BOKATOR; AN ANCIENT MARTIAL ARTS IN CAMBODIA

Bokator is an ancient martial art from Cambodia that was all but extinguished during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. It is an ancient Cambodian martial art that was developed by Angkor as a close-quarter combat system. Esteemed for its weapons techniques and was carved into a deadly fighting tool to help crush the empire’s invading enemies.

Bokator is characterized by hand to hand combat along with heavy use of weapons. Includes a diverse range of knee and elbow strikes, shin kicks, submissions and ground fighting but weapons form part of it too, bamboo sticks, spears and even the krama- a traditional Cambodian scarf which is even today fighters wear it around the waist and blue and red silk cords toed around the biceps and waist. Every color of the krama signifies the combatant’s level. First grade is white, followed by green, blue, red, brown and last is black. The gold krama is the highest level and is only attained by the great masters of the art, such as Kim Sean.

The krama is used by many 메이저사이트 of the tens of thousands bokator moves. And like many of the martial arts, bokator moves are based on animals, such as the tiger, horse, eagle and naga, with the moves’ origins stemming from the animals’ styles.

Grandmaster San Kim Sean was one such master. He returned to Cambodia after several years in exile, making it his life’s mission to find any of the remaining masters, rebuild the lost trust among his people, and resurrect Bokator for the new generation.

Bokator masters are generally more than 75 years old. Their health is very fragile and their memory not always very clear. Many of them are beginning to forget the important aspects of it. Others are already dead and are soon to be followed. Today, bokator is again being practiced in Cambodia by a small yet growing number of followers.