The basic core of Balintawak training, is a reactive ‘counter to counter’ style and is taught virtually and is more effectively learnt ‘one on one’. The student is taught defensive and offensive techniques, where at all times there needs to be a coach to guide the student through their moves from the very basic to the advanced. A level in the latter parts of the students training will be reached where the student and instructor ‘give and take’ all the techniques of the style.

Initially, for the beginner, Balintawak can seem to be a very defensive style. When the instructor attacks, the student will learn to defend with a block and counter with a ‘single’ strike. This is where other styles argue that their systems are better as they learn to counter with multiple strikes. Balintawak is different. Balintawak considers that an opponent will defend effectively your counter strike and counter your counter. A lot of Escrima schools do not consider that an opponent will defend themself properly to a counter. But what if they do? Of course if the opponent does not defend properly then they leave themself open to multiple strikes. Balintawak however, pays due consideration that an opponent may be skilled and that every move has a counter and that every counter has a counter. It is simply timing that plays the major role between skilled Escrimadors.

Balintawak has no single person Katas or patterns, nor does it have hard rigid long stances but uses short, very mobile stepping movements just as if the person was walking. The student is taught to be elastic in their actions and can use an evading, twisting long style sometimes referred to as ‘bamboo’ or 'Kawayan'. They can use the more forceful ‘breaking’ or ‘sikit’ style where the emphasis is upon the distance of the empty hand to be able to touch the opponent’s shoulder, or they can use the low, tight, bobbing and weaving styled movements sometimes called 'Likay' or 'Lahay'.

Balintawak for safety teaches the use of a single stick for the majority of their training, but it is emphasised that each strike can be either a slash, butt or thrust like a bladed weapon. Balintawak teaches the ‘principles’ behind the movements of the stick work, so that variations of these moves can be used to defend yourself without thinking "Do I have a knife, sword or am I unarmed". Balintawak does teach some specific stick, knife, sword and empty hand techniques but the majority of the principles are the same and if you understand the principles you can apply the variations.