We’re still a ways off from the JWP vs. Yodsanklai rematch on October 17^th…  I’m a fan of both fighters, I suspect this is going to be JWP’s last run at Yod.

Yodsanklai is probably hands down my favorite fighter.  I had an opportunity to meet him briefly at Slamm, and he’s just such a laid back guy.  I’m sure those of you who know him well and had a chance to train with him will agree, he’s just got a very gentle, and laid back character about him.  This is probably one of the best interviews I ever seen on him.  I’m not sure where this originally ran,  but it’s great.

I don’t think they’ve done a great job translating what he’s saying.   That’s being said, you’ll always lose a bit during the translation.   I think the words they’ve chosen have somehow decreased the impact of what he’s saying… particularly around his family,  and the importance of respect in the ring (Wai Kru), and compassion (for your opponents)

In the clip Yod says that by the time he was 8 he already had 7 titles,  let that sink in for a min.

I found this mini interview with him today via Loopnoub.

A couple of weeks ago I did a post on the MuayThai legends seminar.  It was actually less about the seminar, more about the fact they were going to have a suprise Thai guy.  It turns out the surprise Thai guy was my old trainer from FightandFitness, Neungsiam Samphusri.

When I was back in SF, I had a chance to catch up him and it sounds like they all had a great time.  It turns out that they’re looking to do a lot more of these seminars.  They’re looking to do these for charity.

worst boy band ever.

There’s nothing new about this, I recall Fairtex in the Bay Area holding smokers (interclubs) to benefit Nakmuay’s back in Thailand.    There are a lot of Thai Nakmuay’s who need help back in Thailand, but a the NakMuay’s in the states are often overlooked.

The Talent:

Neungsiam Samphusri : Former Lumpini and Mitsubishi 8 man tournament champion.

Matee Jedeepitak:  Former Lumpini (multiple), IKF and WMC champion

Saekson Janjira:  Former Lumpini and multibelt champion

Jongsanan Fairtex: Former Lumpini, ISKA, and IKF Champion

Sakasem Kanthawong: Former Lumpini Champ with over 250 fights.

Kaensak Sor Ploenchit: 2x thai sports writer fighter of the year, Lumpini and Rajadomnern Champion

These guys have come together to help out their compadres in the states.  There is small but tight network of Thai nak muay’s living in the States.  It’s a small community, but they look out for each other. These guys got together, to help some of their friends who were in financial in need.   Their goal is to start a fund, for Nak Muay’s and these seminars would be the primary way of funding it.   Neungsiam  told me that their eager to teach and train, and that their actively looking to do more seminars across the states.

It’s quite rare/nearly impossible  that you can get so much muaythai talent packed into one room.  So if your camp is looking to hold a seminar I would recommend getting in contact with them.  I would  contact Saekson Janjira .

3033 W. Parker Road #202

Plano, TX. 75023

(972) 769-8663

saekson@saekson.com

My training has been pretty damn lax lately.  I’ve been doing some cross fit and banging pads here and there.  My technique is has really gone out the window.  I tend to do pads, but the focus is more about getting a good workout, and I’m getting sloppy because of it.

Last night I dropped into David’s class and we were doing some technique and strategy drills.  It was exactly what the doctor ordered.  The concept we focused on was delivering blows to divide your opponent’s attention.

Basically there is only so much you’re capable of focusing on at one time. There is just so much going on when you’re fighting/sparring that if too much attention is on one aspect, chances are you’re leaving something else neglected.

The idea is to focus one aspect of your offense, pick your shot well and land it.  The shot should be a bomb… and it should give them something to be concerned about.   David’s favourite technique is to work on the opponent’s front leg.    Once the opponents’ leg has been peppered, you’ve begun to pull more of their focus, attention and energy into protecting that front leg.  That’s when you begin on the back leg.  David’s point was that if you can get your opponent to worry about 3 shots or more, they’ve pretty much been taken out of their game.  There’s just too much going on for them to get into a game plan or rhythm.

Last night I started off with a lot of stiff teeps, the goal was to get my opponent parry… once that hand came down to parry I was looking to follow up with a big cross.  2 down… the inside leg kick was next, anyway you get the point, it was an incredibly effective drill.

