#130 Sagat Petchyindee 5 - The Coil & The Uppercut (71 min) (Patreon)

Sagat is a very popular study in the Muay Thai Library - patrons watch his sessions over and over - and it's never been a mystery as to why that is. His Muay is beautiful, his punches are powerful and efficient, his lines are clean, and he's scary. And, he's an absolute legend of the sport, the real world inspiration for the Sagat Street Fighter character. The way he's a prowling tiger one moment and an enthusiastic Grandpa the next is just a glorious aspect of his personality and I think this session brings out his joyousness and playfulness more than ever before. He's also so graceful and powerful, again, like watching a tiger move around and just being in awe of such a creature. He's 65 years old and ever bit of a legendary fighter. So I'm always happy to be able to add Arjan Sagat to the Muay Thai Library. I know you all will enjoy it. I loved this session and had a few breakthroughs in my own understanding, which I hope are evident to you all in my explanations. For me, this session illustrates perfectly how studying is not memorizing; it's about seeing something new on each viewing, gaining perspective, cultivating and nurturing curiosity, and finding deeper understanding. 

What To Look Out For: 

1) Elbows and Knuckles: Arjan emphasizes keeping elbows tucked, you raise it on a punch but you don't let it bend out. At the point of contact, the knuckles roll down the target, "like a snake's head rolling over a tree branch," as I see it.

2) Use Bicep, not Tricep: this is something Arjan talks about in his previous entries, but his emphasis on not letting the elbow bow out is to target the bicep, not the tricep. The bicep is a much bigger, stronger muscle, he says.

3) Stagger Footwork, Middle Balance, Closing Distance: Just watch Sagat's feet... all the time. His footwork, where his weight is, how his stance gets wider on final strikes. He just closes distance so beautifully and never uses distance as a defense. He's always invading your space and it's terrifying.

4) Countering off of Blocks: this has to do with his footwork and the balance being at center of his stance. He blocks and counters back immediately, but he never loses distance on his blocks. His chest and hips are always closing distance.

5) Uppercut Like a Serving Tray: this was a breakthrough realization for me, in how to get the length on the "Tiger Uppercut" that Sagat insists on. It also involves a coiling, how to use tension to create power, that I finally understood comes from the upper body and head curling - much more like Blanka from "Street Fighter" than the Sagat of "Street Fighter."

Here is a quick vlog I made on the coil of the uppercut, just after voicing this session. It's on the Muay Thai Library Instagram page:

watch it here 

6) Twist > Slip for Power: Arjan's twisting is gorgeous. It's so refined, so efficient, so proficient. It's how he generates his power and stays protected in the pocket.

7) Swinging the Arm on Kicks and Maintaining Balance on Teeps: the throwing of the arm on kicks is fundamentally important to the speed and power of Sagat's kicking, as he says it helps turn the hip over. Further, you should keep balance on your back foot and not let your head fall forward on kicks and teeps so you can block and strike without having to reset.

Other Sessions Referenced:

#64 Chatchai Sasakul 2 - Elements of Boxing (72 min) watch it here

#91 Jaroensap Kiatbanchong - Silky Power (63 min) watch it here

#41  Samson Isaan 1 - The Art of Dern Fighting (64 min) watch it here

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

#36 General Tunwakom 1 - Lertrit Military Muay (46 min) watch it here

#26 Sagat Petchyindee 1 - Explosive Power (57 min) watch it here

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

Some of Kevin's beautiful photos from the session, you can see all of them here in his photo essay: Sagat Petchyindee: The Legend and Perfection. It's good to look at the photos because in still moments you can sometimes read things about his positioning and technique you can't quite pick out in video, and also in photography his proud, powerful character comes out even more. 

If you enjoyed this session, here are other Muay Maat (punching Muay Thai stylists) in the Library:

#95 Wangchannoi Sor. Palangchai 2 - The Secret Powers of a Cool Heart (77 min) watch it here

The first session with one of the best fighters who ever lived was so good we went back right away and filmed a 2nd. This time his fighting style is put into more context, focus on angling off, the differences between boxing and Muay Thai & Wangchannoi's beautiful jumping knees.

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

One of the all-time greats, 118 lb and 4x 122 lb Lumpinee Champion, 1993 Fighter of the Year Wangchannoi was one of the most feared fighters who ever fought, patrolling the Golden Age with fierce violence. In this session he teaches the keys to his aggressive, forward pressure counter fighting 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.

#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.

#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.

#69 Sagat Petchyindee 4 - 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 3 - 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.

#38 Sagat Petchyindee 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.

#26 Sagat Petchyindee 1 - Explosive Power (57 min) watch it here

One of the great fighters in the history of Thailand, and the inspiration of the "Street Fighter" video game character, Sagat is like no other. Here he teaches how power has to come out of the ribs, and your frame, taking the shortest distance to your target, making sure your feet are constantly "organized".

#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.

Bonus Session 5: Chatchai Sasakul Southpaw Hands | 52 min - watch it here

Chatchai's stance and striking system is not only ideal for boxing - he was  the WBC Flyweight World Champion in 1997 - it instills a basic weight transfer balance that can dramatically improve your Muay Thai. Watch it being installed on me for the first time from the Southpaw stance.