#131 Panomtuanlek Hapalang - The Secrets of Tidal Knees (1 hr, 40 min) (Patreon)

I keep saying that this session is special, the Muay Thai Library is on a run of very rare documentations, and this one is probably in the Top 10 of all the sessions in the Library, completing the Trinity. Panomtuanlek was Fighter of the Year in 1986, Rajadamnern Champion at 115 lb and 118 lb, and Lumpinee champion at 122 lb. He hailed from the famed Hapalang Gym, home to Dieselnoi and Chamuakpet. Together they are the holy trinity of Muay Khao, each of them a Fighter of the Year and, among them, Panomtuanlek is the strongest clincher. He's a monster, honestly. He's very well-rounded, super balanced and beautiful with his technique, but then he can just go into this attack mode when he's locked his opponent up and drags them around the ring force-feeding knees that make me wince even just watching tape, nearly 40 years after the fact (watch his fight vs Kongtoranee linked further down). He's incredible. You may notice in this session that the muay of the Golden Age is disappearing from Thailand. Nobody in the ring today moves like this, with these principles. Some of this is due to rule changes, much of it due to loss of knowledge and different training styles. Documenting this is important. There is so much to learn about the Golden Age art of Muay Khao, this session is made for the re-watch, and the re-watch. Panomtuanlek lives and teaches in Japan. We were very lucky to film with him on his short visit to Thailand. We hope to film with him again. He's a masterful teacher.

What to Look Out For:

"Nen" เน้น: Panomtuanlek says this all throughout the session and it's a bit tricky to translate what it means with a single word in English, but it means both "tight" in the slang sense of being remarkable and slick, as well as legible.

Don't Let Go... Ever: Panomtuanlek has the ability to lock with arm hooks, with an insane double plum (that, honestly, nobody other than he or Dieselnoi ever really holds well), as well as "hitching the trailer" on the head/neck and turning, kneeing, pulling, pushing, and never letting go.

Drop Down, Knee Bow, Weight Transfer: this is all in the legs and you can see it at every single moment in this session. Panomtuanlek generates power and covers distance with this bowing, his wide stance, his drop down on the end of strikes, and he can even cover distance without moving his feet.

The Accordion: this pinch of the neck kind of lock is impossible to get out of. It requires not a lot of strength from the person using it, but tons of strength from someone suffering from it. It's a bit hard to get it right by just looking at it, but if you have a communicative training partner, you can have them tell you when it's right or not because they can feel it. Panomtuanlek rips back, pushes forward, curls the head down, pivots and off-balances all from this position. At times he even leaves a bit of room behind the head between the opponent and his hands, so that when he pulls, his fists knock into the back of the head... it's brutal.

Front Side Speed, Rear Side Power: I've learned from a few different Legends to use the front side to set up strikes on the power side, to more or less juggle the opponent and interrupt, corral them around the ring with the front side and then land power shots. Panomtuanlek specifies that the front side is speed, the rear side is the "awe" for the audience.

Other Sessions Referenced:

These are sessions I mention in my voiceover, if you want to take the deep dive and go into the footnotes:

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

#81 Chamuakpet Hapalang 2 - Muay Khao Internal Attacks (65 min) watch it here

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

#84 Yodkhunpon Special Intensive 3 - The Whole Elbow Style (70 min) watch it here

#129 Cherry Sor Wanich - Unbreakable Lock Muay Thai (50 min) watch it here

#56 Tanadet Tor. Pran49 - Mastering Long Clinch (63 min) watch it here

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

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

#14 Chatchai Sasakul 1 - Perfecting Hands (106 min) watch it here

#69 Sagat Petchyindee 4 - Muay Maat Tigers & Snakes (67 min) watch it here

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

#12 Andy Thomson - Mad Scientist of Muay Thai  (56 min) watch it here

Fight to Watch

Panomtuanlek vs Kongtoranee (1988): watch it here

In January of 1988 Samart Payakaroon came back to Muay Thai from his WBC World Championship stint in western boxing, and his first match back was vs Panomtuanlek, the FOTY in 1986 and the Lumpinee 122 lb champion at the time. Samart was the larger fighter and it showed, as he humiliated Panomtuanlek with a famous teep exhibition and a brilliant 1st round KO. Five months later Panomtuanlek returned the favor to the family, fighting Samart's older brother Kongtoranee, who he had size on. It's a clinch destruction vs the 2x FOTY and 5 time stadium champion). This fight could be seen as the 3rd in a series of size difference embarrassments between the gyms, starting all the way back with Dieselnoi's walk away win vs Samart in 1982.

