Backstabbers Finland: Baraw Sugbo -style knife defense

🔪 Knife Defense Fundamentals – Helsinki, September 2026

Good knife-defense training is not just about learning techniques. It is about learning how to train.

Our next Baraw Sugbo Level 1 Intro Course introduces the core fundamentals of Metodo through progressive partner training. We start with clear, structured exercises and gradually develop timing, distance, perception and adaptability.

No previous Baraw Sugbo or FMA experience is required. Training is scaled according to experience and physical ability.

📅 2 & 9 September | 17:00–18:30
🔄 16 September | Review & catch-up
📍 Pasila, Helsinki
💶 Includes regular autumn training

Come learn the fundamentals—and a systematic way to keep developing them.

Event & more information: link in bio

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Check out our seminars in Helsinki and other cities from our website, link in bio!
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Disclaimer: Pictures and videos are not choreographed demonstrations and don’t represent self-defense situations.
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Backstabbers Finland: Baraw Sugbo | Arnes Diablo | Kutsilyo Cebu knife defense, as taught by Eduardo Ceniza, Cronnie Cabatingan, and Venson Villamala. | Knife related combatives. Based in Helsinki. We strictly adhere to lawful and ethical guidelines, and do not condone any unlawful or extreme practices.

Some of the most valuable training happens in the parts of the system we practice the least.

Each time Grandmaster Eduardo Ceniza visits Finland, we make a point of spending time on the less frequently trained aspects of Baraw Sugbo—not necessarily because they are more advanced, but because regular training naturally gives some areas more attention than others.

These sessions are also an opportunity to revisit familiar material from a different angle, ask questions, and refine our shared understanding of how the different parts of the system connect.

A curriculum is more than its most commonly practiced material. Sometimes going back to the quieter corners reveals something useful about the whole.

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Check out our seminars in Helsinki and other cities from our website, link in bio!
——————————
Disclaimer: Pictures and videos are not choreographed demonstrations and don’t represent self-defense situations.
——————————
Backstabbers Finland: Baraw Sugbo | Arnes Diablo | Kutsilyo Cebu knife defense, as taught by Eduardo Ceniza, Cronnie Cabatingan, and Venson Villamala. | Knife related combatives. Based in Helsinki. We strictly adhere to lawful and ethical guidelines, and do not condone any unlawful or extreme practices.

Joining the Baraw Sugbo Summit 2026?

We have a dedicated WhatsApp group for participants where we share practical information, schedule updates, training locations, rides, and other summit-related announcements.

If you’re joining the summit and would like to be added, send us a PM and we’ll send you the invitation link.

We look forward to training with you!

——————————
Check out our seminars in Helsinki and other cities from our website, link in bio!
——————————
Disclaimer: Pictures and videos are not choreographed demonstrations and don’t represent self-defense situations.
——————————
Backstabbers Finland: Baraw Sugbo | Arnes Diablo | Kutsilyo Cebu knife defense, as taught by Eduardo Ceniza, Cronnie Cabatingan, and Venson Villamala. | Knife related combatives. Based in Helsinki. We strictly adhere to lawful and ethical guidelines, and do not condone any unlawful or extreme practices.

Does the size of the knife change the training?

Absolutely. Even small differences in blade length and handle geometry can influence how the hands interact during training.

In this clip, Juho and Jasse are working through Baraw Sugbo drills using a Mora knife as the training reference. Compared to larger knives, the shorter handle and blade demand greater precision in gripping and control. It’s a simple equipment change that encourages practitioners to pay closer attention to hand placement and structure rather than relying on habit.

Changing the training tool doesn’t change the principles—but it can reveal details that are easy to overlook.

——————————
Check out our seminars in Helsinki and other cities from our website, link in bio!
——————————
Disclaimer: Pictures and videos are not choreographed demonstrations and don’t represent self-defense situations.
——————————
Backstabbers Finland: Baraw Sugbo | Arnes Diablo | Kutsilyo Cebu knife defense, as taught by Eduardo Ceniza, Cronnie Cabatingan, and Venson Villamala. | Knife related combatives. Based in Helsinki. We strictly adhere to lawful and ethical guidelines, and do not condone any unlawful or extreme practices.

One of the easiest ways to slow down a student’s progress is to give them too much to process at once.

In this clip, Juan and Juha are refining the Baraw Sugbo Metodo. One detail worth noticing is Juan’s feeding: it’s clear, consistent, and intentionally uncomplicated. Rather than trying to challenge the defender with endless variation, the goal is to present exactly the stimulus needed for the current learning objective.

Good feeding is a teaching skill in itself. Sometimes doing less produces better learning. Once the foundation is stable, complexity and pressure can be added progressively.

——————————
Check out our seminars in Helsinki and other cities from our website, link in bio!
——————————
Disclaimer: Pictures and videos are not choreographed demonstrations and don’t represent self-defense situations.
——————————
Backstabbers Finland: Baraw Sugbo | Arnes Diablo | Kutsilyo Cebu knife defense, as taught by Eduardo Ceniza, Cronnie Cabatingan, and Venson Villamala. | Knife related combatives. Based in Helsinki. We strictly adhere to lawful and ethical guidelines, and do not condone any unlawful or extreme practices.

Juho and Jasse working through Baraw Sugbo randomized dexterity drills, also known as Palakaw, using a standard KA-BAR knife.

Palakaw develops timing, adaptability, and grip dexterity through an interactive training process. Rather than memorizing fixed sequences, the emphasis is on recognizing changing opportunities and responding with appropriate movement while maintaining structure and control.

——————————
Check out our seminars in Helsinki and other cities from our website, link in bio!
——————————
Disclaimer: Pictures and videos are not choreographed demonstrations and don’t represent self-defense situations.
——————————
Backstabbers Finland: Baraw Sugbo | Arnes Diablo | Kutsilyo Cebu knife defense, as taught by Eduardo Ceniza, Cronnie Cabatingan, and Venson Villamala. | Knife related combatives. Based in Helsinki. We strictly adhere to lawful and ethical guidelines, and do not condone any unlawful or extreme practices.

Markku and Juan have been working through the core fundamentals of Baraw Sugbo during the past two Wednesday sessions. Great to see both the instructors and the trainees developing steadily and building a solid foundation together.

The final session of this intro course takes place next Wednesday. After that, all participants are warmly welcome to continue training in our regular sessions and keep progressing along the Baraw Sugbo path.

——————————
Check out our seminars in Helsinki and other cities from our website, link in bio!
——————————
Disclaimer: Pictures and videos are not choreographed demonstrations and don’t represent self-defense situations.
——————————
Backstabbers Finland: Baraw Sugbo | Arnes Diablo | Kutsilyo Cebu knife defense, as taught by Eduardo Ceniza, Cronnie Cabatingan, and Venson Villamala. | Knife related combatives. Based in Helsinki. We strictly adhere to lawful and ethical guidelines, and do not condone any unlawful or extreme practices.