Baok Chambab (Khmer Traditional Wrestling)
Traditional Cambodian wrestling in three rounds, accompanied by dance and drums. Phnom Penh Post reports its depiction on reliefs at Banteay Srei and Baphuon in Angkor.
Quick Facts
CambodiaCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
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Catalogs & Databases for Baok Chambab (Khmer Traditional Wrestling)
About Baok Chambab (Khmer Traditional Wrestling)
Baok chambab is traditional Cambodian wrestling. According to Phnom Penh Post (2017), a wrestler must put the opponent on his back in two of three rounds, and the rules resemble Olympic freestyle and forbid holds that endanger life. The ICM website (International Center for Martial Arts) says the same: three rounds and victory by putting him on his back twice. Drums and dance accompany the match. According to Phnom Penh Post, one drum beat signals the match and another dancing and taunting the opponent, and dancing before and during the match honors the masters and intimidates the opponent. ICM names two drums, the male skorngey and the female chhmol, and IntoCambodia assigns them the other way round. Phnom Penh Post reports the depiction of the match on reliefs at Banteay Srei and Baphuon in Angkor and, according to tradition, dates the oldest form, maloyuth, to 788. The paper says the sport nearly disappeared under the Khmer Rouge, and the Vietnamese occupation banned it. According to ICM, it is practiced today in wrestling associations in the provinces of Pursat, Kampong Chhnang, Kandal, Prey Veng, Takeo and Battambang.
History
Phnom Penh Post wrote in 2017 that the oldest form of Cambodian wrestling is maloyuth, which according to tradition the Brahmin Timu created in 788 as a deadly art of holds including chokes and throws, and that at the end of the Chenla period in the 8th century cham bab developed from it. Under the Khmer Rouge the sport, according to the paper, nearly vanished because many trainers and masters were killed, and the Vietnamese occupation banned it. Tournaments were traditionally held to celebrate the harvest and on holidays such as the Khmer New Year and Pchum Ben, and each region once sent a champion to an annual tournament held by the king. ICM says that baok chambab used to be a way of choosing the ruler of a newly founded Khmer territory, that Khmer wrestling appears on 12th-century reliefs of Angkor Wat, and that women also took part in it over the course of history. Green (2001) writes of thousands of depictions of combat from the time of the Khmer Empire (802 to 1431) at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom and adds that contemporary Cambodian martial arts remain unexplored.
How it differs
According to Phnom Penh Post and ICM, the rules resemble Olympic freestyle. According to Phnom Penh Post, the national wrestling championship in January 2023 was held under United World Wrestling rules, not traditional ones.
Technique
According to Phnom Penh Post, the drummers set the tempo: one beat signals the match, another dancing and teasing the opponent. Dancing before and during the match honors the masters and intimidates opponents, and dancing after it expresses sportsmanship and friendship. Master Som Vankin, according to the paper, considers the music the most important part of the match. ICM names two drums, the male skorngey and the female chhmol, and says the wrestlers dance in rhythm to engage spectators and provoke the opponent. IntoCambodia assigns the drums the other way round and says the wrestlers may use only arms and legs.
Training
According to Phnom Penh Post from 2017, training is limited by a lack of money, equipment and shelter. The Cambodia Daily wrote in 2007 that the national team trains the traditional Khmer style with music alongside freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. According to the IntoCambodia website, the sport used to be taught by village elders because wrestling schools did not yet exist, and young men were chosen by maturity, build and height.
Competition
According to Phnom Penh Post, a wrestler must put the opponent on his back in two of three rounds, and the rules forbid holds that endanger life. ICM states three rounds and victory by putting him on his back twice. According to the IntoCambodia website, the loser is asked after each round whether he wants to continue, referees judge the rounds, and if neither gains the upper hand the bout is interrupted and dancing resumes.
Today
Phnom Penh Post wrote in 2017 that the traditional form is taught by clubs only in the provinces of Pursat and Kampong Chhnang and that some parents consider wrestling unnecessary. ICM says baok chambab is practiced in wrestling associations in the provinces of Pursat, Kampong Chhnang, Kandal, Prey Veng, Takeo and Battambang and that it is a competitive sport, exercise and a cultural performance. According to the website of the Cambodian Olympic committee, the Cambodia Wrestling Federation plans to set up a commission for ancient wrestling in its new term.
Did you know
Phnom Penh Post quotes Hok Chheangkim as a martial arts researcher, experienced coach and co-founder of the Wrestling Federation of Cambodia. The federation appears in the sources under three different names: Cambodia Wrestling Federation, Wrestling Federation of Cambodia and Cambodian Amateur Wrestling Federation. The IntoCambodia website says people wrestled in the rice paddies at full moon after the harvest.
Frequently asked questions
How is baok chambab won?
According to Phnom Penh Post and ICM, a wrestler must put the opponent on his back in two of three rounds.
Why is there dancing in baok chambab?
According to Phnom Penh Post, dancing honors the masters and intimidates the opponent, and dancing after the match expresses sportsmanship and friendship. ICM says the wrestlers dance to engage the spectators and provoke the opponent.
Where is baok chambab practiced today?
According to ICM, in wrestling associations in the provinces of Pursat, Kampong Chhnang, Kandal, Prey Veng, Takeo and Battambang. Phnom Penh Post wrote in 2017 that the traditional form is taught by clubs only in Pursat and Kampong Chhnang.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.