perceived similarity to fencing. After the decree prohibiting the native to carry full-sized swords (such as the Kris and the Kampilan), the Maharlika (the ancient nobility class) preserved the art. To circumvent the decree, some practitioners used sticks made out of rattan rather than swords, as well as small knives wielded like a sword. Eskrima can be traced back from Tom Pires' Suma Oriental to Lapu-lapu.[9] As eskrima is an art for the common folk, most practitioners lacked the scholarly education to create any kind of written record. While the same can be said of many martial arts, this is especially true for eskrima because almost all of its history is anecdotal, oral or promotional. The origin of eskrima can be traced back to the fighting systems used by Filipinos during inter-tribal warfare. Settlers and traders travelling through the Malay Archipelago brought the

influence of silat as well as Chinese and Indian martial arts.[10][11] Some of the population still practices localised Chinese fighting methods known as kuntaw. Among the earliest written records of Filipino martial arts comes from the Spanish conquistadors who fought native tribesmen armed with sticks and knives.[12] Driven back to their ships, the European colonists had to resort to fire-arms to defeat the Filipinos.[12] In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan was killed in Cebu at the Battle of Mactan by the forces of Raja Lapu-Lapu, the Mactan tribal chief. Although eskrimadors hold that Lapu-Lapu killed Magellan in a sword-fight, the only eyewitness account of the battle by chronicler Antonio Pigafetta tells that he was stabbed in the face and the arm with spears and overwhelmed with multiple warriors who hacked and stabbed at him: The natives continued to pursue us, and picking up the same spear four or six times, hurled it at us again and again. Recognizing the captain, so many turned upon him that they knocked his helmet off his head twice, but he always stood firmly like a good knight, together with some others. Thus did we fight for more than one hour, refusing to retire farther. An Indian hurled a bamboo spear into the captain's face, but the latter immediately killed him with his lance, which he left in the Indian's body. Then, trying to lay hand on sword, he could draw it out but halfway, because he had been wounded in the arm with a bamboo spear. When the natives saw that, they all hurled themselves upon him. One of them wounded him on the left leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being larger. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide. When they wounded him, he turned back many times to see whether we were all in the boats. Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, wounded, retreated, as best we could, to the boats, which were already pulling off.[13] The last part from Pigafetta's account is rather comical considering the amount of mortal injuries Magellan received, so it is generally accepted that the account was made with some coloring and embelishments by Pigafetta to make Magellan sound more impressive. Sources differ on the degree to which Eskrima was affected by the Spanish colonization. The fact that many Eskrima techniques have Spanish names adds fuel to the debate, but this can be explained as Spanish was the lingua franca of the Philippines until the early 20th century. Some theorize that there were groups of conquistadors and Jesuit warriorpriests who taught the Indios how to defend themselves against Moro raiders. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order was a veteran knight and soldier and many Jesuits knew how to defend themselves as they were generally dispatched into the most dangerous areas by the Pope. One of the apparent influences from Spanish styles is the espada y daga (sword and dagger) method, but some disagree as Filipino espada y daga appears to be distinct from European rapier and dagger techniques; the stances are different as weapons used in Eskrima are typically shorter than European swords.[14] One thing that is known is that some of the arts were hidden from the Spaniards and passed down through familial or communal ties, usually practiced under the moonlight or right under the Spaniards noses by disguising them as entertainment like with choreographed dances such as the Sakuting stick dance (see Youtube videos) or during mock battles at Moro-moro (Moros y Cristianos) stage plays. Due to the way the arts were then clandestinely practiced, one apparent effect of Spanish subjugation and disarmament of the civilian population was the evolution of unique and complex stick-based techniques in the Visayas and Luzon regions (unlike Southern Mindanao which retains almost exclusively blade-oriented techniques as it was never fully conquered and disarmed by the Spaniards and Americans).
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Although the turbulent and conflict-fraught history and environment of the Philippines enabled eskrima to develop into an efficient art, this has changed in the sense that some systematization allowed easier and quicker teaching of the basics. With the exception of a few older and more established systems, it was previously common to pass the art from generation to generation in an informal approach. This has made attempts to trace the lineage of a practitioner difficult. For example, Antonio Illustrisimo seemed to have learned to fight while sailing around the Philippines, while his nephew and student Floro Villabrille claimed to have been taught by a blind Moro princess in the mountains - a claim later refuted by the older Illustrisimo. Both have since died. Sikaran is a distinct Filipino Martial Art focused heavily on foot fighting and played as a game by farmers inside circular arenas in the middle of rice fields. As Sikaran is a general term for kicking which is also used as the name of the kicking aspects of other Filipino Martial arts, this article discusses the distinct art which is specifically practiced in the Rizal province that focuses almost exclusively in kicking. History Sikaran is a simple but intense martial art game that originated from the town of Baras in the province of Rizal. According to the forefathers of Baras, it had been practiced long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines in the 16th century.[citation needed] It is noted that like most Filipino martial arts, Sikaran has no written history as most Filipinos from the lower classes during Spanish colonial times were barely literate (free public education was only introduced during the American era) and it was passed orally from generation to generation. Like many Filipino martial arts styles, it has been endangered as it does not have as many practitioners as the more mainstream martial arts. Like Modern Arnis, in the mid-20th century, it had to adapt certain structural aspects of the

