[Teaching Muay Thai to the Mentally Challenged]

First class is Tuesday.

[Unsolicited advice during training]

31 minutes ago, LengLeng said:

This is also my experience and I think it's a good system. I also do not mind it. But you will always have those who overestimate their knowledge and dish out bad advice. Which I guess it's the issue. 

Oh for sure. From a teaching perspective, I try to keep an eye on the interactions of my students. I clip no it alls right in the bud.

[Unsolicited advice during training]

16 hours ago, Tyler Byers said:

I try not to give unsolicited advice, but I am certain I have been guilty of it at some point. I usually only suggest things or mention things if I am drilling or sparring with someone. For me this is an appropriate setting because we are supposed to be helping each other to get better. Just walking up to someone you don't know and spot correcting them is weird lol.

Also, never under any circumstances should they touch your body to make a correction without asking first. I don't care if you are male, female, or whatever, don't touch people without asking first. I personally don't like people touching me even if I do know them, and if you do it without knowing me you are likely to get a bad reaction out of me. I think most people have good intentions with all this, but you never know how the other person is going to take it or what kind of past personal issues they may have.  

I'll take that on board, Tyler. I always ask my female students. Never once have I thought to ask the males.

[Unsolicited advice during training]

From a western perspective, in a group class setting,  senior students are expected to give training advice. One reason is in anticipation of them being teachers themselves one day, another is kru's eyes can't be everywhere at once. I personally don't mind it, if I find it valid. If I don't find the critique valid, I just tell them that's the way I do it.

[Best Recovery Advice For Full Time Training in Thailand]

17 hours ago, Tyler Byers said:

I actually think this is kind of my main issue as well. I've got all sort of stuff wrong with two different sections of my back and then also my neck. Staying in shape definitely helps though. If I haven't worked out in a while (which is where I am at right now), it seems to be worse and harder to sleep for any real length of time.

Absolutely mate, if I don't train I am in way worse pain than if I do. I'd do just about anything for a decent nights sleep.

[Best Recovery Advice For Full Time Training in Thailand]

19 hours ago, LengLeng said:

Ever considered the chili pad? A mattress thing you can use to either cool bed down or make it warmer. Obviously expensive but might be worth the investment. Available on Amazon. 

I've been lucky to have worked with some great European sleep scientists and you might be familiar already, but only things that are scientifically proven (or where's there supporting evidence) to work longterm is either sleep reduction therapy (ideally combined with group CBT) and/or SSRIs. You need a proper health insurance for this though. And of course, best case scenario: sleep lab first to rule out any physical reasons for bad sleep like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome etc. But sleep reduction therapy can be done alone without doc. It's about correcting circadian rhythms and increase sleep pressure and make sure time spent in bed is spent sleeping. Nothing needed but pen and paper and a lot of discipline. Hoping I'm not telling you things you already know now. Happy to provide links if needed. 

 

Thank you. I haven't done much research. I think a reset of my circadian rhythms would help. Years of  night shift really threw my sleep out of wack. Chronic back pain etc doesn't help. Through into the mix interstate truck driving and you've got a recipe for bad sleep. I truly don't believe there's much that could be done to improve my sleep unless the aches and pains lessen.

[Best Recovery Advice For Full Time Training in Thailand]

21 hours ago, Tyler Byers said:

I actually have not tried these before, I only heard about them recently. I get super hot when I sleep so I'm afraid that will just make it worse. I might give it a shot though if I can find one for a decent price. I can probably buy one off Lazada. Hahaha you are definitely right though, I've tried pretty much everything. Insomnia is a serious pain in the ass.

I'm like you, Tyler. I read your description of your sleep. I'd be lucky if my sleep totalled 4 hours. I sleepmpretty hot too, it's winter here, if you can call Queensland's winter a winter, but I still manage to sweat the bed out every night.

[How to fight evasive fighters]

Lots of forward pressure, like Tyler said.

[What is Your Favorite Technique?]

