Burmese martial arts

See also: Thaing, Bando

The martial arts of the Myanmar (Burma) are called Thaing ( thaing is a word dating from the 3rd century, generic term which means coil-defense and which also indicates all the martial practices resulting from Burma).

Principal traditional styles practiced in Burma

There exist many varieties of practices, school and branches. There is a hundred different schools in Burma and each area has its specificities. Ba Than (Gyi) tried to join together them and to modernize them of 1946 to 1968. With nine experts, they renovated Thaing of the 19th century of the monks of the north of Burma, called Hanthawaddy-thaing, to make of it a new unit, the Hanthawaddy Bando system (in English), but this work was stopped by the death of this last.

The most popular styles in Burma, since the years 1980, are the following:

  • the Royal Palace Style (Nan twin thaing) of the Royal Institute of Burmese Martial arts whose leader is Yekkha Minn

  • the school of the opposite way (Pyompya thaing), in English “School off the hardware-software way”, where prevails of the circular motions and the animal forms specific to the techniques of the monkey, the scorpion, the panther, the buffalo and the cobra. It is a style very close to certain Chinese martial arts. It uses surprising and rare strategies. Such of circular blockings and the punches mixed with seizures. One of the leaders is Thien Hla.

  • the style of the snake (Neganadai thaing) or in English “Snake style”.

  • the style shan (Shan thaing): schools located in the State shan, a martial style influenced by the Chinese culture.

  • the Bando d' Hanthawaddy (Hanthawaddy-thaing), the martial system of Burma more developed in the world of which one of the representatives in occident east Maung Gyi.

  • the Djumba , art of combat little known, including/understanding lifting elements. Some call it “forgotten art” or “secret art”. In the past practiced by the warlike monks in the monasteries.

  • the most popular practice in Burma is Burmese boxing (Lethwei), as old as the Burmese nation.

Modern practices of Burmese arts in occident

Martial forms

The modern thaing such as one practices it in occident today, goes back to the years 1930. It is the fruit of the work of a handle of officers of the 10th regiment of Gurkhas of the British imperial army, wishing to restore and codify the practice of old Burmese martial arts. Thus was born under the aegis of Ba Than (Gyi) ) in 1947, the National Bando Association (N.B.A), then International Bando Association (I.B.A).

The practice of the various disciplines of the Burmese martial system is extremely codified. The acquisition and the transmission of the technical epic are carried out in particular by the means of matrices basic (techniques of foot, fist, blocking, displacement…) and of ancestral forms or Akas of imaginary combat codified against one or more adversary (S); who in addition allow to develop the concentration, work on energy and qualities physical.

  • work with naked hands (Bando) or self-defense uses a practice centered on the behavior of the animals. It combines a whole of techniques: work of percussion, seizure, projection and tender. In addition to the optics of coil-defense, Bando can approach work on energy by the internal formats (practical soft similar to that developed in certain martial arts natives of the Far East).

  • the work of the weapons (Banshay) is the major practice of the Thaing system. The training of the saber is reserved the most tested for and requires to have more than 18 years; for the children and the beginners, the work of the weapons often starts with the handling of the short stick. The training passes, there still, partly by the acquisition of technical matrices and the ancestral structures (akas). The specific weapon of Banshay is the dha (Burmese saber).

  • the pugilistic activity (Lethwei) can be practiced in leisure or competition. The Burmese Boxing traditional, being very complete, it allows the majority athletes of club to take part in the official competitions of the other federations of boxings feet/fists.

  • the Burmese Fight (Naban) allows, as for it, a complete approach of work on the ground and body with body, with the training of the techniques of projection, control (fixed assets) and tender (keys, strangulations, points of pressure, pinchings, quarterings…). It is a very physical activity, which constitutes the logical continuation of the combat halfway.

  • work pugilistic in music (Cardio-lethwei): (The USA.) Form of modern practice, centered on the physical condition and the cardiorespiratory development. It consists in carrying out techniques of Lethwei* in the vacuum, in music and chorégraphiées.

The internal formats

  • internal formats, practical of development and energy techniques: we find different practice on the matter. Two principal categories, the Bando-yoga and the Min-zin .

1. The Burmese yoga (Bando-yoga) where we find various types of practices. Initially, Dhanda-yoga practical using a stick, Letha-yoga or practical on the articulations, a kind of chiropractic, and the Longi-yoga of which the goal is to develop the flexibility and to remove the muscular tensions, with like instrument of clothing and the cords.

2. The Min-zin aims at body and mental control, by the means of physical exercises and respiratory. It makes it possible to relieve of many body pains and to obtain a general wellbeing.

  • the martial System of the Monks or Pongyi-thaing: this martial concept relates to the non-violent martial techniques. It is a system developed in the monasteries since the 3rd century and at the origin of the concept of “thaing”. The art following the example of many of combat being based on the philosophy of non-violence, it is a question in Pongyi-thaing of learning how to defend oneself against any type of aggression (verbal, physical or psychic). One learns there from the non-violent strategies: control emotions, calms verbal, alleviating postures, control of the facial expressions, put in mental alarm, management of the security distance, etc the defensive techniques are centered on the nonaggressive mode (neutralization, articular keys of control, defensive displacements, etc). The practices are carried out with naked hands and also with weapons. They are reserved for advanced practitioners.

  • Of the complementary practices for the graded pupils concerns: the knowledge of the vulnerable centers, effects of the blows on these vital organs, and by opposition manner of looking after the traumatisms, the techniques of the care by the plants, the massages (to activate blood circulation and to control the energy circuits of the body), etc

Sporting practice

The competitive practice is organized around several fields. Activities of gripping (fight to the body with body), sports of percussion (boxes traditional), like in that of the achievements of ancestral forms (Aka) or of modern forms (e.g.: artistic akas, cardio-lethwei).

Internal bonds

See too

  • Ba Than (Gyi), Manual off the Bando disciplines , National Bando Association, Burma, 1946-68
  • Maung Gyi, Bando, philosophy, principles and practice , STI edition, 2000
  • Maung Gyi, Burmese bando boxing, ED. R.Maxwell , Understanding Baltimore, 1978
  • Gift F.Draeger and Robert W.Smith, Asian Fighting arts , E. Kodansha, Tokyo, 1969
  • Zoran Rebac, Traditional burmese boxing , ED. Paladin Near, Boulder, 2003

External bonds

  • National committee of Bando and Burmese Boxing of the FFMDA - a mine of information on an effective discipline multimillénaire and hyper - person in charge Jean-Roger Callière
  • Federation of North America de Bando (the USA)

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