#144 Jean-Charles Skarbowsky | Keys To Winning in Thailand (1 hr, 50 min) (Patreon)

This is a very special session for the Muay Thai Library. Skarbowsky is one of the most famous and world-recognized Western fighters to have trained, and fought in Thailand during the late Golden Age and its close aftermath. (Some of his fame is due to his amazing appearance on The Ultimate Fighter many years ago for team GSP, where he schooled everyone, but he also truly is a historic Western Muay Thai fighter, in the conversation of the GOAT of Western fighters in Thailand.) While we have perhaps a 100 Thai legends & krus in the Muay Thai Library project, there are only 3 non-Thais in the MTL, each included for different reasons and with very different achievements and vantages within the history and sport of Muay Thai in Thailand; Skarbowsky not only trained at one of the most famed gyms in Bangkok, Jockygym (the femeu home of Saenchai, Robert, Somrak, Silapathai, Lerdsila & many others), but he also fought on massively esteemed promotions (the King's Birthday is one of the most honored events for fighters to be included in) and against strong competition at the National Stadia, Lumpinee and Rajadamnern. Skarbowsky not only took on great opponents on huge stages during the late-Golden Age in Thailand and beyond, he also as a gym owner & teacher has brought great fighters from Thailand into his gym in Paris to instruct his students in authentic and beautiful Muay Thai. Legends like Robert & Krongsak have been in residence. He is a true Western pillar to the historic Muay Thai of Thailand, and it's beautiful to have him documented in the MTL.

For much more on the incredible career of Jean-Charles Skarbowsky read Serge Trefeu's article on him in Siamfightmag and his 2006 interview.

Jean-Charles's name is "chong" in Thai, not uniquely so but any Sean or Jean will become "chong" by pronunciation. His last name, too, often becomes "Star"bowsky, with a "t" in place of the "k," as the consonants are hard for Thai speakers (ฌอง สตาโบสกี้). He was so popular that he even got a "chaiya" or alias, "Death Perfume" (น้ำหมมรณะ), which I can only guess comes from being a Frenchman and the association with perfume. But Skarbowsky's mark left on Thailand is not all past-tense, as he bought the famed Jocky Gym (where he trained in the early 2000s) and it continues to run even now, with former stable fighters like Silapathai and Pipa having taught there for many years. Skarbowsky has many gyms all over the globe, running the Paris location himself, where he has also brougth in Legendary fighters Krongsak Boranrat and Robert Kaennorasing to carry forth their knowledge to Parisian students.

This session is an outlier from how the Muay Thai Library entries usually go, for a number of reasons. as Jean-Charles is now one of only 3 non-Thais in the Library, and is included in no small part because of his position as a fighter in the late-, post- Golden Age, living and fighting in Thailand for many years, and becoming the first ever westerner ranked #1 at Rajadamnern, first at 140lb in 2003 and then again in 2006 at 160lb. He never fought for the title (we talk about why that is in this session). But this session is also structured differently from the other sessions. Firstly, usually I train as a fighter with legends & krus, but here perhaps because Jean-Charles expected more discussion its a hybrid session of demonstrations & conversation/interview. Also, because he's fluent in English, my usual in-real-time voiceover isn't appropriate as he is speaking English the whole time and explaining what he learned from his years fighting in Thailand, as well as how it fits into his style and understanding of strategy. So, Skarbowsky is speaking for himself and I pause and break from his session to draw comparisons or bring out deeper connections from the Library to what he's talking about, making it more of an "annotated" or "footnote" version of my commentary.

For this reason this special session comes in two forms. For patron supporters the video at the top is my annotated version, wherein I stop the video to draw out aspects of his principles and how they connect to other things in the Muay Thai Library, and also a straight, non-commentary session which as a special treat is made public for everyone, even non-patrons.

watch the public, full, straight natural audio version here. My commentary version is at the top of this post for patrons.