The setup-

You’ll want to have one partner continually setting up shots while the other person defends themselves and attempts to disrupts the others rhythm/flow.  Switch every round.

Anyway, give it a go and let me know how it goes.

Happy Monday MMT, Nathan aka “Natb19” our friend and frequent contributor is taking his skills to the road.  For those of you who are new to MMT, Nathan is our resident MuayChaiya (MC) contributor, and a instructor (Kru) who has been living and teaching MC in Thailand for the past 8 years.

For those new to MuayThai, here is the quick and dirty of MT and MC.  MuayThai as we know it, evolved from a tradition of combat martial arts.  The combat form of MuayThai is known as MuayBoran “Old Style Fighting” It’s more of a blanket term used to describe several styles.  MC is a form of MuayBoran developed in the town of Chaiya, in southern Thailand.

As time went on, hemp wrapped hands were replaced with gloves, rings and rounds followed closed behind.  MuayBoran went from the battlefield into the stadiums and the sport of MuayThai was born.

Intro to MuayChaiya

Nathan has devoted 8 years of his life learning the art of Chaiya and he’s looking to run a few seminars abroad (UK and US).  I know he’s going to be in the UK, I plan on attending.  I’ll keep you posted on his schedule and locations.  Let me know if anyone in London is interested in learning, I think he plans on running it over 2 days, a nice intro into MC.

If anyone out there is interested in organizing a seminar, get in touch with Nathan, I’m sure he’ll be able to arrange something.

for info more info on Nathan, the seminars, or MuayChaiya, Check out:  http://www.learnmuaychaiya.com/

Hola mmt brothers and sisters.  Our friend Stephen who runs Sit-KangMongkon in Pittsburgh Pa. needs our help.  He’s doing a comprehensive study on MuayThai injuries. If you have a moment, help a brother out.  If   you are 18 years of age or older, please share your experiences in our approximately 10-15 minuteonline survey by visiting  http://www.facebook.com/l/b7cf3;www.survey.pitt.edu/muaythai when you have internet access. Alternatively, you can have a direct link emailed to you by the Principal Investigator by emailing Stephen Strotmeyer at sjsst43@pitt.edu. Rest assured that all of your answers will be used only for scholarly purposes and will be kept completely confidential.

Your participation is absolutely critical to the success of this project. Only through your responses can we better understand the injuries resulting from participation in muayThai, the “King of the
Ring”. Gaining better insight into the magnitude, scope and risk factors for fight injury will allow the development of future prevention and intervention activities.

Thank you again for your so very generous participation.

Stephen Strotmeyer, MPH
University of Pittsburgh
Center for Social & Urban Research
And
Thomas J. Songer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology

Thanks to John for sending this along. If any of you MMT guys around Plano Texas you should get your ass down there.  These guys are indeed legends…

It makes me wonder though, hasn’t there been any fresh Nak Muay’s immigrating to the States?  With the state of MuayThai in the US, I doubt it.  I see a lot of Thai Nak Muay’s coming to the UK and Europe.

“Surprise Thai Guy”…

There’s something about this that annoys me…  it’s like this surprise thai guy has been sprinkled with magical Thai dust.    Don’t worry about what this guy is going to bring to the table, he’s Thai!

I know they don’t mean anything by it, In fact I quite sure this poster was designed by p’Saekson himself.

It’s weird, though I do encounter this form of reverse racism quite a bit.  When I go to camps and people find out I’m Thai, they immediately assume I can fight.  Then I take off my shirt and flash my gut!

As last week drew to an end and this week began, I found I had little interest in training. Despite trying to meditate, I wasn’t feeling it.  I continued to enjoy my morning runs but training muay thai felt stale.  Monday marked ten days before the return of the Thai trainer and subsequently ten days until I would have someone hold pads for me.  I realized this as I was getting ready to hit the bag.  I thought, okay…think positively…and I decided to visualize whatever came to mind that might set me straight…I smelt the air in Buriram, had it mix with the sounds of the Italians working the bags nearby and then I imagined a chicken squawk.  I then thought, really, has it come to this?  I’m standing here at a gym, in Japan and I have to conjure the cries of greasy fowl to motivate me?

