Master Henry Espera combine boxing technique and principle with the hand to hand striking technique of the Filipino Martial Arts. The hand and arm strikes of filipino are known as being Deadly as well as Effective in every encounter it faces and can stand on it's own, but the addition of Boxing makes it more scientific, Powerful, Non telegraphic, and Deadlier. Master like the way that the boxer applied his whole body torque and makes the punches more powerful ad destructive. The Art also absorbed many of it's training routine to it's existing method.

SUNTUKAN ( FIST FIGHTING OR BOXING ) - Since SABAKAN is for Self-Defense and not for sports. Most of it's principles and tactics works for close quarter combat but can work as well as to other ranges. We emphasize close fighting because this is the ranges most street attack occur. Sabakan's striking technical repertoire are consisted of close and open hand attacks such as : Fist ( Kamao ), Knuckles ( Buko ), Fingers ( Daliri ), Palms ( Palad ), Knife hand ( Talim ng Kamay ), Pinching  ( Kurot ), Hammerfist ( Pambayong kamao ) Etc. and other striking likes Elbows ( Siko ), Forearm ( Braso ), Shoulder ( Balikat ), Heads ( Ulo ), Hips/butt ( Balakang/Puwet ) and more. The methods of striking or our delivery system is done in mixture of Boxing, Kickboxing, Kali, Silat and Kuntao. Done in almost all possible angle, Simple yet effective variations of multiple fast striking.

Like most KENPO system, sabakan is 70% hand and 30% feet technique. But definitely can easily change the proportion if the student's want according to his need and body build, or if he can apply it in a Sparring or Scenario Based Training Mode. Master Espera and one of his devoted senior student Guro Isagani Abon believes in this scientific and systematic proportion of this fighting system that punong Guro formulate from his real word experience.

 SIPAAN ( UNIQUE KICKING ORIGIN ) - Nobody will believe that at first Mang Henry ( as what we call him; a tagalog term for mister or an older man ) kicking origin came from a sport and not from martial arts. That is the truth, Mang Henry is an avid practitioner of this sport and that is none other than --- Football or other called it Soccer.

At the beginning stage of his teaching he teach this powerful method but later on agreed to modified a little bit to make it more simple and effective. He integrated other fighting systems concepts and principles. He exhaustedly researched and experiment then he found out the most effective and simple technique. He absorbed and combined it to his existing punching system. Most of those technique came from Filipino Martial Arts and Kickboxing. He believe in non chambering, non telegraphic fast and full body torque execution of the kicks ( like Thai box ). The power comes from a combination of footwork, pivoting of the ball of the supporting legs, correct body alignment and use of the waist and hips. Sabakan practitioner kicked straight from where the foot was to the target, Rather than chamber the leg before firing the kick. In other word, your kicking with the whole body, not just a single limb in a quick non telegraphic fashion.

Sabakan aim his kick to the low line areas of his opponent such as: hips, groins, thigh, knee, shin, calves, ankle, and instep. Like a tree once you take or cut the roots the whole tree will fall and wont grow again. We're just using the principles : " minimum effort but with maximum damages" . Street fight would not last longer than ordinary sport arts sparring. Once you get in, finish your work or else he finish you, and absolutely Leg attacks will done it's work.

PATIBUNGAN KAMAY ( HAND IMMOBILIZATION OR TRAPPING )- Although trapping has the role to the completeness of Sabakan, we understand it's disadvantages. Those are: it's not easy to use against a street attacker who move and aggressive especially those who prefer evasive tactics; it takes time to learn, retain and Simply apply in a real combat scenario; it also takes time to ingrained it to your neuromuscular response system; you are in a scenario that while you are busy trying to control him, he's trying to tear your head off. Forget about the endless exchange of check and control, if you are not equally skilled and not willing to do what it takes to learn the art of trapping then forget it. Of course it wont work for you, anyway striking is the best Way to eliminate you opponent.

However, we intended to add trapping because of its nature and effective in actual combat involving a weapon. Sabakan is the translation of the weaponry fighting system of RAPIDO REALISMO COMBATIVE ART known as ESPERA KALI. Sabakan's trapping came from its co-subsystem the kali. Mostly from the knife fighting movements. It works like this: when you strike your opponent and he blocks or parries, your line of attack is obstructed. You have two options; remove it or go around it and continue your main goal to destroy him using our close combat

arsenal that are unique to the Filipino fighter such as: headbutt, shoulderbutt, elbowing, kneeing and nerve destruction. Many chinese system use a kind of trapping like wing chun, chy li fut and other. They using a simple and compound trapping maneuover but in Sabakan a filipino system, We use only the simple and decisive traps. Either in conjunction of destroying, trapping, and locking tactics. We don't use complex trapping or trap first before destroying strategy. It wont work on real scenario. Sabakan practitioner always remember that to use only simple traps ( beats, checks, or rakes ) to control and remove his hand guard on the way to your prime objective; opponent's elimination. Once you get in, prepare to abandon trappings and overwhelm him with a powerful, and destructive barrage of  attacks.

BUNO: HAGIS AT DALA-IBABA ( BALANCE DISRUPTION; TAKEDOWN ) - "Without the body balance there is no strength ", an outstanding principle. Martial arts, no matter what form they take, all depend on one single a factor - Balance. We need to acquire the skill necessary to overcome any antagonist. Knowing how to stand well and also to defend against balance attacks is important as well as how to disrupt your opponents balance. Mixed Martial Artist nowadays, use this principle for maximum domination.  take the leg and throws your opponent down to lose his 80% fighting ability and rain blows or the well known ground them and pound them strategy that most great grappler's advice. Sabakan's main objective is to strike and unbalance his assailants. It use and adopt any technique designed to forcefully or manipulate him out of an effective fighting  position. It include technique like sweep, trip, push, pull, throws, and takedown taken from different grappling method but mostly from wrestling and Master Espera's own creation by chance. you can unbalance your opponents by pushing backward, pulling forward, sideward but they can easily regain the balance by stepping on the same direction. Sabakan  forced them using the push-pull methods in a diagonal way, so it's not easy to him to regain his balance ( slight loss of balnceoccurs immediately ) by twisting or what we called triangular balance disrutption, tested in actual attack and in intensive training, we know it will work. It is part of  our BUNO.

BUNO: HAWAK, TRANKADA, AT PAGBALI ( HOLD, LOCKS, AND BREAKS ) - Holds, Locks, and Breaks or grappling ( Buno ) components is included because of it's necessity and applicability in any encounter, either in civilian or in military and law enforcements mission. Master Espera give his student permission to study, researched, experiment and created his own grappling arsenal that will work for him. It's slight differ from trapping is it's level of commitment. In trappings we're using it toreach our primary objective and seldom an end in itself while grappling maybe. This occurs when your opponents passed out from chokes, stop fighting because of joint breaks or secure locks and control.  

       SABAKAN  have no standard of grappling arsenal, any technique that work in any street encounter either legitimate technique from other grappling arts or created by opportunity as long as it's serve it's purpose, to control his opponent, then let it in. But student must embrace the concept of manipulation and controlling a moving and resisting body in order for him to show his maturity in the arts through securing, damaging technique he studied by means of direct physical contacts and show it to his Seniors.