Tyler Byers

UFC has just gone to shit lol. There is no debating it. They are going the boxing route now and it's gonna end poorly. It is funny to see how bad some of their "muay thai" strikers are. ONE is the only promotion to have legit strikers on their roster in MMA. Ever since the "WME" era the UFC has been going steadily downhill. No one ever believed their fighters were the best in the world in any on particular aspect, but the idea was who could nullify or outperform different aspects of the complete game. Now it's just all show and flash. Competition has gone out the window.

Just an update but.... Dedduang is now at PK Saenchai Gym. Let me know if you guys want to set something up with him. I'm going to go try and visit him later this week.

Highlights.... Ok.... maybe not boxing vids but Bas at his finest lol.

I have mixed feelings on all of this. The best answer I have is a bit of a non-answer. For me there is a time and place for safety equipment. If I am doing simple drilling I kind of like doing no pads, but for full sparring I prefer to wear shin guards. It really just depends on the partner, pace, and power levels. I have training partners that I loved sparring with (no longer work with them), but I can't imagine us training without shin guards lol. That is because we went fairly hard though. I like to spar somewhere between 60-80%. We could only go hard like that though because we knew each other quite well and understood when to back off a bit. Even when we tested each other a bit there was always an understanding to back off if it got to be too much and it was never emotional. That said, I've been dropped with a few shots in sparring and had my nose fractured twice lol. I've had other partners that I also sparred "fast" with, but with much less power. I never sparred them with no shin guards, but I think we would have both done really well with that. It's just different with each person. The added protection is just that... added protection. Depends on what you are doing and who you are working with.

This might be asking a lot, but can you take some video of you holding pads? It's just really hard to understand what is happening without seeing it. Did you try any of the stuff mentioned above (I'm assuming you did, but again it's difficult to see what's going on just via writing)? This might simply me a size mismatch, but I would hope your coach/trainer would be pairing folks up who are relatively the same weight if possible! It's kind of hard to describe, but you should be absorbing shots, not being shocked by them. If it's someone who's like 200+lbs though, nothing is gonna save you lol.

This is just a guess, but you might be tensing up before the impact hits. Try to "roll" with the impact as much as you can. It sounds counter-intuitive, but try to be soft/relaxed and see how that works for you. I know if I am holding Thai pads I would get sore if I was either meeting the kick or if I was tensing up just prior to the connection. Don't be completely passive, but try not to tense up either (easier said than done ).

This is 100% my experience. I couldn't even tell you when it happened. I used to have to mentally search for what to do in shadow and now it just flows out. Hahaha the gym, my kitchen, etc. It's basically like dancing, eventually you just find your rhythm and comfort zone. Just keep at it and enjoy it! It's your time to play, just keep adding stuff in that you like. I think the important thing is to find yourself in that moment and also keep a vision of an opponent in front of you. Focus on yourself (stuff you like) first though, then start mixing in defense and movement as well.

I much prefer the tear drop bags. I don't like how static the free standing bags are and they are really hard to work uppercuts or elbows on. That's just my opinion though

What gym are you going to be training at? I live nearby, maybe I'll pop in and say hi

More drills or heavy bag work would be my recommendation. Get it flowing well outside of sparring before you try and take it into sparring.

Check out 4 Sisters apartments on Soi Phrom Pak/Thong Lor 25. Not sure if they do 6 month contracts or not but I think rooms there are 5,500 a month. Why Thong Lo area? Much easier to find something in that price range in Phra Khanong or On Nut.

Cross checking might be easier (this gives you much more surface area to work with instead of only the point of the knee), especially with a shorter opponent. Just make sure your guard is tight and you balance is good. I'm in the same boat as you, I get low kicked a lot

Interesting, I've never tried gloves with gel in them. Those look pretty decent, and that's a great price.

