Bokh and Shuai Jiao Online Classes: What It’s All About
Whether you’ve been with us along the journey, or you’re just tuning in, welcome to Bokhin Ayin: A Wrestler’s Journey, and thanks for joining us! If you’re new to our site, you might be wondering what our online Zoom Mongol Bokh and Shuai Jiao classes are all about. Here’s all the info you need:
Meet the team: These classes are brought to you by a team of five people. They are Coach Hohoo, Coach Lavell, Oyuntana, Ariela, and Tye (Sanda Fighting Arts). Coach Hohoo is a local Inner Mongolian wrestler and teacher from Zuun Sunid, Xilingol, Inner Mongolia. He is a multiple time Chinese National and International Shuai Jiao Champion and he is also a well known coach and wrestler in the Inner Mongolian Wrestling community. He was awarded his Jangga in 2001 and has gone on to produce many champion students in both Chinese and Mongolian Wrestling. He began to teach Lavell and Ariela Mongolian wrestling when they arrived in China in 2019, and he has since began teaching our online seminars as well. He is assisted by Lavell to demonstrate the techniques taught during class and because Hohoo only speaks Mongolian and Chinese, our class is translated by Oyuntana from Mongolian to English. Ariela and Tye provide the background support and logistics to make sure the online Zoom classes run smoothly.
Why we do these classes: Originally these classes were meant to be taught in live seminars during the summer of 2020 scheduled to tour across the United States, but due to the COVID 19 situation, the summer seminars had to be postponed. Rather than wait, the team decided to begin sharing the content online via Zoom. In this way, we hope to garner more interest in the West for learning Mongolian Bokh and Chinese Shuai Jiao, and already begin teaching the fundamentals of these arts online, prior to our future in person seminars. Interested in signing up online? Click HERE to find out about the next Zoom seminar.
What are our goals: This is the VERY FIRST TIME that Inner Mongolian Wrestling is being taught in the West, and it is brought to you straight from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Without access to the rest of the world, Inner Mongolian Bokh has largely remained obscure outside of the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. When Lavell and Ariela arrived in China, they found themselves in a special position where they could use their link to the West combined with the support of local Mongolian people, in order to promote and spread Mongolian wrestling culture internationally. Because of the unique makeup of our team members, we have a rare opportunity to spread the arts of both Inner Mongolian Bokh and Chinese Shuai Jiao to the world outside of China and beyond. It is the goal of Bokhin Ayin to share these arts and this “Wrestler’s Journey” as we support local Inner Mongolian culture and people.
What we teach: In these seminars Coach Hohoo and Lavell aim to teach the fundamentals of Mongolian Bokh and Shuai Jiao. We always begin our online classes with some cultural knowledge focused on Mongolian wrestling, people, history, life, etc. We believe that in order to understand the wrestling styles from this region, you must also become familiarized with the culture of Mongolian people. Hohoo presents this cultural portion and then continues to the wrestling portion of the class. During the sessions Hohoo and Lavell teach solo drills, basic techniques, basic Mongolian wrestling grips, and the similarities between Chinese wrestling and Mongolian wrestling, as well as the ways in which these two styles can compliment each other. After the teaching portion of the class, we have a Q&A so students can ask Hohoo and Lavell questions directly. Each session is unique in the material covered and does not require that you have attended previous sessions. Techniques and concepts covered can be applied to any martial styles and are a great addition to any martial artist’s training.
The bigger picture: Mongolians have a strong and ancient wrestling history. Across all styles of wrestling in the world today, ethnically Mongolian people excel. What is it about this culture and these people that makes them some of the best wrestlers on the planet? And why hasn’t more of the world tapped into learning from them? That’s what we’re here to explore, share, and learn about on Bokhin Ayin. Join our journey, promote Mongolian wrestling culture, and become part of a more global wrestling community.
-Written by Ariela
