Burklerk Pinsinchai - Dynamic Symmetry | 82 min

2x Lumpinee Champion, 2x Thailand Champion - Burklerk Pinsinchai 

Arjan Burklerk is a very unique man among the legends of Muay Thai. He boasts one of the most winning records of the Golden Age having lost only 8 times in 170 fights, fought prolifically and against intensely good competition, had a 22 year career (that is crazy) out of the famed Bangkok Pinsinchai Gym, and has transitioned into becoming a unique instructor in an Old School style of Muay - not quite like a time capsule as some trainers are, keeping everything as it was for them as they were growing up, but more like he’s dedicated to carrying on the traditions of Muay Thai heritage while playing out his training in a very modern manner. 

TIP BOX if you want to show your appreciation you can send gratuity directly to Arjan Burklerk, $5 or more via PayPal to the address sylvie@8limbs.us, please in the "add a note" section specify "for Arjan Burklerk".  I will transfer the funds.  Go to PayPal now. 

What I love about him is his joyfulness. He’s almost always smiling, all though his face and eyes, and seems to delight in his own “tricks” the same way a magician would put on a “isn’t that amazing?” face after a masterful illusion… except he’s dropping you on your butt wtih some kind of incredible throw. His style is really demonstrative - you can see it from the back of the theater, so to speak - but it’s not “flashy.” His tricks aren’t “tricks,” they’re techniques and are absolutely practical for the ring, even though many of them kind of reference a Boran feel with their symmetry and pivots. It is awesome to have been able to capture his Muay in this series.

Any time we’re in Lampang, up in the North of Thailand, we try to stop in and see Arjan Burklerk. It’s wonderful just to be around him, but he also is generous with training me. However, he doesn’t really do full private sessions, so we just collect the 15-30 minutes at a time that we can get with him when we stop over to see him. It’s like collecting little diamonds. It’s also quite wonderful because it gives me a chance to work on the things he’s shown me between meetings, so I can improve on these skills that really do need to be drilled and played with in order to get the timing and balance required for them, and then Arjan offers adjustments and elaborations on those techniques as I improve.

There is a lot covered in this training video, which is still “long form” in terms of its length but not all one take is it usually is. We do go over some of the same techniques multiple times, which I find really helpful and you’ll see more of the details as the video progresses because I’ve practiced and gotten better with them, so don’t feel rushed to figure it all out on the first viewing and maybe something will reveal itself in a later session (within this same video). His kind of “signature” move is kicking out the standing leg of his opponent as a counter to that opponent’s kick. You’ll see it in real time, in real context at the start of the video when Burklerk faced off against Pareuhatlek. It’s an amazing technique and he follows it with a wicked left hook that you’ll see a few times in shadow throughout this video but he has not yet worked with me on. There are also counters following catching a kick, unusual variations on clinch and knee techniques, and something we revisit as an unspoken theme is how Arjan builds a frame with his arms as a guard to have a fortified, strong and unyielding physical style. I don’t completely “get” it at any point in this video, but I study it with the voiceover and will be working on it continually.

Some Highlights:

1. KIcking out the standing leg as a counter to your opponent’s kick. The important elements on this one are timing, cutting across your opponent’s body with a deep step toward the standing leg and bending your own standing leg for a deep sweep; hitting low enough on their standing leg (by the Achilles Tendon) and slightly hooking your own foot by flexing it; keeping the arm out straight (same side as your own kicking leg) to push against the chest as both a guard and to aid in off-balancing the opponent.
2. Switching stance on an open-side leg kick. Whichever way you stand, you have an “open side,” which is the direction your belly is facing. If you’re Orthodox (right handed) this means that catching a kick on your right side; Southpaw (left handed) catching on your left side. Watch Arjan Burklerk for how to really step back into a reversed stance because I struggle with it still, but his is incredibly measured and consistent. When you invert your stance simultaneous to catching the kick on that side, you are setting yourself up for a powerful counter to your opponent’s now-open side. It’s awesome. Arjan shows a number of different counters to this, but a punch, kick, or knee are all immediately available.
3. Turning the knee on a caught kick. One of the easiest and most effective ways to deal with your own leg being caught is to continue the kick in the same direction it’s already going in by bending your knee and driving it toward the ground. If you slip out, you’re free. If you don’t slip out you can bend the knee and pull your opponent into you for punches, elbows, or a grab. Arjan shows me a counter to that counter, which is to lock the caught kick hard and then slightly pivot and use your free arm to bend the knee for your opponent and turn them to the floor. You have to do this one quickly so you don’t get punched with your free arm going after the knee. But if you lock hard and pivot straight away the opponent is already starting to turn. (Later on there’s another option for the caught kick which is using the free arm as a straight bar on the shoulder of your opponent and just walking through them.)
4. The switch-stance straight arm. I love this one. You kick from your power side, then when you are anticipating the counter kick from your opponent you simply step forward with that same leg (fake the kick or not) and use an outstretched arm on that same side like a battering ram to knock them back.
5. The framing of the arms in the clinch to guard against elbows. The framing of the guard is a huge thing all throughout the video and I urge you to keep looking for this theme all throughout, but near the end of the video Arjan specifically shows how the firm arms, framed up against the elbows and shoulders of the opponent, allows you to guard against elbows and pop them off in the clinch. It’s awesome.
6. Also from the clinch, Arjan shows a variety of ways to turn your opponent using timing but very little power on the neck as they are kneeing. My favorite is when the opponent knees and you put your own leg (on that same side) under their hamstring to pin the leg - kind of the same concept as catching a kick - and then just shoving their upperbody backwards and down they go. I mistakenly thought that the leg under the opponent’s leg had to do something, like go up high or push also or whatever, but it’s basically just pinning the leg up so that your opponent is on one leg and goes over easy. 

There are so many things in this video, so these are just some highlights. If you all have any favorites or want clarification on anything that’s covered in the video but not expressed here, please comment on the Patron Only FB Page or on Patreon and I’ll answer there. 

 TIP BOX if you want to show your appreciation you can send gratuity directly to Arjan Burklerk, $5 or more via PayPal to the address sylvie@8limbs.us, please in the "add a note" section specify "for Arjan Burklerk".  I will transfer the funds.  Go to PayPal now.