Bando
From MartialTalk Online Martial Arts Encyclopedia Project
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Summary
Bando (aka Burmese Silat) is the official Burmese Fighting System. (See Burmese Martial Arts)
A full body, comprehensive and evolving martial art.
Anyone familiar with the major Japanese or Chinese martial arts will recognise aspects of their own embedded in Bando. Karate kick and punch techniques along with Judo type throws and rolls are all part of this eclectic system.
It’s important to note that in Myanmar the term ‘Thaing’ is often used to describe martial arts and indeed in many ways one might consider Thaing a direct equivalent to Wushu, the term used in neighbouring China.
Use of weaponry in Bando is not uncommon although broadly speaking, it is an unarmed system. You may find organisations describing themselves as Bando where they practice unarmed techniques and as ‘Thaing‘ where they use weapons, it’s a matter of choice rather than tradition. However, the terms are not interchangeable.
Lethwei or Lethawae also known as Burmese Boxing and Myanma Traditional Boxing (which is a sub-system of Bando) may well be the most brutal and exciting form of kickboxing the world has ever seen. If Thai Boxing is the science of 8 limbs than Lethwei is the science of 9 limbs due to the allowance of head butts. There are records recording Lethwei style matches dating back to the Pyu empire in Burma.
Lethwei 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.
The Meaning Of Bando
There are numerous interpretations of the term BANDO. Different linguistic and ethnic groups define and interpret the word differently, and often some schools emphasize only one aspect of Bando Discipline such as – empty-hand defense system.
Generally, the term “Bando” means:
1. A way of Discipline
2. Systems of Defense
3. The Art of Fighting or Combat
For our present purpose, we will use all of the above three definitions and combine them as one. Therefore, “Bando” will have a meaning equal to the Japanese term “Budo” or the Chinese word “Wu-Shu” or the English term “Military or Martial Arts.”
The word “Bando” is a Burmese term. Various etymologists express their views differently. Some say that it originated from the Chinese, and others claim that it came from India, and there are some who propose that it can be traced back to Tibet. We will not go into etymological arguments.
Bando is not karate
Karate techniques are but one aspect of Bando Discipline. Techniques of throws, holds, locks, chokes, foot-sweeps, etc., are but various aspects of Empty-Hand Bando Discipline. Stick fighting, sword fighting, knife fighting, spear fighting, etc., are but other aspects of Weapon-Hand Bando Discipline.
For our present Discipline “Bando” means “Budo”, “Wu-Shu” or “Military or Martial Arts.”
History Of Bando
[A.] Ancient civilization arrived from India. The date is unknown. The early development of Burma (300 A.D. – 1700 A.D.) was greatly influenced by the active interaction with the three bordering giant ancient empires – India on the western border, China on the eastern border and Tibet on the northern border.
The wisdom and philosophy of India, the art and culture of China and the spiritual knowledge of Tibet greatly affected the lives and growth of the people of Ancient Burma.
The fighting arts of ancient India, Tibet and China also made a strong impact on the development Bando Discipline. Ancient Burma enjoyed the unique privilege of gaining direct knowledge from those three neighboring powers, thus giving her an opportunity to digest and assimilate various fighting arts into a distinct system.
But the ferocious invasion of the Mongol hordes in the mid 13th Century left this unique civilization in the state of destruction and chaos. It took over 200 years for the Burmese kings to restore her unity and stability.
The terrible sweep of the Mongol invaders also left the great China, India, Russia, Persia and other countries near total devastation. The Japanese island-kingdom, by the will of the gods, through the great typhoon, Kamikaze, was spared a similar fate of Mongol terror.
[B.] Modern development and growth of Bando Discipline (1500 A.D. – 20th Century) was greatly influenced by three major historical events'
1. The first was the Burmese wars against the neighboring states especially Siam or Thailand where the Burmese kings led massive armies of horsemen, battle-elephants, bow-men, spear-men and swords-men into some of the fiercest battles in Asia. (1500 A.D. – 1800 A.D.)
Burma’s continuous wars with Thailand led to the refinement of stick, spear and sword fighting. Burmese and Thai Boxing became national combat sport for those two warring nations. The combatants made legal use of brass knuckles, iron fists, steel eagle claws, thorn-tipped fingers, etc., and fought each other till death. (The fighting techniques had striking resemblance to those of the Roman Gladiators).
