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, […]
"We have to remember why we are in that ring we are there to hurt the other guy we aren't in there to make love to him. So, the quicker we can hurt him, the better. You want him to think I don't want to get hit like that again." Paddy Carson. The pads POP! […]
“In manila there is a lot of trouble on the streets. People learn street fighting as a kind of self defense. A few years ago underground fighting was still popular. They would meet in the cock fighting arena and bet money.” Said Master Frank Aycocho. I told the master I had heard that there were […]
In a recent Discovery Channel series about martial arts, they determined that the knee kick is the single most powerful weapon in the human arsenal. Hooking professional fighters up to all sorts of computer equipment, they discovered that the force of impact of a knee kick is equivalent to being hit by a car. (In […]
Block, slash, stab, block slash stab… This is the rhythm of Philippine knife fighting. When the opponent stabs, you block and slash. Then you follow up with a stab. The slash is generally done on the forearm, to destroy the tendons. If done correctly, the slash will cause the opponent to drop his weapon. The […]
Cambodian Bokator was the origin of Muay Thai and Bradal Serei (Khmer boxing). The modern sports art of kick boxing is a watered down version of the ancient Bokator fighting. Where kick boxing contains less than 20 techniques, Bokator contains thousands. Many of these ancient techniques are excellent for modern fighting. Whether you are doing […]
The players meet in a small circular ring, with a sand covered floor. They wear brief bicycle shorts, with a satba, a thick strong belt wrapped around their waist and right thigh. The players start kneeling on the floor, facing one another. The right hand is gripping the satba tightly at the opponent fs waist, […]
Some professional fighters have trained their bodies to perfection, but have they forgotten their spirit? Kru Pedro Villalobos came to Thailand and fought as a champion Muay Thai fighter. Later, he realized that his spirit wasn’t fulfilled by his ring success. So, he became a monk, and learned the precepts of Buddhism. He adopted the […]
Sweat dripped off of the fat red face of a 35 year old Tae Kwan Do black belt instructor who had come to show us that our art was weak. We were only forty five seconds into the fight and I thought someone would have to call the paramedics. The guy was on the verge […]
Many martial artists don't think of boxing as a martial art, but for those competing in MMA, kick boxing, Muay Thai or K -1, it is a necessary component to a professional training regime. I came to the Philippines to learn Arnis, Philippine stick fighting. To keep up with my fighting training, mornings were spent […]