#141 Jareonsap Kiatbanchong 2 - Optimizing Distance & Balance (80 min) (Patreon)

This is a great session where you get insight into present day stadium pad holding training at the hands of a legend of the sport. Jaroensap  is out of the famed Kiatbanchong gym, stalemate of fellow Southerners  Jaroenthong, Samranthong, and Oley Kiatoneway. Jaroensap jokes that  everyone in the gym other than him was Femeu, so he was the "dumb one"  who came forward, but in truth he's the only one of the group to have been awarded the prestigious Fighter of the Year (1992), and he was 112 lb and 115 lb  Lumpinee Champion. He has raised his own son, nephew and many young Thai boys into well-known and champion stadium fighters. He is one of the Golden Age Legends who is carrying the knowledge and experience of his  time forward.

you can find his small family home gym here, north of Bangkok

What To Look Out For:

1)  Shaping and Progression Through Padwork and Sparring: there is a natural ebb and flow to fighting, due to the real dominance of pulling ahead or falling behind. Jaroensap is brilliant at changing tide within the span of a round, as well as overall throughout the whole session, so that his students can feel and intuit where they are in the fight and know whether to come forward or retreat. Offense and Defense work together in this way and it's all very natural, never explicit or forced. This is a brilliant way to shape and build fighters.

2) Building Pressure: due to his natural and intuitive shaping, you can really see and even sometimes hear the rhythms he's calling for to create a "building" of pressure on his opponent. He never rushes, but his pace is steady and he pressures through proximity and controlling the guard while scoring down below; then he releases the pressure when he's ahead, which goads the opponent to come and he can keep scoring and dominating on the back foot, with the opponent stepping into very short-range kicks.

3) Headkick from Close Range: I noticed a common ask from many Golden Age Legends I have filmed with, that the "lean back" dodge on kicks was very emphasized. It wasn't until this session with Jareonsap that I finally realized that a lot of the insistence on this dodge has to do with the use of headkicks from close range (like, punching range), so it's a built-in defense in anticipation of a counter.

4) Anticipation: together with the Building Pressure element, anticipation rounds out the structure of how Jaroensap shapes his fighters. The building pressure on the opponent cannot be achieved by offense alone, it must also include anticipation, which must be honed as a skill. Anticipating a counter, or knowing how to fake to get your opponent into a position you want, that's all something that takes a great deal of practice to become intuitive. Jareonsap chides me for my blocks a few times because they are "flinchy," which is both aesthetically unpleasant but also ineffective. This is because I'm not anticipating the counter. When the anticipation is built into the proximity, the movdment, the pressure, it allows defense to look natural, be unrushed and executed in a way that doesn't break pace from offense.

Other Sessions Referenced, watch and study these for deeper understanding. I mention them in this session:

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

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

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

#108 Jampatong Na Nonthachai - The Master of the Head Kick (63 min) watch it here

#125 Therdkiat Sittepitak - Aggressive Femeu (61 min) watch it here

#137 Kem Sitsongpeenong 3 - Balance, Fakes and Calm (102 mins) watch it here

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

Photos from Jaroensap's Career

Dressed to the nines for their time, Jaroensap (white shirt) with D-Day (black undershirt).

Two Time Fighter of the Year, Kaensak (1989-1990) vs Jareonsap, in 1992, the year that Jareonsap would be awarded Fighter of the Year. Jaroensap defended his 115 lb Lumpinee title in this bout.

Training for an upcoming fight against Dokmaibaa Por. Pongsawang (brother to Detduang, in the MTL).

Shortly after being given the name "Diamond Hearted Champion" by the press.

A young Jaroensap, when his alias was "Kid from Kon City".

Fighter of the Year from 1984-2003. Jaroensap is 1992, between Samson and Wangchannoi.

Jareonsap's son, For Win, with his True4U title belt (Petchyindee promotion, Jaroensap was OneSongchai).

With his 112 lb and 115 lbs Lumpinee title belts.

At the beach with some teammates (Jareoensap is in the green trunks with print, right, standing).

