"...Burma, officially Myanmar, is a relatively small South East Asian country, bordering Laos, Bangladesh, India, China and Thailand. With almost 56 million people, it is the 25th most populous country in the world. Bordering relatively larger and more influential nations, Burma has absorbed much from its neighbors. Like its cuisine, the martial arts of Burma have been influenced by India, China and Thailand. What?s interesting about Burmese martial arts is that they represent the diverse gamut of martial arts, constituting combat sports, ?traditional” approaches, weapons, striking and grappling. Burmese martial arts, in the West, are usually known by the term ?bando.” However, the Burmese term for its collection of martial arts is ?thaing.” Bando is the proper name for one particular martial art, which, from the outside, seems to have absorbed a great deal from Chinese Kung Fu. Burmese Bando fits the description of what is considered a traditional martial art. Training is done using solo forms, two person forms and sparring. Like kung fu, the forms are based on the movements of animals: the monkey, bull, cobra, panther and eagle. Burmese Bando fighting techniques revolve around a three pronged approach to defense: evading the attack, angular reentry with strikes, followed by a joint lock or take down. Burmese Bando also features weapons training in knives, sticks, spears and swords..."