Chatchai Sasakul - Elements of Boxing (72 min)

Chatchai's original session in the Muay Thai Library - you can see it here - was voted as the most loved session of the entire archive. When you watch this one you can see why. 

Chatchai is hands down one of the best instructors in the world. His focus on basics are useful for all levels, but his insight into balance, weight transfer, and how to move with relaxation but deliver total power in strikes is just... incredible. And the same principles apply whether you're boxing or kicking, kneeing or elbowing. It's applicable to Muay Thai without any kind of translation at all.

Chatchai was an established Muay Thai fighter before he moved into boxing. As a Muay Thai fighter he fought the best and did well. It was as a western boxer that he became most recognized, as he was WBC World Champion, only losing his belt to Pacquiao. Chatchai was named Instructor of the Year, for all of Thailand, in 2011 and it's a title that I think he ought to receive repeatedly. His gym is full of champions and their success is something Chatchai takes very seriously. This kind of fundamental, basic but absolutely brilliant technique training is what separates the good from the great.

What to look out for: 

1. Weight on the Feet: as you hop it's like being on a tire, you go from one foot to the other and your weight properly shifts from front to back. He pops up on the toe of the foot where the weight is lighter and there's a very distinct, but very fast "stop" on each bounce, which is when you would strike.

2. Rhythm to Strikes: the pulling back of a strike is the start of the next movement. Whether that's the footwork or another strike, it's important that everything flows together like the tempo of music. This is accomplished and made slick by the transfer of weight, all the time.

3. His Hooks: holy God, his hooks are incredible. The arm as one piece, ripping across like he's pulling on a rope or a weighted lever, but then he steps across with his weight as well. Those are just incredibly economical and powerful, at the same time.

4. Sticky Elbows: this means keeping your elbows from flapping out on your turns and strikes. By keeping them stuck in toward your ribs, you allow the rotation of the body to be what generates their power.

5. Twist on the End of a Punch: you turn your thumb down at the very end of the punch, to hit with the right knuckles and get the arm straight, but when you do this correctly you just feel the whole arm lock into place. It's totally like the tumblers in a combination lock all just falling into place. (Interestingly, Sagat (who is also a Petchyindee fighter, so same gym with Chatchai for many years, teaches NOT to turn the fist at the end because it engages different muscles. But otherwise the punch is the same, sticking close to the ribs until it shoots out. Both hit hard.)

6. Squeezing the End of a Punch: additional to the turn, or maybe in support of it, is the squeezing of the fist at the very last second before impact. Too early and you've tensed the arm, taking power away from the punch. But if you tense at the very last second, you turn the fist into a rock and focus the power right in the end of the punch. 

7. Slow Down: "slow is smooth, smooth is fast," isn't something Chatchai says, but it's what he's saying all the time when he tells me not to rush the combinations. Allow there to be breathing room and space for the full rotation. A few times I fall apart because I'm rushing and when I slow it down you totally see how both speed and power come together because rushing just creates tension.

8. Relaxation for Speed and Invisibility: Chatchai makes a point that when you tense to punch, it telegaphs AND slows down your strike. Lose lose. If you're relaxed and tense right at the end, that's how you get acceleration on your strikes, which is both power and invisibility.

9. I don't even know what to call this, because it's the same notion of pulling the opposite side back as the start to the new strike, but at 48:30, he pulls his cross back to throw his lead uppercut and it is just... unreal.

10. Footwork for Walking and Jabbing: in Chatchai's program your weight is on your back foot when you fire the jab, so there's an order of stepping, shifting weight and firing the shot that he slows way down. Moving and striking can be complicated, which is why you have to practice it. But he insists you don't strike while moving, but again at the end, like an acceleration or punctuation.

11. Coat-Hanger Shoulders: this is a bit hard to explain but really easy to feel. Basically, it's how to have tension in the right part of your shoulders so that they're guarded, coiled, and yet relaxed. If you drop your shoulders, you're slow both offensively and defensively. But if you kind of shrug, just a little, and then relax your arms, it feels like you have hung yourself up on a coat-hanger (in my mind). It's ready, guarded, but relaxed.

12. Clipping Hook: this is a way to practice the hook on a bag. You make contact, you hit the bag hard, but then you continue the strike through and it comes off. So you end up kind of clipping the bag. Not grazing, not scraping, but clipping. This is how you should be hitting the mitts and people, too.

This session was filmed as part of the Sylvie Intensive series for Vimeo. In fact I filmed over 30 hours with him. That series remains unpublished, I'm still working on it, so I thought it would be best to share some of it with my patrons at this point. He's just so good. You can check out the Vimeo Sylvie Intensive series which has over 40 hours of commentary video from Karuhat and Yodkhunpon. I'll be adding much of the Chatchai footage to that series in time. 

Because this is an older upload the full list of the current official sponsors of the Muay Thai Library are not included in the edit. These sponsors are SMAC gym, J Su & Family, Chikara Martial Arts, Bleeding Edge Gear, Zesty Kickz and one anonymous sponsor.  My thanks to these sponsors, if you support them you support this project. They will be included in the next session upload, back to normal.  

If you appreciate this session you can send a thank you donation to Chatchai through me, I'll be glad to forward it to him. Just send it to the PayPal address sylvie@8limbs.us and include a note that it is for Chatchai. 

And, if you are in Bangkok privates with Chatchai at his Sasakul Boxing gym are a definite must. He is incredible. 

If you enjoyed this session, these other hands oriented Muay Thai Library sessions also might be those you would enjoy:

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

Former WBC world boxing champion at Flyweight, and winner of Best Coach of the Year in Thailand, Chatchai in this nearly 2 hours of video makes micro adjustment after micro adjustment, honing in pristine technique in the basic strikes of boxing, for use in Muay Thai. It's all about weight transfer.

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

Former WBC world boxing champion at Flyweight, and winner of Best Coach of the Year in Thailand, Chatchai in this nearly 2 hours of video makes micro adjustment after micro adjustment, honing in pristine technique in the basic strikes of boxing, for use in Muay Thai. It's all about weight transfer.

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

A whole system of low kick and hook attacks is taught in this one session. Rajadamnren and 2x Lumpinee Champion Pornsanae is known for his brutal power fighting and this is how he gets it done. Cutting angles, lead arm control, invading space. Pornsanae teaches his philosophy. 

#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. 

#35 Yodsanan Sityodtong - Southpaw Tactics & Power (86 min) watch it here 

One of the biggest Knock Out artists Thailand has ever produced (46 KOs in 57 boxing wins), PABA and WBA World Champion Yodsanan teaches both the secrets to his devastating hook and a slick Muay Thai style from the left side.

#26 Sagat Petchyindee - Explosive Power (57 min) watch it here 

One of the great fighters in the history of Thailand, and the inspiration of the "Street Fighter" video game character, Sagat is like no other. Here he teaches how power has to come out of the ribs, and your frame, taking the shortest distance to your target, making sure your feet are constantly "organized".

Browse the full contents of the Library here.