|This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2011)|
|Also known as||Sayaw ng Kamatayan
"Dance of Death"
|Country of origin||Philippines|
|Creator||Napoleon A. Fernandez|
|Famous practitioners||Alvin Aguilar, George Estregan Ruben Sumido|
Yaw-Yan, also called Sayaw ng Kamatayan or "Dance of Death"1 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 stand-up fighting arts.
Yaw-Yan closely resembles Muay Thai, but differs in the hip-torquing motion as well as the downward-cutting nature of its kicks, 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",5 a native of Quezon province, who originally studied Jujutsu.6 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".citation needed 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.
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 traditional Filipino martial art of eskrima.
- Yaw Yan, The Philippine Dance of Death. Vol. 9, No. 11. Inside Kung-Fu magazine. November 1982.
- Mallari, Perry Gil S. (2007-07-15). "The thrill of the UR CC X". The Manila Times. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- "Amurao bags Fearless Fighting featherweight crown". The Manila Times. 2007-03-18. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- "Wushu bets dominate Fearless Fighting". Manila Bulletin. 2006-04-16. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- "Yaw-Yan ‘Texas’ opens new gym in Tondo, Manila". Sun.Star Cebu. 2007-07-08. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- Yaw Yan, 2011 accessed March 20, 2011