Starting on February 15th, through March 15th 2019, Dieselnoi will be staying at my home gym in Pattaya (Petchrungruang) for the entire month. That’s 30 whole days! I’m truly excited for this. In December of the last year he was the “main event” – so to speak – of the Muay Khao Summit hosted at my gym, a chance for women to learn clinch and knees from Golden Age Legends who brought much of themselves out through the technique and heart of what Muay Khao is. But Dieselnoi is the King of Knees; he’s the father of the whole style in a way. When he arrived for the last few days there was a buzz in the gym. Like an entity was coming, not even fully a man. Dieselnoi’s fame and aura as a fighter is larger-than-life, and he doesn’t disappoint – in fact he is always more than what I remember him to be – and brings forth that same largess and awe when he is actually there in person. Locals from Pattaya came to the gym during our “after hours” work in the Summit just to see him. The women in the Summit were struck by him as well. He’s a talker, breathlessly explaining what he’s trying to teach at it’s core value, rather than the mechanics of form (which he also demonstrates with incredible gusto), and the group of women – not one of whom speaks Thai – said with absolute certainty and awe that they felt they understood every word. Because Dieselnoi defies language. He is almost pure energy.
When we asked him to come to Pattaya and help at the gym, it was very much in the spirit of just bringing that energy into the gym. Even at rest. Just his eyes and his heart, to just observe and see and offer whatever he could to the young Thai fighters who make up the majority of the gym. But it’s not a one-way benefit, we feel like these aging legends who are without steady work in active fighters’ gyms (many of them just can’t stand the power politics of stadium fighting gyms) of are quietly starving for that kind of connection. They want to be with young, up and coming Thai fighters, but want none of the more typical tensions. You can see it in Dieselnoi when he connects to a nakmuay who is demonstrating heart. He just recognizes it and B-lines toward it. Giving him the opportunity to spend significant time – even the kind of dead time of sitting around, soaking up the sounds – in an active Thai gym with young Thai fighters is I think giving him fresh air and connection that his current lifestyle doesn’t allow for. And, as an even greater benefit, one of the reasons it’s very hard to get training from Dieselnoi is that there’s no steady place to find him. He does not settle. So, by creating a space where he will be for a month, it allows for folks to come train with him in private lessons as well as see him regularly in the slow-progression version of real training in a gym. All of this is made possible through my support on Patreon. We can help him financially, he can give his heart to fighters, and he can be a part of a living, family-style gym that shuns the big politics of Bangkok fighting. If you are planning to coming to Thailand in the next several months, this is worth changing your plans and making sure you are a part of it.
If you come train at Petchrungruang during that month, you will have this legend watching and thinking about your development at no extra cost at all to normal training. The gym is a small, family-style gym and he will be a mentor and adviser within the gym as a whole, a free-floating amazing presence. But even if you can only make it into Pattaya for a day or two, just being in the gym would be worth the trip from Bangkok. There is also the opportunity to work with Dieselnoi in private sessions, something that is incredible rare. He has 15 sessions available at this point, and 8 are already booked. If you want an hour with the perhaps greatest Muay Thai fighter ever send me a private message on Facebook and I’ll help arrange it. It’s 2,500 baht for the hour, you’ll be getting something you’ll remember for the rest of your life. He is absolutely incredible and my lesson with him near the beginning of starting the Muay Thai Library inspired and shaped what the meaning of documenting the disappearing techniques and legends of Thailand is really about. It’s not enough to just collect techniques, but we must also preserve the men themselves who carry them. I was totally inspired by training with Dieslnoi, who has become a friend but at the time I’d only just felt the first crash-course in his energy and aura, because I can talk and write with total dedication about what he’s like… but you really just have to witness him. He is beyond description. Video helps capture it, but being literally in his presence, with him looking at you, is something that cannot be captured.
We’re booking 10 AM private sessions on a calendar, to ensure that everyone who wants to take advantage of this rare opportunity can do so. I will also be attending these lessons if I can (I travel a lot for fights), alongside Dieselnoi as a kind of assistant, both to help convey his lessons from my experience of repeatedly working with him and because I speak Thai and can translate a bit (probably helpfully from you to him in many cases), but I’m there as an aid to Dieselnoi and don’t take any of the money from his fees for private training. All of that goes to him. If I’m not there, believe me, you’ll still have an incredible hour. Something about Dieselnoi transcends language. He’s an amazing teacher.
Message me here if you’d like to book a private with Dieselnoi.
If you’d like to train at Petchrungruang during that month you can check out their regular rates here. There are also weekly and full month hotel and training packages with Royal Thai Residence. Dieselnoi will be staying there, so you’ll be in good company!
If you just can’t come to Thailand you can follow the Dieselnoi’s happenings at the gym on their Petchrungruang Instagram, and on their Petchrungruang YouTube Page. There are sure to be lots of clips and videos posted. You can also follow them on Facebook.
If You Want to Know What Dieselnoi is About
a few of the videos of him:
You can also study a few hours of Dieselnoi in the Muay Thai Library:
You can study Dieselnoi in the Muay Thai Library:
#48 Dieselnoi Chor. Thanasukarn – Jam Session (80 min)
https://www.patreon.com/posts/21754394
#30 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn 2 – Muay Khao Craft (42 min) https://www.patreon.com/posts/15939674
#3 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn – The King of Knees (54 min) – https://www.patreon.com/posts/dielselnoi-ring-6912267
4 Legends Seminar – Bangkok April 2018 (1 hr 20 min)
https://www.patreon.com/posts/18788548
If you’d like to know more about what the Petchrungruang Gym is like and why it is different than other gyms, check out my interview with longtime NBA Scout Gary Boyson, who talks about the humble training atmosphere:
