Maryland CSW

October 2011 Competition Highlights

2011-10-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

Congratulation is in order to several people.

Greg Fischer from Team Method finally had an opponent who showed up to fight at Barbarian Fight Club on October 7^th, 2011. Greg won a 3 round unanimous decision

Ady Cheung from Team Maryland CSW who took away 2 Gold medals in no-gi submission wrestling and gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at NAGA Maryland on October 8^th, 2011

Brent Holtsclaw from Team Maryland CSW who took away 1 Gold medal in no-gi submission wrestling and 1 Silver medal gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu also at NAGA Maryland on October 8^th, 2011.

October 16, 2011 is also Ajarn Chai Sirisute’s Birthday and Teacher Appreciation Day in the Thai Boxing Association. If you do not know, Ajarn Chai is the person who literally brought Muay Thai to the United States in 1968. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you Ajarn Chai for giving me the gift of Muay Thai.

Later this weeks we will be in Ashburn, VA for Copa NoVa. Time to get on the mat for some no-gi and gi action again.

Big plans in store for 2012 guys stay tuned.

Ajarn Chai Sirisute's Birthday 10/16

2011-10-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

October 16^th is Ajarn Chai Sirisute’s Birthday.

October 16^th is also Teacher Appreciation Day in the Thai Boxing Association of the USA.

The Thai Boxing Association of the USA celebrates Teacher Appreciation Day every October 16^th. On this day students are asked to make a ceremonial gift in thanks to their teacher. A typical Teacher Appreciation Day present would include the following:

1 candle
3 sticks of incense
Small amount of uncooked rice (~1/2 cup)
Piece of Fruit
Dry natural flowers

These items are put in a wooden bowl and presented to their teacher. At the time of presentation the student faces the teacher and assumes a kneeling Wai position. Then the student will bow three times in respect and thanks to the teacher.

October 16^th is also when TBA membership fees are due.

http://thaiboxing.com/membership_information

Team Method sweeps Stellar Fights V

2011-09-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Kevin Baughman, Maik Ferrante, Greg Fischer from Team Method were scheduled to fight in Stellar Fights V held in Harrington, DE.

Khuen Khru Alvin wrapping Maik's hands

Maik was first to fight from Team Method to step in the cage for his MMA debut. One thing everyone from Method is known for is solid no-gi CSW & Checkmat BJJ skills. Maik scored several takedowns against his opponent in round 1 and clearly dominated every bit of the grappling.

Coach Eddie giving expert instructions in between rounds

Round 2, we knew Maik could finish the fight. His confidence was apparent leading him to securing a RNC from the back to finish the fight.

Maik's hand raised in victory

Kevin was up next from Team Method to step into the cage. After being there for his last fight, I expected nothing less than a massacre. My hand still hurts from warming him up with focus mitts before his fight. He has a brick on the end of arm. I would have loved to see a knock out; which he did try for myself and Eddie. The opportunity presented itself for a chicken wing submission from inside the half mount to secure another victory in the middle of round 1.

Kevin's hands raised in victory

Greg trained hard in preparation for his fight; monitoring his weight and going thru a long and grueling fight camp that would have made a lesser man quit. Greg was disappointed and saddened to find out his opponent backed out just prior to the photo-op stare down (a few hours before the show started). Apparently this was a reoccurring theme for Greg’s opponent.

In this day and age where MMA being the fastest growing sport in the world, everyone is familiar with MMA regardless if they train or not. Too many posers running around. There is nothing wrong with just training for fitness or self defense. Fighters fight….PERIOD! Clearly this guy just wanted to be known as an MMA fighter as opposed to actually fighting.

At the end of the night Team Method swept the competition. Great job guys.

Ajarn Chai Sirisute Seminar in Maryland (8/20/11)

2011-08-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

I might catch some flack for saying this, but somebody needs to say it.