2. The second great influence was the Burmese wars with England from 1824 to 1885, which brought her eventual defeat. The fierce Burmese warriors could not stop the great firepower of the British guns and cannons. Modern scientific weapons won the day and changed the history and strategy of war in Asia. For over a century Burma became a colony of England, and the country was annexed to India.
The great Western Powers such as England, Germany, France, Belgium, America, Spain and Portugal took theirs – colonies in Asia. England ruled India, Burma, Pakistan, Ceylon, Malaya, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, and Hong Kong. France controlled Indo-China (now Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia). The Dutch governed the exotic islands of Indonesia. America took over the Philippi no Islands, and Portuguese grabbed a chunk form India. Great China was divided into spheres of influence under the western powers. (Japan again escaped the control of the foreign powers until her surrender and her near total destruction by the Second World War).
The old Asia could not compete against the modern scientific and technological knowledge of the young western nations. For over two centuries Asian countries came under direct domination and rule of the West.
Many of the ancient fighting arts were ruthlessly suppressed for fear of native rebellion. In Burma, for over a century, the training of Thaing, Bando and Ancient Boxing disappeared from the public. The arts were driven underground. Only a selected few were taught in secret by the masters so that the young would carry on the knowledge of the past.
3. The third great influence was the rise of Japan in Asia as a great Eastern Power. Japan first escaped the total destruction of the Mongol invasions that other Asian countries suffered, and from which they could not recover from total desolation and devastation of their ancient cities and cultures. Again, Japan eluded the colonization of the western powers, which other Asian countries faced for nearly two centuries. Thus Japan was able to maintain and develop her ancient traditions and also had an opportunity to adopt many of the western scientific and technological skills to develop herself into a powerful Eastern Nation.
With the rise of economic strength and military power, Japan’s ambition was to force the Western Powers out of Asia, and directly or indirectly control China, India, Burma and other Asian countries. This led Japan to wage war against England, America, France and Belgium.
The great European powers were then engaged in death battle with Nazi Germany. Hitler invaded Europe. Japan invaded China and Southeast Asia. Japanese army marched into Burma in 1942 with the help of the nationalist Burmese who wished to kick the British out of the country.
There were also thousands of people such as the Karons, Chins, Kachins, Gurikhas, Indians, Chinese, etc., living in Burma who joined the Allied sides and fought the invading Japanese. Many joined the Chindits under General Wingate, many entered the Merrill’s Marauders, and many joined forces with the Chinese Army stationed in Northern Burma under the command of General Stilwell and General Lee. Many assisted in the success of the Flying Tigers. Many organized special units such as Panther Unit, Tiger Unit, Cobra Unit, etc., etc., etc.
Thousands of people served in the building of the Burma Road. This famed road served as the only blood transfusion to China, because the Japanese had occupied the cities along the coast of China and ruled the China Sea. China was cut off from the rest of the world except through the Burma Road. (450 miles of rugged highway over the treacherous Himalayan range form Assam, India, through Northern Burma and to Southern China).
During the occupation of Burma, the Japanese tried to restore the ancient fighting arts of Burma, and also introduced the fighting arts of Japan such as Judo, Aikido, Jujitsu, Kondo, Karate, etc,; thousands of young men joined the training programs. Thus Bando Discipline was restored, and the brutal Burmese Boxing was again revived as a national combat sport.
Japan’s attempt to invade India and block the Chinese supply line by cutting the Burma Road with some 150,000 Japanese, Korean, Okinawan and native troops using Burma as a base for attack eventually brought her own defeat. The Japanese armies were over extended, and the Special Units repeatedly cut off supply lines.
The Americans, Australians, British, Irish, Scotch, Gurkhas, Punjabis, Sikhs, Karons, Kachins, Shans, Hons, and the Burmese, and Chinese armies systematically pushed back the great Japanese armies under the able command of General Kawabe and General Tanaka. The courageous Japanese warriors fought back with tenacity and stubbornness against great odds. Some 100,000 Japanese and her Axis troops fought and died in the battles of Burma.
The Japanese occupation of the Asian Continent aroused the spirit of Nationalism in the invaded countries. With the unconditional surrender of Japan after her devastating military defeat, Asia began a new chapter in world history.
Many colonies won their independence, and regained their ancient heritage and identity. But the influence of the West had affected the cultures and manners of these ancient civilizations.
It was not an easy task to shake off the 200 years of western influence. It was not an easy task for the leaders of the newly independent countries to restore their economies, cultures, traditions, etc. after near total destructions of their agricultural fields, plantations, factories, mines and others during World War II.
