{{short description|Peruvian martial art}} {{For|the Indonesian governmental institution|Government Communications Agency (Indonesia)}} {{Infobox martial art | image = | imagecaption = | imagesize = | name = Bakom | aka = Vacón, bakon, ''lucha total'', Peruvian street fighting | focus = Striking, kicking, grappling, wrestling | country = Peru | parenthood = Various techniques from street fighting in Lima }} '''Bakom''', also known as '''Vacón''', is a Peruvian martial art created during the early 1980s by former commando and street fighter '''Roberto León Puch Bezada'''.<ref name=Panorama>{{Cite AV media |title=La noche de Caylloma: "El otro rostro del Centro Histórico" |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F0-BFaQCIo |date=2012-04-01 |last=Escajadillo |first=Fabricio |type=Television production |language=es |publisher=Panorama |others=Jhony Sebastian (editor), Walter Jiménez (camera), Paolo Ramirez (assistant), Manuel Ticona (auxiliary)}}</ref>
==History== The art was created by Roberto Puch ({{born-in|1952|08|01}} in Martinete),<ref name=Panorama1>{{Cite AV media |title=Yo soy leyenda |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URFh6W7znvc |date=2016-10-16 |last=Victorio |first=Rosario |type=Television production |language=es |publisher=Al Sexto Día |others=Gabriel Pastor, Daniel Huaroc, Luis Calderon, Maycol Chauca}}</ref><ref name=Panorama2>{{Cite AV media |title=El último peleador callejero |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH0--2EY_MA |date=2012-04-22 |last=Escajadillo |first=Fabricio |type=Television production |language=es |publisher=Panorama |others=Franz Bismarck (editing), Jimmy Rodriguez (camera), Teresa Cueto (assistant), César Caldart (auxiliary)}}</ref> a resident of the third block of Caylloma street, in the historic centre of Lima, a once-dangerous part of the city.<ref name=Panorama/> The oldest of eight children,<ref name=Panorama1/> Puch was born in Barrios Altos, growing up in the neighbourhood's then crime-ridden areas, such as Cinco esquinas,<ref name=Panorama1/> where he saw kicking duels as a child, eventually learning self-defence techniques from a Chinese mentor at the city's Chinatown.<ref name=Bedoya>{{Cite book |title=En aparente estado de ebriedad |last=Bedoya García-Montero |first=Jaime |publisher=Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Perú |year=2016 |isbn=9786124271182 |pages=18–19 |language=es |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9h0IDgAAQBAJ |chapter=Peleador callejero}}</ref> A troubled relationship with his father ({{died-in|2015}}) due to his behaviour led him to be sent to a boarding school.<ref name=Panorama1/> He eventually graduated from the COEDE School of the Peruvian Army, serving as a commando and later working as a member of the intelligence service.<ref name=Bedoya/>
Both the fighting style and its creator's fame reached its peak during the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name=Panorama1/> In the early 1990s, he was interviewed by Jaime Bayly in his programme ''¿Qué hay de nuevo?'', also being featured in the biographical miniseries ''{{ill|Luis D'Unian Dulanto|es|Luis D’Unian Dulanto|lt=Tatán}}''.<ref name=Panorama1/><ref name=Panorama2/> After his appearances on Peruvian television, he became a bodyguard for a number of celebrities and politicians,<ref name=Panorama2/> eventually becoming a ''curandero'',<ref name=Panorama1/><ref>{{Cite AV media |title=[Report on Puch and Bakóm] |date=1997-06-25 |last=Rey |first=Maria Laura |type=Television production |language=es |publisher=La Revista Dominical |others=Ego Aguirre, Alfonso (editing); García, Antonio (camera); De Pomar, Manuel (assistant)}}</ref> opening a workshop on Moquegua street.<ref name=Bedoya/>
==Rules== According to Puch, the ruleset is as follows:<ref>{{Cite book |title=Bakom: El Arte Marcial Peruano |last=Puch Bezada |first=Roberto |publisher=Biblioteca del Congreso de la República del Perú |year=2004 |lang=es}}</ref> # Study the opponent and analyse the type of physical build. # Maintain serenity, reason, make your mind work quickly and safely, keep your body elastic and not rigid. # Always remember that skill is better than strength and resort to creole mischief, that is, "total fight." # Review and memorize the weak points of the human body. # Distrust is part of wisdom, in the face of a possible triumph; Never turn your back on your opponent. Never neglect any angle of your body. # Surprise is the cornerstone of success in action; Change and combine different tactics in the fight. # Never give your opponent a break, on the contrary, ensure his defeat by attacking him without rest.
==See also== *List of martial arts
==References== {{reflist}} Category:South American martial arts Category:Hispanic martial arts Category:Peruvian folklore Category:Wrestling in Peru