Kru Gai - Proper Dern and the Impossible Trip (63 min) (Patreon)

There are many wonderful things in this session, several of them unique. For one, this is the first session I've produced highlighting a regular trainer from my own gym in Pattaya, Petchrungruang. Secondly, Kru Kai is one of the best Muay Khao padmen I've seen in all my travels across Thailand, so we get to look into what makes great Muay Khao padwork, what I'm calling proper dern. And, he's of a group of Muay Thai krus that may be relatively unknown, not "superstars" of another age, but nonetheless possess absolutely beautiful Muay Thai. The Library is about not only preserving the Muay Thai of legends, but also documenting the lessor known, but equally special Muay Thai of hidden gem krus. And lastly, the trip in clinch that Kru Gai is a master of I've never really encountered quite like this, despite filming all over. It's not easy to learn because it requires a great sense of feel, but once learned it is extremely hard to defend. I have pretty solid balance in the clinch due to my last half decade of hardcore clinch training, and I'm pretty much at his mercy. The session gives a good overview of it's principles, I hope to do some more work on the study of this and report back.

I really, really like Kru Gai. He lives behind the gym I've trained at for the past 5 years in Pattaya, Petchrungruang. His house is so close to the big ring that when his young son, Pud, stands on the balcony right outside the bedroom door, he can hand things to people in the ring and vice versa. And we do that. Kru Gai trains his son, occasionally (he's 6 years old), which is one of the best parts of post-evening sessions, and he's a regular trainer to a few of our Lumpinee fighters. The lot behind his house is a chicken farm where he raises chickens for whatever reasons people raise chickens, but he also has fighting cocks. His name is Gai Chon, which is a fighting chicken (Gai "chicken", chon "clashing"), and Kru Nu likes to call him "Chicken Man," in English because of that name and his secondary trade. But what I love about Kru Gai is his incredible Muay Thai. He's one of these men in Thailand - and you'll come across more of them than you'd think - who you would never, ever suspect has unreal Muay Thai until he climbs into the ring and just starts moving. He's so smooth, so fearless, so steady. And he's nobody - like, he's not a champion, he's not a well-known fighter; I'm not even sure how many fights he's ever had in his life, but he does occasionally take them here and there for some extra money from a side bet. Man... I wouldn't want to be the guy who thinks he can beat Kru Gai. 

What I love about his style is how steady it is. You can see that Kru Gai isn't in "fighting shape," but when I've managed to tire him out in padwork, he just goes to waiting for me with elbows and he manages to hit me with 5 of them before I even realize the second one landed. And then he's already thrown me on the floor, also. His style is close - he doesn't run backwards and he speaks very poorly of well-known fighters who do; it's just not in the masculine ethic of Muay Thai for him and he says gamblers won't bet on fighters like that, so promoters won't book them either - but he's also quite stylistic and Femeu. He's a fan of Muay Thai and watches it, gambles on it, all the time. So when Kru Nu has a few opponents in mind for one of our fighters, he'll have a chat with Kru Gai about what those fighters are like, because Kru Gai has seen everyone and his memory is like an encyclopedia of strengths, weaknesses and habits. As a fan of Muay Thai, he also borrows technique from others, which is one of the best reasons to train with a trainer like Kru Gai. In this session, he compares and contrasts Karuhat and Yodkhunpon (both of whom are in the Library) to show how techniques and strategies can vary.

Some of the most beautiful Muay Thai in Thailand is hidden in men like Kru Gai. Unassuming, dedicated, true "Muay Thai as a way of life" kinds of men who are more or less workers in a gym. Not superstars, not big gyms.

Some stills from the session, edited by Kevin:

Here are some things to look out for:

1) The Body Hook: Kru Gai loves the body hook. He loves it and tells me so many times as we work on it. He says it hurts everybody and can stop anybody. You get the opponent to cover up top with some punches, then just kill the body. His stance and twist on it is so smooth.

2) Covering Distance for Strikes: he loves to fake a teep and use that to march in for a stabbing knee. He works with our fighters on this all the time and a few of them are very good at it. He's amazing at it. He explains why he likes to walk/march instead of faking and kneeing on the same side.

