Maung Gyi, the son of Ba Than Gyi, began formally teaching bando in the early 1960s in Washington, D.C. His Hanthawaddy style of bando is today the most popular Burmese martial art in USA. The American Bando Association incorporates nine animal styles including the bull, boar, cobra, viper, python, panther, tiger, scorpion and eagle. Students first learn the basics of bando before advancing to the animal techniques. The basis for the ABA's bando system is a 9x9 matrix of techniques and principles. The student is encouraged to grasp the underlying principles of the art, as one technique may only be useful in a certain situation, but the principle the technique is built on will be useful in many situations.