Dieselnoi On Attacking the Legs - Mini Bonus Clip (10 min) (Patreon)

Occasionally we find little gems like this, going through older footage, and when they surface we put out a short piece as a bonus to our patrons. A little over a year ago, Dielsenoi came to my gym as part of our Legends in Residence project, and these Fairtex thigh pads had been brought in as a gift to another of our trainers, who was happy to let Dieselnoi try them on and see what he could do with them. He had never used anything like them before, but right away he got very excited, and spontaneously started teaching me about attacking the legs on taller, evasive opponents. Kevin just started rolling the camera. 

8 Minutes of Dieselnoi

A few things about this. First of all many people see Dieselnoi's ferocious padwork clips from the Golden Age, when he terrorized Lumpinee stadium with his knees, and do not realize that he had a sophisticated method of pressuring his opponents before he would bring out his knees in full force. This is part of that. If you train with him or watch his sessions in the Muay Thai Library, you will hear him tell you not to bring your weapons out in the early rounds, but instead just pressure and counter your opponent, until you get them penned or tired. But more wonderful than that, I strongly suspect that what Dieselnoi is teaching me here is something he learned and adapted from his fights with Wichannoi Porntawee, who beat him twice before Dieselnoi finally solved him. Wichannoi is Dieselnoi's hero, and was known for his stinging leg attacks. You can see how Wichannoi employed them Ryan Wagner's breakdown Vicharnnoi Porntawee: Legacy of The Immortal Boxer .

Here it seems like you get Dieselnoi's own version of attacking the legs in push offs and side steps, while he's working to pen his opponent up against the ropes so he can finish them off with knees. 

Magnificent to me is getting to see Dieselnoi as he really is, which often means struggling to catch his breath between bursts of excitement. He actually has a heart condition, which has already required one surgery, and a few years back we raised money to help with his care for this. But no matter his limitations he just pushes forward. He has so much passion, every moment is a forward moment. We are watching him as an older man, he is 57 here, but it's the very same thing that made him unbeatable at the top of his career. His ruup, his focus, everything comes together, even though he has every excuse to falter. This is also part of the Muay Thai Library. It isn't only about the techniques, it's about the men. 

What To Look Out For: 

1) Let Your Opponent Go First: in the West we always hear "be first!" Many of Thailand's greatest take the opposite stance and want you to let your opponent go first so you can spoil their strike, their balance, their will and then counter. This follows the strategy of Dueling.

2) Step Close, Not Far: there's a slide to get out of the way of a strike, but don't lose your ground. Stay close and let the initial step of evasion be the same movement that sets up your counter.

3) "Yaa Moho": this means don't get mad. It's funny coming from Dieselnoi because even 35+ years after a fight he can get mad, in real time, recalling what made him mad in the fight. He laughs, but I imagine he controlled a lot of emotion to be what he was and what he is. He reiterates this point regarding driving your opponent into a corner and, once there, don't become enraged and spoil your own timing trying to finish them; kill them all calm-like.

If you enjoy Dieselnoi here, do check out the rest of the material in the Library which documents how incredible he is. The greatest knee fighter ever, and possibly the GOAT of all fighters teaching his philosophy about fighting :

#48 Dieselnoi Chor. Thanasukarn - Jam Session (80 min) watch it here  

#30 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn 2 - Muay Khao Craft  (42 min) watch it here  

#3 Dieselnoi  Chor Thanasukarn  - The King of Knees (54 min) - watch it here 

#76 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn 4 - How to Fight Tall (69 min) watch it here  

Also you can watch the two Kaimuay Diaries episode that cover Dieselnoi helping train two of my gym's stadium fighters, as they prepare for fights at Rajadamnern:

 Kaimuay Diaries - Episode 5 | Dieselnoi In the House Part 1 (52 min)   In this episode I follow Dieselnoi and his impact on Alex, one of the Petchrungruang fighters, at Rajadamnern stadium. Alex has been featured in previous Kaimuay Diaries, an Italian boy who has been raised like a Thai boy since he was 12. Now 17, Dieselnoi wanted to make make him more intense and forward fighting. You get to see Dieselnoi's passion, and listen to Pi Nu talk about what it has been like having a legend like Dieselnoi in his family's gym.  watch it here 

Kaimuay Diaries - Episode 6 Dieselnoi In The House Pt 2: Bank (47 min) this is "Part 2," focusing on Bank and Dieselnoi's dedication to him, leading up to a fight at Rajadamnern that was a step up for Bank. If he won, it would push him into a next level of opponents. You can see the difference between Dieselnoi's training of Alex and his training of Bank, but you can see the similarities as well. Mostly it's just amazing to watch how f***ing much Dieselnoi puts into everything.  watch it here 

And sit in and watch Dieselnoi have a conversation with his hero Wichannoi, discussing contemporary Muay Thai and how to train:

 A Conversation With Wichannoi and Dieselnoi: Ultimate Legends | Bonus  

In this conversation he talks about how when Wichannoi was beating him in big fights, he was both beating him, and also teaching him.