What is Yaw-Yan?

Traditional Yaw-Yan, in the early 1970s, is more of a hybrid striking art, incorporating elements of
Shotokan/Shorin Ryu Karate, Jeet Kune Do, and Arnis. It lays emphasis on forearm strikes (also known as
"Bolo Punches") and long range kicking. It is only until the late 1980s or early 1990s, when Muay Thai
was first introduced in the Philippines, that Yaw-Yan incorporated elements from the same.

What is Hybrid Yaw-Yan?

"Hybrid Yaw-Yan", on the other hand, is the creation of Sir Henry Yap Kobayashi, who was a direct
disciple of Master Napoleon Fernandez. Inspired by the first UFC Tournament back in 1993, Sir Henry
would then study different grappling arts such as freestyle wrestling, judo, gracie jiu-jitsu, and russian
sambo. Thereafter, he combined elements from these arts and made a unique grappling style that
would complement with the striking art of Yaw-Yan

Difference between Yaw-Yan and Muay Thai?

To the naked eye, Yaw-Yan would look similar to Muay Thai or any form of full-contact kickboxing. While
there are similarities between the two striking arts (i.e. Use of Elbows and Knees, Kicking with the Shin,
Clinching etc.), there are subtle differences that is needed to take note of:

(1) The Roundhouse Kick of Yaw-Yan is not only limited with using the shin. Yaw-Yan Kicks are also done
with using the ball of the foot, the heel, and the blade of the foot. A true Yaw-Yan practitioner would
incorporate them all at any given situation. Furthermore, unlike in Muay Thai where the most common
kicks are the Roundhouse and the Teep, Yaw-Yan's kicks are mostly based from that of Karate (i.e. Side
Kick, Hook Kick, Back Kick, Spinning Heel Kick, etc.) but with long and arduous experimentation by
Master Napoleon Fernandez and his student-followers, he had come up with kicks unique to the art as
well (i.e. Mountain Storm Kick, Yaw-Yan Back Kick, Yaw-Yan Scorpion Kick, Ridge Kick, Forward Scooping
Kick, among others).

(2) Muay Thai fighters like to dominate in the clinch and unleash a flurry of elbows and knees. Yaw-Yan
fighters, however, tend to avoid the clinch and deliver its attacks from long range. Master Napoleon
Fernandez firmly believed in the Judo principle of "going with the force" rather than going against it.
Thus,Yaw-Yan fighters would incorporate hand-leading techniques (parrying), evasive footwork, and
counter-attacks in their arsenal along with their kicks and punches. The traditional Yaw-Yan fighting
stance is a mixture between Shotokan's fighting stance and a modified Jeet Kune Do/Wing Chun guard,
along with the triangular footwork found in Arnis/Eskrima/Kali. It was this kind of evasive and counter-
attacking mindset that gave the moniker " The Dance of Death".