Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AnomieBOT (talk | contribs) at 23:35, 8 September 2022 (Dating maintenance tags: {{Failed verification}}). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Lethwei
လက်ဝှေ့

Also known as	The Art of 9 Limbs Burmese boxing Burmese bareknuckle fighting
Focus	Striking
Hardness	Full-contact
Country of origin	Myanmar
Famous practitioners	List of Lethwei fighters
Sport Highest governing body Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation Characteristics Contact Full contact Type Martial art Presence Country or region Worldwide

Lethwei (Template:Lang-my; IPA: [lɛʔ.ʍḛ]) or Burmese boxing, is a full contact combat sport from Myanmar that uses stand-up striking including headbutts. Lethwei is considered to be one of the most brutal martial arts in the world, as the sport is practiced bareknuckle with only tape and gauze while fighters are allowed to strike with their fists, elbows, knees, and feet, and headbutts are also permitted. Disallowed in most combat sports, headbutts are important weapons in a Lethwei fighter's arsenal, giving Lethwei its name of The Art of 9 Limbs, and deemed one of the bloodiest martial arts. A vast majority of Lethwei fighters originate from the Karen ethnicity.

History

Lethwei is part of the Indian cultural sphere and traditional martial arts of Myanmar are regrouped under the term called Thaing which includes bando, banshay, naban, shan gyi and Lethwei. According to researchers, thaing can be traced in its earliest form to the 12th century of the Pagan Kingdom dynasty.

In ancient times, matches were held for entertainment and were popular with every strata of society. Participation was opened to any male, whether king or commoner. At that time, matches took place in sandpits instead of rings. Boxers fought without protective equipment, only wrapping their hands in hemp or gauze. There were no draws, the fight went on until one of the participants was knocked out or could no longer continue. Back then, Burmese boxing champions would enter the ring and call for open challenges.

Traditional matches include Flagship Tournament, which are still fought throughout Myanmar, especially during holidays or celebration festivals like Thingy an.

Myanma lethwei went through many years of suppression during the British colonial rule of Burma. The sport was revived under General Ne Win's nationalistic government Compared to Muay Thai, in Lethwei, punches are generally favoured over kicks because of their ability to draw blood easier.

In rural areas, having a skilled child fighter has been a way of escaping poverty. As of 2017, the minimum monthly wage in Myanmar was around $70 USD and children as young as ten years old could compete in Lethwei and can earn from $30 to $100.

The New Era

In modern times, the sport is kept alive in Lower Burma in Mon State and Karen State where matches are held for events such as New Year's celebrations.

Kyar Ba Nyein, who participated in boxing at the 1952 Summer Olympics, pioneered modern Lethwei by setting in place modern rules and regulations. He travelled around Myanmar, especially the Mon and Karen states, where Lethwei is more actively practiced. After training with some of the fighters, Kyar Ba Nyein brought some to Mandalay and Yangon to compete in matches.

In 1996, the Myanmar Traditional Lethwei Federation (MTLF), a branch of the Myanmar's Ministry of Health and Sports, added the modern Lethwei rules for the occasion of the Golden Belt Championship in Yangon. The bouts, along with the undercard fights, were organized by the Ministry of Sport, Myanmar Traditional Boxing Federation and KSM group. This marked a big addition to the art of Lethwei and potentially would make Burmese boxing more marketable internationally.

On July 18, 2015, ONE Championship held the first Lethwei fight its history inside a cage at the occasion of ONE Championship: Kingdom of Warriors in Yangon, Myanmar. The fight showcased Burmese fighters Phyan Thway and Soe Htet Oo in a dark match and the result was a draw according to the traditional Lethwei rules.

In 2017, ONE Championship and World Lethwei Championship officially entered into a partnership to share athletes to fight in each other's organization. On June 30, 2017, ONE Championship held a Lethwei match at ONE Championship: Light of a Nation between Thway Thit Win Hlaing and Soe Htet Oo. Thway Thit Win Hlaing would end up winning a decision according to WLC point system.

