[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 practitioners participate in various Filipino mixed-martial arts tournaments such as the Universal Reality Combat Championship[4] and Fearless Fighting.

It includes elements of striking, takedowns, grappling, 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.

[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.