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I trained in Lanna from 95 to 98 off and on. I thought someone may be interested in what Lanna first looked like. This was right after Andy (RIP) opened the gym (if I recall he was involved with another gym in the city "Joe's Gym", I don't remember the name). As for the Thai's there, Khom (see pic) RIP, and Taywin were doing most of the training. Kem and Mike were the main Thai fighters and Boon was maybe 12? I remember his first fight. So here's a couple pics of that era.

If you watch my sessions with Chatchai, he looks at me in the mirror and stands in front of me to kind of "eyeball calibrate" my form. I stole it from him. It's totally like he's looking down a pool cue. I noticed that he's seeing where my weight is blowing out on one side or the other, if my one shoulder is higher than the other, etc. So, now I look for that kind of thing in the mirror for myself. I call it "breaking the frame" when my body leans or bends instead of the weight transferring all together. That's what I use the mirror for.

Day 2: Thank you to all our patrons that are helping make this archival project possible. If you aren't a patron yet you can easily become one: patreon.com/sylviemuay If you have plans to be in Bangkok you can also train with the General, and help in your own way to preserve Muay Lertrit. You can arrange to train with the General through the World Muaythai Alliance Association.

The first batch of documenting videos are in from Timothy who is running the GoPro during his sessions. This is just going to be raw video, so that over time the methods and techniques of early teaching are at least recorded. You can look at his field notes for insight into what the General is looking for, and what Timothy is focusing on. Feel free to shoot Timothy questions in the thread too: Day 1:

Just like Tyler said, he talks about golf often. He uses the same analogy when talking about weight transfer too. Yesterday he was evening using Tiger Woods as an example.

Yes, he's been around our filming several times, and we definitely would like to film with him. He was there at our 4 Legend's seminar just watching it all, and he's close with Dieselnoi, Karuhat, etc. He seems hesitant, maybe because he has not trained for a very long time, but we are slowly working on getting him in the Library. He has a wonderful gentlemanliness about him.

One boxing coach I had in my teens used a dry-erase marker to draw a grid (think a tic-tac-toe game) in front of me. He instructed me to use it to help with slipping and rolling as well as pick targets other than just the head (i.e., liver, solar plexus, etc) during shadow. I felt it really helped.

Shadow boxing for sure. Don't do it mindlessly though, look at and work on something specific. For example I have a bad habit of lifting a little bit when I throw my cross so I watch in the mirror to make sure my shoulders stay parallel to the floor. I look at my form and look where my weight is centered throughout different movements. Watch your legs/hips to make sure they are moving first and rotating properly to help generate power. The important thing to remember is that it is a tool and piece of training equipment not a regular mirror. Too many people just watch themselves instead of studying themselves. Ask your coaches or training partners to help you make corrections to your form and then practice the correct form in the mirror. You can also use it to practice maintaining eye contact while doing shadow close to the mirror, though I prefer to use a partner if someone is available.

I agree with what has been said above. Just to add a few things. Prices in Bangkok can be roughly compared to Cape Town, but more expensive than Pretoria for example. International food and wine being more expensive than SA, especially wine (bottle of 2 oceans is like 230 rand, insane). In Bangkok you have to factor in transportation, it is getting a bit cooler at the moment due to the rains but the humidity simply makes you sweat a lot. A single journey with the skytrain or metro is around 15 rand. 15 minute walk would cost around 10 rand if you hop on a bike taxi. Cheapest option is regular taxi, however can get a bit tricky if you do not speak any thai and do not know the city very well. The second cheapest option is Grab motorbike (Asia's Uber). I use it everyday and it works fine, I pay around 45 rand (3.50USD) for a 15-20 minute ride. If you live elsewhere, for example on an island or in the north, renting a motorbike would be a good option and usually pretty affordable. Traffic in Bangkok can be a bit hectic. All in all, best option is to live within walking distance of the gym if possible. In Thailand it is very easy to go for the budget option. Cheap food from food stalls is delicious and the best option in case you do not care about msg or sugar in your food. The same with accommodation, plenty decent options available in all price ranges and more luxurious options will also be cheaper than SA. You do not have to be too concerned with safety when choosing a place to live. Obviously, do not be stupid, but Thailand is way safer than SA. For example, the taxis do not even lock the car doors while they drive you and nothing will happen to you while waiting for the robot to turn green other than that you either get super sweaty on the back of a bike or you stress out because traffic soooooo slow during peak hours. Thailand feels very cheap, but at the same time you find yourself constantly spending money as you depend on others for daily services and food. Especially in Bangkok where you will be in and out of 7/11s most of the time. To have a more controlled budget it might be a good idea to choose a gym package with training, accommodation and food. However, this will also likely be more expensive than arrange everything while in Thailand. Training fees and a place to live will be your biggest expenses. Training 2 sessions a day will cost you around 300-500 USD/month. Regarding earning some extra money by working. I have friends who have been able to increase their travel budget by working extra as a PT or some kind of fitness instructor gig or getting free training by helping out at the gym with social media or admin or similar. But this is not an option I would count on. There's a Thai Embassy in Pretoria and their visa clerk has been very helpful to me in the past. Happy to DM her contact details in case you need.