With her great internal problems of recovering her national balance, the throat of communism now cause a new problem for Asia. The tragic Korean War and the Vietnam War dramatize the seriousness of the communist threat.
The sagos and astrologers of Asia foresee more wars and more conflicts, but in the year 2400 A.D., it is predicted that Asia will regain her internal equilibrium and harmony.
No culture, philosophy, religion or system is completely unique or totally independent from external influences.
The East learns much from the West and the West gains much from the East. Bando Discipline has a distinct mixture of Ancient East and Modern West.
The Future Of Bando
“THE FUTURE OF THE AMERICAN BANDO ASSOCIATION”
(Agenda For The 21st Century) By M. Gyi, LL.B., M.Sc., Ph.D.
(Chief Instructor, American Bando Association)
A. BRIEF BACKGROUND
The American Bando Association (ABA) is one of the longest existing martial arts organizations in the United States. It is considered to be one of the earliest pioneering organizations, with more than 35 years of uninterrupted and continuous history.
[1] GRAND MASTERS OF MARTIAL ARTS SYSTEMS IN AMERICA
In the late 1950’s and early 60’s, I had the honor to know and work with some of the great martial arts leaders like;
- Grand Master Robert Trias (The founder of the United States Karate Association)
- Grand Master Ed Parker (The founder of American Kenpo)
- Grand Master Peter Urban (The founder of American Gojuryu System)
- Grand Master Mas Oyama (The founder of Kyokoshinkai Karate)
- Grand Master Harry Smith (Okinawan Isshinryu Karate)
- Grand Master Bruce Lee (The founder of Jeet Kune Do)
- Grand Master Jhoon Rhee (The father of American Tae Kwon Do)
- Grand Master Oshima (The father of Japanese Shotokan in the U.S.)
- Grand Master Ki Wan Kim (The father of American Mo Do Kwan)
They were the foundation stones of American karate in the 50’s and 60’s.
[2] EARLY GREAT KARATE FIGHTERS
In the early 1960’s and into the 70’s, I had an opportunity to travel throughout the country from New York to California, to Florida, to Chicago and to Canada to officiate some of the major karate tournaments in North America. I also had an opportunity to referee some of the matches between the great American karate fighters such as Mike Stone, Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, Bill Wallace, Allen Steen, Skipper Mullins, Pat Burleson, Tom LaPuppet, Ray Cooper, Jimmy Jones, Victor Moore, etc.
[3] EARLY GREAT BANDO FIGHTERS
In the 1960’s and 70’s our ABA also produced some great fighters such as Hugh McHugh, Lloyd Davis, Joe Manley, Bob Maxwell, Gene Freeze and several others. They competed in some of the most exciting bouts in numerous major tournaments against fighters from different systems.
Win, lose or draw, the Bando fighters always maintained a high level of sportsmanship, courtesy and respect toward opponents and officials. Display of arrogance, rudeness and unsportsman like conduct in our out of the ring was never acceptable to members of ABA.
[4] AMERICAN BANDO ASSOCIATION
The American Bando Club was formed in the early 60’s at American University in Washington, D.C., with flexible objectives and agenda. The Athletic Department at American University gave me restrictive guidelines to follow. Training with weapons such as sukris, swords, sticks, etc. was not permitted. Pseudo combatics, emphasizing athletic performance was introduced. A fee of $5.00 (Five Dollars) a month was charged to each student to cover gym use, club insurance and equipment. We trained every evening, six days a week.
It was a non-profit college athletic club where every member trained intensely to gain top physical fitness and to develop an understanding of the Bando basics—basic stances, punches, kicks, blocks, steps, traps, falls, etc. Basic point sparring, basic continuous sparring and basic kickboxing methods were introduced. Elaborate and complicated techniques were intentionally omitted from the curriculum. Repetition of the basics was emphasized in every training session.
When I transferred to Ohio University in 1966, I formed the O.U. Bando Club again under the supervision of the Athletic Department. There were many restrictions placed on me. Training with weapons such as swords, Kukris, sticks, daggers was not permitted on campus. Again basic empty hand techniques for sparring and kickboxing were emphasized.
[5] GENERATIONS OF GREAT BANDO FIGHTERS
Some of the great fighters of the second phase were Sam Jones, Steve Denty, Tim Fleming, Laszlo Balogh, Robert Hill, Randy Webb, Rudy Burdine, Harvey Hastings III, Lionel Taylor, Stefan Sherman, Michael Jolley, David Croft, Doug Boring, Clyde McClendon and others.