What to Look Out For: 

1) Narrative Scoring: Skarbowsky doesn't call it this, but his first lesson, that he took from his difficulty fighting Khunseuk for the first time, is about using the early rounds to shape and manipulate his opponent's understanding of what the fight is going to be like, then switching it up in round 3. That's a strategy that comes from Thailand's narrative scoring and can be carried out in countless ways. I draw the comparison to Dieselnoi's insistance on using early rounds to tire the opponent out (Skarbowsky uses them to lower his opponent's guard), so the session referenced is: #76 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn 4 - How to Fight Tall (69 min) watch it here

2) "No Chin": Skarbowsky, still talking about his first fight with Khunseuk, tells about how his well-proven strategy of knocking his opponents out with his right hand was proven difficult because Khunseuk had "no chin." This is a lesson to itself, but it made me think of the Western-oriented focus on "head movement" of boxing and how it's missing from Muay Thai, and how there are many ways in which Muay Thai defends the head that aren't boxing "head movement." The tucked chin is something Samson has a near patent on with how intensely he does it, but a flexible guard and long guard is well used and immensely useful in  many ways, especially when there are far more weapons on the table in Muay Thai than there are in pure boxing: #41 Samson Isaan 1 - The Art of Dern Fighting (64 min) watch it here   and #60 Sagat Petchindee 3 - All the Strikes Tuned and Dangerous (101 min) watch it here

3) Weight Transfer: Skarbowsky explains how the weight being on the front foot or back foot dictates offense of defense, as well as the advantage to continuous movement (the Muay Thai "rock" or "yoke") for being able to access weapons and defend back and forth. #64 Chatchai Sasakul 2 - Elements of Boxing (72 min) watch it here

4) Golden Kick, Open Side, and Shorthand Decisions: Skarbowsky explains why he only kicks with one leg and how to avoid hitting your opponent's elbows and getting hurt. Firstly, he targets the wrist of the opponent, so he doesn't hurt his own shins. Secondly, he aims for the side of the opponent that will hurt them the most, and thirdly he keeps it all to one side of his own body so he doesn't have to think about what to do and can be faster and more intuitive. Karuhat taught me about the "open side," which is just a different way to arrive at the same choice Skarbowsky makes about which side to kick. The Golden Kick creates a trajectory that will avoid getting hit by the elbows, which is again different work that arrives at the same solution. And choosing one way of doing something (parrying with one hand only, kicking with one side only, pivoting in one direction) all simplifies and focuses your reactions.

#111 The Karuhat Rosetta Stone 7 - The Secrets of the Matador (83 min) watch it here and #12 Andy Thomson - Mad Scientist of Muay Thai  (56 min) watch it here

5) Performance: I love that Skarbowsky emphasizes performance, not only in the ring (because Muay Thai is a performance), but also in training, because it will motivate you and keep you happy. I was reminded of Dieselnoi's insistance on "ruup", even when you're training, and the "Top 5" lists of both Skarbowsky himself, who chose fighters who have charisma, and of Takrowlek, who chose Weerapol (who is a solid choice anyway) but for the reason that his "walkaway" after dropping opponents is just so performatively bad-ass. #48 Dieselnoi Chor. Thanasukarn 2 - Jam Session  (80 min) watch it here

6) Standing Leg and "Whipping": Skarbowsky explains how the weight of the foot at the end of a leg is more devastating than the middle (the shin), for why he likes to kick with the foot. This was an important element to the "Ultimate Neck Kicker" Jampatong's success. But he also talks about the "whipping" motion of a kick, which is carried out by the kicking leg being loose and the standing leg being strong, something emphasized by Dieselnoi and Chamuakpet.  #108 Jampatong Na Nonthachai - The Master of the Head Kick (63 min) watch it here and #139 Chamuakpet Hapalang 3 - Vertical Attack, Control of Space (95 min) watch it here

7) Anti-Clinch: there are fighters who want to be in the clinch, and fighters who don't. Both types know how to clinch, but the latter are great "anti-clinchers." They spoil the position and lock of the clincher and find a way to score before being broken. This is Skarbowsky's preference as well. He creates space by breaking the opponent's ruup, which is a great idea, and keeps them from joining their arms in a lock by breaking the grab one side at a time. Silapathai was another great anti-clincher. So is Karuhat. #47 Silapathai Jockygym - Master of Teep Distance (64 min) watch it here

