 | |
| Also known as | Pradal Serey, Khmer Boxing, Kbach Kun Pradal Khmer[1] |
|---|---|
| Focus | clinch fighting, strike (attack) |
| Hardness | full-contact |
| Country of origin |  Cambodia |
| Famous practitioners | Eh Phouthong, Thun Sophea, Albert Veera Chey, Keo Rumchong, Meas Chantha, The Ouk family, Oumry Ban, Thoeun Theara |
| Parenthood | Bokator[2] |
| Olympic sport | No |
Kun Khmer (Khmer: គុនខ្មែរ [kun kʰmae] lit. 'Khmer Martial Art'), or Pradal Serey (Khmer: ប្រដាល់សេរី [prɑɗal seːrəj] lit. 'Free Boxing'), is a combat sport that originated in Cambodia.[3] The sport consists of stand up striking and clinch fighting, where the objective is to knock an opponent out, force a technical knockout, or win a match by points. The sport was codified in Cambodia by the French colonial administration in the early 20th century, and was derived from centuries-old traditions, namely Bokator, the close-quarter combat system used during the Khmer empire.[4][5] The official Khmer name of the sport is Kbach Kun Pradal Khmer (Khmer: ក្បាច់គុនប្រដាល់ខ្មែរ [kʰɓac kun prɑɗal kʰmae] lit. 'Khmer Martial Art of Boxing').[1]
Kun Khmer is most well-known for its kicking technique, which generates power from hip rotation rather than snapping the leg. Kun Khmer consists of four types of strikes: punches, kicks, elbows, and knee strikes.[6] The clinch is used to wear down the opponent. In the clinch, opponents battle for the dominant position for short range strikes by way of elbows and knees. Cambodian fighters tend to utilize more elbow strikes than that of other martial arts in the region.[7] In Kun Khmer, more victories come by way of an elbow technique than any other strikes.
- ^ a b Vongs, Moul. "Khmer Boxing." Leisure Cambodia, Dec. 2001, www.leisurecambodia.com/news/detail.php?id=199. Accessed 7 July 2020.
- ^ Graceffo, Antonio. "Cambodian and Chinese Martial Arts Compared (English language paper)". Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Goyder, James (April 26, 2014). "The A-Fighters: Reviving Cambodian Culture Through Khmer Martial Arts". Fightland. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ Sao, SokEng (7 February 2023). "Master San Kim Sean: 'Free Boxing' is a Name Given by France, but 'Kun Khmer' is Purely Cambodian". EAC News.
- ^ Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia. "Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Cambodia".
Furthermore, it is developed into a popular national sport called Khmer traditional boxing.
- ^ "In Pictures: The Khmer warrior-artists". Al Jazeera.
- ^ "Pradal Serey: Kickboxing the Cambodian Way". Vice news.
The most notable difference between the two fighting styles is the more frequent use of elbows in Pradal Serey than in Muay Thai.