Bokator: Difference between revisions

Bokator
	File:Elbows.JPG Bas-relief from the entrance pillars of the Bayon.
Also known as	Lbokatao, Bokatao, Labokator
Country of origin	Cambodia
Famous practitioners	San Kim Sean, Meas Sok
Parenthood	Historic
Olympic sport	No

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Template:Khmer characters Bokator, or more formally, Labokkatao (ល្បុក្កតោ) is a Cambodian martial art that includes weapons technics. One of the oldest existing fighting system in Cambodia, oral tradition indicates that bokator or an early form thereof was the close quarter combat system used by the armies before Angkor 1700 years ago. The term bokator translates as "pounding a lion" from the words bok meaning to pound and tor meaning lion. A common misunderstanding is that bokator refers to all Khmer martial arts while in reality it only represents one particular style.^[1]

It uses a diverse array of elbow and knee strikes, shin kicks, submissions and ground fighting.^[2] Practitioners are trained to strike with knees, hands, elbows, feet, shins, and head. Weapons are also used, primarily the bamboo staff and short sticks.

When fighting, bokator exponents still wear the uniforms of ancient Khmer armies. A krama (scarf) is folded around their waist and blue and red silk cords called sangvar day are tied around the combatants head and biceps. In the past it is said that the cords were enchanted to increase strength, although now they are just ceremonial.

The art contains 341 sets which, like many other Asian martial arts, are based on the study of life in nature. For example there are horse, bird, naga, eagle, and crane styles each containing several techniques. Because of its visual similarity, bokator is often wrongly described as a variant of modern kickboxing. Many forms are based on traditional animal styles as well as straight practical fighting techniques. Pradal serey is a more condensed fighting system which uses a few of the basic (white krama) punching, elbow, kicking and kneeing techniques and is free of animal styles.

The krama shows the fighter’s level of expertise. The first grade is white, followed by green, blue, red, brown, and finally black, which has 10 degrees. After completing their initial training, fighters wear a black krama for at least another ten years. To attain the gold krama one must be a true master and must have done something great for bokator. This is most certainly a time-consuming and possibly lifelong endeavor: in the unarmed portion of the art alone there are between 8000 and 10000 different techniques, only 1000 of which must be learned to attain the black krama.

History

An ancient Khmer warrior using a thrust kick on Rahu in a bas-relief from the Banteay Chhmar temple.

Bokator is said to be the earliest systemised Khmer martial art, second in age only to the Mon-Khmer style of yuthakun khom. Although there are no records to prove this, the term bokator is itself a possible indicator of its age. Pronounced "bok-ah-tau", the word comes from labokatao meaning "to pound a lion". This refers to a story alleged to have happened 2000 years ago. According to the legend a lion was attacking a village when a warrior, armed with only a knife, defeated the animal bare-handed, killing it with a single knee strike. Lions have never roamed Southeast Asia, although Asiatic lions are found in western India. Indian culture and philosophy were the major influences in Angkor culture. All the great buildings of Angkor are inscribed in Sanskrit and are devoted to Hindu gods, notably Vishnu and Shiva. Even today, bokator practitioners begin each training session by paying respect to Brahma. Religious life was dominated by Brahmins who in India also practiced sword fighting and empty-hand techniques. The concept of the lion and bokator's animal-based techniques most likely emerged during the reign of the Angkor kings and the concurrent influence of Indian martial arts.

Bas-reliefs at the base of the entrance pillars to the Bayon, Jayavarman VII's state temple, depict various techniques of bokator. One relief shows two men appearing to grapple, another shows two fighters using their elbows. Both are standard techniques in modern kun Khmer, or pradal serey. A third depicts a man facing off against a rising cobra and a fourth shows a man fighting a large animal. Cambodia's long martial heritage may have been a factor in enabling a succession of Angkor kings to dominate Southeast Asia for more than 600 years beginning in 800 AD.

At the time of the Pol Pot regime (1975–1979) those who practiced traditional arts were either systematically exterminated by the Khmer Rouge, fled as refugees or stopped teaching and hid. After the Khmer Rouge regime, the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia began and native martial arts were completely outlawed. San Kim Sean (or Sean Kim San according to the English name order) is often referred to as the father of modern bokator and is largely credited with reviving the art. During the Pol Pot era, San Kim Sean had to flee Cambodia under accusations by the Vietnamese of teaching hapkido and bokator (which he was) and starting to form an army, an accusation of which he was innocent. Once in America he started teaching hapkido at a local YMCA in Houston, Texas and later moved to Long Beach, California. After living in the United States and teaching and promoting hapkido for a while, he found that no one had ever heard of bokator. He left the United States in 1992 and returned home to Cambodia to give bokator back to his people and to do his best to make it known to the world.^[2]

