The elder Gyi—whose military name was Bawanje Rai—served as an officer of the 10th Burma Gurkha Rifles, and was formally educated in linguistics and physiology. Ba Than Gyi formed the Military Athletics Club in Maymaya, Burma during the mid 1900s, with the support of colleagues from the Burmese military.2 He was successful in efforts to restore and modernize the ancient fighting systems endemic to the region, including systems from India, Tibet, and China. Although elder Gyi’s initiatives were driven by a strong cultural imperative, the spread of global conflict during the late1930s and early1940s significantly influenced Bando’s development.

Gyi the ‘Warrior’

In the early 1940s, young Maung Gyi faced extreme disappointment as his dreams of becoming a physician faded. Political conflicts between his native Burma and the imperialistic Japanese leadership led to a war between the two nations. All adult males in the Gyi family joined the Burmese military during World War II, and there were casualties among them. Uncles, cousins, and even Maung Gyi’s brother were killed in battle.

Recruited to serve in a Gurkha regiment, the youthful Gyi spent some of his military service as a medic, which continued to fuel his ambitions for a medical career. However, his fate shifted dramatically as Maung Gyi was forced to defend himself against Japanese soldiers, while attempting to aid fallen comrades on the battlefield. During this phase of life, Maung Gyi benefitted directly from his father’s insights regarding the applicability of Bando techniques. With khukuri in hand, he fought in dark trenches, jungle thickets, and hilly terrains against armed opponents. The rule was ‘kill or be killed,’ and Gyi chose survival.

The Japanese were armed with katanas (e.g., long swords ) and bayonets, while the Burmese soldiers used their short-bladed swords (e.g., khukuris) to fend off the foreign invaders. The young Maung Gyi had received instruction on combat uses of the khukuri during military basic training. He honed his sword skills on the battlefield and developed a keen sensibility for ‘pragmatics’ in the martial arts. Daggers, swords, long staffs, and other handheld weapons were used in battle by Gyi during the Japanese incursion. The need to survive forced him to learn combat techniques quickly and efficiently. British military historians and achievers have, in fact, credited Maung Gyi with several battlefield kills during World War II.

The ‘enlightened journey’ of Maung Gyi continued in the years immediately following World War II, where he benefitted directly from his father’s insights on fighting systems. Still in his early 20s, Gyi worked closely with his father and other combat veterans to document various elements of the Bando system. Careful attention was given to integrating higher-order skills into a comprehensive fighting system that would reflect both the vision of Ba Than Gyi and the diverse martial techniques of the Burmese region–particularly the animal fighting styles.3 Principles and practices learned from martial-arts masters were carefully recorded and organized into an evolved Bando system.

The Enlightened Journey of Dr. M. Gyi—Page 4

The elder Gyi, Ba Than, invited martial-arts masters from China, India, and Tibet to share their fighting techniques and strategies with the Burmese. Maung Gyi, aided by two other young scholars, was given responsibility for studying and documenting the various styles presented by the foreign masters. Techniques for edge weapons and staffs were presented by Chinese practitioners, while Indian masters share highly effective grappling methods. Animal fighting systems from Tibet and southern China were also prominently explored during these post-war years. Ba Than Gyi carefully guided this development process, ensuring that only functional elements from these diverse approaches would be incorporated into a modernized Bando system. His military background and recent war experiences ensured that Bando would remain a practical system. Nevertheless, the elder Gyi held firm to a philosophy that “...no one system has a monopoly on truth...” This axiom continues to influence Bando’s evolution, even in the twenty-first century.

While Maung Gyi was influenced by each fighting approach to which he was exposed, there grew within him a profound interest in the Cobra Style. He actually spent an extended period living with a Cobra master who raised these animals for their venom. Maung Gyi would subsequently become a Cobra master himself and teach the system to others. Unable to ignore the warrior spirit within, Maung Gyi also delved deeply into techniques of the Bull and Boar Styles, effectively integrating certain techniques into the sport of Bama Lethway (i.e., Burmese kickboxing). He competed in dozens of matches against fighters throughout Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia. Eventually, the youthful Gyi became a champion fighter and gained international recognition for his skill.

Maung Gyi’s ‘enlightened journey’ continued, as he moved to the United States in the late 1950s. His primary purposes for relocating were to pursue higher education and to support the humanitarian efforts of his uncle, the late U Thant, who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1962-1971. While employment and educational opportunities attracted Maung Gyi to the states, advancement of the Bando system may well have been the compelling force that kept him in America.

