4 Legends - What's Coming on the Muay Thai Library (Patreon)

Thanks to the incredible support of you all, we shot some amazing entries for the Preserve the Legacy Muay Thai Library. Some of these men are quite hard to find and film, but through perseverance and fortune, on my drives up and back from Chiang Mai to fight I was able to archive 4: Jareonthong, Sagat, Dieselnoi and more with Karuhat. Each of these fighters is unique and are incredible men to archive, just pillars of Muay Thai. I hope you get as much out of watching them and my commentary as I did by training with them. All four of these men are outright legends of Thailand.

If you aren't yet a patron you can become one for a suggested pledge of $5. Over 26 hours of documentary, commentary footage has been published.

Two time Fighter of the Year, Kaensak Sor. Ploenjit, will be the next published session. Kaensak and I trained together in the US for a year before I moved to Thailand; he instructs at AMA Fight Club in New Jersey. He travels to Thailand once a year to see his parents and relax, so it was very generous of him to spend an hour with me in Hua Hin (where his mom lives). I drove down to meet him there. No archive of the greats of Thailand would be complete without Kaensak, a very much loved legend of the Golden Age, and I hope to add another session or two with him to the Library in the coming years, just to expand on what he’s showing me in this video, as my own Fight IQ increases, so he can push to new levels in his unique instruction. 

Sagat. What can you say about him? He's the inspiration of the Street Fighter character of the same name and his Muay Thai is out of this world. The videogame character, while very powerful and badass, doesn’t do justice to the real Sagat’s power and technique. He shows me the secrets of how he generates so much power through an economy of movement, with everything coming out of his core and moving through the target with almost no lead up to the impact. I've never really seen such a complete system of power. We filmed 2 hours with him at his gym in Bangkok, which will be published in 2 parts in a few months. One of the great fighters of his generation.

Jaroenthong is 3x Lumpinee Champion, WMC champion from a win over Dekkers, and is almost the exact opposite of Sagat. Everything is so relaxed and fluid, a true Femeu style fighter, who had a switching style, something I really love as I'm trying to become a switching fighter due to the influence of Karuhat.

And then Dieselnoi, who I can never talk enough about.  What an incredible man. He's been facing heart issues for a few years now - we've raised funds to help with his expenses - but his burning passion for Muay Thai won't let him stay out of the gym. I've never met a man who loves Muay Thai more. In this session he explains his strategy of keeping his weapons hidden in the early rounds, and when in the middle of the ring. He teaches high clinch (under the arm pits), and a brutal knee counter to almost any kick, allowing you to close distance. But mostly it’s the honor of just being with him, in his presence and capturing the man himself, who is both a tower and a bridge in the Muay Thai community. It's hard to describe how special he is. He walks into a room of legends, pops off his shirt (he’s, like, allergic to wearing a shirt), and is a King among Princes.

There are also Bonus sessions coming with Hippy Singmanee and Karuhat Sor. Supawan, both of them fighters without equal in their day, and this is very special footage. There will be a session of Chatchai Sasakul teaching my southpaw striking, and a Bonus session with Arjan Pramot, the 2nd winningest coach of the Golden Age, patriarch of the legendary Nongkipahayut Gym in Isaan, showing some old style techniques. And look forward to a session with Tum Sityodthong, an hour full of Muay Thai trickery with some slick trips.

More Patreon Content and Ideas

I've already published one 10 Minute Burnout workout video for those who pledge $5 or more, This is a start of a distinct fitness area of content I'm going to be building to compliment the Muay Thai Library documentary project, just to make sure that patrons are getting everything they can out of the support they give me. Pledges not only help fund my expenses in producing these documentary sessions, they support me as a fighter, writer, as well. So, it is my aim to make this Patreon a place where things of interest and use are always added, as I continue to build this archive. The idea behind these workouts, which I'd like to add at least once a month, is to have short, intense burnout sessions which really drill not only cardio and push fatigue, but delve into the inner mechanics of techniques I've learned and worked to develop. I believe you can (and should) train technique and fatigue with purpose. Putting these into 10 minute bursts make them usable by pretty much anyone, from beginner to experienced fighter.

I'm also planning a separate section of mental training videos that will reflect my own exploration of mental training and how I've attempted to face hurdles that, in some sense, may be more common among female students and fighters. These videos - and I don't want to say "program" because I don't speak as an expert - will form a kind of loose course, and the very least will give ideas and techniques that may help you bring out the best in your own performance, and your love of Muay Thai. While I say these may help women specifically, they should be very helpful to men as well.

And lastly, a huge goal of this Patreon and the Muay Thai Library project is to eventually have the kind of success that we'll be able to create significant financial benefit for all the Krus and former fighters that I train with. I've only recently got to the point of breaking even as a fighter and documentarian, but with your continued support the Library may become strong enough that it can also support those I document. For several months now I've donated 5% of all pledges to a Kru Fund, which will be distributed to all the krus. And I've made it possible that each and every kru can receive donations from viewers via a link on the videos. Already several donations have come in including this remarkable one for Rambaa. I plan on auctioning off signed equipment and apparel, the proceeds of which will be added to the Kru Fund as well.

Beyond this I'm looking into designing Legend Shirts and tanks for sale, 100% of the profits going directly to the legend or kru themselves. I've already talked to Karuhat about this and he gave me a big thumbs up and smile, then searched through his phone to find the photo of himself he wants on the shirt. His should be the first shirt, but hopefully many of these will follow!

In any case thank you to everyone who is helping support this Muay Thai Library project, as through our efforts the techniques of Thailand can be preserved for generations to come, and thank you for helping support me as a fighter as I seek to change the game of female Muay Thai and cut new paths for what is possible for female fighters both in and out of Thailand.