It takes a remarkable man to go against the wishes of his doctor and his family; it also takes that remarkable man to be the leader of the Thai Boxing Association. The annual Maryland seminar was almost canceled. It shows the importance of commitment. Two main key concepts resonated the entire weekend; discipline and family.

Forgive my ill attempt at para-phrasing what was said.

Discipline & Respect

“without these things a person might be a good fighter once, but for your name to live forever, you must live a life of respect, discipline, honor, humility, and loyalty. These things, not fight records change lives, and make better people and unstoppable champions.” - Khuen Khru Bryan Mossey

“Live as if everything you do will eventually be known....because it is” – Ajarn Greg Nelson

Talent will only get you so far in life. Without discipline, you will not be on top for long. Mike Tyson during his prime was a great example of this. Tyson was considered one of the best at his time. This was largely due to the strict guidance imparted upon him from his trainer; Cus D’Amato. After Cus D’Amato’s death you start seeing the decline of Mike Tyson.

Family

Family has always been important in the TBA. I have seen first hand the powerful effect of family change UFC superstars into better people. Every Muay Thai seminar is a family reunion. We are lucky to be apart of the first and oldest Thai Boxing organization in the world.

Khuen Khru Jeff Jones’ closing remarks to the seminar reminded me of the importance of seeing every TBA member as family. It is no surprise that Ajarn Chai is planning his retirement. He has made it his life goal for the past 43 years to spread Muay Thai to the world. No one man on the face of the earth can fill those shoes; but many strong individuals working together can fill those shoes. Ajarn Chai laid the carpet for many of the top Thai trainers in the United States today. It is everybody’s duty to ensure that carpet stays clean and Ajarn Chai's legacy is preserved.

“Every pad holder (instructor) is a vacuum cleaner” – Ajarn Mateo De Los Reyes

Congratulations to the newly appointed Apprentice Instructors (Kru) in the TBA.

Kru Eloy Quintin

Kru Mia Quintero

Kru Marvin Quintero

Kru Mark Baltazar

Kru Don Bathan

Kru LeVon Maynard

Kru Cody Young

Kru Tristan King

Kru Richie Seacrest

Kru Darrell Fuller

The Instructor’s Test is many things; a confirmation of your years of hard work, a graduation of sorts, and a rite of passage. In a sense it is nothing more than a gut check. No matter how much pain you feel during those rounds, if you cannot muster up the strength within yourself to push through when the odds are stacked against you and family is cheering you on to keep going, than I do not know what will?

If you are not already of the TBA, I ask you to consider joining. $25 a year is small amount to ask for the sacrifice of the past 43 years.

Thai Boxing Association of the USA

21st Annual Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Camp

2011-07-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

Myself and Eddie represented the state of Maryland this year at the 21st Annual Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Camp. Every year this camp gets better. I was the recipient of the Good Form Award this year at camp; which was a surprise considering I injured my right arm the first day. Going to Thai Camp in your mid 30's does not get any easier. Somehow I did not allow that to be an excuse to miss out on the training. I did not travel to the other side of country just to sit and watch. It reminded me of a saying from the Marine Corps. Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome. Towards the final day I was able well enough to use my right arm again.

The Good Form Award is a very difficult award to get and very much sought after by every camp participant. As an instructor, having good form is essential because your students will copy what they see you do. Like anything in life, you have to set a good example for others to follow.

To date I have earned a couple of Hard Worker Awards, Best Discipline, and an Outstanding Instructor Award.

I owe every bit of this Good Form Award to newly appointed Ajarn; Ajarn Bryan Popejoy for all the guidance that he has given me.

Periodically to spice up my training, I try to channel some of my favorite fighters whether on the mat or on my feet. One of my favorite fighters that I truly respect is Baxter Humby. Nicknamed the "One Arm Bandit"

Team Maryland CSW will be competing in US Grappling Maryland this Saturday Aug 13, 2011

We will be supporting our brothers at Method on Sep 10, 2011 as several of their highly skilled and talented fighters step into the cage for an action packed night of MMA.