more well known art of Karate like the belting system, choreographed forms or Katas and uniforms to make it more appealing other Filipinos and be more accepted internationally.[1] On the Third Asian Karate Championship in 1966, Sikaran was accepted as a distinct Filipino style of fighting, by the Asian Karate Association headed by Koreas Dr. Kwai Byeung Yun, with the concurrence of Master Koichi Kondo of the All Japan Karate Federation, Master Hwang Kee of the Korean Tang Soo Doo and Chinas Master Chua Tiong Ki. This once in a lifetime event was witnessed by Philippine Senator Ambrosio Padilla, Antonio delas Alas, president of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, Colonel Jose Lukban, president of the Philippine Amateur Judo Association and several high ranking military officers. Also in attendance were Cipriano Geronimo, last Hari of Sikaran and several Sikaran elders from Baras and surrounding towns. In recognition of this achievement, the Philippine Sportswriters Association vested on Meliton Geronimo the Sportsman of the Year Award. Meliton Geronimo, who codified, organized and elevated Sikaran from an ancient system to a modern fighting art was awarded the title of Grandmaster of Sikaran with the rank of 10th Degree Red Belt. He was vested the Order of the Eagle (Agila), the highest award in the Asian Karate Association. Some people were insistent on calling the art Philippine Karate professing that it has been influenced too much by Karate. Some contend that it should be called Modern Sikaran to differentiate it with the Sikaran of old, because foreign but similar fighting arts have debauched its distinctive style. Meliton Geronimo, maintaining that this is neither a new nor a different art, but a natural evolutionary progression of the centuries-old art of Sikaran, resisted to use a qualifier and retained the name of the art the way it has always been since the 19th century. It may have seemed an insignificant matter to some, but to Meliton Geronimo, it looms large on the horizon of the future of SIKARAN. He strongly declared that the art of Sikaran that he is propagating is the same art his grandfather propagated in the 19th century. He emphatically stressed that nobody can improve on perfection of the centuries-old art of Sikaran. He emphasized that what he improved on is the packaging and presentation of Sikaran. Fighting Style Sikaran has its own distinct kicking styles.[2] The signature Biakid kick is executed by pivoting to the back in a complete turn, much like a spinning hook kick or a reverse round house in other martial arts styles and targets the side or back of the head while the practitioner is in mid to punching range. The degree of effectiveness subscribes to two classifications: "panghilo" (paralyzing blow) and "pamatay" or lethal kick. Obviously the first aimed at less vital parts of the physique, while the target of the second includes the heart, neck, head, groin, and spine, all highly vulnerable parts. Footage from the Last Man Standing UK TV series episode on Sikaran (Youtube link, uploaded by the Sikaran group featured) shows how the style practiced in the province is done differently from Tae Kwon Do and Karate.[3] There have been questions on the art of Sikaran as being native to the Philippines or being borrowed from Karate and Tae Kwon Do, but as can be seen in the Last Man Standing footage, to the farmers watching the sport and cheering on the sidelines, it is simply an ordinary sight common to their particular village, much like Sabong (cockfighting) is in the rest of the Philippines. It has been said that Tae Kwon Do "stole" the signature Biakid kick technique from Sikaran as a tournament technique after the Japanese and Koreans saw it used effectively by Sikaran players(Meliton Geronimo) during their debut in the inter-Asian Karate tournaments in the late-60's.[4] This is supported by the fact that spinning heel or hook kicks were not used in competitions by Korean players prior to the 70's.[5][6][7] [edit] Sport Sikaran utilizes only the feet as a rule for sport, and the hands are only used for blocking. The player uses his legs 90% of the time and his hands 10%, and only for blocking or parrying blows. Violation of this injunction, especially in tournaments, is ground for disqualification. The entry of Sikaran in tournaments, particularly those of international caliber, presaged certain modifications, if innovations, of its original rules, like the setting of a time limit and widening of the fighting area into twice the size required of the original arena, and the wearing of armor for safety reasons as it is played full contact and bare-chested with no armor or groinguard in the original province. (Filipino martial artists from more modest means generally have no such access to these Western accessories) Panantukan is the boxing component of Filipino martial arts, and is known in the Visayas as pangamot. It consists of upper-body striking techniques such as punches, elbows, head-butts and shoulder strikes. It also includes low-line kicks and knee strikes to the legs, shins, and groin, but some schools group this kicking aspect into the art of pananjakman, which relies on kicking and only uses the arms defensively. Some Western instructors teach panantukan as a separate martial art, but in the Philippines it is accepted as a part of eskrima. Panantukan is not a sport, but rather a street-oriented fighting system. The techniques have not been adapted for safety or conformance to a set of rules for competition, thus it has a reputation as "dirty street fighting".[who?] Common targets include the biceps, triceps, eyes, nose, jaws, temples, groin, ribs, spine, and the back of the neck. Some Filipino martial artists contest that the term Panuntukan be used, since the word came from the root word suntukan. Weapons

