Karuhat Sor. Supawan | Be Like Sand - 62 min (Patreon)

This is a private with Karuhat Sor. Supawan. I should say right now: he is my all-time favorite fighter and actually I want to be him, so badly. Some of what we’re working on here is an evolution off of things we worked on in another session, some of it is more thematic and strategic. The session because it’s about esential movements, rhythms and a fighting ethic, is a little bit complex and may be a difficult (it may take several viewings)- there are parts in it that I am just starting to uncover, even having been there. Believe me though, this is fighter's gold, things way beyond which combos to use, or how to do a particular technique. And, it is insight into the very fabric of a style, the style of Karuhat, who was incredibly dominant in the ring when Muay Thai was at its peak in the 90s, often fighting over his weight for want of opponents.  They nicknamed him Yod Sihan (ยอดเซียน), which means "Top" or "Ultimate"  Master which has connotations towards gambling/card playing, like an  unbeatable card-shark. Maybe Master Gambler, the one that beats the odds  through mastery and skill. It could be translated to mean, simply "The  Best". 

 TIP BOX if you want to show your appreciation you can send gratuity directly to Kru Karuhat, $5 or more via PayPal to the address sylvie@8limbs.us, please in the "add a note" section specify "for Kru Karuhat". I will transfer the funds.  Go to PayPal now.  

My favorite thing, or the most profound thing, that Karuhat expressed to me in this session is something to the extent of Bruce Lee’s “be like water.” But better, becasue it’s Karuhat and it’s not water, it’s sand. He never actually said this, it’s what I came up with to describe what it feels like to be pushing against him after a moment of mutual tension, and he just kind of barely melts away from it and makes you stumble. It's like trying to run up a sandhill and you can’t get solid footing; it’s exhausting. Bruce Lee’s quote is about flow, the path of least resistance. Karuhat’s ethic about sand - or my framing it as sand - is about being solid and malleable at the same time, about strength without tension. In one part, Karuhat has me punch his chest and he just collapses an inch or so away from my fist. I fall forward, because that step I was expecting to land on wasn’t there, or was an inch too far and that makes you stumble. Like sand. But because I’m falling forward, when he throws his strike I fall into it, or he touches your limb and pulls just slightly and you’re sprawling as you fall. I’ve done all the work and receive all the off-balancing and damage.  In many ways this session is an elboration on or advanced variation of the session with Hippy Singmanee, who guided me towards shifts in relaxation and explosion.  

Another aspect in his fight ethic, which again wasn’t ever expressed in words as an explanation but was evident as all could be to me, was how Karuhat uses small strikes and this “melting” away from strikes as a means to create tension in his opponent. In the same way that many fighters know that by tiring out their opponent, by making her miss or by simply grinding through the earlier rounds so that she’s fatigued by the later rounds, you have a much easier target in a tired opponent - they slow down, they lose power, they become more predictable - Karuhat does that with tension, rather than fatigue. A tense opponent is easier to read. A tense opponent has fewer options at any given moment, so is more predictable. He creates tension through frustration, through these little shifts of the sand under foot so that they lose balance (lack of balance is tension), or with how he’ll sting with a quick punch or teep or a fake to make his opponent jerk into a block (like a flinch)... all of that is creating tension. All of that makes it easier for Karuhat. It’s fucking brilliant. 

I don’t know what it is or why it is, but some fighters or teachers just inspire more than others. It was the same for me in school, regardless of the subject, there are just some teachers who change your life. Karuhat is like that for me in that I love his fighting style so much, but even though I don’t necessarily see an inherent similarity in our styles, I do recognize something in his ethic that speaks to me and has awakened ghosts in my limbs. I geeked out watching this private session and I learned things in rewatching it that hadn’t occurred to me during the time I was right there in front of him. There’s a concept of anamnesis, which isn’t quite the same as learning something, it’s literally the “loss of forgetfulness.” Like remembering a primary truth you didn’t know you knew until it is suddenly revealed, like a hidden memory. That’s what it feels like for me with Karuhat. Not struggling to understand a technique, but carving away the struggle to reveal the nature of a technique.

If you are going to spend the time watching this session and you aren't already familiar with Karuhat, I suggest you watch this very good 10 minute highlight edit of his fights . It will give you a sense of the basic movement of sand that he is teaching here, the way retreat, angles, stalking, off-balances and explosion work together, to constantly threaten and erode an opponent. In this session he is breaking his music into notes, into phrasing. If you really want to dig in watch this Playlist of his fights . 

There are not a lot of specific techniques in this session, but here are some of the things covered:

1. Using a system of counter-resistance and then deflection to off-balance and land counter strikes.
2. Parry on the teep, same direction regardless of leg, different counter strike depending on leg.
3. Cutting off the ring and using the ropes, both offensively and defensively.
4. Using tension in your opponent for your own counters and off-balancing
5. Essential forward and backward footwork, mixed with side to side parries.
6. Karuhat's Walkaway Superman. 
7. Using the submarine right cross to shock, in combination with a long right kick.

You can see 12 minutes of my first hour with Karuhat in my blog post  and if you are a Nak Muay Nation member the full hour with him is available there. 

The things taught are so subtle, so small - if you want a key, look at how small the movements Karuhat makes throughout this Patreon session - it will likely take several more sessions of progress to communicate them clearly. I will definitely try to get a few more sessions with him for my patrons. 

Thank you to everyone supporting my documentation project, making films like this possible.