#124 Kru San Sitmonchai #2 - Muay Maat At The Right Pace (62 min)

Note: We had a bit of a technical issue with the drive-up audio intro in the main video. Audio kicks in at about the 7 min mark. Here is the drive-up intro for everyone, on its own. I set the scene and talk a little about Hua Hin, and about Kru San as a trainer watch it here:

Watch the intro here 

Kru San was an early entry into the Muay Thai Library and I'm happy to be able to include much more of his style and teaching. In his first session, I felt like his emphasis on pace was eye-opening and a game-changer for me, personally. He epitomizes the steady, unstoppable, hunting aesthetic of a dern fighter; fast, but never rushed. In this session he brings the same thoughtful approach to pace, one of the most important yet subtle to teach elements of Thailand scoring, along with a host of techniques which help you switch up your attack and create definitive scoring moments. Also, for all the big guys out there, Kru San has such a beautiful, light on his feet style, it's a real pleasure to see how size does not limit you. Love just watching him move.

At the 7 minute mark or so I've added a new Advanced Summary for lots of important points in the coming session, hope you enjoy the new feature. That and the points below can help you get the most out of the session. Thank you everyone for supporting!

What to Look For: 

1) Cutting off the Ring: as a dern fighter you have to corral and cut off the ring, but how you do it and what you look like make a big impact on how effective it is. Kru San makes a point about staying in your stance rather than squaring up, so that you still have power on your strikes; he also makes a big deal about not looking like you're chasing, staying steady and stalking; teep to interrupt and control.

2) Defensive Offence: Kru San's approach to being attacked is basically to neutralize and then punish. At the start he teaches how to softly parry a jab and use that to step out and attack the lead leg of your opponent while all their weight is still on it. He also shows how to make a Femeu "Wall of China" obsolete and how to punish folks trying to grab in the clinch.

3) Floating Block and Double Taps: these two go together well, floating a block after a kick so you can teep as the opponent tries to counter; and getting the opponent to block so you can kick their leg as they bring the block back down.

4) Catching Kicks and Missing Kicks: Lifting the caught kick and twisting so you can off-balance and hurt the kicker requires timing and a solid grip so you can create the right leverage for pain. If you miss a kick, the opponent has a window to score a big point as you're recovering, so Kru San has a little kick out that's very slick.

5) Explore the Unexpected: all styles have basics, and fighters who become known for their style have the disadvantage of being predictable but the advantage of working that into the unexpected. If you're known for your leg kicks, get good at an unexpected head kick. If you're a knee fighter, surprise with elbows.

Sessions Referenced:

#119 Burklerk Pinsinchai 2 - Mastering Space with a Legend (106 mins) watch it here

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

#29 Pornsanae Sitmonchai - The Power of Hooks & Low Kicks (74 min) watch it here

#15 Yodkhunpon Sittraipum "The Elbow Hunter" 2 - Escapes  (48 min) watch it here

#99 Yodwicha Por Boonsit 3 - Spearing the Middle, Fighting With Rhythm (66 min) watch it here

#53 Kem Sitsonpeenong 2 - Mastering Everything In Between (80 min) watch it here

#123 Samson Isaan 4 - Secrets Of His Pressure Fighting (122 min) watch it here

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

Kevin's photos from the session (you can see his photo essays here):

Remember, you can browse all the Muay Thai Library documentary sessions here.