In 2016, Myanmar's first international Lethwei promotion called World Lethwei Championship (WLC) launched its events using the modern Lethwei rules.

In 2019, the WLC marked history by broadcasting WLC 7: Mighty Warriors, the first Lethwei event, internationally live on UFC Fight Pass.

Opening to the world

From 7 to 12 July 2001, twelve years after Burma changed its name to Myanmar, the first international event took place in Yangon with professional fighters from the United States facing Burmese fighters under full traditional Lethwei rules. The delegation of three American fighters brought by the IKF were Shannon Ritch, Albert Ramirez and Doug Evans. Ritch faced Ei Htee Kaw, Ramirez faced Saw Thei Myo, and Evans faced openweight Lethwei champion Wan Chai. All three Americans lost to the Burmese. A revenge match with American and European fighters was cancelled the last minute by Lethwei promoters and the military in 2003.

From 10 to 11 July 2004, the second event headlining foreigners took place with four Japanese fighters fighting against Burmese fighters. They were mixed martial arts fighters Akitoshi Tamura, Yoshitaro Niimi, Takeharu Yamamoto and Naruji Wakasugi. Tamura knocked out Aya Bo Sein in the second round and became the first foreigner to beat a Myanmar Lethwei practitioner in an official match. International matches continued with the exciting Cyrus Washington vs. Tun Tun Min trilogy.

In 2016, after having previously fought to an explosive draw, Dave Leduc and Tun Tun Min rematched at the Air KBZ Aung Lan Championship in Yangon, Myanmar. The rematch was sweetened by an added bonus: ownership of the Lethwei Openweight World Championship Belt. Leduc became the first non-Burmese fighter to win the Lethwei Golden Belt and become Lethwei world champion after defeating Tun Tun Min in the second round.

Following his title defence, Leduc said in an interview, "I have so much vision for this sport. I see Lethwei doing the same for Myanmar as what Muay Thai has done for Thailand."

On April 18, 2017, for his second title defense under traditional rules, Dave Leduc faced Turkish Australian challenger Adem Yilmaz at Lethwei in Japan 3: Grit in Tokyo, Japan. This marked the first Lethwei World title fight headlining two non-Burmese in the sport's history and for the occasion, the Ambassador of Myanmar to Japan was present at the event held in the Korakuen Hall.

Sanctionning worldwide

Due to the violent ruleset, Lethwei is difficult to sanction and is illegal in most countries outside of Myanmar. As of 2022, Myanmar Lethwei is only legal in the following countries: Myanmar, Japan, Singapore, Slovakia, Austria, Thailand, Taiwan, England, United States (Only the state of Wyoming), New Zealand and Poland.

In popular culture

Lethwei has been featured in media, including films, television, manga, anime. The combat sport gained worldwide attention after Dave Leduc defeated Tun Tun Min in 2016.

Film

Television

Lethwei has been featured in television and documentaries.

Manga and animation

Lethwei has been featured in the popular Japanese manga series Kengan Ashura. In the series, the Burmese Lethwei master named Saw Paing, is so indestructible that an opponent shatters every bone in their hand trying to punch him.

Traditional gesture

Lekkha moun

The lekkha moun is the traditional gesture performed by Lethwei fighters to challenge their opponents with courage and respect. The lekkha moun is done by clapping 3 times with right palm to the triangle shaped hole formed while bending the left arm. The clapping hand must be in form of a cup, while the left hand must be placed under the right armpit. The lekkha moun is done at the beginning of the lethwei yay and can also be done while fighting.

This invitation to fight is inspired from the birds of prey, like the eagle, as they flap their wings when flying and hunting.

Lethwei yay

The Lethwei yay could be described as a fight dance. It is performed before the fight as a way to showcase the fighter's skills and as a victory dance after the fight. The lekkha moun is usually confused with the lethwei yay, but the lekkha moun is done along with the Lethwei yay.

Before modernisation, especially in colonial times, the pre-fight dance was more commonly referred to as han yay (ဟန်ရေး). Performed in accordance with the tempo of the traditional orchestra (ဆိုင်း), it incorporated a much more elaborate dance and show of skills. Boastful poetry was sometimes recited along with the dance.

