Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn - Sharking The Angles | 67 min

Many of you have asked for this, now all of you have it: Namsaknoi is in the Muay Thai Library. He's a very charming person, playful but damn... when you feel him shift from his evasiveness to his "I'm just going to stand right here," you don't feel like he's so nice anymore. When I explained to him what the Library is, and that we want to capture his style, he just nodded thoughtfully and said, "okay, we'll spar and clinch." Perfect. His style comes out in everything he does. And he's able to express why he does something, or how he thinks about techniques and strategies, which was a wonderful addition to what is already a wonderful style. I really had a lot of fun working with him. Fighter of the Year in 1996, 6 years undefeated as Lumpinee Champion. One of the best who ever fought, and an incredible teacher.

Some things to look out for (although you really should just watch this 100 times and pay attention to a different element each time, there's so much to see):

1) His Stance: watch his legs. He has similar footwork to Karuhat, but he keeps a broader stance than Karuhat does and he uses this to pace outside of his opponent's stance all the time. He's able to cut off the ring, corral the opponent, slip to the side, throw a strike you didn't see at all - all from always staying outside the opponent's stance with his broad stance.

2) Switch-Step Punches: Namsaknoi gallops with a switch step in order to turn his jab into a cross. He uses this as a slip to an opponent's jab, or just to get to the outside and land a strike any old time he likes, really. He also says if the opponent doesn't go backwards, you can use this as a clinch grab.

3) Off-Line: he has a general technique of getting "off-line" with what looks like a stagger step that's either lateral (like when he's slipping the jab and throws a headkick) or a 45 degree angle (more or less) to the outside of the opponent's foot for a strike.

4) The Juggernaut: Guys... I love this. He slips to the outside, like a pretty standard boxer's slip, but then reverses direction and body-checks with that front shoulder.

5) Head Dives: I'm not sure what else to call this, but it's a quick duck down and tackle. It's a changing of levels, a fake, a body attack, or a hidden headkick. Pick one, because he can do all of them. But he uses it to close distance, which is incredible.

6) Strategic Change of Direction: he's brilliant at pushing in one direction and then immediately reversing. This is kind of obvious in clinch, but he'll be going backwards and then do that head dive and be going nearly past you. Or he'll start going right and then just flip left.

7) "Good Idea/Bad Idea": this is also strategic, but he has this whole program of letting his opponent think they've made a good decision, which turns out to be a bad decision. He lets them land a strike, because "if they can do it, they will do it again," but then he has a solution. He even lets you do it one extra time, so you can pat yourself on the back for such a great idea and maybe even throw yourself into it a little harder, but to your peril.

If you would like to express your gratitude to him you can send extra support or appreciation to my paypal sylvie@8limbs.us and I'll be sure to transfer the funds covering all additional fees. Just be sure to put in a note that it is for Namsaknoi. 

If you enjoyed this session you might like these sessions in the Muay Thai Library, also from all time great fighters:

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

To "dern" in Thai is to "walk", which means basically to just come forward no matter what, to create a relentlessness. Voted Fighter of the Year in 1991, Samson Isaan was one of the great Dern Fighters of the Golden Age, and in this session he shows his forward pulsing techniques which are meant to just overwhelm his opponent. Also a great session for pressure Southpaw fighters. 

#34 Samart Payakaroon - Balance, Balance, Balance! (81 min) watch it here 

Atop the tower of Muay Thai legends probably stands Samart. 3x Fighter of the Year, 4x Lumpinee Champion and WBC World Boxing Champion, no fighter more brilliantly showed what femeu fighting could do. In this session he shows the foundations of how to build true balance, the ultimate key to his fighting style. 

#47 Silapathai Jockygym - Master of Teep Distance (64 min) watch it here

One of the great femeu fighters of the Golden Age unlocks the secret of his teep oriented dominance which made him one of the most difficult fighters to face in his day. The lessons here are precious as he unfolds the details of how to use the teep and tempo to always put the fight where you want it. 

#19 Attachai Fairtex - Timing and IQ (72 min) watch it here 

2x Lumpinee Champion Attachai Fairtex is one of the great femeu fighters of Thailand. Namsaknoi, himself an elite femeu fighter of legendary status called him his most difficult fight as he just was too hard to read. This is a window into that quality, and how to build it.

#57 Boonlai Sor. Thanikul - Kicking Excellence (66 min) watch it here 

One of the most asked for sessions by patrons, and it took well over a year to find and arrange filming with Boonlai. A legendary fighter of the Golden Age who beat some of the greatest fighters of his day (Karuhat, Namkabuan, Langsuan, etc), with such a beautiful kicking attack. Learn the secrets of his head kick, along with some beautiful slow-motion capture. 

#50 Karuhat Sor. Supawan - Serpentine Knees & Flow  (62 min) watch it here 

The legendary Karuhat teaches his winding, advancing style, a culmination of many, many hours of our training together. You get a glimpse into his advanced movements, and his philosophy on reading opponents.

 Browse the full contents of the Library here.