Panomtuanlek vs Namphon (1988) watch it here

Muay Khao legend vs Muay Khao legend

see a YouTube Playlist of Panomtuanlek's fights here

Photos from Panomtuanlek's career

With two of his Rajadamnern belts, and what looks like his fight robe draped

In Muay Siam magazine, 115 lb and 118 lb Rajadamnern titles

With Rajadamnern belt, cover of "Fighter" magazine

Wangchannoi coming for Panomtuanlek's 122 lb Lumpinee Title

Junior Bantumweight, Rajadamnern

A stacked fight card, Panomtuanlek front row, 2nd from left.

Panomtuanlek (blue) vs Samransak Muangsurin

Clinching with Chamuakpet at the Hapalang Gym (Panomtuanlek on the right)

Chamuakpet, Dieselnoi, and Panomtuanlek. Fighter of the Year in 1985, 1982, and 1986, respectively.

Portrait in the "123 All Time Greatest Fighters" book.

Kevin's Photos from the Session

see all the photos from the session <<< here. A lot can be learned about positions and ruup in the still moments.

If you enjoyed this session the Library is FULL of Muay Khao wisdom containing many of the subtle techniques and principles that may not get passed onto future generations. Here are other sessions you might like to study:

#129 Cherry Sor Wanich - Unbreakable Lock Muay Thai (50 min) watch it here

This session captures the disappearing locking and Muay Khao techniques of the Golden Age legend Cherry Sor Wanich. As Muay Thai changes these beautiful, incredibly effective techniques do not get passed down to future generations, and we were incredibly lucky to film with Cherry. His constrictor-like lock and chokes are part of a heavy, draping style of Muay Thai from the greatest era.

#81 Chamuakpet Hapalang 2 - Muay Khao Internal Attacks (65 min) watch it here

One of the all time greats gives his 2nd session of the Library. 9x Lumpinee and Rajadamnern champion, 1985 Fighter of the Year, a man who took belts from both Samart and his brother Kongtoranee, his Muay Thai has been lauded as one of the best that have ever been. In this session he teaches his rising KO out knee, straight up the center, his philosophy of grips, pulls and elbows in the clinch, and just in punching range. Not to be missed.

#77  Kru Diesel F.A. Group 1 - The Art of Knees (84 min) watch it here

Perhaps no single kru has had more success teaching the Muay Khao style than Kru Diesel. From Fighter of the Year Yodwicha, to the most decorated fighter Petchboonchu, his students disabled the elite Muay Femeu tacticians with ease. In this special session you learn the secrets of his knees and clinch, in real time breakdowns and elucidation.

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

There several sessions with the King of Knees in the Muay Thai Library, this is the fourth, but this is the first one where he gets the chance to teach a tall, long fighter like he was. If you are a tall fighter this is the session you don't want to miss. He is arguably the GOAT, an in this session he unfolds his entire fighting system of knee fighting pressure and distance control.

#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.

#49 Chamuakpet Hapalang 1 - Devastating Knee in Combination  (66 min) watch it here

The most decorated fighter of the Golden Age with 4 Lumpinee Belts and 5 Rajadamnern Belts, and the Fighter of the Year award (1985), Chamuakpet, a gym-mate of Dieselnoi, teaches his beautiful and devastating Southpaw knee to the open side, in combination. His fast, powerful knee was practically unstoppable and in this session you can see why.

#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.