Two days later I found myself in the offices of a Thai owned gym in Tokyo.  After speaking with the owner for some time, he offered me a fight on Sunday.  Being that it was Wednesday, that gave me two days to prepare. I hadn’t been training consistently since my arrival and I’d have to prepare for two minute rounds of, what I assume would be an onslaught of punches to my face and incessant low kicks. Then again, perhaps I was wrong….alright.  I accepted.

Shortly after I agreed, the owner of the gym I’m currently residing at entered the office. He spoke with the Thai promoter for some time in Japanese.  I picked up he was surprised that I was going to fight.  A woman translated.  I was told I would be going to the fight alone and their gym would ensure I’d make the two hour trip to the fight – they would send someone to pick me at the local wat.  This stunned me.  The promoter from my gym wasn’t going…okay….but no one to corner me?

No one to corner me.

In short, I would show up at the Thai promoter’s gym/venue, to fight one of his fighters, on short notice, with no training, under Japanese rules, for round times I’ve never prepared for – with absolutely no support from the gym in Japan that flew me here.

Really?

This is confusing to me.

I was left with the basic question of, “What next?”  One of the factors in my accepting to come here was, as I was told, I’d be exposed to Japanese training methods….I also wanted to fight, although, that wasn’t agreed to before my arrival.  It was left open, but was made known that it was of extreme interest to me.

Everything inside me told me taking this fight, under these circumstances was a bad idea.  Then the other part of my brain kicked in – it pushed that I should fight, suggesting I forget about all that I felt was working against me, erase the poison in my veins and fight.  I then scanned my body, which I do when I have conflicting thoughts and emotions.  I find if I don’t follow my heart, my body bitchslaps me until I do.  I develop inconsistent sleeping patterns, rashes, stomach problems, whatever…I can’t escape it.

My body’s answer, “You’re joking right?”

This provoked me to contemplate the real reasons I was considering taking this fight.  The deep rooted ones.  After some introspection, I realized they were as follows:  pride, anger, and the relentless feeling that walking away from what I aspired to accomplish here when offered the opportunity, would translate as weakness, as not having heart (to no one other than myself).  I then realized these were all destructive and inane reasons for stepping into a ring.

The following morning it rained.  I ran shortly thereafter, followed my usual path, meaning roadside and came across what I believe is the entrance to a Shinto shrine (?).  I was surprised when I initially came across it – I had been running past this structure for a month and until Monday morning had been oblivious to its presence.

I was unsure of its purpose, but my instinct was to follow it.

Up the staircase, then stone stairs veering right, up wood and black stoned steps steeping left, to a delicately constructed enclosure.  A small, quiet area engulfed in green.  It smelled of rain and unknown foliage.  Brittle taupe leaves and pearl sized pinecones, possibly seeds, pressed under my feet.  No one was present.  I faced the main building.  A thin, single white spider’s web barred the steps leading to the raised edifice.  I stood below, acknowledged the cries of the nearby ravens calling out to one another, cleared all thoughts that followed and practiced the breathing technique I was taught by the resident Thai kru.  I then realized, or rather felt within my core, that all of what was challenging me was trivial.

I politely declined the invitation to fight.  I patiently await the return of the Thai kru.  I’m thankful for finding a place to clear my head.  And my heart.

Until next week…

More about Laura

I’m a Canadian who decided to quit my job, sell most of what I own, pack a suitcase, and skip continents to pursue a martial art I’m not particularly efficient in. A minimalist. A modern nomad. A kid who just likes having a good time.

My attraction to muay thai is that it’s an art with no wasted motion. It has been the greatest vehicle for my continual education. It’s incredibly challenging to me – both the physical and the mental game. The latter probably more so than the former.

Currently I’m in Bangkok training muay thai fulltime. The plan is to be here for a few years, but realistically, I have no idea where this path is leading, or what the timeline is. I like change and pushing my comfort zone. A lot. Nevertheless, muay thai will be the constant among the variables.