Shifting his energy away from survival and competition, Maung Gyi enrolled in several prestigious institutions–including Johns Hopkins and Harvard Universities–subsequently attaining both law and doctoral degrees. While working as a linguist in Washington, D.C., Gyi introduced a modified version of the Bando system to a few select students in 1960. He also trained secret service personnel, FBI staff, and security officials during this phase. A few years later, he organized the first Bando club in the states at the American University in D.C. Many students were attracted to Bando because of the uniqueness of this Burma-based fighting style, which preceded other Southeast Asian arts in the U.S. by decades. Techniques of the Bando system contrasted sharply with those of the popular Japanese and Korean styles that dominated the martial-arts scene. Practitioners were impressed with the speed and efficiency of Gyi’s techniques.

Throughout the Eastern Seaboard, Gyi entered his students into karate tournaments and forms competitions. These early students, clad in non-traditional black uniforms, dominated their matches and captured many titles. Shin kicks, leaping punches, and knee blocks were nearly unknown outside of Bando, and Gyi’s early students applied these techniques effectively against other stylists. Word of the system’s effectiveness spread throughout the martial-arts community, causing some otherwise successful practitioners to avoid tournaments where Bando students were entered. Lloyd Davis, Joe Manley, Bob Maxwell, Carl Beamon, Mfundishi Maasi, and Rusty Gage were respected names at karate tournaments, and they helped to foster Bando’s growing reputation.

Having mastered the Cobra Style, Maung Gyi was periodically invited to offer public demonstrations of the rarely-seen animal system. A primary offensive technique of this animal style is the ‘cobra strike,’ which simulates a cobra’s venomous bite against its prey. To illustrate the effectiveness of this type of strike, Gyi had an assistant toss several inflated balloons into the air. In rapid succession, Gyi struck the free-falling balloons with a single cobra strike, causing them to burst. His hands moved with such speed that the actual strikes could not be seen. It gave the ‘illusion’ that the balloons were bursting on their own. Observers of the demonstration were mesmerized, almost incapable of processing what they were witnessing. Such demonstrations fostered the mystique of Maung Gyi and his art of Bando–a mystique that continues to this day.

(kenpo), Mas Oyama (kyokushinkai), Harold Long (isshin-ryu), Robert Tias (shorin-ryi), Mas Oshima (shotokan) and Jhoon Rhee (taekwondo). These early accomplishments of Maung Gyi were a testament to his skill and intellect. He served as ‘chief referee’ for most major karate tournaments throughout the country, and chaired the Tournament Rules Committee for Black Belt Magazine, which established a point system for karate matches. Many of the early karate matches refereed by Gyi involved noted champions, including Mike Stone, Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis, and Tom LaPuppet.6

With over 90 Lethway and Tai-Boxing matches to his credit from the formative years in Burma, Maung Gyi introduced the sport of kickboxing to the U.S. He organized the first full-contact Bando Boxing match in Washington, D.C. during 1960, and formed the American Bando Association (ABA) to foster ancient Burmese fighting systems and to support military veterans. The innovations made by incorporating Western boxing methods into traditional martial arts were nothing short of ‘mystical.’ As an Olympic finalist in boxing, Maung Gyi was well aware of how Western boxing techniques could radically augment and improve Bando and other Asian fighting systems.

Gyi competed successfully in professional boxing matches in New York and New Jersey, periodically knocking out heavyweight opponents. What is most impressive about these matches is the weight differential. Maung Gyi weighed between 140 and 145 pounds at the time and only fought against light-heavyweight and heavyweight opponents.

Gyi the ‘Monk’

With a beautiful wife by his side, Maung Gyi sought new vistas in the college town of Athens, Ohio during the 1970s. This rustic setting offered many attractive features to the combat veteran whom found himself drifting further away from the sorrow and pain of Burmese battlefields. Good schools and wholesome social options in Athens proved ideal for rearing his two children–Malinda and Serena. Both Maung Gyi and his wife, Patricia, found the intellectual environment of Ohio University suitable for professional growth and career development. After completing additional graduate training, Dr. Gyi joined the university faculty and distinguished himself as a psycholinguist in the School of Communications. Mrs. Gyi, too, completed graduate training at Ohio University and served as an administrator in the College of Medicine. Even the Gyi children found academic success in the quaint college town through advanced placement courses and attainment of an undergraduate degree.

