As part of our coverage of various kickboxing styles, Kickboxingmonthly.com introduces the Burmese art of Lethwei. The following is an excerpt from Phil Dunlap’s exciting website about this brutal sport. Once you’re read Phil’s article, I’ sure you will want to follow the links to his site to view his films of Lethwei fighters in action. Ed.
Courtesy: Phil Dunlap of Advanced Fighting Systems
Lethwei or Lethawae also known as Burmese Boxing and Myanma Traditional Boxing and the Kachin variant Htwi hkyen may well be the most brutal and exciting form of kickboxing the world has ever seen. Lethwei is in many ways similar to its younger sibling Muay Thai from neighboring Thailand. If Thai Boxing is the science of eight limbs than Lethwei is the science of nine limbs due to the allowance of head butts. There are records recording Lethwei style matches dating back to the Pyu empire (about 832A.D. Ed.) in Burma.
Participants fight without gloves, only wrapping their hands in hemp or gauze cloth. Rules are similar to Muay Thai but allow and encourage all manner of takedowns along with head butts. Traditionally held outdoors in sandpits instead of rings but in modern times are now held in rings. Popular technique in Lethwei include leg kicks, knees, elbows, head butts, raking knuckle strikes and ballistic takedowns.
Matches traditionally would go until a fighter can no longer continue. If a knockout occurs the boxer is revived and has the option of continuing as a result defense, conditioning and learning to absorb punishment are very important. Burmese boxers spend a great deal of time preparing the body to absorb impact and conditioning their weapons to dish it out. Matches today are carried out in both the traditional manner and a more modern offshoot started in 1996 the Myanma Traditional boxing. The modern style has changed to make the contests more of an organized sport under the government’s organization. The goal seems to be to make it a more marketable sport.