Young Skarbowsky with his team in France

In Muay Siam magazine

Kissing his KO right

In the 2000s at Rajadamnern

Some of Kevin's Photographs from the session:

the full album here

If you enjoyed this session, here are related sessions in the Library:

#47 Silapathai Jockygym - Master of Teep Distance (64 min) watch it here

One of the great femeu fighters of the Golden Age unlocks the secret of his teep oriented dominance which made him one of the most difficult fighters to face in his day. The lessons here are precious as he unfolds the details of how to use the teep and tempo to always put the fight where you want it.

#89 Arjan Pipa JockyGym - The Roots of Femeu (77 min) watch it here

Arajan Pipa was the guiding force in the famed Jocky Gym, which produced elite GOAT-like fighters like Saenchai, Somrak, Sillapathai and so many others. It's a real pleasure to have him in the Library showing his philosophy guided around the teep, off-balances, and taking angles. One of the true Masters.

#12 Andy Thomson - Mad Scientist of Muay Thai  (56 min) watch it here

Andy is absolutely unique in the lore of Thailand Muay Thai. An instructor for more than 2 decades, a mentor to so many, he innovatively teaches a Muay Thai emphasizing symmetry, strength, balance and explosiveness, expanding what the body can do under duress, holding pads like no others do.

#60 Sagat Petchindee 3 - All the Strikes Tuned and Dangerous (101 min) watch it here

One of the great, legendary names of Thailand, Sagat Petchyindee the inspiration for the Street Fighter character, goes through his entire striking philosophy with lots of technical correction and fine tuning. See the secret to his creation of smooth, efficient, explosive power, and witness the amazing man himself.

#52 Krongsak Prakong-Boranrat - That Shoving Energy (56 min) watch it here

Legendary Krongsak, a man who beat Sagat 3x, and fought Dieselnoi to a draw, gives a session that is all about the right fight energy in training. He places great importance on eye-contact, and making sure your strikes really finish, as well as focusing on the back foot in stance, the rudder of the boat.

#44 Ponsaknoi Sit Chang - Old School Jockygym (74 min) watch it here

Ponsaknoi is from the legendary Jockgym, a gym producing some of the greatest champions in Thai history, femeu elite fighters like Somrak, Saenchai, Lerdsila have flowered from this gym. An instructor at Jockygym for 20 years, and a fighter there long before, this session allows insight into the grounded basics of the femeu fighting approach across the decades.

#18 Kru Wihok Skarbowsky Gym - Old School Flex (49 min) watch it here

Kru Wihok is an old school femeu style trainer out of the Skarbowsky Gym in Bangkok (Jocky Gym). He's a former all-Asia boxing champion and teaches a brilliant flexing style that hearkens back to a Muay Thai before the Golden Age.

#116 Samson Isaan 3 - Dern Pressure Fighting & Defense (44 min) watch it here

There was nobody tougher and more relentless than Samson Isaan in the Golden Age. Winner of the 1991 Muay Thai Fighter of the Year, undefeated as a World Champion boxer, he was famed for his pressure fighting. But beneath all that heart were the techniques that make it happen. Here he shows how he likes to pressure, his footwork, the keys to balance, and how hands and knees work together. This is his 3rd session in the Library.

#63 Robert "Sifu" McInnes - Muay Thai and Shorin Kempo (82 min) watch it here

Robert "Sifu" McInnes has a huge legacy in Thailand. The other westerner to referee at Lumpinee Stadium, a long co-working relationship with Arjan Yodthong of Sityodthong of the Golden Age, as well as instructor to some of the strongest western and Thai fighters like Peter Aerts, Yodsanan and Sakmongkol. Not only is this session full of technique wisdom, he also recounts the Golden Age which eye witness veracity.

Also, remember to study the Fighters of the Year in the Muay Thai Library, our documentation of some of the greatest who ever have fought. See those sessions here.