#126 Kaisuwit Sungila Nongki - Shaping Through Padwork (67 min) (Patreon)

One of the best padmen in Thailand shows how he shapes fighters. 

Kaisuwit is a Golden Age fighter who held the Rajadamnern 118 lb title. He and his older brother went on to teach Nong O, and Kaisuwit was a trainer at the famed 96 Panang Gym under an overpass in Bangkok for a couple decades. In the last year (at the point we filmed this) he moved up to Saraburi, where he is the main trainer at the Giatjamroon Gym, where we filmed with him.  I absolutely loved training with Kaisuwit. He's very skilled, very smart in how he shapes the work without verbalizing a great deal, and he's fun; he's very fun. Perhaps my most favorite thing about this session and how it functions as an entry into the Muay Thai Library, is that it stands as a beautiful illustrated guide to the traditional pedagogy of Thailand's traditional kaimuay.  

Thank you to everyone for being so patient with this entry due to my serious injury, as I was thrown from a horse and could not sit for voiceover for sometime. Patrons support not only this documentary project, but also me as a fighter, so your support and patience has been much appreciated! You can hear more about my injury and my rehab in these three vlog: Vlog 1, Vlog 2, Vlog 3 

What to Look Out For in this Session:  

1) High Repetition Marching: this is the ABC's of Thailand's traditional kaimuay. When young boys show up at the camp, they're set to task just marching back and forth throwing incredibly basic strikes, perhaps for long stretches, until they are perfected. This remains an important tool, even when you're no longer a beginner. It challenges the rhythm of strikes, the repetition smoothing out both the execution of technique but also the "air bubbles" - as I call them - of timing and flow.  

2) "Sandwiching": this is my own phrase, but it means to do this repetitive marching or shadowboxing both at the start of a session and at the end. At the start you're fresh, focused, and the process warms up the mind to be able to pay attention to detail. If you zone out doing this, you'll zone out the whole session. At the finish of training you're tired, mentally fatigued, and again you have to focus your attention and get the same correct and relaxed movements when it's much, much harder to do it. That's when you get the most out of it.  

3) Shaping Through Padwork: there are a few specific things Kaisuwit breaks down for me, like having a flexible guard, or how to use the long guard more efficiently, or reminding me to step on the damn kick so I'm not off balance at the end of it. But really the most important and valuable lesson is the overall use of his padwork to shape how I understand timing, range, and pace. He shifts distance throughout the many rounds, switches pads to focus on closer versus longer ranges, and always enforces good timing and balance by not allowing offense and defense to be opposite functions, like a light switch. Instead, they're a dimmer switch.  

Some of Kevin's photos from the session: 

If you are adventuresome, here is the Google Map link to where Kaisuwit is in Saraburi.

Other Library Entries Referenced (deeper study): 

#22 Singdam Kiatmoo9 - Making the Basics Beautiful (71 min) watch it here 

#104 Yodkhunpon Sittraipum 4 - The Art of Shadowboxing (64 min) watch it here 

Dieselnoi Kaimuay Diaries: https://youtu.be/umGJCvDYIDg 

#111 The Karuhat Rosetta Stone 7 - The Secrets of the Matador (83 min) watch it here 

#90 Arjan Surat 2 - His Old School Tough & Defensive Style (94 min) watch it here 

#94 Wangchannoi Palangchai 1 - Deadly Step Counter Fighting (70 min) - watch it here 

#6 Namkabuan Nongkipahuyut - Explosive Attack (28 min) watch it here 

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

IF you want another fantastic padwork session to compare pad holding styles from another great padman, this is a great one:

#112 Chatchainoi Chaoraioi - The Best Padman in Thailand (64 min) watch it here

Photos from Kaisuwit's career and a Golden Age champion:

Kaisuwit (bottom right) crouching with Detduang Por. Pongsawang (bottom left).

On the cover of Yodnaksu magazine, with his 118 lb Rajadamnern title belt.

In Fighter magazine (blue).

On the cover of Fighter Magazine, with a contender coming for his Rajadamnern title. 

In Muay Siam Magazine.

A "Now and Then" feature in what looks like Muay Siam.

Sharing the cover of a magazine with Samart, the cover calls them the Yodmuay of the year. 

With his Rajadamnern 118 lb title.

Video of Kaisuwit's fight vs Yodkhunpon Sittraipum for the 118 lb Rajadamnern title:

Watch the fight here