Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) borders India, China and Thailand. As a result, possesses a rich martial arts heritage. As with the fabled Shaolin Temple of China, Buddhist monks from India introduced the martial arts into Myanmar a thousand years ago.
Later, Chinese styles filtered their way south, merging with earlier influences to form the martial body of knowledge collectively known as Thaing. Thaing includes both unarmed arts, of which Bando is the most widely known, as well as arts of the sword, staff, and spear, Banshay. Other unarmed arts include Naban or Burmese wrestling and Lethwei or Burmese boxing.
Later, Chinese styles filtered their way south, merging with earlier influences to form the martial body of knowledge collectively known as Thaing. Thaing includes both unarmed arts, of which Bando is the most widely known, as well as arts of the sword, staff, and spear, Banshay. Other unarmed arts include Naban or Burmese wrestling and Lethwei or Burmese boxing.
Bando
'Art of Combat, Way of the Warrior'
'Art of Combat, Way of the Warrior'
Bando (animal system or free hand system) is the ancient art of self defence from Myanmar. Bando includes the empty-hands methods and animal forms. All of the animal systems incorporate standup and ground tactics including striking, grappling, biting and weapons. Many law enforcement agents are formal Bando students.
Bando Philosophy "No system is completely unique. No system is completely independent from external and internal influences. Every system evolves over time by integration, modification and restructuring, resulting in what we then call "uniqueness." Overtime, this unique system will also change."
[His Holiness the Venerable Amarapura Sayadaw, 1910]