Some of the great fighters of the third phase were John France, Fred “Rusty” Gage, Antar M’Beri, Dale Minor, Eric Herdford, Harvey Norton, Terry Easton, Tahid Kali, Carlos Simmons, Rick Rossetter, Al Cook, Rick Suskind, Terrell LaTour, Lon Walls, Vattel Wiggins and others.
Some of the great fighters of the fourth phase were David Decker, Michael Decker, John McNeill, Jon Collins, Jack Williams, Monte Lester, Fran Lester, Jerry George, Tom Hogan, Eugene Johnson, Andre’ Kidd, Kenneth Corl, Al Graves, Stephen Anderson, Lee Cunningham, Mfon Essien, Richard “Chet” Buffington, Pat Finley and others.
Some of the great fighters of the fifth phase were Robert Johnson, Pakha Khan, Norman Riel, David Keeney, Rene Cammarata, Nick Odorisio and others.
Some of the great fighters of the 6th phase were Richard Manning, Tony Porco, Bill Darr, Mark Sollinger, Mark Symingson, Scott McDonald, Michael Malpass, Mary Mester, Bill Darr, Leslie Darr, Michael Mai, Jacque Dairon, and others.
(*I cannot remember all of the names of the great fighters of the 7th, 8th, 9th phases of development. I hope that you will forgive me if your names are omitted or if your names are placed in the wrong phase).
[6] FUTURE BANDO FIGHTERS
During the last 30 years, dedicated Bando instructors have established several small non-profit Bando training centers in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Georgia, Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Arizona, Illinois, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Canada, France and other states and countries.
New Bando fighters have been trained privately in the garages, community centers, and basements of churches, recreation centers, college gyms, state parks and other available facilities without publicity or commercial fanfare. They sacrificed their time and money to preserve the integrity of the organization, its mission and its programs.
B. MISSION OF THE AMERICAN BANDO ASSOCIATION
I bought a small arm in Ohio in the late 1960’s for the sole purpose of expanding the Bando curriculum, where I could teach freely without restrictions from the university. I also needed guidance from the Bando elders, especially my father who then was the head of the National Bando Federation in Burma. During this period, I maintained regular correspondence with the Bando leaders who were veterans of China-Burma-India Theatre of WWII.
[1] HONORING VETERANS OF C.B.I. THEATRE OF WWII
(During WWII, Burma became a major battlefield between the Imperial Japanese forces and the Allied forces (Great Britain, U.S.A., China and India). Japanese military ambition was to conquer India and China by using Burma as their military base for attack and also blocking all assistance to China. Three battled-seasoned Japanese Armies: 28 ARMY (55 Division, 54 Division and 2 Division), 15 ARMY (15 Division, 31 Division and 33 Division,) and 33 ARMY (18 Division, 53 Division and 56 Division), and 5 Air Division were stationed in Burma. By 1945, Japan suffered their greatest land defeat during WWII. Some of the greatest jungle warfare was fought in Burma. Thousands of both Allied and Axis forces perished in this country>0
The Bando leaders advised me to formulate the following MISSION STATEMENT for the American Bando Association:
The American Bando Association is a non-profit WWI I Veterans Memorial Martial Arts Organization established in the United States.
1. To honor and pay tribute to both Allied and Axis troops who fought and died in the China-Burma-India Theatre of WWI I;
2. To honor and pay tribute to the 10the Burma Gurkha Rifles (1890-1955);
3. To preserve the combative arts practiced in northern Burma northeastern India and southwestern China during WWI I.
[2] KOREAN WAR AND VIETNAM WAR VETERANS
The American Bando Association is the only martial arts organization in the U.S. , or in the world, whose primary mission is to honor the CBI veterans of WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
[3] BANDO HOLY DAYS
American Bando Association observes three major HOLY DAYS: 1) Memorial Day, 2) Veterans Day and 3) V-J Day. We hold major events on these holy days in honor of our veterans.
During the last few years we have donated funds to the Disabled American Veterans, funeral expenses for departed American veterans, gravestones, travel funds for needy families to visit the national war memorials in Washington, D.C., wheel chairs and eye glasses for disabled veterans, Gurkha Relief Funds, etc. Even in these very small ways, the ABA continues our commitment to serve and honor America’s veterans.