Be prepared for updates, rambling, video content and anything I’ve learned that I think may of use to you.

This hasn’t been easy, but so far, its been a pretty sick ride.

Many Thanks to Bryan Popejoy for sending this one along.  Bryan is putting on a clinic with MuayThai Legend Sangtien Noi aka the “Deadly Kisser”  Sangtien Noi is a legend… he’s a former Lumpini, Raja and WMC champion.  Sangtien Noi was a champ in a period that was considered MuayThai’s golden era…

If you do a quick search for him on youtube, you’ll find his fights with, Ramon Dekkers, Danny Bill and others.  When I was last in Bangkok, I was meant to head to his new gym. Baan MuayThai…  My understanding is a wealthy Thai threw down a bunch of cash for a resort style Kai Muay and got the Deadly Kisser to head up the training.  I’m definitely going to check it out when I’m back in a few months.

Anyway, I’m getting way off topic.  So for the SoCal MMT contingent, you should make it to this, I would love a full report!  I’m sort if amazed it’s taken him this long to get him to the states.  Anyway, hope some of you make it, would love to get a report.

It was a hectic night at Rajadomnern the night of the Sanchai and Nong-O fights.  In addition to the fight fans and gamblers headed to the stadium, there was a coronation festival going on right in front of the Stadium.

I only describe it as hectic, because I was in search of Abi (our new contributor). I eventually caught up with her and the rest of 13 coins crew sitting ringside.

The Nak Muay’s from 13 coins seemed like a diverse, happy go lucky bunch.  It was very nice to meet Mike from www.muaythaitrainingcamps.com, and Ponsaneh…

I hadn’t planned on heading over to 13 coins, but after meeting up with Abi and the crew, it seemed like a great opportunity to check things out.

It took about 30 min by cab from my house to soi 57 on Rama 9 road.  I pulled into the lot of the 13 coins resort.  I never thought I would be training at a 13 coins.  It’s like saying I’m going to train at Denny’s or IHOP.

For those of you who’ve never been to Bangkok, the 13 coins is a chain of restaurants/diners.  Back in the day it was one of the only places you could get American style grub, burgers, fries etc.    The diners are scattered around Bangkok and are open through the wee hours of the morning.  I’m pretty sure back in the day I’ve had at least one drunken late night dining experience at a 13 coins.

The owner of 13 Coins, Mr. Coke an avid MuayThai fan made his fortune on his diners and hotels and decided to open up his own camp.  On any given day you can find Mr. Coke chain smoking in one of the many ringside “Captains Chairs” keeping an eye on things.  From what I can gather, he’s a generous and fun loving character.

The training area is unlike any other I’ve experienced in the past.  There are 3 rings (4^th coming soon) lined up in a row. The rings are surrounded by a bar and captains chairs…   The whole training area is enclosed in a kitsch re-creation of a traditional Thai House.  On the walls are posters and pics of Orono and other NakMuays from back in the day.   Mr. Coke who’s fond of Americana had everything from James Taylor, to Simon and Garfunkel blaring on the gym sound system.  This place oozes personality.

This video was shot by Michael Galvin of MuayThaiTrainingCamps.com

I was only there for the morning session so I’m not sure how things are structured.   I was there at 8 am and there were already people working pads in the ring.   Most of the guys training there seemed to have someone they preferred working with and were quite vocal about it.  I was told to work the bags and I would eventually be called into the ring when it was my turn.  I saw Orono holding pads for someone, but the Dr. was nowhere to be seen.  I’m not sure how often he trains anymore, I’m sure Abi or BrocDoe can fill us in.

I had a decent session with my trainer, but to be honest I just felt slow, and tired.  It was just one of those days.

In the ring next to me there was someone throwing thunderous kicks.  He recognized his face but I couldn’t place him.  Abi later informed me it was Asanee Suwan (Art) the actor who played Nong Toom in “Beautiful Boxer”.  Judging from his skills he’s a Nak Muay who got into acting, not the other way around.

