Sayoc Kali is an “all knife all the time” system. This does mean that Sayoc practitioners will always use knives. For a Sayoc practitioner an empty hand is merely a knife they can not see. This means that they can never try to trade blows with an opponent, many people have had to learn this lesson the hard way when they assume their opponent is unarmed and rather than receiving bruises they are severely injured by a knife they did not see in their opponent’s hand.

The Sayoc knife system is template and drill based. Most of the learning is done with a training partner to provide realistic simulations of attack and defense. A template is a road map between knife targets. It is a way to remember the different attacks and to string them together where one cut sets up the next. During training one student practices feeding attacks with the knife while the receiver learns to defend with parries, traps and locks. Different drills emphasize different aspects of the knife engagement. Students use a training rig that holds their training knives. The rig is designed to simulate various carry positions as well as teach knife retention. One-on-one training is augmented with group movement and scenario exercises that aim to transpose drilled knowledge into real life knife situations.