Comments on: Cambodian Martial Art, Khmer Bokator on Web TV

By: Boxing the Vietnamese | Bamboo

Boxing the Vietnamese | Bamboo — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:28:15 +0000

[...] a three-year-long odyssey of trips in and out of Cambodia to train with Master San Kim Saen and to document the art so that it would not be lost from the [...]

By: Ka

Ka — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 01:18:20 +0000

This is not new to me. Bokator has been taught to older generations before the Khmer Rouge. All these “rediscoveries” are good, but if they only listen what Cambodians are telling them to begin with, they wouldn’t need to “rediscover” anything. They’ll be just discover more evidence, instead. How long did it take the French to ‘rediscover’ that the Khmers are the true engineers of the Angkor Wat.

By: khmer archaeologist

khmer archaeologist — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 04:34:31 +0000

I can’t find any proof that bokator is older than pradal serey but an older style called Neak Pradal Serey might solve this. There are a only one school in cambodian and one in Canada run by Sam Lok who was trained by the owner and othe teachers in Cambodia. His style contains grappling and wrestling that looks very close to Bokator. I feel that both styles are the same but just differnt names due to different locations of province. Would make more sense since pradal serey means freestyle fighting. Modern Pradal Serey has been converted to a ring fight mainly due to the fighting style was to dangerous to use and wrestling and grappling vanished but was passed on to fight families who kept it like Sam Lok’s family and elders who taught him. He is the only known student who teaches in the western world.
The Neak culture dates back to thousands of years befoer buddhism came to the culture. Neak’s are multi headed serpents also known in hindu as naga’s. They follow a culture of peace and war, and protection of culture and country. This is why statues are still around the Angkor Wat and temples to protect the khmer culture.
I personally believe that the Neak Pradal Serey is the much greater form of fighting from seeing both sides of fighting. But bokator is just as dangerous.

By: » Boxing the Vietnamese Bamboo | Martial Arts Information

» Boxing the Vietnamese Bamboo | Martial Arts Information — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 05:48:05 +0000

[...] a three-year-long odyssey of trips in and out of Cambodia to train with Master San Kim Saen and to document the art so that it would not be lost from the [...]