Arjan Surat at Dejrat Gym - Old School Master (37 min) (Patreon)

There are qualities in Arjan Surat that remind me of other Thai men I know, but there is absolutely nobody quite like him, the particular composite qualities that make him who he is. He's very gruff, very serious, swears a lot, criticizes a lot, corrects the tiniest details, and has one of the best laughs in the world. His eyes are laser focused on everything - you can't hide anything at all from him, and probably you'd be doing yourself a favor not to even try because he's just going to fix anything he sees. And despite his intimidating disposition, all he really cares about is heart. And that you either have or you don't. He'll still trains fighters who have no heart, but he's not interested in them. And if he's interested, his attention is a true gift because he has decades of experience, vast stores of technical knowledge, as well as a well-proven mode of teaching and instilling that technique. He's truly amazing.

Arjan Surat is in charge of the Thai National Team, and has been for years. He's been entrenched in the fabric of Muay Thai greatness for ever. He'll tell you that he refuses to set foot in Rajadamnern Stadium because of a dispute a decade ago, even though his fighters still fight there. If you watch videos from the Golden Age, you'll see Arjan Surat, complete in his authority even then, wrapping Boonlai's hands for a fight (video clip below). Karuhat - a young Karuhat - did only ONE round of pads with him years and years ago, and ran away. The gym and its master was just too tough. Arjan Surat is a pillar. A tower. He's exactly the kind of man who you can't just describe, you have to witness and preserve. He's what this documentary project of the Muay Thai Library is about. 

If you're a trainer, some things to watch out for are the details of how Arjan holds pads. How he times his counters, how he teaches a technique and its counter - and the counter to that counter - all at the same time. How he lets you wear a small groove in your comfort and then throws bombs at it to make you f***ing sure in it. And how he trains his fighters to take up space by how he moves, without ever demanding it verbally.

If you're a fighter, some things to look out for:

1. Front leg teeps are steady and fast, back leg teeps are power. But pay attention to which stance your opponent has, because you're always aiming for your power to be in the open side.

2. Leave your punch out at the point of impact as a defense, if you're already close. Build the defense into the offense, every single time. Then build the counter on top of that.

3. When your leg is caught on kick or teep, hop to maintain balance, lean in to maintain balance if the opponent lifts the leg. 

4. On a caught teep, you can either teep again if your foot is against the opponent's body or you can straighten and drag down, what I call "heavy leg", if your foot is past the opponent's body already.

5. He works with me on spinning attacks, based on an opponent dodging or you missing. The reason it's interesting is it teaches you - trains you - to miss and how to handle that. It also really establishes balance on those strikes.

6. We work a bit on the bag at the end, which is great because it shows how you can do all this work on your own, without a padman.

7. We end with a bit of a conversation about the current trends in Muay Thai and how Arjan Surat really, really hates them. Three round fights aren't Muay Thai, as they lack timing and skill. Arjan Surat would say, "stupid," or "crazy," if the camera weren't rolling. Those are his two favorite words in English.

Stills from the Session

you can follow my husband Kevin's photography on Instagram: @kevinvonduuglasittu 

More Arjan Surat

 You can get an even more complete picture of the basics of Arjan Surat in this 1 hour video I shot with him 3 years ago, the first time we trained together. You can see how much I struggled with balance and how important it is to his style:

An Hour With Arjan Surat 

And dip into the past, check out Arjan Surat 25 years ago, wrapping hands:

Arjan Surat 25 Years Ago 

TIP BOX: if you are inspired by what you see and want to show added appreciation you can send gratuity directly to Arjan Surat. Every time I send these extra donations and thank yous the Krus are really touched. Just message $5 or more via PayPal to the address sylvie@8limbs.us, please in the "add a note" section specify "for Arjan Surat". I will transfer the funds, and cover any extra fees.

KRU FUND: additionally, 5% of all Patreon pledges go into my Kru Fund, and is directed back to the Krus and ex-fighters who have helped make this documentary Library possible: http://8limbs.us/muay-thai-thailand/starting-the-kru-fund

If you enjoyed this session and got a lot out of it, these are sessions in the Library that also harken back to Golden Age Greatness or Arjan authority:

#43  Kongsamut Sor. Thanikul - Muay Mat Style (74 min) watch it here

This Lumpinee champion is perhaps most notable for when he lost a fight for the 102 lb Lumpinee belt, against famed Samart. Samart winning his first belt of many. Kongsamut has a beautiful Muay Mat (punchers) style that he mixes with low kicks, very differently than the Pornsanae style. He fights in close, and is constantly twisting, hitting high and low. Any Muay Thai puncher would benefit from the principles in his style.    

#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.

#36 General Tunwakom - Lertrit Military Muay (46 min) watch it here 

General Tunwakom is the last living direct student of the grandmaster who developed this Lertrit/Muay Khorat military style of fighting, designed to end exchanges quickly. Much can be learned from the foundations of these techniques, and these are definitely techniques that could be effective in the ring with proper timing.

#8 Sangtiennoi Sor Rungroj - Advanced Clinch (52 min) watch it here 

The Golden Age Lumpinee and Rajadamnern Champion, a legendary Muay Khao fighter who fought all the greats instructs on the finer points of clinch technique. Small differences that make big differences. Advanced tips on the swim-in and turn, and the importance of going from long distance techniques to short distance grab and lock.

If you benefited from this Jitti session and you'd like to share your appreciation, you can send Jitti a thank you donation, I'll be glad to forward it to him. Just send $5 or more to PayPal address sylvie@8limbs.us and be sure to write in the note: "for Arjan Jitti". I'll forward it on and cover the extra fees.

#32 Visiting with Arjan Prahmod and Golden Age Nongkipahuyut Gym  (26 min) watch it here 

Not the usual Muay Thai Library session, but a treat for those who love historic Muay Thai. Arjan Prahmod created the 2nd most champions in the Golden Age after Arjan Yodtong, and all of them came out of the famed Nongkipahuyut gym in Nongki, Thailand. In this session Arjan along with a prized student shows techniques that not only won big stadium belt, but are more more rare these days. I also walk through the gym's Hall of Fame room. 

Remember, there are now over 70 hours in the Muay Thai Library, you can browse the full contents of the library here. in being a part of this Patreon you are supporting the Library, and helping it grow:

Muay Thai Library - Preserve The Legacy table of contents