Awesome, I haven't heard of this before. I'll look up the whole poem and check it out. Thanks

This is what I came to recommend. I am just starting stance switching as well, and just all the practice walking with General Tunwakom really helped. Figure out your movement first, then start striking once you are comfortable with that (that's what I feel like is working for me anyway).

Howdy I use Boon lace up and bag gloves, then I also have some Fairtex F-Day that I use for sparring/padwork if I know I'm going to be taking gloves on and off (those are velcro). I haven't heard of Leone Muay Thai gloves, do you have a link? I picked up my Boon gloves because the leather is great quality, and I picked up the Fairtex gloves because I got a screaming deal on them (900 baht barely used).

I carry my memorial bracelet everywhere. My buddy Zac Tomzcak was KIA September 25th, 2007. That day turned into a massive firefight last lasted for an initial six hours pinning down and entire platoon and went on for the next two days. I carry it with me to not only honor and remember him, but also to remind myself how precious every day is and to be grateful for the time we have. He was 23. Best wishes to you and your family. I hope you will keep surprising your doctors and prove to them how strong a fighting spirit can be. Hang in there.

Hi David. I notice you are in Pai. I would suggest Kru Suk who is nearby. He just opened his new gym there, I believe it is called Border Pai Muay Thai Gym. The phone number is +66 093 389 5528. He has trained a few champions and notable fighters from the Meenayothin Gym in BKK. You can tell him I sent you. If you can't get a hold of him let me know and we'll figure it out.

That's good to know. I'm likely moving again at the end of the year and am thinking about moving nearby. It would be nice to have a good gym close.

In my experience it mostly revolves around how well you know them on a personal level as well as personal preference for them. Usually if you have no relationship with them outside a gym setting Kru is what will be used, though they aren't all comfortable with this title. Pi is more personal. It is used for elders/siblings, and often involves a change in names (almost all Thai's have a "play" name or a short/nickname). For example, my old trainer would go by either Kru Korat or simply Korat with students. This was part of his fighting name. Because I lived with them though, for me it became Pi Sak. To make it even more confusing, his family and very old friends who had known him since childhood referred to him as Pi Joy and his wife uses all three depending what mood she is in lol. Long story short, either Kru or Pi are acceptable, though they may change names depending on which you are using. I'm guessing "Nu" is Kru Nu's play/nickname. His students probably refer to his as Kru Nu but everyone else calls him Pi Nu. I've never met him though, so I'm just making a guess

I think you are both technically "the feeder" (it alternates). Person A "feeds" Person B the cross so that it can be parried, then Person B is counter-striking using their cross but also "feeding" Person A so that Person A can parry. Its just a term for drilling I believe. Another example would be Person A "feeding" a teep to Person B so that Person B can parry the teep and then throw a cross. Then you both reset and do this 10 times before switching. Hahaha I hope that's not too confusing... I think I confused myself a bit just writing it. So much Person A and Person B!

This has already been covered pretty well above. One thing I would like to add though is: Don't forget you are the one paying for his service, not the other way around. His opinion doesn't count. He's there to teach you his knowledge, and you are probably paying a good amount for that knowledge. Imagine a cook or a waiter getting angry at you for not liking the food at a restaurant. You wouldn't take them seriously and would likely leave right? You aren't a professional fighter and the gym isn't getting a cut of your purse if you do fight. You sound like you are doing this form of martial arts because you enjoy it, and if you are paying for it, you should enjoy it. Maybe he was just having a rough day and carried it into the gym or something, but don't let his mood wear on you. Unless you are a sponsored fighter, he doesn't get to have expectations from you (other than adhering to gym rules obviously). Just do your best, you are still very very much a beginner. Good technique and flow comes slowly over time. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something. A good coach can always get everyone else started and then come by to work with you on whatever you are struggling with. That's part of their job, and again, you are paying them for that. It's easy for the power dynamic between coaches and students to become unbalanced, and it sounds like that is a bit of what is happening. I'm not saying you need to leave the gym or anything, but don't be afraid of your hired help Get back in there and have some fun!