The Bando Fighters
Bando fighters like to fight close up, the idea being no one should be able to survive a close fight. The style is based loosely on Boxing, but with many "animal style" maneuvers thrown in for extra measure. The style is by no means a slow one however, and the practitioner of Bando knows the value of speed. These fighters are rare but powerful on the street fighter scene.
Common to these animal forms are the basic principles of combat. These principles emphasize footwork to maneuver outside your opponents arms, much the same as Karate's moving to the opponents blind side before an attack.
Animal Characteristics
- Boar - courage, rushing, elbowing, kneeing, butting
- Bull - charging, tackling, power striking
- Cobra - attacking upper vital points
- Deer - alertness
- Eagle - double hand blocking and striking
- Monkey - agility, confidence
- Paddle Bird - rapid flight
- Panther - circling, leaping, tearing
- Python - crushing, strangling, gripping
- Scorpion - pinching and seizing nerve centers
- Tiger - clawing, ripping
- Viper - attacking lower vital points
As a unified art, the transition in Bando is to quickly move to grappling after the first strike. This ability to seize and grapple is kept up even when using a weapon. For these reasons, Bando has the reputation of being very effective.
The Bando Notebook
Bando Notebook - THE KUKRI AND THE BANDO SYSTEM - By DR. PAUL W. L. KWAN
INTRODUCTION
The most prominent feature of the Bando Emblem is a pair of Kukris, also known as the Gurkha knives. The following is a short discussion on the historical background, the physical nature of the knife, the use of the Kukri, and the significance of this weapon to the Bando System.
THE KOPIS BLADE
The Kukri has the shape of a Kopis Blade. The term Kopis has been adopted to designate a blade form, which is found in many parts of the world. It has a narrow section near the hilt, above which the blade broadens and curves forward, attaining its greatest width near the tip, and then slightly recurves and runs to a point. The original name of this type of sword is "Kopis", which was discovered on Greek vase paintings. Both the sword form and the word are Egyptian (Khepesh). The Graeco-Roman Kopis has a grip shaped to accommodate a Knuckle Guard and some of the blades can be three to four feet in length. The Kopis classification now covers the Turkish and Balkan Yataghan, the Kukri, the Sosun Pattah and the South Indian "Flamboyant Sword. Blades of pure Kopis form appeared in India in the sixth century, at Ajanta, and persisted into modern times. They were probably imitated directly from a Roman prototype, and there is no evidence to support a supposition of direct imitation from Greek prototypes (Oakeshoot; Rawson).
THE GURKHAS
For many years the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal was under the domination of Tibet. In A.D. 879 the Nepalese revolted and for the next few centuries Indian princes of Mithila in Bihar exercised a loose sovereignty, over the country. In 1324 a Rajput ruler, Harishima, established by invasion hegemony among the petty Nepalese princes for himself and his family, and made Nepal into a self-contained country. In 1768 the Gurkhas, an aggressive Himalayan tribe, conquered the country. The Gurkhas became more and more powerful and this eventually led to war between the Gurkhas and the East India Company in May 1814. By 1816 the Gurkhas were compelled to retire and settle within the borders of Nepal and accept British rule.
Throughout the middle Ages, Nepal, under the Rajput ruler, shared in the sword traditions of the rest of Northern India. This is probably how the Kukri was introduced and preserved in Nepal. While as most Kukris follow the Kopis design, in certain instances, it is clear that the concept of the forward angled blade, not pure Kopis, underlies the form. It is possible that the forward angled form represents the oldest stratum over which the Rajput Kopis-blade sword was superimposed (Rawson).
Despite the fact that in modem times the Kukri has become to be regarded as the national weapon of the Gurkhas, its form shows that it is a weapon of pure Indian descent related to the Kopis-bladed sword of Ajanta. The Kora is the true traditional Gurkha sword.
THE KUKRI
Kukris that are readily available generally fall into two groups: the military and the nonmilitary models. The length of the blade ranges from twelve to eighteen inches. In the military version the polished blade is thick, heavy and has a full tang. This means that a broad strip of metal extends to the full length of the handle, which is made up of two pieces of wood riveted onto the tang. This construction makes a very sturdy weapon, which can take a lot of punishment and can be thrown at a target.
The nonmilitary model has a lighter, thinner blade, which is usually chrome-plated. The handle is made of horn and encases a thin tang. Although this is an easier weapon to work with due to its lightness, it cannot be thrown since the horn handle breaks easily.