3) Angled Knees: the sharp angle of his knee is remarkable. He really, really tucks his foot outside his hip to get that knee to drive through the target.

4) How to Dern: how Kru Gai sees a "dern" fighter is something I could write a whole article on. How you come forward, not simply that you come forward, is a big deal. He demonstrates how he does it, how Yodkhunpon does it, and how I do it (which is not right). It's one of my favorite things about his style, how he derns.

5) Long Guard: Kru Gai isn't tall. I'm not tall. He holds pads for a few of our fighters who are creeping up toward 6 feet, and yet he's able to use this long guard to keep them off of him. I always thought that the long guard was best for long fighters, but Kru Gai changed my understanding of that in just a few minutes. I'm very dedicated to working on it how he showed me now.

6) Elbows: Kru Gai lives next door to Yodkhunpon and they surely spend a lot of time together, outside of training. And Kru Gai has a keen eye, so he's taken a lot from Yodkhunpon's elbows and made them his own. It's so cool to see his version and how he covers so much distance for his elbows. He also has very, very close range elbows that drive me crazy. He throws them in training all the time, placing them on the jaw and then "pushing" to make them safe for practice. But man... you never, ever see them coming.

7) Clinch Throws: I'm not sure how much I can say about these, but they are absolutely a gift that Kru Gai has in abundance. He can feel your weight and where it is and where you are and how to rip you from anywhere. He works with me on these for quite a while and there's lots to learn, although it can be hard to see. Watch many times, listen to how I try to break it apart. Basically, he off-balances your legs and then drags you around, making you look like a total ass as you take a full 3 seconds to fall down. I'm going to become good at these. It's how you take a fight that's evenly matched and make it a blow out.

Kru Gai with one of his fighting chickens, which are raised and fought behind the gym: chicken fighting, whatever one's ethical position on it, has a rich cultural history in parallel with Muay Thai. The "chon" of chicken fighting is often equated with the heart of an aggressive, advancing fighter, full of bravery. 

If you liked this session, you may also enjoy these related sessions in the Library:

#62 Rambaa Somdet M16 - The Stinging Attack (83 min) watch it here

Rambaa known for his stinging attack, teaches speed and precision in this more than hour long session. Thailand's first MMA world champion, Rambaa draws from various disciplines, fusing techniques together is still a very traditional, stadium-oriented Muay Thai. Here elbows from various angles, switching attacks, and balanced energy come together to produce high-tempo pressure on an opponent. 

#33 Kru San Sitmonchai - Control of Pace & Distance when Advancing  (56 min) watch it here 

Kru San is a big man but has incredible muay, a lightness to his movement that he transforms into a jai yen advancing Muay Thai style. In this session it's all about. Creating pressure without rushing, using the teep to set up combinations to the body and head, raising ring awareness, and using weapons at the appropriate time in your opponent's fatigue.

#23 Boraphet Pinsinchai - Muay Khao Mastery (64 min) watch it here 

Kru Ten (Boraphet Pinsinchai) lives and breathes the Muay Khao fight style, and in this session just unfolds a treasure of interlocking techniques, all of which express what I would call his "sticky" style. Trips, counters, locks, elbows the list is extensive, almost too much to fit into an hour.

#11 Karuhat Sor. Supawan Session 2 - Float and Shock (82 min) watch it here 

In this session one of the greatest fighters who ever lived really digs into what must lie beneath techniques, a general state of relaxation and rhythm, the thing that made him one of the most dynamic fighters Lumpinee has ever seen.

#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.  

#45 Langsuan Panyutapum - Monster Muay Khao Training (66 min) watch it here 

One of the greatest knee fighters who ever fought, 1987 Fighter of the Year Langsuan shows how an elite Muay Khao fighter of his day trained. This session is powerful on the basics that elevate the body and mind, at high repetition, allowing the relentless, pressing style that made Langsuan the fighter nobody wanted to fight.

If you have enjoyed or gotten something out of this session consider sending Kru Gai a thank you of support. Just send it to the PayPal address sylvie@8limbs.us with a note saying who it is for, and I'll transfer it, covering all fees myself.