COLUMN
Martial arts of ASEAN: The outcome of convergence
ASEAN’s martial arts have evolved, through the process of accepting multiple cultures, into formats that embody the identity of each ASEAN member state. By Lee Ho-chul martial arts scholar
Vovinam
@Chungju World Martial Arts Festival
Most of the Southeast Asian region has undergone conflicts and oppression due to many years of colonial rule by Western countries. The traditional martial arts of ASEAN’s member states have developed over time through the repeated adopting of one of two conflicting stances—nationalist struggle against Western imperialism and assimilation with Western culture—and come from a truly broad spectrum, from hard-style martial arts that emphasize full-contact aggression to soft-style martial arts that are based on self-betterment and mental training.
Myanmar’s martial arts are mostly inspired by the movements and appearances of animals and have remained relatively uninfluenced by the motions of other modern, sports-like local martial arts. Thaing a term that collectively refers to all indigenous martial systems of ancient Myanmar, consists of striking and grappling, i.e., fighting while grasping one another, and has a centuries-old history. The technique is similar to Thailand’s Muay Thai. Myanmar’s Pongyi thaing is a prominent example of a softstyle martial art. Its training methods follow the Hindu and Buddhist principle of non-violence. Its primary objective is to develop trainees’ mental and spiritual capabilities through extensive training. Bando yoga, a form of yoga that began in ancient Myanmar—and is often taught in conjunction with the martial art bando—was originally a form of defense that was used during armed combat. Over time, it turned into a form of religious training that aims to maintain physical health by preventing disease and attain a peaceful state of mind through constant reflection that is removed from conflict and struggle.
Muay Thai, a martial art that is based on direct, impactful kickboxing that uses hand striking and kicks as well as the elbows and knees, is a simple yet effective hard-style martial art that embodies the inner strength of the Thai people. Krabi Krabong is a weapon-based Thai martial art that is regarded as the predecessor of Muay Thai. Cambodia, a country which shares a border with Thailand and has a large Buddhist population, has various martial art genres, including Bokator, Pradel Serey, traditional Khmer wrestling, and others, that are based on Buddhist rituals.
In Viet Nam, which was colonized by France and forced to endure neocolonial behavior by other Western powers, Chinese martial arts were secretly passed down in people’s homes. Viet Nam’s modern martial arts are characterized by different nationalistic elements and are currently highly popular: one example is Vovinam, which was created in 1939 especially for the Vietnamese people. As such, ASEAN’s martial arts have evolved, by absorbing cultural diversity for centuries, into formats that embody the identity of each member country.
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