Traditional bolos from the Visayas (ginunting on the left, and three talibongs). Filipino martial artists are noted for their ability to fight with weapons or empty hands interchangeably and their ability turn ordinary household items into lethal weapons. Weapons-training takes precedence because they give an edge in real fights, gears students to psychologically face armed opponents, and any object that can be picked up can be used as a weapon using FMA techniques. Empty hands training is then taught as the stick is merely an extension of the hand. Another thing to note is that the Philippines is a blade culture. The Southern Philippines with the Moros were never really conquered by the Spaniards and the Americans nor the Northern mountains of Luzon with their feared headhunter tribes so they kept their weapons and their fighting skills. For the more "civilized" provinces and the towns where citizens had been "disarmed", bolos (a cutting tool similar to the machete) and other knife variants are still commonly used for general work (farming in the provinces, chopping wood, coconuts, controlling talahib (sword grass), which could grow higher than roofs if not cut, etc.) and of course, the occasional bloody fight. Until the 80s, balisong knives were still commonly used in the streets of Manila as general purpose pocket knives much like Swiss army knives or box cutters until new laws on allowable kinds of knives made it illegal to carry them in public without a permit or proof that it was a vital to one's livelihood (e.g. Martial arts instructor, vendor). They're still openly sold in their birthplace of Batangas, in the streets of Quiapo, souvenir shops and martial arts stores, wielded by practitioners and of course, street gangs. Thus, even when fighting systems were outlawed by the Spaniards, Filipinos still maintained their centuries-old relationships with blades and blade fighting techniques that survive from ancient times and are still much alive as they have been adapted and evolved to stay relevant and practical in colonial and modern times. What separates Filipino Martial Arts from other weapon-based martial arts like Japanese Kendo & Kenjutsu, European Fencing and traditional Chinese Martial arts that teach the usage of classical Chinese weapons is that FMA teaches weapon use that is practical today: how to use and deal with weapons that one can actually encounter in the streets and how to turn ordinary items into improvised weapons. No one walks around with sabers, katanas or jians anymore, but knives, machetes and clubs are still among commonly encountered weapons on the street and in the field, thus making FMA very practical and geared towards military and street fighting. Traditional weaponry varies in design, size, weight, materials and usage but because of the similarity of techniques and that the human being can move in only so many ways, any object that can be picked up can be turned into a weapon by a Filipino martial artist as a force multiplier. [edit] Unarmed