After training I met up for coffee with BrockDoe, Mike and Abi.   We spoke bluntly and openly about their training and they all seemed quite happy with the training at 13 coins.    I think 13 Coins is a unique MuayThai experience, and I would recommend that you drop by.    Many thanks to Mr. Coke for his hospitality and the rest of the 13 coins crew for making me feel welcome.

The previous night, I met up with Rob and Dii Mak for some ridiculously good Gai Yang at Kow Neaw at Likit. I wasn’t going to make a trip to Rajadomnern without getting my grilled chicken fix.  While stuffing my face with Larb and beer, Rob suggested I head out to his to train.

It was about 37C or 98F on a Thursday afternoon.  To train or not to train…? It’s hot as hell, but I’m only out here for a short amount of time and I should make the most of it.  I know I’ll kick myself if I don’t head out there… besides I’ve already told Rob I would swing by.

I made my way out towards Mahidol University (pronounced Mahidon) in the Nakhon Pathom district of Bangkok. My buddy is on the phone with Rob, trying to navigate the last few miles to Kiatphontip.  The camp is located about 15 minutes from central Bangkok.  If you’re going to take a cab, head towards Mahidol University or Buddhamonton.  You can hand the cabbie this map and hope for the best, or the better option… let Rob know you’re coming out, and he can send someone to get you.

Many of you have already crossed the tracks and followed the dusty dirt road along the canal to Kiathphontip.   I would love to hear about your experiences there

The camp is a small, quiet and tidy.  You’re only 15-20 min. from Rajadomnern but it feels like you’re out in the county side.  The camp is tucked away off the beaten path next to a Klong (canal) it’s got a very chill country vibe to it.  I think they are in the process of expanding but at present they’re only capable of housing about a dozen or so NakMuay’s.

It’s an ideal size…  at the end of the day, with a dozen or so Nak Muay’s it would be practically impossible to get lost in the shuffle.   I met Rob’s wife whom he affectionately refers to as the “The Big Boss”.  She’s a southerner whose family business is MuayThai.  The camp has a lot of young boys training there, mostly from the south.

I got in slightly early and shot the shit with Rob, as we neared 3:30 more and more Nak Muay’s began emerging and arriving by cab.  There were a dozen or so Nak Muay’s from all over the world living and training here.  Swedes, Brits, Americans and Canadians were all represented.

We all circled up and began a few rounds of group warm up exercises before breaking off to do pads with our respective trainers.  I was surprised to see that my trainer for the day Sohn, was a familiar face.  About 2 years ago, I did a session at Sinbi MuayThai in Phuket.  While I was there I worked with a fantastic trainer who put me through my paces.  I was pretty psyched we were able to meet again.   Sohn will be heading here in the next few weeks… he’s going to be fighting on the upcoming MSA- Excel show at the Seni.

We did 5×5 min rounds… and as drained as I was, I wanted to keep going.  I think you’ll all agree that there is just nothing quite as bad as lazy pad holding.  If you’ve trained in Thailand you’ve all had it.  You know the drill… 1,2 punch,kick.  The pad holder just barely going through the motions… it pisses me off.    Working with Sohn, I felt invigorated… it’s nice when you get someone correcting you, AND improving you.

I’ve visited and have experienced over a half dozen gyms in Thailand.  They all have their own vibe and levels of training.  I think so much of it depends on the trainer you’re paired with.  Do they care about you?  Do they want you to succeed?  Are you just their pay check?  These are all things that you’re going to have to see for yourself.

Kiatphontip stands out in my opinion because of Rob.  Because of it’s size and because Rob is involved it has a professional mom and pop feel to it.   As I previously mentioned, by the very nature of its size, your training will get attention.   I don’t feel like it would be possible for you fall through the cracks.

I haven’t known Rob for very long, but I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with him.   Rob is straight up… what you see is pretty much what you get, no hidden agendas, no bullshit.   Rob is good peeps.

If I were to travel halfway around the world to train and fight in Thailand, I would want Rob Cox watching my back.  If you’re serious about living, training and fighting in Thailand, I would whole heartedly recommend that you check out Kiatphontip.

I want to thank Rob and “The Big Boss” for being such gracious hosts.  I look forward to seeing you both soon.

