Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn 2 - Overcoming Distance (61 min) (Patreon)

Namsaknoi was so inspiring and so great in his first session, we were very excited to add a second session to the Muay Thai Library. You can watch the first session here.  He is one of the most accomplished fighters in Muay Thai history, and an incredible instructor.  Fighter of the Year in 1996, 6 years undefeated as Lumpinee Champion. 

You can listen to the entire session as a podcast, combined with Kevin and my additional Library Coffee discussion of what it was like here! 

For those of you who haven't watched the first session, go back and watch it because this one has lots of tweaking the techniques he shows me in that one, and then elaborating on them and adding more. You can definitely enjoy and learn a lot from it alone, but together they make more powerful sense. The shifts of angle, stepping outside the opponent's stance, messing with their guard, playing with distance, etc. are all elements that are at play here (to a very big degree), but he's not showing them to me here, we're just using them. So you get to see all the ways in which these techniques are made possible by those techniques, or those elements, anyway.

Some of my favorite things from this session, things to watch:

1) Namsaknoi's Go-Go Gadget Strikes: I mention in my voiceover that Karuhat and Namsaknoi have pretty similar style. A big difference is in what they're faking when they fake. With Karuhat, he doesn't so much fake which strike he's throwing as faking when it's coming, he builds in Matrix-like delays and adjustments. With Namsaknoi, his specialty is in faking how long his strike is going to be, altering distance. You always think he can't reach you and then he's actually got reach to spare by the time he's hitting you. 

2) Gallop and Switch: the way he accomplishes all this reach is by switching stance, which he does by just walking into the opposite stance or doing a little gallop to the outside of the opponent's lead leg.

3) Keeping Your Head Over the Foot: I over-extend on a body punch and Namsaknoi shows me why getting your head off-line from your foot in any direction is a bad idea. You basically make it impossible to throw the followup, because you've become off-balance and have to throw the whole engine into reverse to right yourself again. Instead, keep your head over your foot when you lance forward or take a big step to the side, that way you can always change direction immediately or throw a different strike. This means your stride, where you put your foot, that you step, becomes important for where your head can go.

4) Reading Your Opponent's Reaction: this is a verbal instruction from Namsaknoi, but he gives a few examples throughout the session. He fakes with his arms "to see what you're going to do," he says, and then when he does it again he punishes whatever your "solve" was. So, if you throw a body punch and the opponent puts their hips back to dodge it, now their head is in line for you to smash it with your shin. If they stay still when you fake, you don't step. If they dodge, you kick where they're going to be, etc.

5) Clinch Trips: these are great. They're similar to Kru Gai in the Muay Thai Library, and Namsaknoi gives options for both if the opponent is with a narrower stance and their weight is high (if their fighting for a top position), as well as if they drop their weight and get a wide stance. In the first option, you knock the leg with your thigh and turn. In the second option,  you sweep the leg out.

6) Cross-Face Clinch Escape: this is just brilliant, and a very usual escape from a common clinch position. Namsaknoi shows how to go from a very extended, over-turned position in the clinch - one that a lot of us will find ourselves in - when someone is cross-facing you, by further overturning the arm and getting the elbow over your opponent's arm, then reversing and ripping the arm down.

7) The Cross-Face Clinch Continuation: the solve to the one above, if you're the one cross-facing, is to rotate and step behind the opponent as they try to get out, disallowing them to get the angle in order to move their elbow, then reversing direction quickly to throw them down.

8) A More General Change of Direction: he does a lot of this. He looks like he's going one way, and you resist that, so he just very quickly changes to the exact opposite direction and does it there instead. He also does this going forward and back: two steps back, then as the opponent continues to follow you, their foot comes into range and you step past it as you suddenly change direction, coming forward, and strike or tip them over. They do half the work for you.

The Library Coffee Session - Namsaknoi

Something we've been adding for our patrons are our Library Coffee sitdown discussions right after filming with a particular kru or legend, opening up some of the larger ideas found in each special private. Check out what we thought after filming with Tak: 

watch on YouTube here 

Listen as a Podcast   Namsaknoi Library Coffee Podcast #5 (iTunes and Android)  

If you enjoyed the Namsaknoi session you may like these as well!

#9 Yodkhunpon "The Elbow Hunter" pt 1  - Slicing Elbow (37 min) watch it here 

Simultaneous Raja and Luminee title holder at 118 lbs, Yodkhunpon was one of the most feared elbow fighters in Thailand, and in this session he teaches the looseness and spacing that made his lead elbow such a viscious weapon. He also shuns the traditional rocking chair knee, and instead teaches a powerful stand-in crossing, open-hipped knee that compliments his elbows up top.

#66 Kru Gai Petchrungruang - Proper Dern and the Impossible Trip (63 min) watch it here 

One of the great Muay Khao padmen of Thailand, Kru Gai teaches the proper, unabated but unhurried Dern (walking) attack of Muay Khao, and don't miss his incredible trip that feels almost impossible to defend. Not easy to master, but if you do it could make you unstoppable  

#69 Sagat Petchyindee 3 - 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.

#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. 

#19 Attachai Fairtex - Timing and IQ (72 min) watch it here 

2x Lumpinee Champion Attachai Fairtex is one of the great femeu fighters of Thailand. Namsaknoi, himself an elite femeu fighter of legendary status called him his most difficult fight as he just was too hard to read. This is a window into that quality, and how to build it.

#57 Boonlai Sor. Thanikul - Kicking Excellence (66 min) watch it here 

One of the most asked for sessions by patrons, and it took well over a year to find and arrange filming with Boonlai. A legendary fighter of the Golden Age who beat some of the greatest fighters of his day (Karuhat, Namkabuan, Langsuan, etc), with such a beautiful kicking attack. Learn the secrets of his head kick, along with some beautiful slow-motion capture. 

#50 Karuhat Sor. Supawan - Serpentine Knees & Flow  (62 min) watch it here 

The legendary Karuhat teaches his winding, advancing style, a culmination of many, many hours of our training together. You get a glimpse into his advanced movements, and his philosophy on reading opponents.

Watch 30 hours of commentary study with Karuhat here.

If you enjoy Namsaknoi watch my interview with him:

watch this interview on my YouTube channel 

Supporting Legends and Krus

TIP BOX: if you are inspired by what you see and want to show added appreciation you can send gratuity directly to Tak. 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 Namsaknoi". I will transfer the funds, and cover any extra fees. KRU FUND: additionally, now 10% of all net 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  

Browse the entire Muay Thai Library project here!