Cambodia Martial Arts Boxkator of Grand Master San Kim Sean

Thursday, September 27, 2007 - by seiha

 “Pong, Pong” this is a sound of sticks in a large room. An old man is moving very fast in front of ten people. Having a big body, wearing short and tying waist with a gold scarf, Mr. Sankim Sean is a grand master Boxkator lesson. He is a famous teacher of Boxkator lesson from the past until today. 

A grand master Sankim Sean lives in Phsar Touch Toul Sake district Phnom Penh. He says, “it is not so easy to become a teacher of Boxkator.” To learn it have to face with serious obstacles such as sprained, swelled and took long times. 

Loving Boxkator, Sankim Sean states that when he was 13 in age, “I like fighting and watch combating movies”. Fortunately, at that time his uncle Kiem Leak a Phnom Penh porter is good at Boxkator and Sankim Sean decides to take this lesson from him. “My uncle’s skin the sward cannot make him hurt”, Sankim Sean says. 

From day to day his parents are furious of hearing that Sankim Sean studies Boxkator. His parents think that studying Boxkator is valueless in society. His father accuses, “you are a game cock”. 

Though his parents do not like it, Sankim Sean does not give up. “It is, however, my favorite” Sankim Sean says. Showing a few lessons of scarf Boxkator, using scarf as a weapon, and since then he adds his parents do not even look at his face. His parents want him to be a merchant. 

Knowing that the grand mater Boxkator Sankim Sean is not only learns Boxkator but also takes lessons of Habkido, Karatedo and Udo. In Pol Pot regime, that is why in 1980 he flies to the United States of America. There he teaches Habkido. He adds “though I do want to teach Boxkator, people there never even hear of it and not certificate as a proof”.

The ancient boxing was celebrated in America, but he did not see Cambodia’s boxing. Seeing this issue, Sankim Sean leaves home in America to come to Cambodia in 1995. He wants to dig Boxkator out to the world. 

Sankim Sean explains that there are many kinks of Cambodia’s ancient boxing such as Boxkator, Kala Krab, Kror Perhar, Sror Kepen and so on. He tells the history of Boxkator “when lion is entering village to eat animals, an old man fights to win that lion”. And since then, because lion means Tor Cambodian’s heroes call Boxkator until today. This Boxkator lesson also mounts ancient temples’ wall. 

Sankim Sean starts to teach Boxkator on May 24, 2004 and it is also the first history of structuring the Cambodian Yuthykun Association. In addition he travels different provinces to collect old Boxkator teachers to teach again. 

Trying more than five years, he assembles teacher with different provinces such as Banteay Meanchy, Battambang, Kompong Cham, Takeo, Kampot, Siem Reap, Kompong Chhnang, Pursat, Kandal, Kratie and Phnom Penh. In Phnom Penh Sankim Sean teach. And his students are Cambodian, German, American and French. 

On December 04, 2000 Sankim Sean takes his three Bokator students to match ancient lesson Asian game 23ird in Philippine. Using short and ARNIS stick his students get bronze medal. 

Teaching place in Phnom Penh he pays $400 for rent a month. “Boxkator lesson belongs to Cambodian. I should not ask money from them for teaching. But the place I rent,” Sankim Sean says.  That is why each Cambodian student has to pay 20.000 Riels (5 U.S) for a month. And foreigner student have to pay $5 for an hour. He adds that Boxkator is like Cambodia’s diamond. If foreigners want to know Bokator, they have to pay much money. Today, Samkim Sean has 400 students. 

Boxkator divides more than ten thousand lessons and each one has to take long time to study. For instant, spending two years for the first black scarf lesson. Eam Pesith, a Boxkator student among them tells that Pesith has studied there since 2004. The purpose, he wants to teach other people and to protect poor people. 

Besides studying at state school, he has learnt Boxkator for two years, Mr. Hey Sophanith a junior student of law says. He continues “My teacher is a good teacher; he tries to teach without hiding lesson”. 

A white thin lady is cooking says, “I am Sankim Sean’s wife”. At first she is a beautician, but now she helps to run her husband’s teaching. I also know lots of Boxkator from him.”

Showing short stick lesson, San Angkor Reachvon, 10, tells that he is a son of Mr. Sankim Sean and Mrs. Ouk Pongbopha. “Though I am thin and little, in my future I will stand for my father,” San Angkor Reachvon adds. 

Using short and long stick, elbow and knee these are sort of Boxkator lesson. It divides ten layers of lessons and one layer takes two and half years. The basic of studying Boxkator is for healthy and for saving and protecting poor from injustice people. But it is not for fighting along street. Especially to enhance Cambodia’s culture.

We should know that grand master San Kim Sean is either a teacher of Boxkator or a bodyguard chief at National Assembly of Cambodia. In the next he requests government to put Boxkator lessons to teach at high school. He is also writing of Boxkator in both Cambodia and English.