I love your write up. Something that I see when I watch his waist is how his knees bend. They don't bend like a soccer or tennis player, they don't even bend like any other martial arts that I've seen, but they bend like a Golf swing. Keep in mind, I've never played golf in my life and I'm not truly adroit at watching it, but the twist, to me, looks like golf. The first thing I noted when walking into the room yesterday and sitting behind you was your breathing. I smiled and pointed it out to the General, I said, "he remembers to breathe... not like me." Even being able to hear it is more "right" than you can imagine. But your observation of the subtle differences means you do, actually, know what he's talking about more than you might give yourself credit for. I reckon his question to you about whether you know what he's talking about is actually if you know where to look, or what aspect he's picking on. I watch my trainer Kru Nu show someone a punch and they stare at his fist. It makes no sense. They're not looking anywhere near where the important part is. His balance is just like he's from another planet. He never, ever draws outside the lines, so to speak. He never breaks his frame. He never leans or bends. I thought Sagat had pretty incredible ability for maximum efficiency out of minimum movement... but the General even complained that Sagat couldn't do his uppercut right. Hahahaha.

Hello all! Hope this post finds you well! I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on the use of a mirror prior to shadow boxing or even hitting the bags. I ask because there is a nice big mirror at my gym; however, I have never really used it prior to working on the bag, pads, or class. So here is the question: What should I do in fron tof the mirror and what should I be paying attention to at the same time? Thanks so much!

Here's Taywin with Pom from maybe 96 or 97? Ignore all the goofy white guys.

Lowkicks do not score highly in Muay Thai in Thailand. They, I think, are considered low-hanging fruit, and have maybe a kind of slight stigma to them? Middle kicks on the other hand score very highly, as they are difficult to pull off, involve tracking your opponent's opponent's open side and passing through their check defense, as well as having a higher degree of difficulty in terms of balance. Mid-kicks are really the bread and butter of Thailand Muay Thai, one could say. You need to be able to stop them, and deliver them. (Ha! as I write this I see Sylvie said much of the same.) You see lowkicks used by Kongsamut in the Library, combined with a punching attack that I really liked, good for shorter fighters: #43 Kongsamut Sor. Thanikul - Muay Mat Style (74 min) watch it here And then there is also Burklerk's very cool mixed-stance cut kick which he teaches in his session (a slow motion video of which we shot, below):

Dieselnoi's favorite fighter. He raves about him.

Because middle kicks score highly, low kicks don't score much at all unless you do visible damage or are off-balancing your opponent. Rambaa (in the Library) has amazing low kicks. He jumps on them, so they're super nasty and come at a chopping angle. He also stings the inside of the leg, just to annoy the opponent a lot, but it hurts after only one or two. I've had trouble walking after sessions with him for that reason.

Yup. But I felt it was most effective for learning to move my head off centerline and maintain balance with movement. I remembered another thing I like about shadowboxing in front of a mirror--it's great for working on feints and fakes.

This is so true. It's the little stuff that will chip away at your budget really quickly. 20 baht here and 20 baht there doesn't seem like much, but it adds up really quickly. Supplements are another hidden expense to consider. Protien powder, BCAAs, vitamins, etc. cost an arm and a leg in Thailand. I'm not big on supplements, but some folks take them religiously so it is something to factor in while making your budget. A 5lb tub of quality protien will cost around 2,900 baht. That's about a one month supply if you are drinking a shake a day.