Rules

Permitted techniques

• Headbutts
• All punches
• All elbow strikes
• All knee strikes
• All kicks
• Extensive clinching
• Sweeps, throws and takedowns

The use of the feet, hands, knees, elbows and head is permitted.

Rounds

Each bout can be booked as a 3, 4 or 5 round fight with 3 minutes per round and a 2-minute break in between rounds. Championship bouts are 5 round fights with 3 minutes per round and a 2-minute break between rounds.

Fighting attire

The Burmese bareknuckle boxing rules prohibits the use of gloves.

• The fighters must only wear tape, gauze and electrical tape on their hands and feet.
• The fighters shall wear only shorts, without a shirt or shoes.
• The fighters must wear a groin protector.
• The fighters must wear a gum shield.

The fighters are required to apply the wrapping in front of the fight officials, who will endorse the wraps.

Referee

One referee oversees the fight. The referee has the power to:

• End the fight if he considers one fighter to be significantly outclassed by his opponent.
• Stop the fight and refer to the doctor if a fighter is heavily wounded.
• Warn the fighters. He makes sure the fight proceeds fairly and in compliance with the rules.

Traditional rules

The traditional rules, also known as yoe yar rules, come from the Burmese Myanma yoe yar Latway, which means Myanmar traditional boxing. Traditional matches are still fought throughout Myanmar, especially during festivals or celebrations like Thingyan. Traditional Lethwei is notorious for not having a scoring system and for its controversial rule of knock-out only to win.

At the end of the match, in the eventuality that there is no knockout or stoppage, if the two fighters are still standing, even if one fighter dominated the fight, the match is declared a draw. Fighters can win by incapacitating their rivals in a few different ways.

• A knock-out (KO) is when a fighter falls to the ground, leans unconscious or if a fighter is unable to stand up or defend themself for 20 seconds (10 counts with 1 count every 2 seconds).
• When 3 counts are performed in a single round, the fight is terminated and scored as knock-out (count limit)(KO).
• When 4 counts are performed during the entire duration of the fight, the match is terminated and scored as knock-out (count limit)(KO).
• A technical knock-out (TKO) is when a fighter forfeits, has an injury or is in a position that can damage or severely harm them if the fight continues. The ring doctor is consulted and makes the decision.

Promotions that use traditional rules

• Most Lethwei promotions in Myanmar
• Annual Myanmar Lethwei World Championship
• Air KBZ Aung Lan Championship
• International Lethwei Federation Japan
• Challenge fights
• Flagship Tournaments
• Festivals & celebrations

Golden Belt

For Lethwei fighters, the traditional Lethwei Golden Belt is regarded as the highest and most prestigious award.

There is only one Golden Belt champion for each weight categories, with the Openweight class champion being considered the strongest fighter in Myanmar. The Openweight Champion is the equivalent of being pound-for-pound champion in the world of lethwei.

Win Zin Oo, Lethwei coach and gym owner explains:

If you win the golden belt you are the national champion, there is only one champion in each division, but there is also an openweight champion who is considered to be the best fighter in Myanmar.

Injury time-out

• If a knockout or injury occurs, the fighter can take a special 2 minute time-out to recover. After the time-out the fighter can choose whether he wishes to continue the bout or not. Each fighter may only do so once during the fight.
• The time-out can't be used in the fifth round.
• The use of the time-out is considered as 1 count.

Modern rules

In 1996, for the inaugural Golden Belt Championship, the two-minute injury timeout was removed and judges were added ringside. This modified ruleset helped prevented the outcome of a draw and helped choose a winner to advance in the tournament. Former fighter Win Tun was the most successful fighter in Golden Belt Championship history, having won four Golden Belts. In recent years, the World Lethwei Championship, Myanmar's first international promotion, is the biggest proponent of the modern rules in order to follow the international safety and regulation for combat sports.