Mano Mano: (lit. hands to hand) Incorporates punches, kicks, elbows, knees, headbutts, finger-strikes, locks, blocks, grappling and disarming techniques Sikaran: Kicking techniques, also a kick-based separate art practiced in Rizal province Dumog and Buno: styles of grappling/wrestling

[edit] Impact Baston / Olisi: Short sticks, traditionally crafted from rattan or kamagong Bangkaw / Tongat: Staff, rod or pole Dulo-Dulo: Palmstick Tameng: Shield Improvised weapons: pens, keychains, keys (push knife grip), umbrellas, rolled-up newspapers/magazines, walking sticks, etc.

[edit] Edged

Daga/Cuchillo: Spanish for dagger or knife. Traditional varieties include the gunong, punyal and barung or barong Balisong: Foldable butterfly knife Karambit: Small blade shaped like a tiger claw Espada: Spanish for sword. Includes kampilan, ginunting, pinuti and talibong Kalis: Poison-bladed dagger, also known as kris Golok: Machete or broadsword Sibat: Spear Sundang: Single-edged thick short sword Lagaraw: Single-edged flexible long sword with a bent tip

[edit] Flexible Latigo: Whip Buntot Pagi: Stingray tail Lubid: Rope Sarong Cadena / Tanikala: Chain Tabak-Toyok: Two sticks attached together by rope or chain, similar to nunchaku, but with shorter sticks and a longer chain Improvised: Belt, bandana, handkerchief, shirt, towel

[edit] Projectile

Pana: Bow and arrow Sibat: Spear Sumpit: Blowpipe Bagakay: Darts Tirador/Pintik/Saltik: Slingshot Kana (as in Indian Pana Kakana-kana/kakanain kita): Darts propelled by slingshots used by street gangs Lantaka: kerosene-propelled bamboo cannon

The 12 Yaw-Yan Bolo Punches

1) Downward - executed like hitting downward with a butt end of a bolo, like hammering with the closed fist. 2) Outside - executed like swinging a bolo from inside of the body to outside, point of contact can be anywhere from forearm ridge to base of closed fist (butt-end side). This variance of an outside elbow strike, the Outside Bolo Punch can be beautifully executed as a turning Outside bolo punch, a favorite technique of Yaw-Yan fighters, the added momentum and movement of the hips gives extra knockout power to it's unexpected turning move.

 3) Inside - executed like swinging a bolo from the outside with a slashing motion towards the inside part, point of contact can be anywhere from forearm ridge to base of closed fist (the butt-end side). 4) Bottom's up - executed by swinging/slashing upward from inside of the body, point of contact is the butt-end side. 5) Backfist Snap - executed by snapping and retracting your fist, point of contact is the backside of the closed fist. 6) Inside rolling knuckles - executed with the knuckles rolling inside with a push. 7) Uppercut - executed the same way as the western boxing uppercut. 8) Straight Punch - executed the same way as the western boxing straight punch. 9) Upward Punch - executed by bring the punching fist vertically upward. 10) Crossed Punch - executed the same way as the western boxing crosspunch. 11) Overhead - executed by tucking your head with your one arm and hitting overhead with another fist. 12) Downward Rolling knuckles - executed with the knuckles rolling down with the push.