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 moves his big body very fast Ten people watch him intensely from the ranks. Dressed in shorts, a gold scarf tied around his waist Mr. Sankim Sean is a grand master Boxkator. He has been a famous teacher of Boxkator for many years and now he is middle age man.
The 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, you have to face serious obstacles such as sprained and swelled muscles during long periods.
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, was good at Boxkator and Sankim Sean decided to take lessons from him. “My uncle the sward could not hurt him”, Sankim Sean says.
From day to day his parents are furious of hearing that Sankim Sean studied Boxkator. His parents thought that Boxkator was valueless in society. His father accused, “you are a game cock”. 
Though his parents did not like it, Sankim Sean did not give up. “It was , 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 wanted him to be a merchant.
Knowing that the grand master Boxkator Sankim Sean not only learned Boxkator but also took lessons of Habkido, Karatedo and Udo During the Pol Pot regime, that was why in 1980 he fled to the United States of America. There he teaches Habkido, today. He adds “though I do want to teach Boxkator, people there never even heard of it and not certificate exists as a proof”.
The ancient boxing was celebrated in America, but the grand master Boxkator Sankim Sean did not see Cambodia’s boxing. Seeing this issue, Sankim Sean left his home in America to return 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 instance, spending two years for the first black scarf lesson. Eam Pesith, a Boxkator student says that Pesith has studied 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 on a little charcoal stove next to the boxing ring says, “I am Sankim Sean’s wife”. At first she was 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 a book of Boxkator in both Cambodia and English.
