Bando kickboxing
Bando kickboxing is the modern, sport form of lethwei, nicknamed in Europe "Burmese boxing of four arms". It has been born in North America in the beginning of the years 1960, this type of fencing with feet and with gloved fists in a ring has given life, in the USA of the years 1970, to several forms of full contact and of kickboxing.
There exist, in competition, two forms of fight: "controlled bando kickboxing" (light contact) where the blows only touch the opponent in order to not hurt him, and the "Bando kickboxing of full contact" where the blows with full power are acceptable, destined to the adults who are more expert. According to the age and to the technical level, the rules and the conditions of competition are variable: particularly, there change the authorized and forbidden techniques, the time of fight, the type of surface of fight (carpet or ring) and the wearing of certain protections (helmet, plastron (protector of chest and abdomen), protectors of shins, slippers, etc.).
References
- Bando, philosophy, principles and practice, M.Gyi, IST edition, 2000
- Burmese bando boxing, M.Gyi, Ed. R.Maxwell, Baltimore, 1978
- Comprehensive Asian Fighting arts, D.F.Draeger and R.W.Smith, E. Kodansha, Tokyo, 1969
- Traditional Burmese boxing, Z.Rebac, Ed. Paladin Press, Boulder, 2003
