LEARN MYANMAR LETHWEI TRADITIONAL BOXING

HISTORY

Lethwei is millennia-old Burmese martial arts of bare-knuckle boxing and was developed before Muay Thai. Lethwei is depicted in murals in the ancient city of Bagan that have been dated to the time of the Pyu city-states (2^nd Century BCE to mid-11^th Century).

Lethwei is considered to be one of the most aggressive and brutal martial arts in the world, because the fighters fight bareknuckle with only the use of tape and gauze on their hands. Aside from punches, kicks, elbows and knee attacks, Burmese fighters also make use of head-butts, earning the name “The Art of Nine Limbs”.

In ancient Burmese times, lethwei matches were held for entertainment. Participation was opened to any male. At that time, matches took place in sandpits instead of rings. Boxers fought without protective equipment, only wrapping their hands in hemp or gauze and the fight went on until one of the participants was knocked out or could no longer continue. Back then, Burmese boxing champions would enter the ring and call for open challenges.

Before the fight starts, the lethwei fighters perform “lethwei yay”, the fight dance and the “lekkha moun”, the traditional gesture performed by fighters to challenge their opponent with courage and respect. The lekkha moun is done by clapping 3 times with right palm to the triangle shaped hole formed while bending the left arm. The lekkha moun is done at the beginning of the lethwei yay.

A bout consists of five three-minute rounds of fight. If a knockout occurs, the corner men have two minutes to revive their fighter and send them back into the ring. A timeout can be taken only once during a bout, though, and not in the fifth and final round. If at the end of the contest both fighters remain standing, the result is a draw.

Dave “The Nomad” Leduc,  a Canadian fighter,  has become first non-Burmese openweight Lethwei World Champion.

OUR TRAINING PROGRAM

MEX works with a local lethwei club and our boxing classes retain the essence of old tradition of Lethwei. The classes are broken down into beginner, intermediate, advanced and professional invite-only ring spars. Each class has trainers to ensure that every trainee gets individualized attention and learns the proper techniques of lethwei.

Location : Yangon

Advance booking required.

Contact MEX for more details.