History of Kombatan Kombatan has been developed by Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas, Sr. It combines several classical and modern styles. Students learn several different approaches to different attacks. Drills, that improve the reflexes and reactions of students, are very important in training of Kombatan. Students are also encouraged to develop their own style within the framework of Kombatan. Unlike in many Asian martial arts, students of Kombatan learn first to use weapons and defend themselves against them. This philosophy is widely based on Filipino culture, where both women and men use swords and knives in their daily work. This is why it is more popular to defend oneself using a weapon than without it. Training with sticks is also safer than training without them (when training without weapons, strikes and kicks are performed on the body). When the student learns to defend him/herself against a weapon, it is easier to learn to defend oneself against an unarmed opponent. See also: History of Filipino Martial Arts Finnish Kombatan History