Maung Gyi’s biological family flourished in the fertile grounds of Athens, and there was comparable growth in his Bando family, as well. The hills and forests in the region created an exceptional training environment for Bando practitioners. Gyi was able to capture and share the rugged Gurkha discipline with his students during seminars and camps. Running, crawling, climbing, swimming, and hiking were all requirements for advancement in the Bando system. The pragmatics of physical conditioning were reinforced through day-long sessions, where practitioners were expected to endure extreme weather conditions as they learned fighting techniques. Combat skills were frequently tested during ‘war games’ and night maneuvers. Also, there were innumerable backyard and basement sessions with Maung Gyi, where select students were able to refine their skills under his careful scrutiny.

Amazingly, Maung Gyi imparted the knowledge of Bando’s nine animal systems with his students. Practitioners learned the power and aggression of the Bull, Boar, and Tiger Styles. Stealth and flexibility were engendered in many who devoted themselves to learning the Panther, Python, and Eagle Styles. As well, there was the poison and precision of the Cobra, Viper, and Scorpion Styles. With the combined talents of an Animist sage and Shaman adept, Dr. Gyi embodied each of the animals as he shared the secrets of these Burmese fighting traditions.

Dr. Gyi has formally retired as chief instructor of the ABA as of 2005, and has pledged to preserve Oopali’s valuable legacy. He now conducts classes with a cross section of health-care professionals and martial artists, including physicians, therapists, alternative healers, and practitioners of internal martial-arts systems. Dr. Gyi focuses on physical restoration and healing; internal energy management; and spiritual fulfillment through meditation and yoga. Fasting, vegetarian diets, and non-violence are key principles to be followed by Monk System adherents–all practices that Maung Gyi has grown to embrace.

More than 40 years have passed since Maung Gyi began sharing the philosophy, principles, and practices of Bando with his students in America. He journeyed from his birthplace of Mandalay, Burma across several continents and through many phases of personal development to become a major influence on martial arts in the West. Throughout this ‘enlightened journey,’ Maung Gyi never lost perspective regarding the legacy passed down by his father, Ba Than Gyi. The elder Gyi reconstituted the ancient fighting methods and strands during the pre-World War II years in Burma, and imposed a mission on his son to continue Bando’s development.

. . . . . . No one nation or system has a monopoly on truth . . . . . .

Maung Gyi has extended this legacy of pragmatics well into the 21st Century. Moreover, Bando in America has not stagnated under his leadership. Dr. Gyi has emphasized diversity in both substance and structure within the organization that he founded during the 1960s–the American Bando Association (ABA). ABA membership has always been open and unrestrictive, reflecting the social landscape of the United States. In fact, practitioners within this organization encompass a broad range of economic, ethnic, educational, and religious backgrounds. Community service is required for promotion to the instructor level (i.e., black belt rank) and beyond in order to sensitize practitioners to social differences. To extend this ideal, ABA members are required to provide volunteer services for veterans groups, senior facilities, hospitals, and public schools.

. . . . Pride, fear, and arrogance hinder the learning process . . .

As a true educator, Maung Gyi fosters a legacy of lifelong learning. Martial arts students of all ranks are encouraged to participate in Bando seminars and to explore the methods of other martial arts styles. Often, masters from other styles have been invited to teach and to demonstrate their techniques at events sponsored by the ABA. This notion of embracing new concepts and ideas is directly linked to Maung Gyi’s childhood experiences in Burma and his scholarly pursuits during the early years in the U.S. Despite numerous accomplishments, he never rests on his laurels, but rather continues to be ‘a student’ of the martial arts.

Muang Gyi actively participates in seminars lead by other masters. It is Maung Gyi’s belief that the ‘path to harmony’ must include persons from many divergent backgrounds. He further states, that all people have important ideas to share with society, and an enlightened mind will accept useful knowledge from any source.

Physical wellness is, arguably, Maung Gyi’s most profound contribution to the Bando’s legacy and to the broader martial arts community. While fitness has always been a primary component of Bando training, greater emphasis has been placed on conditioning methods during the past several years. He has updated the ABA promotion criteria to include a rigorous fitness component that parallels those of many military systems, including the Gurkha training regimen.

He believes that the body must be supple and strong throughout life, and he continues to lead many training sessions with demonstrations of his own power, speed, and flexibility. Ironically, many students and practitioners in their 20s, 30s, and 40s are unable to match the Grandmaster’s performance.

. . . . . . At the end of the day, Dr. Maung Gyi remains a humble pragmatist of life and living, remaining true to a legacy that has guided his life . . . . .