In 2001 he moved back to Phnom Penh and after getting permission from the new king began teaching bokator to local youth. That same year in the hopes of bringing all of the remaining living masters together he began traveling the country seeking out bokator lakru, or instructors, who had survived the regime. The few men he found were old, ranging from sixty to ninety years of age and weary of 30 years of oppression; many were afraid to teach the art openly. After much persuasion and with government approval, the former masters relented and Sean effectively reintroduced bokator to the Cambodian people. Contrary to popular belief, Sean is not the only surviving labokatao master. Others include Meas Sok, Meas Sarann, Ros Serey, Sorm Van Kin, Mao Khann and Savoeun Chet. The first ever national Bokator competition was held in Phnom Penh at the Olympic Stadium, from September 26–29, 2006. The competition involved 20 lakrus leading teams from 9 provinces.

Animal styles

White Krama ក្រមា ស

Duck (tiea ទា)
Crab (kdaem ក្ដាម)
Horse (seh សេះ)
Eagle (baksey បក្សី)
Dragon (neak នាគ)

Green Krama ក្រមាបៃតង

Monkey king (sdach swaa ស្ដេចស្វា)
Lion (tor តោ)
Elephant (domrei ដំរី)
Apsara (អប្សារា)
Crocodile (kraper ក្រពើ)

Internal links

Controversy

Some Cambodians and researchers argue that Bokator was nearly just a term coined by San Kim Saen. They are backed by the cambodian authorities recent researches conducted by scholars, all over cambodian provinces in 2011; which led in July of the same year, to a convention of the last 23 masters (krus) of traditional khmer martial arts, still alive they where able to find. The conclusion of this convention was that the actual name of Cambodian ancient martial arts is Kbach kun boran Khmer, or more specifically, Yutha Kun Khöm/Kawmyot. According to natives of Cambodia, Labokator/Boxkator/Bokator is actually a form of Kbach which involves the use of arm guards. Their claims are supported by the definition of Bokator given by the Khmer dictionary of Samdach CHOUN NATH. There are Kbach Kun Boran Khmer associations in Long Beach of California, Ohio state and at one point, Stockton, California. There is also Kawmyot associations in Phnom Penh and Santa Cruz, CA. On his side, Grand Master San Kim Sean rules a school located in Phnom Phen. His students Tun Serey and Teven Say were the first Khmer involved in an International Mixed Martial Arts tournament (Muay Fit in Malaysia). The Bokator Sör school created in 2012 by students of the Grandmaster in the center of the town is the first club involved in MMA in Cambodia. The federation also have students in France, United States (Texas)and Ireland.

Notes

^ Ray, Nick (2010). Cambodia. Lonely Planet. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-74179-457-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b Taipei Times Editorial, October 14, 2007

2. Grand Master San Kim Saen's name is often misspelled as San Kim Sean.

External links

http://www.talesofasia.com/rs-99-bokator.htm
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/200610067047/National-news/from-battlefield-to-sport-arena-the-rebirth-of-bokator.html
http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2006/09/300-participate-in-first-bokator.html
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Fighting/MixedMartialArts/2006/09/19/1862730-ca.html
http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=725 Adventure Writer Antonio Graceffo learns Bokator elbow strikes
http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=730 Adventure Writer Antonio Graceffo learns Bokator knee strikes
http://youtube.com/watch?v=617qPJPBSPM Trailer for the Khmer movie about Bokator martial art
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2008/02/cover-pictures-of-upcoming-labokator.html
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2007/10/labokator-cambodian-martial-art-of-lion.html
http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=1173

Template:Manav by country

[1] Ray, Nick (2010). Cambodia. Lonely Planet. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-74179-457-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[taipeitimes-2] Taipei Times Editorial, October 14, 2007