The following weekend will be the Annual Muay Thai Seminar in Maryland with Ajarn Chai Sirisute in Ellicott City, Maryland < Seminar Flier >

Do not miss the opportunity to train with the man who brought Muay Thai to the United States in 1968.

TBA Student Level Testing

2011-07-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was TBA Student Level Testing day at Maryland CSW.

Congrats to Method Jiu Jitsu & MMA’s owner and head instructor; Eddie Abney for being the first student affiliated with Maryland CSW to test for TBA Student Level 2 under the Thai Boxing Association of the U.S.A. The next step in his Muay Thai training will be preparing for the day he test for Apprentice Instructor in front of Ajarn Chai Sirisute. Eddie is now one step closer to becoming the only TBA certified Muay Thai instructor in Harford County.

The test consisted of demonstrating individual techniques in the air and on the pads, performing the Wai Kru / Ram Muay ceremony, and completing 2 grueling rounds on the Thai pads. I specially asked 2 very tough pad holders from VA to come up and hold pads just for this test.

Thank you Khuen Khru(s) Mikey Custodio and Chris Fones. I kind of feel bad now he has to go to camp after getting beat on for 2 rounds.

All joking aside, this test is quite an honor as testing for rank within our school is not a privilege.

We leave for the Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Camp Tuesday morning.

On hand this year at camp will be an all-star line up of instructors such as Ajarn Sangtiennoi, Ajarn Rex, Ajarn Kim, and of course Ajarn Chai Sirisute. In addition Ajarn Greg Nelson will be teaching a section on Thai style clinching, Khuen Khru Leonard Trigg will be teaching a section on Western boxing, Ajarn Bryan Dobler and of course Khuen Khru Bryan Popejoy of Boxing Works who are easily 2 of the very best American Muay Thai instructors in Southern California.

I will be posting daily updates and pictures on our Maryland CSW facebook page.

A reminder that Sensei Erik Paulson will doing a seminar at Trident Academy in Woodbridge, VA on 31 July 2011 < Seminar Flier >

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-07-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Me.

What a great weekend. My birthday just passed. Trained with martial arts Legend; Guro Dan Inosanto on Saturday. Saw my favorite lead singer; Maynard James Keenan of the band Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer on Sunday. Yes, I had an awesome seat; 5th row center stage.

Guro Dan Inosanto made his annual trip back to Northern VA for another 2 day seminar. His accolades are literally as long as my arm. I am not even going to attempt to name them all out of fear of leaving one out.

There were so many notable instructors from the DMV in attendance. On hand training were notable instructors such as Guro(s) Bryan Mossey, Dennis Barongan, Chris Fones, Michelle Thompson, Bob Burgee, & Steve Braun. Talk about a league of extraordinary gentlemen. One of the most enjoyable moments for me was doing Filipino Kali. MMA, BJJ, and Muay Thai is so dominant today that the more traditional or esoteric martial arts often get over shadowed; when these arts were the actually the original MMA training systems before what we know as modern day MMA existed.

I firmly believe everything comes full circle. History repeats itself. Bell bottoms pants come and go.

MMA fighters are seeking out more traditional or esoteric martial arts in an attempt to gain a little edge over their competition. Karate, Catch wrestling, Jun Fan – JKD, and Filipino Kali’s influences can be seen in many MMA matches.

Later this week will be TBA Student Level Testing at Maryland CSW then off to the Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Camp.

Remember that Sensei Erik Paulson will be doing a seminar at Trident Academy in Woodbridge, VA on 31 July 2011
< Seminar flier >

Commitment to Excellence

2011-06-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to new students that have joined in the past couple of weeks.

Team Maryland CSW just returned from The Good Fight: 2011 Maryland Open held in Baltimore, MD last weekend. It is always great to attend a local competition. Brent took 3rd place in Men's white belt.