Samrongtong (brother to Jareonthong) and Jaroensap, two rising stars of "Kon City".

With some friends after a fight.

The 4 stars of Kiatbanchong, Jaroenthong, Oley, Samrontong and Jareonsap.

Photographs from the session. You can see all of Kevin's photo from the day here in this album:

Filming with Jaroensap

If you enjoyed this session, these are other sessions in the Muay Thai Library you might appreciate:

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

The 1992 Fighter of the Year Jaroensap had an elegant Muay Thai that was full of hidden power. He shares his unique teeping style, how he employed parries and switches and elbows to control the space in an elite Muay Femeu fighter.

#28 Jaroenthong Kiatbanchong - Femeu Muay Thai Hands (50 min) watch it here

Super slick, 3x Lumpinee Champion Jaroenthong is considered one of the Yodmuay of the Golden Age, often pictured with Samart and Somrak as killers from that day. In this session he teaches how he marries great boxing hands with femeu footwork.

#132 Matee Jedeepitak - The Keys To Femeu Timing & Distance (66 min) watch it here

Some of the most difficult - but vital - things to learn in traditional Muay Thai is the trinity of Timing, Distance and how to incorporate the Basics. These form the core of what made Golden Age Muay Thai so very special as a fighting style. Lumpinee Champion Matee Jedeepitak has spent two decades perfecting his communication of these femeu qualities, unlocking them for everyone from beginning student to advanced fighter.

#126 Kaisuwit Sungila Nongki - Shaping Through Padwork (67 min) - watch it here

In the Thailand kaimuay fighters are often wordlessly shaped through padwork. Each padman has his own rhythms and evolved techniques of bringing out proper distance, timing, ruup and disposition in a fighter. Kaisuwit is one of the great padmen of Thailand, and a former Golden Age champion. Learn his method of creating stadium champions in this documentation of his style.

#73  Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn 2 - Overcoming Distance (61 min) watch it here

The incredible Namsaknoi was one of the rare fighters who melded sheer physical power with femeu touch. In this session you learn how he exploited and explored angles, owned the edge, in a way that left him the king of Lumpinee at his weight in his day.

#72  YodPitak Cho. Nateetong 1 - Art of Femeu Interruptions and Balance (73 min) watch it here

One of the most difficult things is to teach Muay Femeu timing and distance control, but Kru Tak is one of the great femeu instructors in Thailand. In this beautiful session he opens up his technique of tricks, feints and shifting deceptions, even in the clinch.

#33 Kru San Sitmonchai #1 - Control of Pace & Distance when Advancing  (56 min) watch it here

Kru San is a big man but has incredible muay, a lightness to his movement that he transforms into a jai yen advancing Muay Thai style. In this session it's all about. Creating pressure without rushing, using the teep to set up combinations to the body and head, raising ring awareness, and using weapons at the appropriate time in your opponent's fatigue.

Bonus Session 7: Karuhat Sor. Supawan - Forward Check | 39 min - watch it here 

In this session Karuhat teaches his beautiful and unique Forward Check, and the system of attacks that flow out of it in his fighting style.  You can read my detailed post in the Forward Check here. This check, aggressively from Southpaw, versus Orthodox fighters eats up space closes distance, effectively deal with one of the primary weaknesses of Southpaw attack.

browse the entire MTL here 

We have 16 Fighters of the Year so far documented in the Muay Thai Library, these are the greats of the greats.  This session added to the list:

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 #1 - Deadly Step Counter Fighting (70 min) - watch it here, #95 Wangchannoi Sor. Palangchai #2 - The Secret Powers of a Cool Heart (77 min) watch it here and #134 Wangchannoi Sor Palangchai #3 - Powerful, Advancing Counterfighting (74 min) - watch it here

Jaroensap (1992): #91 Jaroensap Kiatbanchong - Silky Power (63 min) watch it here, #141 Jareonsap Kiatbanchong 2 - Optimizing Distance & Balance (1 hr, 20 min) watch it here

Samson (1991):  #41  Samson Isaan 1 - The Art of Dern Fighting (64 min) watch it here , 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