Yaw Yan and spinning techniques

**Andrew WA** · Posted On: 11/09/2011 9:01pm

When I was in the Philippines I was able to train at a Yaw Yan gym for a day in Marikina, in Metro Manila. It was pretty fun and the master was discussing they only spin 180 degrees but do not ever do full rotations. Does anyone know if this is a common thing for Yaw Yan fighters? If they did a back kick they would never spin all the way around they would retract their leg and go back the way they came. Same with backfists and they do a LOT of spinning backfists. They are pretty crazy fighters.

Also does anyone know if grappling is part of their curriculum or are some schools just borrowing from BJJ? The master of the gym I was at was saying Yaw Yan is based on all kinds of martial arts and made Filipino style. He seemed to be saying it is a hybrid style made by Filipinos.

**dougguod** · Posted On: 11/10/2011 11:45pm

Yaw yan is, as you suspect, a modern hybrid art. It was founded in the 1970's by Napoleon Fernandez. According to wikipedia, Mr. Fernandez had training in Japanese jiujutsu, aikido, and judo so grappling would be part of the official curriculum. All the youtube videos I've ever seen, though, give the impression that yaw-yan is strictly a striking art, one which bears an uncanny similarity to muay thai.

Actually, hold on a minute. I'm on youtube now. A search for yaw-yan turned up, among the expected kickboxing footage, a four-part series called "Martial Arts Odyssey: Yaw Yan Hybrid". After skimming the first two parts, it seems yaw-yan, or this gym, at least, is decidedly more grapple-y than I thought, sort of mma, in fact. Do you remember your gym's/ instructor's name?

**Andrew WA** · Posted On: 11/11/2011 10:41am

Originally Posted by dougguod

Yaw yan is, as you suspect, a modern hybrid art. It was founded in the 1970's by Napoleon Fernandez. According to wikipedia, Mr. Fernandez had training in Japanese jiujutsu, aikido, and judo so grappling would be part of the official curriculum. All the youtube videos I've ever seen, though, give the impression that yaw-yan is strictly a striking art, one which bears an uncanny similarity to muay thai.

Actually, hold on a minute. I'm on youtube now. A search for yaw-yan turned up, among the expected kickboxing footage, a four-part series called "Martial Arts Odyssey: Yaw Yan Hybrid". After skimming the first two parts, it seems yaw-yan, or this gym, at least, is decidedly more grapple-y than I thought, sort of mma, in fact. Do you remember your gym's/ instructor's name?

The master I took a day training with was named Sir Rey. Well his last name is Rey I was never told his first name. He is a grey haired slim, yet ripped man. I have a video I uploaded on youtube of me at the gym and him explaining how shin conditioning is very important.

Also the school is called Yaw Yan Buhawi and under the title it says Mixed Martial Arts. It is in Marikina, Metro Manila and we did tons of striking full contact drills and if you did not block it was your own fault. Then after we were done training some of the students wanted to grapple with me. Of course im not used to the extreme humidity as an American so I was extremely drained and I got tapped out by this really big and tall Filipino dude. But then I got to tap out of one the smaller younger kids lol. They wanted to beat up an American. I had so much fun.

**Andrew WA** · Posted On: 11/11/2011 10:48am

This is the master and place I was at.

**blackdove** · Posted On: 11/11/2011 7:22pm

That bag looks hard. Those shins really take a beating.

**Andrew WA** · Posted On: 11/11/2011 8:58pm

Originally Posted by blackdove

That bag looks hard. Those shins really take a beating.

Ya the bags they use are super super hard. Nothing at all is soft about them and it hurts to kick them. Its great conditioning. He has his students do 500 kicks a day on those.