So far I started teaching directing from the Muay Thai curriculum (version 2.0) that I wrote up earlier. We are officially launching it 2012 with our Method brothers. I have been getting positive responses so far. The best has yet to come.

Roughly 6 weeks and counting until myself and Eddie leave for the 21^st Annual Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Camp. This camp is by invitation only and has been described as America’s best kept secret.

Next submission tourney will be US Grappling Maryland. I believe the key to our success lies in the sense of commitment we have for one another. It reminds me of a saying Ajarn Greg Nelson used to say:

“The strength of the wolf is in the pack, and the strength of the pack is in the wolf”

So I commend everyone for balancing the demand of daily life and their continued commitment to your team mates. Like I said previous…..”let’s collect some medals”

In closing, a pretty entertaining fight between 2 Dutch Muay Thai stylist. I bookmarked it a couple of months ago. I generally teach more Thai style mainly because I am basis to the Thai culture, but I do respect the Dutch style and utilize their methods. I am fortunate to have trained with Dutch Muay Thai legend; Rob Kaman in the past. Having him demonstrate on you was a tremendous value, you get to see the little nuances in the way he moves which is hard to do through instructional video or fight analysis.

Robin Van Roosmalen vs. David Kyria

Studying the Trainer

2011-05-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across a video of one of my favorite K-1 fighters doing a demo for what appears to be a Japanese crowd. In Thailand, pad holders do not really consider them selves “khru.” Khru meaning teacher. In their minds they are just a pad holder. But none the less, the title khru should be used if it is earned and out of respect. Regardless if you are a khru or not, every time you pick up a set of pads; you are acting as the trainer for the person you are holding for. So it is your duty to give that person a good hold.

One of the first things that I noticed was how well he worked with his pad holder and vice versa. I hope you can learn a thing or 2 from watching Sato’s pad holder. Some holding patterns may be different from what I teach, but the overall fundamental concepts are there and consistent with what we do.

Here is Yoshihiro Sato in action. Keep in mind that K-1 only allows one strike to be delivered while clinching.

Training in Southern California

2011-05-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

First of all, congratulations to newly promoted Coaches in CSW; Eddie Abney and Kevin Baughman from Method Jiu Jitsu & MMA who now both hold Coach Level 1 rank in CSW.

It has been a while since I posted a blog entry, so this is gonna be a long one.

The past couple of months have been a testament to my time management skills and everyone’s tireless commitment to train hard, even in my absence. I spent a week & half in Hermosa Beach, CA training at Boxing Works. No surprise why I consider Boxing Works the best Muay Thai gym in Southern California. I was luck enough to be in LA for Samart Payakaroon’s very first trip to the states.

Samart Payakaroon's accomplishments include 4 time Lumpinee Stadium Champion, WBC Super Bantamweight Boxing World Champion, and easily considered one of the best Nak Muays to have ever fought.

Samart Payakaroon taught a joint seminar with Saekson Janjira at Sityodtong LA. Sityodtong LA is headed by Muay Thai great Khuen Khru Walter Michalowski. Another world class Muay Thai facility in Pasadena, CA I highly recommend checking out if you are in LA.

What is up with my facial expression here?

I had the opportunity to teach Muay Thai at the CSW Training Center while in Southern California. It was a tremendous honor to teach before top level professional MMA fighters and their trainers. All of which I consider my seniors.

I filmed another technique for Coaches Brian Yamasaki and Brandon Kiser for their Damage Control MMA site. Another group of world class guys that I am fortunate enough to be friends with. My ego is never that big where I am afraid to consult with people better than I am.

Damage Control MMA

Mushin Self Defense

Danny Suarez Omo Plata from Dr. Sick on Vimeo.

Former IFL star, professional MMA fighter, and BJJ stud; Danny Suarez shows advanced variations from the omoplata.

