Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

Branches of Thaing
Bandô, the most widely known of the various subdivisions of thaing,
means “way of discipline.” Practitioners train to master physical and psychological
strategies that develop hardness. Physical hardness is developed
by rigorous conditioning exercises, including punching lightly padded tree
trunks with the intent of punching through the object rather than stopping
at physical contact. Other exercises include tearing through bags of rice
and rock to condition the hands for gouging. Controlled competition is encouraged
because it allows the practitioner the opportunity to use techniques
at full speed, to get used to the physical demands of combat, and to
simulate the stress and uncertainty of real conflicts. And, while adaptable
for the ring, bandô’s fighting tactics are based in the concept of a life-anddeath
struggle. Therefore, a traditional curriculum includes various aggressive
techniques typically banned from sport.
Mental hardness is created through a philosophy that encourages the
acceptance of death. The process of accepting and embracing the worst is
said to lead to liberation from fear and to the willingness to fight for total
victory.
Toward this end, students are taught from the beginning that there is
no substitute for physical fitness. They are further instructed that movement
through or around threats and attacks is almost always the safest
strategy. As a consequence, mobility skills (stepping, slipping, dodging, and
rolling) are primary tactics. Blocking, parrying, and breaking are practiced
as methods of defense. Offensive methods include a variety of striking and
grappling methods.
Banshay, the Burmese term used to describe armed methods, is an integral
element of thaing. Handheld traditional Burmese weaponry includes
a variety of wooden and bamboo armaments. Examples include a small,
pocket-sized stick held in a closed hand with a portion either jutting from
the underside or top of the fist, short and midsized batons (dhot), walking
staffs, clubs, spears, and shields. Also utilized are hosts of edged weapons,
including knives, machetes (including the kukri, with its angled, curving,
forward-weighted blade), swords (dha, whose blades vary from thick,
Malay-style blades to sleeker versions similar to those used by other Southeast
Asians), battle-axes, and fighting spears.
Projectile weapons such as the bow and crossbow also play a role. For
example in the Glass Palace Chronicle, a Prince Sawhti, who was trained
in archery by a hermit bow master, rescues the kingdom of Pagan from four
giant monsters (a bird, a boar, a tiger, and a squirrel) by means of his skills
as an archer.
Ropes, chains, belts, whips, shoes, and clothes also are included in the
banshay arsenal.
Thaing 633