Promotions that use tournament rules

• World Lethwei Championship
• Annual Golden Belt Championship

Judging

The knockout is still highly desired under this ruleset, but in the event that a bout goes the distance, judges will present a decision. The 3 judges score the bout based on aggression, number of significant strikes per round, damage and blood drawn. Fighters have a maximum of 3 knockdowns per round and 4 knockdowns in the entire fight before the fight is ruled a knockout.

Techniques

Aside from punches, kicks, elbows and knee attacks, Burmese fighters also make use of head-butts, raking knuckle strikes and take downs.

• Spinning elbow strike
• Roundhouse kick
• Knee and elbow strike
• Knee and punch
• Jumping knee and elbow
• Back hook kick

Headbutt (Gowl Tite)

Punching (Let Thee)

Elbow (Tel Daung)

The elbow can be used in several ways as a striking weapon: horizontal, diagonal-upwards, diagonal-downwards, uppercut, downward, backward-spinning and flying. They can be used as either a finishing move or as a way to cut the opponent's eyebrow to draw blood.

Elbows can be used to great effect as blocks or defenses against, for example, spring knees, side body knees, body kicks or punches. When well connected, an elbow strike can cause serious damage to the opponent, including cuts or even a knockout.

Kicking (Kan)

Knee (Doo)

Foot-thrust

The foot-thrust is one of the techniques in Lethwei. It is used as a defensive technique to control distance or block attacks and as a way to set up attack. Foot-thrusts should be thrown quickly but with enough force to knock an opponent off balance.

Note - The Myanglish spelling and phonetics based spelling are two different things. The words used are phonetics based words which are more friendly and easy to pronounce for non-Myanmar speaking people. The phonetics wording is provided by Liger Paing from United Myanmar Bando Nation.

Weight classes

Famous practitioners

• Kyar Ba Nyein
• Pyi Taw Pyan
• Bala Sein
• Phyu Gyi
• Kyaung Thar
• Moe Kyoe
• Tway Ma Shaung
• Dave Leduc
• Tun Tun Min
• Too Too
• Saw Nga Man
• Lone Chaw
• Shwe Sai
• Nilar Win
• Soe Lin Oo
• Cyrus Washington
• Wan Chai
• Mite Yine
• Tun Lwin Moe
• Shwe War Tun
• Win Tun

See also

• List of Lethwei fighters
• Burmese martial arts
• Bando
• Banshay
• Naban
• Pongyi thaing

