The master index of Vincent Giordano’s extensive training and research journeys through Southeast Asia and India, of which the Born Warriors project is a part. The website is forthcoming.
Lethwei by Martial Couderette
Martial Couderette’s beautifully crafted 240-page, black and white photo book is totally devoted to the art of Lethwei. His deep, eight-year immersion into the sport is clearly displayed on each page as he covers not only the fight tournaments but also the trainers, training camps, and fighters. This special, limited-edition book can be ordered directly…
Thant Myint-U
Those wishing for a deeper and richer exploration of Myanmar should visit the webpage of Saya Thant Myint-U. His writing on the subject through his books and articles is rich with unique cultural perspective and critical historical understanding.
Lethwei Schedule
LW Mark’s Lethwei Schedule site is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the sport of Lethwei. It continually lists upcoming Lethwei tournaments (not only in Myanmar but in countries like Japan), and then follows up with the fight results. His work extends into fighter records and clearing up the often-confusing number of tournament and…
The Fight Site
The Fight Site offers complete combat sports coverage including a burgeoning page dedicated to Lethwei.
Lethwei or Naban? A Visual Look Back
by Vincent Giordano
The origin of this important early film footage begins with the career of Jean Alexandre Louis Promio, who later became known as Alexandre Promio. He was a pioneering French cinematographer, who filmed the footage in July 1896. Promio was an assistant to a French optician when he witnessed the first presentation of the Lumiere brothers cinematographe, a motion-picture apparatus used as both a camera and projector in June 1895. The Lumiere brothers were among the first filmmakers in history, and the burgeoning technology greatly excited and impressed Promio. In March 1896, he left his job to start working with the Lumiere brothers, who were looking to expand their business worldwide. After a short time, Promio — along with M. Perrigot, who taught Promio and others how to use the cinematographe — became responsible for training the first generation of cinematographe operators, who exhibited and showcased this new invention worldwide.
Lethwei or Naban
We did a poll on our Born Warriors Facebook page on May 27, 2018 to determine if this old footage from 1896 was Lethwei or Naban.
Born to Battle: Myanmar vs Thailand
The Thai and Burmese have competed against each other for centuries, both in times of war and times of peace.
Lethwei: More Than Just a Headbutt
Lethwei is a diverse and durable fighting sport that has evolved over the decades. It has slowly risen from the ashes of military control which limited its expansion to global notoriety in the wake of the opening of Myanmar.
The Old Way
Were the ancient Burmese, Thai, Cambodian and Lao bare-knuckle/bound-fist bouts a fight to the death, or were they fought for the most part in a more civilized manner?