#146 Wangchannoi Sor Palangchai #4 - Elite Timing & Impact and Shadowboxing (42 mins) (Patreon)

For those new to the Library, Wangchannoi Sor. Palanchai was Fighter of the Year in 1993. He beat every Fighter of the Year awardee for the decade prior to his own win, with the exception of 1991's Samson Isaan (who wasn't in the same weight class). He's what Kevin and I call a "Power Femeu," with strong hands; he started his career as Muay Khao so knows the energy and ethic of that and carries it into his own style. He was 108 lb Lumpinee Champion, then 122 lb Lumpinee Champion (an incredibly stacked weight class) FOUR times. He's just amazing. We have 3 prior entries in the Muay Thai Library, each of them an element of his style and technique. I recommend watching them all.

What to Look Out For:

1) The "toy" Fighter: I've covered "dern" fighting a lot in my podcasts, run casts, personal training vlogs, etc. To "dern" is literally to "walk" in Thai, but that's what the advancing fighter is called. The opposite of this is "toy," which means to retreat, and the fighter who is fighting backwards is called this way (unless he's "running," which is the word "nee"). Amazingly, the weapons used for the dern fighter and the toy fighter are exactly the same: teep, open side kick, then time something that hurts. For the dern fighter, you're trying to corral the opponent into the ropes and punish them when they have nowhere to back into. As the toy fighter, you want to get the approaching fighter to power through your weapons and end up clashing into your well-timed punishing weapon.

2) Small Gloves, No Gloves, or Facing Muay Maat: by sheer accident I was wearing small gloves for this session and Wangchannoi decided to turn it into a lesson on how to fight in small gloves, no gloves (Kard Chuek), o rwhen facing a heavy puncher, with whom you don't want to stand and trade. Basically, you don't want to rely on your guard as your main defense and instead want to use being out of range of their best weapon as your defense. Teep replaces your jab, then let them push into you and time that with a heavy punch. If you get into range where you'd be kneeing or elbowing or punching, don't rely on your guard to defend while striking, but rather strike when the chance of your opponent being able to punch you are very low.

3) The Difference Between Toy and Nee: the difference between "running away" or being a tactical, retreating fighter, is bringing out your weapons. If you just back up, you're running. If you are strategically juggling your opponent and tagging them with well-timed, punishing strikes (not a lot, just well-timed and placed), you're a very clever toy fighter.

4) Timing on Counters: there is a difference between "fast" and "rushed," and Wangchannoi points out how important it is to not rush on counters. Block, beat, then counter. This way, your counter has it's own effect, its own visual impact. The block makes the audience go, "oh, wow, he stopped that kick," and then there's a whole beat for them to have that note, then when you fire your counter it's like, "oh damn, AND HE LANDED THAT KICK."

5) Visualization in Shadow: one of my favorite things about this lesson is how Wangchannoi takes everything that he taught me on the pads, in one, long, 25 minute round, and immediatley puts it into shadowboxing. That means you can take all those lessons and apply them, immiately, to your own training. Because shadow is the most personal and most independant mode of training. No equipment required, you don't need a padman who understands what Wangchannoi is teaching; you just stand up, anywhere, and start replicating it. But you have to visualize. You can see the difference in my own movements and in Wangchannoi's in who is good at visualizing and who isn't. And when he stands in front of me to get me to understand, you see my movement change; then fall apart again when it's up to me. So really get good at visualization, really train it. He says to me many times that understanding is not enough, you have to train these things every day for a long time to really have them.

For more study, this is the fight that Wangchannoi mentioned vs the Muay Maat legend Samransak (ht to Alex on Twitter for this):

watch Wangchannoi vs Samransak here

Other Sessions Referenced, these are session footnotes you can study:

#122 Tappaya Sit Or. - Muay Khao Strength In Femeu (82 min) watch it here

#30 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn 1 - Muay Khao Craft  (42 min) watch it here

#34 Samart Payakaroon - Balance, Balance, Balance! (81 min) watch it here

#88 Samransak Muangsurin - Muay Maat Legend Keys to Powerful Hands (61 min) watch it here

#109 Chatchai Sasakul 3 - Developing Rhythm & Precision (1 hr, 46 min) watch it here

#69 Sagat Petchyindee 4 - Muay Maat Tigers & Snakes (67 min) watch it here

#104 Yodkhunpon Sittraipum 4 - The Art of Shadowboxing (64 min) watch it here

If you enjoyed this session, these are other Muay Thai Library sessions on similiar themes:

#134 Wangchannoi Sor Palangchai #3 - Powerful, Advancing Counterfighting (74 min) - watch it here, or podcast here

One of the most dangerous and feared fighters of the Golden Age unlocks the secrets of his style. It's how he counterfights but with constant pressure. See how to train it and produce the disruptive force of what I've come to call "depth charging". One of the best sessions in the Library.

#95 Wangchannoi Sor. Palangchai #2 - The Secret Powers of a Cool Heart (77 min) watch it here

The first session with one of the best fighters who ever lived was so good we went back right away and filmed a 2nd. This time his fighting style is put into more context, focus on angling off, the differences between boxing and Muay Thai & Wangchannoi's beautiful jumping knees.

#94 Wangchannoi Palangchai #1 - Deadly Step Counter Fighting (70 min) - watch it here

One of the all-time greats, 118 lb and 4x 122 lb Lumpinee Champion, 1993 Fighter of the Year Wangchannoi was one of the most feared fighters who ever fought, patrolling the Golden Age with fierce violence. In this session he teaches the keys to his aggressive, forward pressure counter fighting style.

 #88 Samransak Muangsurin - Muay Maat Legend Keys to Powerful Hands (61 min) watch it here

Samransak was nothing if not thunderous as a fighter in the Golden Age. He threw with serious, heavy hands and just brutalized his opponents. He teaches the basics of his Muay Maat style, how he brought boxing into the ring to massive effect. One of the all time legends of the sport.

#82 Chanchai Sor. Tummarungsri - The King of Teeps (54 min) watch it here

Perhaps in all the Library there is no session more devoted to, and detailing of the art of the teep. Chanchai is a Golden Age legend known for his undefeatable teep, and clearly has spent many years dissecting all the small parts that make his teep so incredible, so students can learn it for themselves. Dive into the art of the teep in this one!

#75 Lakhin Wasantasit - Boxing & Muay Thai Organized Destruction (76 min) watch it here

Lakhin was a beast, to stand in front of him was to invite disaster. Perhaps no fighter of the Golden Age was more feared for his hands. In this session he shows just what made him so intimidating, and how he developed a style predicated on inflicting maximum damage.

#69 Sagat Petchyindee 4 - Muay Maat Tigers & Snakes (67 min) watch it here

Sagat details his ferocious, hands-heavy style in this session, teaching perfect balance and very aggressive spacing. The secrets to his power, how everything flows out of his core and his organized stance are on full display. Nobody like him.

#53 Kem Sitsonpeenong 2 - Mastering Everything In Between (80 min) watch it here

With one of the great technique krus of Thailand, Kem Kem Muaythai Gym, in his gym in the mountains just below Khorat. A special session that details how to work on all the things in-between strikes. So much to learn in this 80 minutes. He's a special teacher.