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{About||the 2007 film|Bokator (film)}}
+{{Tone|date=February 2008}}
 {{Infobox martial art
 | image = Elbows.JPG
 | imagecaption = Bas-relief from the entrance pillars of the [[Bayon]].
 | imagesize = 200px
-| name = Boggatau (originally misspelled as Bokator)
+| name = Bokator
-| aka =  Lbokatao, Bokatao, Labokator (all misspellings)
+| aka =  Lbokatao, Bokatao, Labokator
 | focus =
 | country = {{flagicon|Cambodia}} [[Cambodia]]
 | olympic = No
 | creator =
-| parenthood = Kawmyot
+| parenthood = Historic
-| famous_practitioner = [[San Kim Sean]], [[Meas Sok]]
+| famous_pract = [[San Kim Sean]], [[Meas Sok]]
 }}
 {{Khmer characters}}
+'''Bokator''', or more formally, '''Labokkatao''' (ល្បុក្កតោ) is a [[Cambodia]]n [[martial art]] that includes weapons technics. One of the oldest existing fighting system in Cambodia, oral tradition indicates that bokator or an early form thereof was the close quarter combat system used by the armies before [[Angkor]] 1700 years ago. The term bokator translates as "pounding a lion" from the words ''bok'' meaning to pound and ''tor'' meaning lion. A common misunderstanding is that bokator refers to all [[Khmer people|Khmer]] martial arts while in reality it only represents one particular style.<ref>{{cite book | last = Ray| first = Nick| coauthors =Daniel Robinson, Greg Bloom | title =Cambodia | publisher = Lonely Planet| year =2010 | page = 99| isbn = 978-1-74179-457-1}}</ref>
-'''Bokator''', or more formally, '''Labokkatao''' (ល្បុក្កតោ) is a misunderstanding of traditional Khmer martial arts called '''[[Kawmyot]]'''. The correct spelling of បុក្កតោ in English is Boggatau. Boggatau is a style of fighting within the '''[[Kawmyot]]''' martial arts that utilizes a pair of batons or arm guards called boggatau. The boggatau style focuses on deflecting attacks then follow up with combinations of counter strikes using the weapon, elbows, knees and kicks. Boggatau is most effective in combating mid range weapons such as spear and staff.
+It uses a diverse array of elbow and knee strikes, shin kicks, submissions and ground fighting.<ref name="taipeitimes">[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/10/14/2003383133 Taipei Times Editorial, October 14, 2007]</ref> Practitioners are trained to strike with knees, hands, elbows, feet, shins, and head. Weapons are also used, primarily the bamboo staff and short sticks.
+When fighting, bokator exponents still wear the uniforms of ancient Khmer armies. A [[krama]] (scarf) is folded around their waist and blue and red silk cords called ''sangvar day'' are tied around the combatants head and biceps. In the past it is said that the cords were enchanted to increase strength, although now they are just ceremonial.
+The art contains 341 sets which, like many other [[Asian martial arts]], are based on the study of life in nature. For example there are horse, bird, naga, eagle, and crane styles each containing several techniques. Because of its visual similarity, bokator is often wrongly described as a variant of modern kickboxing. Many forms are based on traditional animal styles as well as straight practical fighting techniques. [[Pradal Serey|Pradal serey]] is a more condensed fighting system which uses a few of the basic (white krama) punching, elbow, kicking and kneeing techniques and is free of animal styles.
+The krama shows the fighter’s level of expertise. The first grade is white, followed by green, blue, red, brown, and finally black, which has 10 degrees. After completing their initial training, fighters wear a black krama for at least another ten years. To attain the gold krama one must be a true master and must have done something great for bokator. This is most certainly a time-consuming and possibly lifelong endeavor: in the unarmed portion of the art alone there are between 8000 and 10000 different techniques, only 1000 of which must be learned to attain the black krama.
+== History ==
+[[File:BanteayChmarRahu.jpg|thumb|right|An ancient Khmer warrior using a thrust kick on [[Rahu]] in a bas-relief from the [[Banteay Chhmar]] temple.]]
+Bokator is said to be the earliest systemised [[Khmer people|Khmer]] martial art, second in age only to the Mon-Khmer style of yuthakun khom. Although there are no records to prove this, the term bokator is itself a possible indicator of its age. Pronounced "bok-ah-tau", the word comes from ''labokatao'' meaning "to pound a lion".  This refers to a story alleged to have happened 2000 years ago. According to the legend a lion was attacking a village when a warrior, armed with only a knife, defeated the animal bare-handed, killing it with a single knee strike. Lions have never roamed [[Southeast Asia]], although [[Asiatic lion]]s are found in western [[India]]. [[culture of India|Indian culture]] and philosophy were the major influences in Angkor culture. All the great buildings of Angkor are inscribed in [[Sanskrit]] and are devoted to [[Hindu]] gods, notably [[Vishnu]] and [[Shiva]]. Even today, bokator practitioners begin each training session by paying respect to [[Brahma]]. Religious life was dominated by [[Brahmin]]s who in India also practiced sword fighting and empty-hand techniques. The concept of the lion and bokator's animal-based techniques most likely emerged during the reign of the Angkor kings and the concurrent influence of [[Indian martial arts]].
