- published: 20 Nov 2007
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Pradal serey is an unarmed martial art from Cambodia. In Khmer the word pradal means fighting or boxing and serey means free. Originally used for warfare, pradal serey is now one of Cambodia's national sports. Its moves have been slightly altered to comply with the modern rules.
Pradal serey is mostly the same as unarmed kbach kun boran except it does not include mae (core techniques), tvear (door system that emphasizes footwork). Instead, it focuses more on winning a bout. While most well known for its kicking technique, which generates power from hip rotation rather than snapping the leg, pradal serey consists of four types of strikes: punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes. The clinch is used to wear down the opponent. Compared to other forms of Southeast Asian kickboxing, pradal serey emphasizes more elusive and shifty fighting stances. The Cambodian style tends to utilize more elbows than that of other regions. More victories come by way of an elbow technique than any other strikes.