Various Bando/Banshay thaing styles of Burma

a self defense martial art from Burma. The earliest meanings of Bando were "self-discipline, self-development, and self-improvement".Later, it came to mean, "self-protection, or self-defense". Bando includes the empty-hands methods and animal forms: eagle, bull, cobra, panther, monkey, and boar. There are a number of schools and styles. The main branches are:

• Nan twin thaing (Royal Palace style)
• Pyompya thaing (School of the ”hard-soft way”)
• Neganadai thaing (Snake style)
• Shan thaing, a martial art influenced by Chinese styles (Shan province is close to the Chinese border).

Bando's origins are closely linked to Budhhist temples and their teachings, the temples also traditionally functioned as educational centres. People from India, such as those who preached Budhism, brought their culture and martial arts to the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. The Chinese whom the Burmese once regarded as kin also influenced Burmese culture. The mix of Chinese and Indian Martial Arts, particularly the animal styles were what originally gave birth to bando.