Interested in this as well, that's a good observation. I'm really hoping that Dedduang Por Pongsawong will be able to do a session for the Muay Thai Library (keep an eye out), his low kicks are stupid hard. Lawrence Kenshin did a pretty cool video on Ernesto Hoost's low kick, you should be able to find it on YouTube. Middle kicks in my experience are typically emphasized because they score highly in Thailand, they also set up shots to the head (either punches or kicks usually) to get a KO. It's also the basis for pretty much every other kicking technique taught for stadium fighting so a middle kick is a core fundamental.

That's actually exactly how he described it to us lol. I've really been trying to pay attention to the direction and lines that his knees go in as he moves, the economy of movement as a whole is incredible.

Paruharlek Sittchunthong. 4x Lumpinee Champion. One of the only people to KO Samart. Also beat Hippy, Sangtiennoi and Wangchannoi. Siam fight mag reckons he’s a physical education officer in Mueang Pathum Thani and also works as a referee at different stadiums. Nungubon Sitlerchai. Fought and beat pretty much all the greats during the golden age, winning 3 Lumpinee belts. And then beat an in his prime Saenchai in 1999 to win his 4th Lumpinee belt. Runs a gym in Ubon Ratchathani: https://sitnungubon2002.wixsite.com/sitnungubongym The ones I’ve listed below might be getting on a bit now. But even if you couldn’t train with them, if you got the chance to do an interview with them, they would be nice additions to the library. The Golden Leg - Pupadnoi Warrawut. I was told he’s living in either Ayutthaya or Khon Kaen Vicharnnoi Porntawee. Lumpinee and Radja legend. Beat Pupadnoi and Dieselnoi (twice). Siam fight mag says he runs a business in Nonthaburi. Ajarn Peng. Senior coach at Sor Thanikul during the golden age. He was teaching at 96 Penang in Bangkok. Anyone know if he’s still there?

This is awesome! I remember seeing pictures of Taywin from not event that long before I met him, and he looked SO different.

So cool that you put this up! Will throw this in there from the early 2000s for those that don't know about Lanna history, Brave Dave's documentary: This is all well, well before Sylvie arrived, before she ever heard of Lanna. It was a transformative gym that had a huge impact on the history of westerners in Muay Thai in Thailand.

Changpuek Kiatsongrit. . I'm a huge low kick fan.

As a clinician who specializes in upper quadrant orthopedic rehab, I've found that one of the best tools for tennis elbow is the Flexbar by a company called Theraband. Here is a link that shows its creator demonstrating the use of the tool: In addition to having your coach re-evaluate your technique (as was suggested by above posters) I would question what brand and what ounce gloves you use to train. As a bit of a gear-slut. I've bought all kinds of gloves over the years and I think that the quality and type of gear you use absolutely has an impact on your joints and muscles. I've had issues of my own with cheaper (i.e., Everlast) and harder, "puncher" style gloves like Cleto Reyes (not cheap, and I'm sad I can't use them bc they are gorgeous gloves). In contrast, I've found that Twins (and the oft celebrated Winnings) are very forgiving and help with people who do a lot of volume training and/or are prone to impact related strain and pain. Hope that helps. You might also want to see a physical or occupational therapist and make sure it's actually tennis elbow as it could be something else.

That's an interesting idea, I've not heard of that before. Similar to putting tape on a heavy bag I would imagine.

Appreciate the above insights. The FEEL vs KNOWLEDGE concept is something I've only recently begun to really understand--and not with just muay thai (but in many aspects of life). This is obviously where the tutelage under coaches with hundreds of fights coupled with endless opportunity for individual fight experience creates the breeding ground for amazing nak muay. I guess I'm humbled to admit that the root to all of my questions comes from a very American tendency to attempt to find a "hack" that circumvents the cultural context that makes muay thai the beauty that it is. In this regard, aside from a few outliers and mavericks, I wonder if America could ever catch-up from fully homegrown systems. I feel there are so many cultural factors that also stand in the way. That said, I know that USMF is pushing to get youth involvement growing with the Youth Development League, and we're already seeing the IFMA junior team doing very well. Suppose only time will tell.

I can check with Barry or Vicky Norman and see if they know him. Barry may have been there during that time.

Budgeting for unexpected costs is a really good tip. You never know when you suddenly have a pretty hefty expense. Additionally, I've seen countless guys come through who have a pretty reasonable budget for themselves, then leave after only a month because they've blown through their nest egg by eating western food every day, fending off boredom by going to movies or out drinking or whatever else they didn't budget in because they thought they could get by on a simple life and simply didn't follow that plan.

Skarbowsky has told us he'd be glad to film with us when he visits Bangkok, so hopefully that one will happen.