what is a free warrior

Members of the Pahuyuth are known as Free-Warriors The term “Free-Warrior” comes from paramilitary special forces and free mercenaries who were not part of the regular army. Pahuyuth-Warriors are free warriors, both inside and outside.

The ideal of freedom

In the context of Pahuyuth, the concept of freedom refers to the desire for freedom and independence in one’s daily life and also for absolute freedom and sovereignty as a martial artist. Above all, however, this means the quest to detach oneself from unfavourable self-esteem (pride), false ideals (role models) and emotions. Detaching from these and other factors that inhibit freedom is an ongoing developmental process called psychological self-adjustment.

Free-Warriors in historical context

In the historical context, a distinction is made between the ancient Free-Warriors and the Free-Warriors of modernity:

The first known Free-Warriors were the Gleeh Gauw Piehnong or Gleeh-Warriors, who fought against the occupation by the Chinese around 2500 BC. In later times, free paramilitary forces and mercenaries were called Free-Warriors. They did not belong to the regular military, but fought as guerrillas for the freedom of the country.

The era of the ancient Free-Warriors ended with the execution of King Tak Sin in 1782 A.D., which resulted in a serious change of power. The existence of the ancient Free-Warriors and their significance for the history of Southeast Asia was eradicated from the history books. The remaining Free-Warriors retreated underground.

About 170 years later, in 1952 A.D., a convent of the few surviving Pahuyuth teachers decided that the martial arts knowledge should be reformed and preserved for future generations. This was the basis for today’s teaching concept of the Pahuyuth. The Pahuyuth-Warriors, trained after 1952, are described as Free-Warriors of Modernity.