BOKATOR means the great powerful or wonderful martial art which is known as Kun Bokator by the ancient Khmer nationals up to now. The specification of Kun Bokator is a martial art combining techniques and a variety of tactics. This martial art is developed from the daily activities of people, movement, together with flora and fauna gestures, including birds, horses, tigers, elephants, monkeys, Keynor, crocodiles, crabs, snakes, dragons, Apsara, and Sra Nge plants. Moreover, Kun Bokator cloaked in the Khmer arts such as popular dance, popular games, classic dance, which disguises kindness, quickness, strength, flexibility, together with exact techniques. In addition, there are other martial arts such as Kla Krab, Sra Nge Penn, Kra Peu Ha... but they are not well-known as Kun Bokator.
The martial art has various patterns classified into 12 doors, namely the body is used for door 1 to 8, and weapons such as edged and non-edged weapons are used for door 9 to 12. The edged weapons contain knives, swords, spears, arrows, crossbows, and non-edged weapons such as rice wood press (Kneab Bork Srov), short sticks, long sticks, shields, lotus sticks, and scarves etc.
They usally wore uniforms like Khmer soldiers in the Khmer ancient era when fighting each other. The scarf is tied at the waist and red silk bundle rolled into a flat which is fastened around the head. In the past, the red silk bundle is used to make ti feel energetic, but right now it is just only the celebration. The scarf indicates the level of Kun Bokator practitioners, particularly gold scarf, green scarf, red scarf, brown scarf, blue scarf, and black scarf. Each scarf is made up of 1 layer, 2 layers, 3 layers....up to 10 layers.
In the ancient times, Kun Bokator practitioners usually fought each other along the pre-arranged places in every festivals. Such a fighting is often held on the occasion of Khmer New Year, Pchum Ben, Da Lean, or other Cambdian festivals.
Kun Bokator is used in ancient times by Khmer combatants for the battle against the enemies infering their territories, in particular the sons obliged to serve the army. The martial art is practiced to defend themselves when getting into the forest, and protecting family, village, and property from robbery, pillage, and additionally protecting mean animals from threatening the village.
Up to now, Kun Bokator is practiced for health, and to keep the identification of the oldest martial art. The practice of Kun Bokator give much benefit for fitness and spirit and is particularly the struggling art used for defending themselves. The practitioners of Kun Bokator will get quick to the body, neither hands, legs, eyes, nor mind because all the movement of the martial art mostly indicate the strength and fallibleness, which requires the body to make movement everywhere. The practice of Kun Bokator does not strongly require the fitness but needs the patience and struggle for training and avoiding going berserk because Khmer martial art is the struggling art with flexible characteristic bu filled with the strength.
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