There is a martial art called Bokator in Cambodia. It shares similarities with Thai Boxing but also has definitive differences and utilizes techniques fighting on the ground. Nearly all the grandmasters were murdered by the Khmer Rouge and the ones that weren’t murdered are now reticent to teach as they don’t want to be considered martial artists if a new Khmer Rouge comes along.
There is one grandmaster teaching and trying to revive the art that he says predates Angkor Wat. He especially wants to teach foreigners so that the art can grow internationally.
It is one of my dreams to go to Phnom Penh and learn bokator from Grandmaster San Kim Sean.
I saw some videos a few years back, it looked kind of great. The one I saw, they pumped in music, and the fighters were busting moves as they circled between engagements. I didn’t see any groundwork.
Here you go… what’s not to like? Maybe a little start/stoppy?
"In true Bokator fights, you don’t wear gloves and you can fight on the ground, with bouts ending in submissions or chokes.
The ground fighting is not nearly as effective as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or western wrestling, but it is arguably the only ground fighting art in southeast Asia."
-Antonio Graceffo (Westerner with a Black Krama in Bokator) although he isnt a qualified instructor b/c he didnt learn the traditional animal forms
I’d heard accusations it’s acutally repackaged hapkido combined with basic pradal serey, attempting to masquerade as a predecessor to all southeast asian kickboxing.
Big spoonful of salt on that, I saw it on a website about cambodian weapon arts (apparrently bokator is a homophone of a weapon, kind of like a long wooden gauntlet) years ago which I can’t even locate anymore.
If they actually fight that’s the biggest of points in their favor at least.
[QUOTE=mithrandir25;2955887]Some of the ways they moved reminded me of Shaolin Animal forms. I like how they fight and have a good mix of wrestling and striking techniques.[/QUOTE]
Some of the ways they moved reminded me of Mick Jagger strutting around.
Bokator is to Cambodia what Kung Fu is to China and Muay Boran is to Thailand.
Pradal serey is to Bokator what Sand Da is to Kung Fu and Muay Thai is to Muay Boran.
Bokator, Muay Boran, and the CMA pantheon are all traditional (vast) systems. Predal serey, Sanda, and Muay Thai are the modern, heavily combat condensed sport versions.
I think most on Bullshido would lean towards Prada serey as an effective art, but I’m sure there are some Bokator schools that train with the same aliveness.
Real bokator would have ended with one of the fighters dying. This pussy-ass bullshit “competitive sports” bokator is lamed down and emarassing to watch. Bokator is for warriors
[QUOTE=ermghoti;2924947]I saw some videos a few years back, it looked kind of great. The one I saw, they pumped in music, and the fighters were busting moves as they circled between engagements. I didn’t see any groundwork.
Here you go… what’s not to like? Maybe a little start/stoppy?