The peculiar crescent-like declivity close to the hilt is a symbol of the female sex organ, which is supposed to render the blade "effective". This suggests the psychological speculation that the sword, the image of the phallus, is the same person as the goddess (Bhavani), the most highly desirable female image, who is thus potency itself. The combination of male and female motifs is very common in Indian, Tantric and Chinese art (Ying-Yang principle).
Both models are supplied with two small knives. One of these, shaped like a miniature kukri, is for skinning game. The other has a straight blade without an edge and is used for burnishing the edge of the large blade. The scabbard is usually made of wood and covered with leather. The military model sometimes comes with a belt-loop known as a "frog". Sometimes you will find a Kukri with many small pockets in the scabbard, which holds small knives, forks, toothpicks etc. This is just the Nepalese's version of the Swiss army knife.
THE USE OF THE KUKRI
With the widening of the blade toward the tip, the weight of a Kukri is heavily forward and down. This makes the Kukri the best chopping weapon around, and, in the hand of a skillful fighter, one short powerful swing is enough to decapitate an enemy (Stone).
Due to the shape of the blade you cannot hold the Kukri like any other sword (with the bottom of the fist facing you) and stab forward. If you do this, there is always a danger of hitting your opponent with the back of the blade since the tip of the blade will be facing down. However, if you hold the Kukri like a pistol (with the bottom of the fist facing down), and stab forward with it, you should be able to go through your target with little difficulty. If you wish to guaranty penetration, you can grab the ridge of the blade with the other hand and shove hard with both hands.
The ridge (back) of the blade can also be useful. One can deliver a less damaging blow with the ridge, which will result in a splitting headache rather than a split head. The thick ridge can also be used in blocking another light weapon. The pommel of the military model Kukri is usually a piece of flat metal, while that of the nonmilitary model usually bears a lion motif. You can strike with the pommel with the same type of motions when using a yawara-stick. This is especially important in close quarters, since you cannot stab with the kukri with the same efficiency as with a dirk.
The small knives can be used like riverboat gambler's push daggers. The skinning of a downed opponent is considered tacky (Vanderbilt).
THE GURKHAS AND BANDO
Burma was taken over by the British in 1885 and did not regain its independence until 1948. During this period of time a large number of Gurkhas were stationed in Burma as part of the British force. In 1933 Gurkha officers formed the Military Athletic Club at Maymo in northern Burma. This organization was involved in training and teaching of the Burmese martial arts (Draeger and Smith). After the Second World War, a lot of the Gurkhas decided to stay in Burma and helped the further development of Bando. This was probably how the kukri was introduced into Burma and into the Burmese martial arts.
There are many systems of Bando in Burma; the one practiced by Dr. Gyi uses the Kukris on the Emblem to commemorate the influence of the Gurkhas while other systems have emblems with different motifs. Our system is known as the Huntarwari System (Gyi).
THE KUKRI AND BANDO
The following is my personal view on the significance of the Kukri to our Bando System. When people talk about Bando, they automatically equate us with the Kukri and Dr. Gyi. While as a lot of martial artists have some knowledge on the use of the Kukri, we are the only ones that specialize in it as a system. This weapon has a unique position in our system and must be treated with respect. It should have special meaning to the Bando student and instructors. I personally will not let a student to work with the Kukri until after the student has only one more step to go before reaching First Level. By that time the student would have enough knowledge, understanding and skill in Bando to learn the proper use and respect for the kukri. It irritated me to no end to see white belts and even kids playing around with the kukri in the summer camp. I propose that:
1. The Kukri should not be taught to people who are not in the Bando System.
2. The Kukri should be taught to Bando students only when they are ready for first level.
3. The Kukris are to be worn only by Black Belts, and this should be made as part of the
uniform in formal occasions (tests, promotions, demonstrations, inductions, initiations,
tournament line-ups etc.).
Since we all wear the Emblem with Kukris on it, we should make sure we know what is it all about.
Draeger, D.F. and Smith, R.W. (1969) Asian Fighting Arts, Kodansha International Ltd., Tokyo and Palo Alto.
Gyi, M. (1977) Personal communications.
Oakeshoot, R.E. (1960) The Archaeology of Weapons, Arms and Armor from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry. F.A.Praeger, N.Y.
Rawson, P.S. (1969) The Indian Sword. Arco Pub. Co., N.Y.
Stone, G.C. (1934) A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms
