Yaw-Yan, also called Sayaw ng Kamatayan (English: Dance of Death),[1] is a Filipino martial art developed by Napoleon A. Fernandez and based on older Filipino martial arts.[2]
Since its inception in the 1970s, it has dominated the kickboxing scene in the Philippines and has proven very effective against other stand-up fighting arts[citation needed].
Yaw-Yan closely resembles Muay Thai, but differs in the hip-torquing motion as well as the downward-cutting nature of its kicks, the arm strikes resembling Bolo knife movements,[3] and the emphasis on delivering attacks from long range (while Muay Thai focuses more on clinching).
The originator of Yaw-Yan is Napoleon A. Fernandez or "Master Nap",[7] a native of Quezon province, who originally studied Jujutsu.[8] The word Yaw-Yan was derived from the last two syllables of Sayaw ng Kamatayan meaning "Dance of Death".[9]
Fernandez had a background in various martial arts such as Jeet Kune Do, Karate, Eskrima, Aikido, and Judo. He is said to have modified all the martial art forms that he studied and fused them to create a martial art form that is deadly to opponents and "advantageous to the build of Filipinos".[10] Yaw Yan was introduced to the public in 1972.
It includes elements of striking, takedowns, grappling, stick and knife fighting, and additional kickboxing material.[11]
It reflected the growing popularity of Kickboxing during the 1970s to 1980s,[12] and from the 1990s to the Mixed martial arts in the Philippines as well as worldwide.[13]
Training
With boxing being the base of the martial art, Yaw-Yan practitioners normally cross train boxing with Muay Thai. Being a modern martial art, local gyms often offer classes and training programs for the martial art. The forearm strikes, elbows, punches, dominating palms, and hand movements are empty-hand translations of the bladed weapons.[14]
There are 12 "bolo punches" (not to be confused with boxing's bolo punch) which were patterned from traditional Filipino martial art of eskrima.[15][16][17] The body conditioning is similar to Muay Thai and boxing, and it is common to see a Yaw-Yan practitioner shadowboxing with weights and warming up by using heavy bags for striking.
References
^"Yaw Yan, The Philippine Dance of Death". Inside Kung Fu magazine. Vol. 9, no. 11. November 1982.