#4 Yodwicha Por Boonsit 1 - Clinch and Muay Khao (Knee) Specialist (35 min) - watch it here

Yodwich shared the Fighter of the Year award as only a 16 year old, and his success in the Lumpinee ring made him one of the most feared clinch fighters in Thailand. In this session he goes through his favorite Muay Khao techniques, shows why he prefers side-attack locks, and turns.

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

Dieselnoi is the greatest knee fighter who ever lived, and it just wasn't because of his height. Spending this hour with him lets you feel how much love and energy he pours into his Muay Thai, even at this age, the real secret to what make him dominant in the Golden Age of the sport. There is nobody like Dieselnoi. Nobody.

Fighters of the Year 

This documentary project has achieved so much beyond our wildest dreams, so thank you to everyone who has supported it and actually made it possible. And to those supporters who have spread the word. With the addition of Panomtuanlek we've now not only documented more than 160 hours of archival video (our goal is 250 hours), but this now is the 16th Fighter of the Year in the Library...which is incredible. There are so many special, brilliant unsung fighters and krus in Muay Thai that do not get the recognition, and legendary fighters as well who never achieved the award - we've documented so many of them - but it is meaningful to also have so far captured the Muay Thai of these fighters who became so dominant in particular years.

You can see all the FOTY sessions in the Table of Contents here (the best way to navigate the Library) but we'll list them all here too:

The 16 Fighters of the Year in the Library:

Yodwicha  (2012): #10 The Clinch Techniques of Yodwicha - Session 2 (34 min) watch it here and #4 Yodwicha - Clinch and Muay Khao (Knee) Specialist (35 min) - watch it here and #99 Yodwicha Por Boonsit 3 - Spearing the Middle, Fighting With Rhythm (66 min) watch it here

Singdam  (2002):  #22 Singdam Kiatmoo9 - Making the Basics Beautiful (71 min) watch it here

Namsaknoi (1996):  #65 Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn - Sharking The Angles (67 min) watch it here  and  #73  Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn 2 - Overcoming Distance (61 min) watch it here

Wangchannoi (1993):  #93 Wangchannoi Palangchai - Deadly Step Counter Fighting (70 min) - watch it here  and #95 Wangchannoi Sor. Palangchai #2 - The Secret Powers of a Cool Heart (77 min) watch it here

Jaroensap (1992): #91 Jaroensap Kiatbanchong - Silky Power (63 min) watch it here

Samson (1991):  #41  Samson Isaan 1 - The Art of Dern Fighting (64 min) watch it here  and   Samson Isaan 2 - Muay Khao & Western Boxing Excellence (59 min) watch it here  and #116 Samson Isaan 3 - Dern Pressure Fighting & Defense (44 min) watch it here #123 Samson Isaan 4 - Secrets Of His Pressure Fighting (122 min) watch it here

Kaensak (1989, 1990):  #24 Kaensak Sor. Ploenjit - Explosive Defense (55 min) watch it here

Samart (1981, 1983, 1988):  #34 Samart Payakaroon - Balance, Balance, Balance! (81 min) watch it here

Langsuan (1987):  #45 Langsuan Panyutapum - Monster Muay Khao Training (66 min) watch it here

Panomtuanlek (1986): #131 Panomtuanlek Hapalang - The Secret of Tidal Knees (100 min) watch it here

Chamuakphet (1985):  #49 Chamuakpet Hapalang - Devastating Knee in Combination (66 min) watch it here  #81  Chamuakpet Hapalang 2 - Muay Khao Internal Attacks (65 min) watch it here

Kongtoranee (1978, 1984):  #37 Kongtoranee Payakaroon - Power In The Hands (89 min) watch it here

Dieselnoi (1982):  #48 Dieselnoi Chor. Thanasukarn - Jam Session (80 min) watch it here  AND  #30 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn 2 - Muay Khao Craft  (42 min) watch it here  AND  #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

Padejseuk (1979): Padejseuk Pitsanurachan - Old School Greatness (67 min) watch it here

Pudpadnoi (1975) - Pudpadnoi Worawut - The Basics from the Legend (72 min) watch it here

Sirimongkol (1972):  #54 The Late Sirimongkol and Lertrit Master General Tunwakom (81 min) watch it here