+Bas-reliefs at the base of the entrance pillars to the [[Bayon]], [[Jayavarman VII]]'s state temple, depict various techniques of bokator. One relief shows two men appearing to grapple, another shows two fighters using their elbows. Both are standard techniques in modern kun Khmer, or [[Pradal Serey|pradal serey]]. A third depicts a man facing off against a rising cobra and a fourth shows a man fighting a large animal. Cambodia's long martial heritage may have been a factor in enabling a succession of Angkor kings to dominate Southeast Asia for more than 600 years beginning in 800 AD.
+At the time of the [[Pol Pot]] regime (1975–1979) those who practiced traditional arts were either systematically exterminated by the [[Khmer Rouge]], fled as refugees or stopped teaching and hid. After the Khmer Rouge regime, the [[Vietnam]]ese occupation of Cambodia began and native [[martial arts]] were completely outlawed. San Kim Sean (or Sean Kim San according to the English name order) is often referred to as the father of modern bokator and is largely credited with reviving the art. During the Pol Pot era, San Kim Sean had to flee Cambodia under accusations by the Vietnamese of teaching [[hapkido]] and bokator (which he was) and starting to form an army, an accusation of which he was innocent. Once in America he started teaching hapkido at a local YMCA in Houston, Texas and later moved to Long Beach, California. After living in the United States and teaching and promoting hapkido for a while, he found that no one had ever heard of bokator. He left the United States in 1992 and returned home to Cambodia to give bokator back to his people and to do his best to make it known to the world.<ref name="taipeitimes" />
+In 2001 he moved back to [[Phnom Penh]] and after getting permission from the new king began teaching bokator to local youth. That same year in the hopes of bringing all of the remaining living masters together he began traveling the country seeking out bokator ''lakru'', or instructors, who had survived the regime. The few men he found were old, ranging from sixty to ninety years of age and weary of 30 years of oppression; many were afraid to teach the art openly. After much persuasion and with government approval, the former masters relented and Sean effectively reintroduced bokator to the Cambodian people. Contrary to popular belief, Sean is not the only surviving labokatao master. Others include Meas Sok, Meas Sarann, Ros Serey, Sorm Van Kin, Mao Khann and Savoeun Chet. The first ever national Bokator competition was held in Phnom Penh at the Olympic Stadium, from September 26–29, 2006. The competition involved 20 lakrus leading teams from 9 provinces.
+== Animal styles ==
+===White Krama ក្រមា ស===
+* Duck (tiea ទា)
+* Crab (kdaem ក្ដាម)
+* Horse ({{Not a typo|seh}} សេះ)
+* Eagle (baksey បក្សី)
+* Dragon ([[nāga|neak]] នាគ)
+===Green Krama ក្រមាបៃតង===
+* [[Hanuman|Monkey king]] (sdach swaa ស្ដេចស្វា)
+* Lion (tor តោ)
+* Elephant (domrei ដំរី)
+* [[Apsara]] (អប្សារា)
+* Crocodile (kraper ក្រពើ)
+== Internal links ==
+*[[Kbachkun boraan]]
+*[[Khmer Traditional Wrestling]]
+*[[Pradal Serey]]
+===See also===
+*[[Bando]]
+*[[Kuttu Varisai]]
+*[[Muay Boran]]
+*[[Silat]]
+==Controversy==
+Some Cambodians and researchers argue that Bokator was nearly just a term coined by San Kim Saen. They are backed by the cambodian authorities recent researches conducted by scholars, all over cambodian provinces in 2011; which led  in July of the same year, to a convention of the last 23 masters (''krus'') of traditional khmer martial arts, still alive they where able to find. The conclusion of this convention was that the actual name of Cambodian ancient martial arts is [[Kbach kun boran]] Khmer, or more specifically, Yutha Kun Khöm/[[Kawmyot]]. According to natives of Cambodia, Labokator/Boxkator/Bokator is actually a form of Kbach which involves the use of arm guards. Their claims are supported by the definition of ''Bokator'' given by the Khmer dictionary of Samdach CHOUN NATH. There are Kbach Kun Boran Khmer associations in Long Beach of California, Ohio state and at one point, Stockton, California. There is also Kawmyot associations in Phnom Penh and Santa Cruz, CA.
+On his side, Grand Master San Kim Sean rules a school located in Phnom Phen. His students Tun Serey and Teven Say were the first Khmer involved in an International Mixed Martial Arts tournament (Muay Fit in Malaysia). The Bokator Sör school created in 2012 by students of the Grandmaster in the center of the town is the first club involved in MMA in Cambodia. The federation also have students in France, United States (Texas)and Ireland.
+== Notes ==
+{{Reflist|2}}
+. Grand Master San Kim Saen's name is often misspelled as San Kim Sean.
+== External links ==
