Formally referred to as lobokkatao, bokator is an ancient Cambodian martial art that was developed by Angkor as a close-quarter combat system. It is also engraved on the walls of Angkor Wat temple.
Bokator was designed with one main purpose: to win on the battlefield. It uses a diverse array of elbow and knee strikes, shin kick, submission, and grapple. Fighters are basically can use every part of the body to attack their opponents, and a bamboo stick or short bat may be used.
Fighters wear krama(scarf) around the waist, and sangvar(blue and red silk cords) toed around the biceps. The color of the krama signifies the combatant’s level: white – green – blue – red – brown – black – gold.
There are about 10,000 movements from 341 sets which are based on the study of life in nature, by observing animals(horse, eagle, monkey, snake, lion, elephant, duck, etc.) and mimicking their styles and natural weapons like a fang, tusk, and claw.