Upon immediately returning to the east coast, we headed up to Morristown, NJ for the 2011 NAGA World Championship. Everyone who competed did great and fought hard, some placed, some had victories were not fortunate enough to leave with a medal. Everyone who competed represented CSW well. I am proud of everyone. A couple of those matches I had to call upon Eddie Abney for expert coaching from the ringside. Thank you Coach Eddie.

MD CSW team member Doug; took away 2^nd place in Beginner’s no-gi and 3^rd place in Master’s white belt.

Some how I have to find a way to incorporate the great stuff I picked up while in LA into the training program. Stay tuned for 2012, we’re launching something special.

Muay Thai Video Game

2011-02-26T07:56:00.000-08:00

My Saturday morning ritual is to sleep in, sit down with a cup of coffee, take my time drinking my coffee while I check email and watch fights. This allows me to settle back because I feel like Im flying 100 mph Monday to Thursday and half of Friday.

But on this day I found something very interesting, not necessarily the Muay Thai video game itself but the kinematic analysis conducted on Dutch Muay Thai great; Ramon Dekkers. Dekkers with Khuen Khru Eric Haycraft from Kentucky holding pads. I always feel the need to share when I find something others can potentially benefit from.

I have never had the pleasure of training with Dekkers, only watching his fights. Experienced students over time know what to key in on, some of these subtle movements may be completely oblivious too beginners. But here they try to break the movements down, my guess is for the sake of the video game. Either way, extremely beneficial if you want to study someone who I consider the Mike Tyson (Tyson before he went crazy and was on top) of Muay Thai.

Training in Thailand 2011 (part 2)

2011-01-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here reviewing the training footage from my most recent trip to Thailand and I am thinking about how others can benefit from watching them.

We generally learn 3 different ways:

Seeing
Doing
Having it done to us

Before I mention a couple of tips that have always helped me in training, I want to talk about how I often hear people say they want to go to Thailand to learn Muay Thai. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. These fighters in Thailand enter the sport with a different mentality then the average American who just trains as a hobby. Sure, if you plan on fighting it would truly benefit you to train with these Champions as they all have the eye of the tiger. Just prepare yourself for the language barrier or learn how to speak Thai before hand.

Something simple you can do is to develop an eye for detail. I challenge everyone to visually pick out that little nugget of detail that someone else in your class would easily overlook. There are still a couple of sub-tips under this that I find beneficial.

Realize what your attentional capacity is? You know that feeling where you are brain dead or even moments where you try to learn everything only to leave with little or no clue of what was done. Ever go to a Guro Dan Inosanto seminar? Than you know what I mean. If I pick up one new technique, new detail on something old, or improve on something I was doing wrong; than I consider that a successful training day.

In closing, these are some of the tips that I have figured out over the years that work for me. I am fortunate to have friends who I consider more talented than I. These friends always share freely with me – as I try with them (most of the time I feel like slowest water buffalo in the heard LOL!). At what point do we say our plate is full and anymore would just spill over into one big mess.

Below are videos containing Farsawang Tor Sangtiennoi and Thanochai Tor Sangtiennoi who just recently fought in Lumpini Stadium

Baan Muay Thai fighters - pad rounds part 1 from Maryland CSW on Vimeo.

Baan Muay Thai fighters - pad rounds part 2 from Maryland CSW on Vimeo.

Training in Thailand 2011 (part 1)

2011-01-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

Blizzard of 2010, you stole a couple of days from me in Thailand, but I eventually got there a few days later. Let the arm rest battle begin guy sitting next to me. Let’s say that being on board a Boeing 767 was not the most exciting way to ring in the New Year.

Fast forward to when I actually got to the Baan Muay Thai. Maybe later I’ll talk about all the great Thai food I ate and what we did to pass the time on a later blog.

Baan Muay Thai’s training is run under the supervision of Muay Thai Legend; Sangtiennoi Sor Rungroj; or as I call him, Ajarn Sangtien. He fought during the Golden Era of Muay Thai holding victories over many top names in the sport as well as 2 victories over Dutch kickboxing Legend; Ramon Dekkers.

