YAWYAN: Sayaw ng Kamatayan - The Filipino Dance of Death

Yaw-Yan, also called Sayaw ng Kamatayan or “Dance of Death“ is a Filipino style of Kickboxing developed by Napoleon A. Fernandez. Since its inception in the 1970s, it has dominated the kickboxing scene in the Philippines and has proven very effective against other fighting arts. The word Yaw-Yan was derived from the last two syllables of Sayaw ng Kamatayan meaning “Dance of Death“. 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“. Yaw Yan was introduced to the public in 1972. It includes elements of striking, takedowns, grappling, Arnis stick and knife fighting, and additional kickboxing material. Listen to Sir Henry Kobayashi of the Hybrid Yaw-Yan Mixed Martial Arts Training Center explain the basics of Yaw-Yan, how it is u