Cambodian Martial Art, Khmer Bokator on Web TV

Click here to see the trailer for the movie, about Bokator Khmer martial art: https://youtube.com/watch?v=617qPJPBSPM

Before there was Muay Thai, there was Bokator, the complete fighting art, developed by the Khmers during the Angkorian Empire. Bokator is the predecessor of modern Bradal Serey, Khmer kickboxing, also called Pradal Serey. Where kickboxing is limited to kicking, punching, elbows, knees, and head grapples, Bokator includes ground fighting, joint locks, manipulations, throws, weapons, and animal styles.

“Bokator, the Great Angkorian Martial Art” A new film, starring Grand Master San Kim Saen and Antonio Graceffo, will be debuting later this year, to show Bokator to the world. The film was directed by Tim Pek, an Australian Khmer film maker, most famous for his film of Khmer Rouge retribution and forgiveness, “The Red Sense.” Tim, a Khmer Rouge genocide survivor met Antonio while working on the film “Krabei Liak Goan,” (Buffalo Protecting Child). This Khmer Kung Fu movie pitted the hero, national Bradal Serey champion, Eh Phou thoung against Antonio Graceffo, who played the bodyguard of the villain.

“In addition to helping to make Bokator accessible to people all over the world, I enjoyed making this film because I didn’t have to die.” Said Graceffo, who originally came to Cambodia to find and write about Khmer martial arts.

A lifelong martial arts practitioner, Graceffo recently became the first foreigner to earn the Black Krama (black belt) in Khmer Bokator fighting. (Another American, Derek Morris, was the first foreigner to earn a Black Krama be certified as an instructor of Bokator.)

In addition to the independent film, San Kim Saen and his two American students have worked together on two shows for the History Channel, “Human Weapon,” and “Digging for the Truth.” Bokator will also be featured on the brand new web TV show, Martial Arts Odyssey, hosted by Antonio Graceffo. The show follows Graceffo around the world, as he explores new and often obscure martial arts. The pilot is currently running on youtube.com

Checkout Antonio’s website https://speakingadventure.com/

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Antonio Graceffo and San Kim Saen
Antonio Graceffo and San Kim Saen

Antonio Graceffo and San Kim Saen
Antonio Graceffo and San Kim Saen

Antonio Graceffo and San Kim Saen
Antonio Graceffo and San Kim Saen

Elbow kill Win and Sovanara
Elbow kill Win and Sovanara

Elbow kill Win and Sovanara
Elbow kill Win and Sovanara

Elbow Win and Antonio Graceffo
Elbow Win and Antonio Graceffo

Grappling Antonio Graceffo and Tee
Grappling Antonio Graceffo and Tee

Grappling Win and Antonio Graceffo
Grappling Win and Antonio Graceffo

Stick Win and Antonio Graceffo
Stick Win and Antonio Graceffo

Stick Win and Antonio Graceffo
Stick Win and Antonio Graceffo

Win and Sovanara
Win and Sovanara

Bokator movie poster by Tim Pek
Bokator movie poster by Tim Pek

Article written by Antonio Graceffo

Antonio Graceffo PhD China-MBA, works as an economics researcher and university professor in China. He holds a PhD from Shanghai University of Sport Wushu Department where he wrote his dissertation “A Cross Cultural Comparison of Chinese and Western Wrestling” in Chinese. He is the author of 8 books, including Warrior Odyssey and The Monk from Brooklyn. His regular column, Destinations, has been running in Black Belt Magazine since 2009. He has fought professionally as a boxer and MMA fighter as well as fighting as an amateur in boxing, sanda, and wrestling. Having spent over 15 years studying martial arts in Asia, he holds black belts in Cambodian Bokator, Filipino Kuntaw and Cambodian traditional kick boxing. In Malaysia, he was the first non-Malay to be awarded the title of Pahlawan Kalam (warrior of Silat Kalam). Currently, he is pursuing a second PhD in economics at Shanghai University, specializing in US-China Trade, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and Trump-China economics. His China economic reports are featured regularly in The Foreign Policy Journal and published in Chinese at The Shanghai Institute of American Studies, a Chinese government think tank.