Hola brothers and sisters, yesterday one of our community members sent me a clip of the 50 kicks in :30 challenge. Some of you may remember I posted a clip of the trainers at Tiger Muay Thai participating in the challenge.

MarkF sent this clip… nice vid, nice editing.  Anyway I tried the challenge and uhmmm… there were some technical difficulties.  I’ll be sure to upload my attempt in the coming days.

Some of the guys in the Gym wanted to get in on the action and here is our first response.  This is from Ash “the pocket rocket” Uddin, he fights for KO MuayThai in London.  He makes me feel… slow and out of shape!

Anyway as you can see my clip isn’t nearly as nice as MarkF’s so send us your submissions.  You can even submit mobile phone quality vid… just upload it and send me the link.   I think we’ll do an official competition.  The most kicks in :30,  you guys will be the judge.  No light kicks, solid kicks only.  So if your kicks look like you’re doing cardio kickboxing the community will vote.  Winner get something… I haven’t figured out what yet, but I promise to mail something out to you.

don’t know what this is comprised of, but this small bottle of evil is worthy of a lot of praise.  Essentially, it’ll clean your intestines without the side effects of bloating, nausea, and headache.  It’s effective, it’s fast and it’s what a number of people use to make weight.

I believe I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again – I’ve been known to score high on the sensitivity freak list. For whatever reason, the analogy of mining comes to mind. Historically, or perhaps, the urban legend reads as follows (I have no idea if this is fact or fiction):  miners would bring canaries into the shafts with them.  If the canary ceased to sing and/or died, they would evacuate a site realizing it was contaminated with poisonous gas.  For our purposes here on MMT, in respect to the local medicines, treatments, whatever it is that I plan to explore and share with you, I am that canary.  Basically, if I don’t react to it, the probability of it being safe is high.

Alright. Back to the bottle.

This faintly brown liquid has the distinguished aroma of fermented fauna with light notes of rubber, wood and sour bile.  It’s nasty.  It’s volatile.   And it’s wonderfully effective.  So effective that, should you ingest about four to six ounces of it, prepare to situate yourself wherever you are for roughly the next four to six hours.  Chances are your body won’t give you a lot of notice when it decides to react – the reaction will come on strong and swift, and depending on the quantity you just drank, a number of times.  Some of you will do fine with just a swig.

I wouldn’t suggest using it the day before/of your fight as the effects can linger for a few days.  I also suggest using it wisely.  I’ve been warned to neither drink an entire bottle nor to use it regularly (meaning consecutively for extended periods of time).

Alternately it’s useful for those times you’ve eaten less than clean food and you want to rid your body of the toxin.

As I’m completely illiterate in Thai…well, mostly illiterate in Thai (does being able to read sugar, honey, baht and some numbers count?), I believe this is called Ya Nam La Lonphon.  Why do I say, I believe it’s called this?  Because I asked two women and literally got about four answers.  The first one being, it’s Thai medicine.  Note:  Ya Nam means medicine water/liquid medicine…but I added this in the name because they repeated it about five times preceding the rest.   So…Ya Nam La Lonphon can be found in most pharmacies for approximately twenty five baht.

Can anyone read the ingredients? Can I assume I took a pic of the ingredients?  Did I get the name right?….ah…Just remember the stern little blue man on the bottle…

More about Laura

I’m a Canadian who decided to quit my job, sell most of what I own, pack a suitcase, and skip continents to pursue a martial art I’m not particularly efficient in. A minimalist. A modern nomad. A kid who just likes having a good time.

My attraction to muay thai is that it’s an art with no wasted motion. It has been the greatest vehicle for my continual education. It’s incredibly challenging to me – both the physical and the mental game. The latter probably more so than the former.

Currently I’m in Bangkok training muay thai fulltime. The plan is to be here for a few years, but realistically, I have no idea where this path is leading, or what the timeline is. I like change and pushing my comfort zone. A lot. Nevertheless, muay thai will be the constant among the variables.

Be prepared for updates, rambling, video content and anything I’ve learned that I think may of use to you.

This hasn’t been easy, but so far, its been a pretty sick ride.