18 hours ago, Coach James Poidog said:

This is big to me. You have to teach them the how and why though, like Tyler said. Once you do, its not long before they get good at it and only a little longer than that til the benefits of it manifests in their drilling and sparring. I usually start by pairing an experienced person with a beginner. The experienced one holds first and gives reasons for why they do what they do, then the beginner gets to hold for the experienced. Can be a lesson in patience for the experienced student.  

For sure. I just can't be, monkey see, monkey do. Everything has to have an explanation. 

[9 Fighters of the Year in the Muay Thai Libary]

9 minutes ago, Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu said:

Are working on it, but understand not all fighters lead positive, stable lives after their fighting days. I don't know the exact situation, but I get the feeling it isn't awesome. As a note, in his fighting days his nickname was "Chivas".

I know. I'm just fan boy #1. I had read things weren't good. I prefer the 33sec one to the chivas one. Sometimes,  I like rose coloured glasses.

[What is Your Favorite Technique?]

17 hours ago, Tyler Byers said:

This is something I feel more people should be teaching in general. I haven't been training that long, but haven't seen hardly any coaches talking about fight theory or strategy (what queues to look for when an opponent is about to use a specific technique, or how to manage fighters with different styles) with their fighters the way I think they should. It's largely left to the fighter to kind of figure out alone later down the road. 

I use pad holding as an aid to teaching visual cues. Everyone should learn pad holding, I reckon. At some stage that is.

[9 Fighters of the Year in the Muay Thai Libary]

I'd dance naked in the moonlight and sacrifice chickens to the dark lord if Wangchannoi was number 10.

[Short Essay: Dieselnoi vs Samart - Who is the GOAT?]

I think and I'm  just putting this out there. Maybe other female fighters aren't as lucky as Sylvie. In the respect they don't have the support of a great husband. It would be awfully difficult, if not impossible to do what Sylvie has done without that kind of support. 

[Short Essay: Dieselnoi vs Samart - Who is the GOAT?]

I love blunt force trauma. Vote#1 Dieselnoi. 

[Muay Lertrit Diaries - Coming to Thailand To Train in Traditional Military Muay Thai]

22 hours ago, Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu said:

really not sure that this is the case. Or, I am very hesitant to apply "normal" or "natural" to certain reactions. We become highly conditioned. For instance, lots of people might hold their breath during exertion, and exhale afterwards. And in thinking about the animal kingdom I can't even picture an animal exhaling strongly on exertion or attack. Maybe??? But I think it's far from believing that exhalation on a strike is "normal". When a child hits you they aren't making a "Hiiii-yahh!" If I had to guess it is probably more "normal" to just hold your breath

A lot of people do hold their breath when under exertion and exhale afterwards. This maybe is okay for single repetitions of heavy exertion. I will contend to be efficient at something one has to breathe (obviously), my point above was to agree with Tyler. No wonder they had trouble as inhaling on the strike is very different. You may be right and we are conditioned to exhale in whatever we're doing, be it boxing, weights or kicking a footy.

 

22 hours ago, Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu said:

not sure about that either. If you are breathing IN (after your strike) you are actually extremely vulnerable to counter strike blows to the body. You hit someone on the inhale and they go down. Just being armchair here, it seems that the exhale right when you might be counterstruck, would be more ideal defensively. Maybe I'm just spinning things, but at first blush that is what it looks like to me.

I guess, I was trying to get across a different idea and that idea was getting hit whilst hitting. Leading to getting winded which like you said can get you dropped. I wasn't attempting to say the general's idea was incorrect.

[Muay Lertrit Diaries - Coming to Thailand To Train in Traditional Military Muay Thai]

Plus we all exhale as we smash the bag. Ishhhh.

