#135 Petchdam Lukborai "Mr. Cannibal Knees" - Golden Age Muay Khao Padwork (70 min) (Patreon)

"Mr. Cannibal Knee" has to be one of the greatest chaiya of all time. By most accounts, this name was given to Petchdam for his ability to win fights with enormous side bets (in Thai, when you win a side bet it's called "eating", so making it "people eater" is a kind of double entendre). Petchdam fought from the early 80s and became Lumpinee Champion at multiple weight classes: 112 lb, 118 lb, 126 lb, and ultimately 135 lb, which he won off of Orono, who was 10 years his junior. Amazing.

When we went to see Petchdam, he nervously told me he hadn't been anywhere near Muay Thai for 17 years. But once he started moving, it looked like he hadn't missed a day. His wife sat at a table just outside the gym space and beamed at him the whole time. What's so wonderful about the Muay Thai Library - Preserve the Legacy, is that so many of these men, when reintroduced to Muay Thai, which was such a huge part of their lives - even if long ago - bring it back to life like channeling a spirit. Petchdam, because he hasn't been in a gym this whole time, taught like a time-capsule for Golden Age Muay Khao training. All endurance, all distance and control, all defensive aggression. We want to save what men like Petchdam know.

One of the important keys to the Muay Thai of the Golden Age is how fighters were trained. This session is all about building that basic spatial and timing awareness that is the foundation of Golden Age dern fighting.

What to Look Out For:

1) Shadowboxing: this session starts with shadow and watching Petchdam is very informative. His pace, his length and reach, and angles are all so precise and relaxed at the same time. He likes to snuff the upper body and then submarine his knees and kicks below.

2) Controlling Space: everything is about space: eating it, controlling it, closing it with pace and defense and pressure. His padwork is an endless instruction on how to feel space and which weapons to throw, how to block and parry, how to turn a retreating fighter into a running fighter.

3) Dracula Guard: this is a big part of Petchdam's ability to be so aggressive. As a derning fighter, you have to have good defense. As a Muay Khao fighter, especially a tall one, the Long Guard and especially the Dracula Guard are very helpful. Tall fighters like Dieselnoi and Petchdam are susceptible to uppercuts, and the Dracula Guard just shuts that down entirely. For my own part, I really understood how much you have to train something consistently in order to be able to use it properly and proficiently. If you want to learn more about the Dracula Guard: #31 Kru Daeng Kiatbusaba - Southpaw Dracula Guard  (64 min) watch it here

4) Pulling and Making Space for Clinch Knees: Golden Age Muay Khao was something else. It was just so scary. A lot of this has to do with making space for every single knee, and using off-balancing to make sure those knees are unblocked and unreturned.

5) Lai Kaen: this means "swimming" in the clinch, controlling shoulders and arms, as opposed to locking. In the Golden Age, locking was broken pretty quickly, so only a few fighters really chose to lock (Langsuan, Cherry). Petchdam teaches the art of closing the neck and controlling/steering the arms.

This session is tagged with The Basics tag. If you want more sessions that focus on the basics click through that tag. Because even advanced fighting in Thailand is founded on the basics, all sessions are about the basics. And this session has the roots of very advanced fighting. Controlling space and timing is the key to winning many fights.

Dracula Guard Alert! 

Other Sessions Referenced, study these footnotes:

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

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

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

#27 Karuhat Sor. Supawan 4 - Tension & Kicking Dynamics (104 min) watch it here

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

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

Petchdam with one of his million baht side bet winnings.

A Petchdam Fight Playlist on YouTube

watch Petchdam's fights in this YouTube Playlist

Fighter Magazine cover, featuring Petchdam (upper right) for a OneSongchai promotion.

above, with one of his 4 Lumpinee titles.

Some of Kevin's photos from the session:

look at the entire album of Petchdam photographs by Kevin, and many photo albums of legends of the sport.

If you enjoyed this session here are other sessions in the Library you may also appreciate:

#31 Kru Daeng Kiatbusaba - Southpaw Dracula Guard  (64 min) watch it here

This is a master class in how to install a specific system of attack and defense, from the ground up. In this case it's the Dracula Guard from Southpaw, a style of muay designed for advancing, forward fighters. Discover not only all the built-in advantages, but also watch an incredible instructor mould proper positioning through constant, but carefully modulated pressure.

#23 Boraphet Pinsinchai 1 - Muay Khao Mastery (64 min) watch it here

Kru Ten (Boraphet Pinsinchai) lives and breathes the Muay Khao fight style, and in this session just unfolds a treasure of interlocking techniques, all of which express what I would call his "sticky" style. Trips, counters, locks, elbows the list is extensive, almost too much to fit into an hour.

#42 Boraphet Pinsinchai 2 - Muay Khao Fighting Techniques (50 min) watch it here

Kru Ten is probably the best Muay Khao (knee fighting) private in Thailand, and one of the best in the Muay Thai Library. He not only is expert at clearly illustrating techniques, he has a perfect energy pace in his instruction.

#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.

#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.

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

Called Mr. Tidal Knees, Panomtuanlek completes the trinity of Muay Khao greatness documented from the famed Hapalang gym. This is such a rare and beautiful session, perhaps Top 10 in the entire Library. Panomtuanlek teaches his base of movement and postures which allowed him to become one of the most dominant Muay Khao fighters of the Golden Age.

#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.

#114 Kru Diesel 2 - The Beauty of Building a Muay Khao Fighter (1 hr, 16 min) watch it here

Kru Diesel is one of the greatest Muay Khao krus in all of Thailand. This is the second session with him in the Library. In it we dive deep into clinch as I'm able to train with one of his top fighters Sirichai (Tanadet: who also is in the Library with his Long Clinch). This is just a great session full of the small details which make a top clinch fighter.