-When it come to boggatau and khmer martial arts as a whole, a student either knows the art or does not. There is no yellow belt, yellow scarf, or any quacking duck inspired move. The idea of using colored head bands to show skill level came from San Kim Sean, a hapkido practitioner accustomed to western martial arts culture posing as a master of Khmer martial arts. There are martial arts schools that use the colored belt system in Cambodia, but those schools teach Karate and Tae Kwon Do.
+{{External links|date=August 2010}}
-==Misconception==
+* http://www.talesofasia.com/rs-99-bokator.htm
-The boggatau misconception began during the French colonization of Southeast Asia. In 1863 King Norodom asked France to be the country's protectorate to stop the Vietnamese and Thai's joint conquest of Cambodia. The country was saved from extinction, but all was not well. French protection had a price. The French imposed unfair laws and burdensome taxes that led people to rebellion. These rebels were usually farmers that relied on [[kawmyot martial]] arts to fight government forces and French legions armed with rifles. Frequent skirmishes between government forces and freedom fighters became a problem for the French. To deal with this problem, the government stripped the people of their right to bear arms and banned the practice of kawmyot martial arts.
+* http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/200610067047/National-news/from-battlefield-to-sport-arena-the-rebirth-of-bokator.html
+* http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2006/09/300-participate-in-first-bokator.html
+* http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Fighting/MixedMartialArts/2006/09/19/1862730-ca.html
+* http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=725 Adventure Writer Antonio Graceffo learns Bokator elbow strikes
+* http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=730 Adventure Writer Antonio Graceffo learns Bokator knee strikes
+* http://youtube.com/watch?v=617qPJPBSPM Trailer for the Khmer movie about Bokator martial art
+* http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2008/02/cover-pictures-of-upcoming-labokator.html
+* http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2007/10/labokator-cambodian-martial-art-of-lion.html
+* http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=1173
+{{manav by country}}
-Stripping the people of their iron weapons did not stop them from fighting. Freedom forces continued their siege on the French controlled government using wooden weapons such as batons, clubs, staff and boggatau arm guards. The bokgatau proved to be very successful in combat. As a result, more warriors began wielding the boggatau. The French hated the boggatau weapon and fighting style which they called "le boggatau" which simply means " the boggatau" in their native language. Today, its commonly miswritten as le bokator by people with limited competence in French and English. The news of Khmer warriors wielding boggataus in skirmishes across the kingdom misled the common person to believe that Khmer martial arts is boggatau or le bokator. From then on every time people refer to Khmer martial arts they would call it boggatau.
+[[Category:Cambodian martial arts]]
-==The Bokator Myth==
-Myths about boggatau began with one man-San Kim Saen, the hapkido master posing as a Khmer martial arts master. Kim Sean taught hapkido in the United States for a decade. When students stopped attending his school, it became difficult for Kim Sean to make a living. Buried in debt and lacking competence in the English language to get a normal job in America, San Kim Sean moved his family to his homeland of Cambodia in the 1990s. Kim Sean thought he could reinvent himself as a traditional Khmer martial arts master by taking advantage of the turmoil during the post war rebuilding of Cambodia. He catered to Westerners and presented himself to them as the only living master of Cambodian martial arts. Kim Sean filled the ears of Westerners with exotic stories of origin, showed them traditions that were never practiced. The lies San Kim Sean told to make a few bucks became a cancer for the Khmer culture. These myths made their way into books, films, and popular culture. Eventually, the only information available on Khmer martial arts were lies told by San Kim Sean through his misinformed students.
+[[ast:Bokator]]
-It was just a matter of time before the Cambodian people caught on to what San Kim Sean was doing. Several '''[[Kawmyot]]''' masters became aware that San Kim Sean was hurting the Khmer culture with his lies about boggatau coming from a villager who crushed a lion with a knife and misspelling the word in English. The real '''[[Kawmyot]]''' masters asked Kim Sean to end his charade, but San Kim Sean became so big he did not think he has to listen to anyone. In 2011, San Kim Sean was taken to a committee of 23 '''[[Kawmyot]]''' masters (gru in Khmer) for education on the history and practices of Khmer martial arts. That is after the government shut his school down and seized his assets for fraud. After the intervention of the '''[[Kawmyot]]''' masters, San Kim Sean, the man behind the bokator myths, has reinvented himself, again. Now he is a mixed martial arts (MMA) master.
+[[es:Bokator]]
+[[fr:Bokator]]
+[[it:Bokator]]
+[[lt:Bokatoras]]
+[[ja:ボッカタオ]]
+[[pl:Bokator]]
+[[pt:Bokator]]
+[[fi:Bokator]]