References

1. Kyaw Zin Hlaing (1 September 2015). "Easy win for Lethwei fighters". Myanmar Times.
2. Karl R. De Mesa (12 March 2019). "The Most Brutal Sport in the World Uses Bare Knuckles and Head Butts". Vice.
3. Olavarria, Pedro (2 December 2014). "Bando: The style of Burmese Martial Arts". VICE Fightland.
   • "Lethwei : The world's most brutal sport". Ugly Chicken. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019.
   • Calderon, Justin (23 September 2014). "Punches, headbutts, knockouts: Asia's 'new' martial arts sensation". CNN.
4. Darren (18 April 2019). "Lethwei Fighter Lands Torpedo Headbutt KO". Scrap Digest. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
5. Zarni Pyo (21 July 2017). "The Art Of Nine Limbs". Myanmar Times.
6. Steven Rae (13 March 2019). "Lethwei: Everything you need to know about Burmese bareknuckle boxing". The Body Lock.
7. Paul Millar (18 July 2018). "BAREKNUCKLE BOXING Blood sport". South East Asia Globe.
   • Jack Board (27 October 2019). "From Myanmar, with blood: The Singaporean fighting tradition to take the martial art of lethwei to the world". Channel News Asia.
   • Matthew Scott (11 November 2017). "'Once you get a taste, there's no turning back': brutal, bloody lethwei making Myanmar a martial arts mecca". South China Morning Post.
8. Green, T. (2001). Martial Arts of the World An Encyclopedia (Vol. 1).
9. Draeger, D. F., Smith, R. W. (1980). Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. Japan: Kodansha International.
10. Andre Malerba (22 September 2013). "Traditional kickboxing, an ancient sport makes a revival". Myanmar Times.
    • "Combat Sports: Boxing, Taekwondo, Judo, Fencing, Sumo, Kendo, Grappling, Kickboxing, Savate, Boxing Training, Paralympic Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mi". General Books. 1 September 2013. ISBN 9781230563480. Retrieved 5 April 2018 – via Google Books.
11. ^ Goyder, James (22 July 2015). "Inside a Burmese Lethwei Gym". VICE Fightland.
12. H., Thar (12 October 2019). "Playing for beauty and playing to fight': Myanmar's martial arts". Frontier.
13. Giordano, Vincent. "Born Warriors: Fighting for Survival". 15 July 2015.
14. Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Volume 41. G. Bell and Sons. 1893. p. 151. At a Burmese boxing match a champion will jump into the ring and dance about, smacking his breast and arms and cracking his fingers, challenging all comers.
15. ^ Giordano, Vincent. "Burmese Lethwei: The Tradition of Child Fighters". AllAboutMartialArts.
16. "Women join in Myanmar's ferocious kickboxing". Bangkok Post. 1 April 2016.
17. Burmese Boxing Sees Revival. September 1970. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
18. Calderon, J. (22 September 2014). "Lethwei boxing in Myanmar: Asia's new martial arts sensation". CNN.
19. Poppy McPherson (31 July 2017). "The Violent, Lonely World of Myanmar's Child Boxers". Narratively.
20. Zaw Zaw, A (24 December 2015). "Foreigners drawn to Myanmar's bone-crunching kickboxing". Yahoo Sports.
21. "Kyar ba nyein". Scribd. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
22. Giordano, Vincent (15 July 2015). "Born Warriors Redux: A New Era Begins for an Ancient Sport".
23. "Tun Tun Min wins Myanmar Lethwei World Championship". Myanmar Daily News. 19 August 2019.
24. Goyder, James (17 December 2014). "The Burmese Kickboxing Style of Lethwei Expands Into Singapore". VICE Fightland.
25. ^ Kyaw Zin Hlaing (20 May 2013). "Two Two wins Golden Belt Championship". Myanmar Times.
26. Giordano, Vincent (13 August 2015). "Burmese Lethwei: Bare Knuckle Revival". Archived from the original on 6 September 2015.
27. "6 Fascinating Facts Every Martial Arts Fan Needs To Know About Myanmar Lethwei". ONE Championship. 14 June 2017. Pictures of Phyan Thway and Soe Htet Oo at Kingdom of Warriors
    • Matias Andres (14 March 2020). "What Separates Lethwei From Other Martial Arts". ONE Championship.
    • Andrew Whitelaw (28 April 2022). ""A lethwei style MMA fight" - Aung La N Sang on hybrid rules and touching on his Myanmar roots". Sportskeeda. ONE Championship has promoted lethwei fights in the past
28. "ONE Championship: Light of a Nation". Tapology. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
