#115 Eagle Den Junlaphan 2 - Boxing Within Muay Thai (66 min) (Patreon)

What I took from this session personally were all the ways I felt close range boxing skills could compliment Muay Thai inside fighting. I hope you get as much out of it as I did! 

This is Den "Eagle" Junlaphan's second entry into the Muay Thai Library and I highly recommend you check out the first (linked below). He emphasizes jangwah or rhythm and timing, and ning being smooth and relaxed, above all else. He makes clear that balance and speed are what create power, rather than reaching for power with muscles or tension.

I could literally watch Kru Den shadowboxing all day. I mean, I'd also enjoy seeing him on the bag because that sh*t is incredible, but you can see so clearly everything he's talking about in how he moves. He alignment is beautiful and he is, in fact, so relaxed that it appears as though only his arms are moving when in fact it's his legs and torso, and shoulders, generating all that finesse and speed.

What to Look Out For: 

1) Relax - I know this is pretty much rule number one for every great fighter, echoed by every Kru and Legend in the Muay Thai Library, but that just tells you how important it is. It's also very difficult to really achieve and takes a lot of time. You can see it in how Kru Den moves around though. When I was shadowing around with him, kind of mirroring him where I could, I could feel how you could do this for 12 or 20 rounds. This kind of relaxation makes you hard to read, but it's also like having a SCUBA tank rather than just holding your breath.

2) Footwork - watch Kru Den's feet, all the time. He's so light and the distance between his steps is very measured. He bounces one foot next to the other at times, but it's a relaxation thing. Yodkhunpon does this in his shadowboxing as well (session linked below). When you're in the room with him, you can hear how light on his feet he is, his shoes just whisper around. He moves on every single strike, even if not covering distance. When we're on the bag you can really see this, how he will step on his front foot for a jab but not step forward with it unless he needs to cover distance. He also seems to turn his back foot on a lead uppercut, which I've not seen before but it makes sense in how he aligns himself with his head in toward his opponent's chest.

3) Head In - this to me is one of the Eureka! moments of this session. It's the same as how in the clinch you want to tuck your head in, to protect from elbows but also so it's harder to grab you, Kru Den leans his head toward his opponent's chest for his body digs, uppercuts, all his inside work. And he's perfectly balanced and basically in a blind spot. It's hard for his opponent to know where he is, but even if you try to hit him, at that range your power is going to be for sh*t.

4) Continuity - this is also a very difficult thing that just takes time to work out, like relaxation. Kru Den never stops his feet. Sometimes they hover in one spot, but they're not stopped at all. You can see the disparity in how I move and move, but when I'm done throwing something I have a full on stop that I have to restart from. It wastes time and energy, speed, and makes you readable. Knowing when you're stopped is step 1, so learn to feel it.

5) The Fartlek of Boxing - runners will be familiar with that term, it is a running exercise in which you vary your speed all throughout your run. Kru Den does this on the bag and in his shadow, on pads with his trainer, Samson. Not every punch is full power, not every strike is max speed. He mixes it up, sets things up. It sounds obvious and it is, but it has to be practiced.

Photo Essay

Kevin's thoughtful and beautiful photo essay in boxing and Muay Thai from this session can be found here: The Qualities of Boxing  A few photos from his essay series:

If you enjoyed this session be sure to look at these on the related boxing and Muay Maat theme:

#93 WBC Champ "Eagle" Den Junlaphan #1 - The Roots of His Boxing Movement (63 min) - watch it here

Multi-time WBC World Champion boxer Den Junlaphan teaches the elements of his footwork and movement, the importance of fighting rhythm and eyes. He shows how he chains rolling punches together with defense, as part of a punishing in and out style.

#88 Samransak Muangsurin - Muay Maat Legend Keys to Powerful Hands (61 min) watch it here

Samransak was nothing if not thunderous as a fighter in the Golden Age. He threw with serious, heavy hands and just brutalized his opponents. He teaches the basics of his Muay Maat style, how he brought boxing into the ring to massive effect. One of the all time legends of the sport.

#104 Yodkhunpon Sittraipum - The Art of Shadowboxing (64 min) watch it here

Some have said this is one of the favorite sessions in all the Library. It's very rare to get detailed instruction and advice on How to Shadowboxing, let alone from a great fighter fo the past. This is a FULL hour of how to shadowbox, learn with me as I learn from The Elbow Hunter of 100 Stitches Yodkhunpon, the greatest Elbow Fighter in Thai history.

#74 Samson Isaan 2 - Muay Khao & Western Boxing Excellence (59 min) watch it here

In 1991 there was no fighter more of a force than Samson Isaan, who took Fighter of the Year then. His relentless style combining Muay Maat punching aggression with Knee Fighting pressure and clinch made him a wrecking ball. In this session discover what made this little fighter so impossible to handle.

#75 Lakhin Wasantasit - Boxing & Muay Thai Organized Destruction (76 min) watch it here

Lakhin was a beast, to stand in front of him was to invite disaster. Perhaps no fighter of the Golden Age was more feared for his hands. In this session he shows just what made him so intimidating, and how he developed a style predicated on inflicting maximum damage.

#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.

#60 Sagat Petchindee Session 2 - All the Strikes Tuned and Dangerous (101 min) watch it here

One of the great, legendary names of Thailand, Sagat Petchyindee the inspiration for the Street Fighter character, goes through his entire striking philosophy with lots of technical correction and fine tuning. See the secret to his creation of smooth, efficient, explosive power, and witness the amazing man himself.

#109 Chatchai Sasakul #3 - Developing Rhythm & Precision (1 hr, 46 min) watch it here

The best boxing coach in Thailand, former WBC World Champions Chatchai Sasakul, teaches the importance of rhythm and precision. Chatchai's instruction brings western boxing technique to Thailand's Muay Thai, as he was also a Golden Age stadium fighter.

#53 Kem Kem Muaythai Gym - Mastering Everything In Between (80 min) watch it here

With one of the great technique krus of Thailand, Kem Kem Muaythai Gym, in his gym in the mountains just below Khorat. A special session that details how to work on all the things in-between strikes. So much to learn in this 80 minutes. He's a special teacher.

#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.

#38 Sagat Petchyindee (part 2) - Maximum Damage (61 min) watch it here

Such an anticipated session, part 2 of Sagat Petchyindee, the inspiration of the Sagat Street Fighter character. It's hard to believe, but he's even better in real life. In this session his continues to teach his "stay in your frame" method of bringing maximum efficiency and damage to striking.

#37 Kongtoranee Payakaroon - Power In The Hands (89 min) watch it here

5x Lumpinee Champion, 2x Fighter of the Year, Kongtoranee teaches the fundamental grounding of strikes that made him one of the most feared heavy-handed fighters in Thailand. Such economy of movement expresses the true beauty in his style, quite different than - but no less admirable - that of his young brother Samart.

#34 Samart Payakaroon - Balance, Balance, Balance! (81 min) watch it here

Atop the tower of Muay Thai legends probably stands Samart. 3x Fighter of the Year, 4x Lumpinee Champion and WBC World Boxing Champion, no fighter more brilliantly showed what femeu fighting could do. In this session he shows the foundations of how to build true balance, the ultimate key to his fighting style.

#64 Chatchai Sasakul - Elements of Boxing (72 min) watch it here

Chatchai is not only a former WBC world champion, he also is the recipient of Thailand's Coach of the Year. He is one of the great striking coaches in the world, and in this session he breaks down all the basics from the footwork on up. Nobody has a more beautiful and potent hands foundation. Watch and learn from a master.