Leaderboard

It feels like the one and only contest in western Muay Thai that is commercially, and perhaps socially underway is "who is the most authentic" (which fighter, which org, which gym....)? As long as that is the battle, nobody can really win. Even if you win as "most authentic" or "really, really real" you are set up against a broader background of "not authentic", you are in a field of in-authenticity. It feels like Muay Thai somehow got caught up in a Kung Fu cultural framework, when in fact it is probably much, much closer to boxing. It doesn't help that notions of authenticity and fake in Thailand are incredibly plastic, which plays into the authenticity paranoia from the west.

I know that the British Embassy is providing UK nationals with visa extension letters, but I'm not sure if other embassies are offering a similar service. Things are constantly changing, and it's worth joining the Thai Visa Advice Facebook group, which is always updated with new information.

Hey everyone, new to the forum. Been training for about a year and just had my first fight in February. Once this whole Covid thing is over I’m planning on going to train in Chiang Mai for a year. I’ve just been wondering what everyone has done about health insurance/how you go about getting it as a foreigner over there/if it’s crazy expensive and not worth it, etc. Any advice on health insurance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone!

I hope this might be helpful. I have corresponded with the agent below and he has been (unlike some other agents that provide health insurance in Thailand) very responsive. The provider has a form that needs to be completed re: medical history, and then there are a number of policy options. Some of my friends in CNX have insured through Pacific Cross, and recommend it. I hope this is helpful: --------- Forwarded message --------- From: Jamie Edwards <jamie.e@th.pacificcrosshealth.com> Date: Thu, Mar 19, 2020 at 4:34 AM Subject: Re: Health Insurance Enquiry To: Karuna Foundation <karunasiam@gmail.com> Dear Michael, Currently, the lowest plan to best suit the OA visa requirement is our Standard Extra Plus plan. I have attached the brochure. We fully underwrite every policy allowing our clients to have a direct billing network across 360+ hospitals throughout Thailand allowing cashless treatment, not pay and claim. We have higher plans with better amounts of coverage (all attached). You must have outpatient included in whatever option you choose. If annual premium is a big concern we have ways to reduce the cost by adding what we call a deductible/excesses to the plan. This means you would pay the first amount of the deductible and we pay the rest. We take deductibles for Standard Extra plans and above. We have the no claims potential as well which is 10% the first year, 15% second and 20% third year ongoing. If you would like to apply you would need to complete the application form attached (please make sure every part of the form is filled in and any conditions underlined) and return with a passport copy. Once we receive the application a firm offer will be provided within 3-5 days of receipt. I hope this information is helpful and please let me know if I can be of further assistance or you have any questions. Kind regards, Jamie.

A reader asks a good question: "I had a random question for you/Sylvie to regarding roundhouse kicks, if you don't mind? I know there are variations and I've read your thoughts on the golden kick. My question was more related to some confusion on my part when I see trainers/fighters teaching that a roundhouse kick should involve turning over of the hip to strike through your opponent. That's all fine and how I've always practised/taught a roundhouse kick. The confusion part is when I then see those same fighters doing 20-30 continuous kicks on pads, at which point their kicks have very little hip rotation and become almost a slightly angled in straight up kick. Is this bad technique on their part. Or is it a deliberately modified kick so they are able to throw fast repetitive kicks?" I'll be jumping in here later to answer this

I suspect that the "turn your hip" as taught by western coaches is truly an "over-turn" situation. Western hips are by and large very inflexible and so the turn of the hip makes up for the relaxation of the kicking leg. If both the standing leg and kicking leg are tense, you get a punt. If you force a turn in the hip, you can at least whip the kicking leg a little bit. Yodkhunpon has criticized my kick so, so many times for turning too much. He laughs at me, his kind of quiet way, smiling to himself. "You do one, and then what? Finish already," he says. It's true. You do that much of a turn on your kick and you've fired your one shot, you're not ready to kick again. That said, turning your hip isn't "wrong." A strong, cut-you-down kick turns the hip. But it doesn't ONLY turn the hip. It kind of cuts through like a baseball bat, still loose in the hip and the kicking leg is more or less relaxed. If you're Samart, you'll flex the leg on impact, kind of giving it a stick-hitting-a-gong effect. Others don't do that. If you're Silapathai, you're going to kick 8 million times per minute anyway, so the kicks are just fast as. Different techniques, all kicking. The purpose of the 50 kick drills though is to build stamina and power. They're not truly "this is how you should kick" drills anymore than a 30 second "burnout" of one-two punches on a bag teach proper punching form. A speedbag isn't about technique. It's about coordination. It's about speed. It's about rhythm. That's what 50 kick, or 500 kick repeats are all about. So says me, anyway.

Here's a rough film study we did on the "Golden Kick" Keep in mind though that there is not ONE "Thai Kick." There are lots of variations and technique might not be "wrong." Honestly, if your kick is powerful and fast then you have a good kick. If it comes out readily in the rhythm of your other movements, it's a good kick.

I got myself a heavy bag, but before that I tied a pillow to a beam to practised kicks :)

This is really an unfortunate misunderstanding that has pervaded the western teaching of the Thai kick. As mentioned in the question above The Golden Kick really answers much of this. As one can see from this video of Karuhat's kick, there is no "turn over the hip!" at least in the way that it is often overemphasized by western coaches. This is how I answered a related question, as asked on Reddit: This is a really bad habit of western Muay Thai, and against high level fighters could be very exploitable. I have a fight in mind between a well-known western fighter (to remain nameless) who was absolutely undressed (vs another western fighter) in the most part due to his "picture perfect" overturn of the kick, leaving him out of position to defend himself (or follow up with strikes). Photos of this fighter for year have been appearing as a kind of Muay Thai porn, as if his kick was so "beautiful", when in fact this overturn is quite far from the real way high level fighters, especially from the Golden Age, usually kick. That's the first part of the question. The 2nd part is really interesting! There is a LOT of sloppy technique in these 50 kick, 100 kick pad burns. And, at least by my lights, some of that is pretty terrible. Hand position goes to shit, heads float, even by some Thais in Thai gyms. You are always training something, right? But...there is an interesting component of how these kicks just kind of float or pop straight up. Sometimes the padman really will angle the pad down, so you are even just kicking up, into the pad. What's really interesting is how much this violates the westernized "Thai" Roundhouse kick. All you are doing is practicing kicking up sometimes. How can that be good? What's cool is that this is creating a groove for the first part of the Golden Kick. This upward motion is not the complete Thai Kick, which does involve a last second whipping over (but not "turning over the hip" as the west really likes, an internal dynamic of up and whip that isn't included in a lot of these 50 kick speed rounds. I think it's best if you do try to whip that kick a bit, and if the padman doesn't just point the pad downward, (and if your hand positions get correct, and your chin drops down, while we are at it). But, the upward movement itself, the core repetition, which from western eyes might be all wrong, from the Thai side is probably grooving the first movement of the Golden Kick, which is really cool. This is Karuhat's Kick, for those that haven't seen it. He kicks uniquely, but he does present a really beautiful and in some ways ideal form of the kick, in terms of the rise and the hidden, sudden whip:

Anything you can hang from for pullups is awesome. Situps, planks, pushups, squats, burpees... all body weight exercises are awesome.

Get this one in your house bro. Number 1

Interesting! I just wanted to drop this article here, too - How Thai Language Reinforces Hierarchy and Perpetuates Social Divides.