29. Alan Dawson (4 June 2020). "MMA firm One Championship and the World Lethwei Championship are in talks to cross-pollinate each other's organizations". Business Insider India.
30. Alan Dawson (4 June 2020). "World Lethwei Championship is open to a co-promotion in order to expand". Business Insider.
    • "World Lethwei championship to be held in Myanmar". Sport 360. 16 February 2017.
31. "ONE Championship: Light of a Nation". Tapology. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
32. "World Lethwei Championship: Biggest Int'l. Lethwei Competition in Myanmar". Myanmari TV. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
33. "Zay Thiha: Brining Lethwei to the World". ROUGH Magazine. 11 August 2017.
34. "World Lethwei Championship Lines Up Big Card for UFC Fight Pass Debut". The Fight Nation. 31 January 2019.
35. "デーブ・レダックチャンピオン Dave Leduc Champion". The Weekly Fight Japan. 12 December 2016.
36. Kyaw Zin Hlaing (13 December 2016). "Myanmar's lethwei goliath toppled by Canadian 'Dave'". Myanmar Times.
37. Anthony Da Silva-Casimiro (20 December 2016). "Tout sauf de la chance pour Dave Leduc". La Revue. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
38. ^ Eaton, Matt (18 April 2017). "Embracing tradition: The rise of LethweiI". The Fight Nation.
39. "Weigh ins for Lethwei in Japan 3 GRIT - 明日開催！第3回日本ラウェイ大会『ラウェイinジャパン 3 ～GRIT～』後楽園ホール大会！計量と公開記者会見終了". The Weekly Fight. 17 April 2017.
40. "4・18『Lethwei in Japan 3 ～GRIT～』全対戦7カード発表！ミャンマーvs.日本（4対4）vs.USA（2対2）にカナダの現ラウェイ王者が再参戦！相手は第1回大会参戦のオーストラリア選手！ – 週刊ファイト". The Weekly Fight. 3 March 2017.
41. "Lethwei in Japan 3 GRIT" [Lethwei in Japan 3 GRIT is the third tournament is Japan]. Myanma Allin Daily (in Burmese). 21 April 2017.
42. Aung Mint Sein. "What Is Lethwei? Burmese Bare Knuckle Boxing Explained". MMA Channel. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
43. Aung Mint Sein (28 October 2020). "New Zealand To Become The 10th Country To Host Pro Lethwei Fight". Lethwei World.
44. Kyaw Zin Hlaing (30 April 2015). "Slovakia the next stop for Lethwei stars". Myanmar Times.
45. Eaton, Matt (15 May 2017). "Bare essentials: Canadian raises profile of Burmese combat sport". Asia Times.
46. Matthew Carter (22 June 2020). "Dave Leduc On The Cover Of Legendary Martial Arts Magazine". Lethwei World.
47. Karl D. De Mesa (12 March 2019). "Inside a Burmese Lethwei Gym". Vice.
48. Rhodri Morgan (20 July 2019). "A royal portrait: Dave Leduc, King of Lethwei". The Body Lock.
49. "Can Netflix's Fightworld help rehabilitate MMA's image?". The Guardian. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
50. "Dave Leduc veut devenir ambassadeur de lethwei". TVA Nouvelles. 18 January 2019.
51. Matt Eaton (29 October 2019). "Dave Leduc Says Lethwei Is Coming To USA". The Fight Nation. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019.
52. "World Lethwei Championship Lines Up Big Card for UFC Fight Pass Debut". The Fight Nation. 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019.
53. Patrick L. Stumberg (27 April 2020). "Fighting Fiction: 'Kengan Ashura' perfects the martial arts tournament arc". MMA Mania.
54. Andres, Matias (14 March 2020). "What Separates Lethwei From Other Martial Arts?". ONE Championship.
55. Ba Nyein, Kyar (1 March 1968). "တိမ်ယံကထွက်လာသော ဗမာ့လက်ဝှေ့" [Forward]. ရှေ့သို့ (in Burmese). p. 27. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
56. ^ Mark Schroeder (17 September 2019). "Introduction to Lethwei". The Fight Site.
57. Xegarra, Guillermo (7 June 2016). "Born Warriors: Documentarian Vincent Giordano Interview Part 2". Martial Arts Entertainment.
58. Kyaw Zin Hlaing (13 December 2016). "Myanmar's lethwei goliath toppled by Canadian 'Dave'". Myanmar Times.
59. Hlaing, Kyaw Zin (22 December 2015). "A Tun Tun Minute". Myanmar Times.
60. "SONS OF LETHWEI LEGENDS TO MEET IN THE RING AT WLC: KING OF NINE LIMBS". Asia Persuasian MMA. 22 June 2019.
61. Looi, Florence (8 September 2015). "Myanmar's Lethwei fighters bare their knuckles". Al Jazeera.

Further reading

• Maung Gyi, Burmese bando boxing, Ed. R.Maxwell, Baltimore, 1978
• Zoran Rebac, Traditional Burmese boxing, Ed. Paladin Press, Boulder, 2003

• Lethwei
• Burmese martial arts
• Combat sports
• Sport in Myanmar
• Sports originating in Myanmar