page_title: Angampora
section_title: Training
hierarchical_section_title: Angampora / Training
caption_attribution_description: English: female fighter using illangam techniques to combat with male fighter
context_page_description: Angampora, is a form of martial art from Sri Lanka that combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and meditation. A key component of angampora is the namesake angam, which incorporates hand-to-hand fighting, and illangam, involving the use of indigenous weapons such as the ethunu kaduwa, staves, knives and swords. Another component known as maya angam, which uses spells and incantations for combat, is also said to have existed. Angampora's distinct feature lies in the use of pressure point attacks to inflict pain or permanently paralyze the opponent. Fighters usually make use of both striking and grappling techniques, and fight until the opponent is caught in a submission lock that they cannot escape. Usage of weapons is discretionary. Perimeters of fighting are defined in advance, and in some of the cases is a pit. With the advent of colonialism over the entirety of the island in 1815, Angampora fell into disuse and was very nearly lost as a part of the country's heritage.
context_section_description: The angam component is divided into three main disciplines, gataputtu (locks and grips), pora haramba (strikes and blocks) and maru kala
  (nerve point attacks). Gataputtu are placed on an opponent using the fighter's hands, legs or head. Pora Haramba include approximately eighteen forms of offensive strikes and seven of defensive blocks. Maru kala is the component that incorporates nerve-point attacks capable of inflicting pain on the opponent, causing serious injury or timed death.(This means that according to the strike and pressure applied, the death of the person can be decided, sometimes the time can range from few minutes to many months of suffering) 
  Several locks:
  
  
   
  Diyaballu gataya
  Kathira gataya
  Pimburu gataya
   
  Wanda gataya
  Hasthi gataya
   
  Lin gataya
  Konda gataya
   
  Several offensive strikes:
  
  
   
  Dik gutiya
  Cholle
  Tokke
  Len pahara
   
  Miti pahara/Miti gutiya
  Miti guliya
  Veesi pahara
  Athul pahara
   
  Pita pahara
  Thallu pahara
  Vakka pahara
   
  Before a practice session starts, the student is expected to meditate and offer merit to the master. The student lights three lamps as he enters to the angam maduwa. Students also make a pledge to use the technique solely for purposes  of self-defense and the defense of his family or country. Practice begins with basic warm-up exercises, gradually moving on to special exercises. Foot movement techniques are the cornerstone of this art of fighting, and a foot exercise called mulla panina is the first skill taught, with minor mistakes being stiffly disciplined. This exercise is followed next by more advanced techniques like Gaman Thalawa.
  The hand fighting technique known as amaraya is a step into the next level of training. A student learns to observe the weaknesses of the opponent, and to attack weak points with experience. Weapons such as the suruttuwaluwa/velayudaya (an apparatus made of four long flexible pieces of metal, with sharp edges on both sides), the combat sword, keti kaduwa (a short sword), and cane sticks are used for fighting, together with the paliha (shield). In total, there are sixty-four types of weapon, including thirty-two sword variants. Some deadly, higher-level Angam attacks involve the nervous system; others if executed properly, can halt the bloodflow to vital organs, leading to paralysis or even death. Alongside such techniques students learn an ayurvedic practice known as beheth pārawal, or medical shots, for reversing the effects of such strikes.
  A graduation ceremony known as the Helankada Mangalya is the apex of the life of an angampora fighter, held within a Buddhist temple. Panikkirala, or fencing master, is the highest position in angampora, denoting the head of a particular school. A distinctive feature is the lack of the use of rank insignia like belts to denote degree of competence: male fighters usually fight bare-chested. Although angampora is designed to kill, it requires the practitioner to adhere at all times to stringent discipline. In extreme cases, fights are held inside deep holes.
caption: Staff against sword and shield
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