[Muay Lertrit Diaries - Coming to Thailand To Train in Traditional Military Muay Thai]

Exhaling on striking is physiologically normal. Or actually you do it with any exertion. It has nothing to do with traditional martial arts moving away from actual combat. So no wonder you guys are struggling with it. It's not a natural thing to do. Just to clarify my thoughts here, I would like you to bear in my mind the exhalation on striking isn't just a release it also is defensive in nature, so you don't get winded in a counter strike scenario. We all know how much that hurts.

[Examples of Low Kicks in the Muay Thai Library]

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

[The 1963 Fight That Started Kickboxing - When Karate Lost to Muay Thai]

23 hours ago, AndyMaBobs said:

I think of the fights I've been able to find of the golden age guys, he might be my favourite. I love Sagat too.

Wangchannoi Sor Palangchai is my favourite. 

[The 1963 Fight That Started Kickboxing - When Karate Lost to Muay Thai]

19 minutes ago, AndyMaBobs said:

Man I love Dieselnoi. There's something about the very awkward way he switch kicks that gives me a smile. I hope I get to train with him, and hopefully not get knee'd one day!

I reckon he's the best. I watch him and I get the shivers.

[The 1963 Fight That Started Kickboxing - When Karate Lost to Muay Thai]

2 hours ago, Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu said:

We may not be referring to the same set of early fights. Honestly, it was a year ago I read up on this. To me it's not even worth thinking about. Japanese fighting at the time was laughably (seriously, humorously) inferior. (The other day we asked Dieselnoi about the World Championship fights he fought in in 1982 in which the Japanese kickboxers (and all the other kickboxers in the world) were overwhelmed, and he just started giggling. He said, "you have to understand, it was all yodmuay. All the fights went very fast." But he really was giggling like a child. He pointed to his knee where he still has a scar from the tooth of a Korean fighter. And this is 20 years after these original bouts.)  At the time we are thinking about these are very likely the best Japanese fighters in the country, or at least in the upper percentile. They are not fighting elite Thais. Putting these guys against the best fighters in Thailand at the time, in lots of fights, would have been an endless embarrassment - again, not because Japanese Karate sucks, it's because of the very deep experience in actual fights top Thais had, and the fact that Karate really was not a full contact fighting sport.

This may be the one you're talking about. With regards to Dieselnoi.

[Street fighter - That Guy with 34 Street Fights All Won By KO]

You only gotta look at Charlie Zellenoff, 270 something and 0, all in his mind of course. And then you've got those absurd claims, on dubious self defense advertisements.  Such and such, ex special forces, 600 street  fights and no losses. This kind of clap trap might have something to do with them thinking they need to validate themselves with bullshit.

[Street fighter - That Guy with 34 Street Fights All Won By KO]

11 hours ago, threeoaks said:

This seems notably like a guy phenomenon although I have had a few ladies act like they are going to absolutely KILL me on their first day but that's ok I like it and anyhow I'm not a coach so the ego ain't my problem.  

I'd be very surprised if it occurred among women. With blokes, I guess it would be a way of fitting in within what they perceive as an aggressive environment. From the outside looking in, it would be hard for them to understand friends hitting each other, and it's kinda accepted that men are "The street fighter" so this scenario, whilst it makes no sense to us,  makes sense to them. 

[Street fighter - That Guy with 34 Street Fights All Won By KO]

11 hours ago, Oliver said:

Yeah exactly, we all seen examples of the party hard dude that doesn't have it affect his conditioning at all, it's genetically freaky shit. Gotta admit, never seen the other one unfortunately. Like, the guy who comes in and says he's been in tonnes of street fights right off the bat. Always figured that happened in movies or Instagram memes but didn't know it's actually a regular real life thing.

It's real, dude. Although I'm still waiting to meet someone as bad as Charlie Z.

[Street fighter - That Guy with 34 Street Fights All Won By KO]

18 hours ago, Coach James Poidog said:

Yeah I can work with balance if their ego isnt too huge. 

I find with those that stay, their ego was defence mechanism to a strange environment. After they've been hit and thrown around a few times, they realise they're not dealing with Joe Blow from the local boozer.