My days started at 6am with a standard 10k run. Nice and scenic with the occasional stray dog(s) every here and there who could tell that I was not a local. Somehow the local Thai fighters could get away with tormenting and taunting the dogs on a regular basis and not get bit. More incentive for me to run faster and keep up with the group.

Each training session consisted of a run, shadow boxing, bag work, pad work, and often some clinching for two workout sessions a day. The afternoon workout usually started at 3pm. I was honored to train along side of some of the biggest names fighting in Thailand today.

One highlight for me was having my friend and Muay Thai mentor; Khuen Khru Bryan Popejoy of Boxing Works there with me. Khuen Khru Bryan was accompanied by 3 other students; Moses, Ana, and Mike. As well as Paula from Canada who trains with Ajarn Bob Carver. It was a real pleasure hanging out with these guys. Some of the most mundane moments spent with these guys outside of training were actually the most memorable and enjoyable moments I have had.

So instead of going on and on about what we did, here is a video of some training we did.

Baan Muay Thai pad rounds from Maryland CSW on Vimeo.

Facing the Giant

2010-11-23T12:45:00.001-08:00

Every year that passes is another opportunity for us to challenge ourselves to be better than we were last year. I went on a work retreat last week and was shown a motivating video. We forget at times the influence we have on others.

Watching that video made me think of a moment in the Marines I was floating in an LCAC hovercraft troop carrier waiting for the well deck doors to open so we could enter the rear of the Naval ship. Mother Nature looked angry that day. The well deck would have easily flooded. Everyone was feeling sea sick due to choppy waters. We were all at the edge of vomiting, but no body would dare because a chain reaction would have ensued. Eventually the water calmed and we boarded the ship.

Moral of the story; there are moments when we have to be strong for others. Whether that be encouraging your classmates in training because they are exhausted from a long day at work or being strong for ourselves and not selling ourselves short at the face of adversity. At some point in our lives someone had to be strong for us when we were weak. Too many people out for me to thank, but they all taught me something special.

In the face of adversity, remember this mnemonic:

F.E.AR. = False Evidence Appearing Real

How we combat that negative self talk:

F.E.A.R. = Failure Expected – Action Required

Sparring in America Article on MyMuayThai.com

2010-11-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

Fantastic article on how to train properly. You have to remember that Muay Thai is the National sport in Thailand. Many of these fighters grow up in poverty. Fighting is a means of advancing socio-economically. They often fight every few weeks. It is not uncommon for a 14 year old kid to already have 50 fights under his belt. Many Americans never accumulate 50 fights in their life time.

Ajarn Greg Nelson often says at the Invitational Pacific Northwest Muay Thai Camp (para-phrased):

If fighting is how you make a living and put food on the table and a roof over your head, then it is important the preserve your body and train smart. If you don’t fight; then you don’t make money. If you don’t make money; then you don’t eat. If you don’t eat; then you have no energy to train. If you don’t train; then you will not fight well. These fighters are fighting to maintain their spot in their respective camp. If you suffer a few loses under your belt, the camp owner can and most often do kick you out of the camp because you are not bringing money into the camp.

So whether you train for fun, compete amateur or professional, training like a professional can be to your benefit. If you are aspiring to one day fight professionally, cultivating these habits now can help you tremendously set yourself apart from the rest of your peers.

http://www.mymuaythai.com/archives/sparring-in-america/

Timing

2010-11-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

They say speed kills, well how do you counter speed when you are the one holding the short end of the stick? The answer is with timing. Timing involves executing your movement within a certain time frame or a window of opportunity. In Muay Thai it is simultaneously defending an incoming attack and returning an attack all within that specific time frame. I choose to define a counter attack as when you defend an technique then return a technique afterwards, usually with some sort of in and out footwork. This is also called trading. Not necessarily at bad thing. However, when we some how avoid or mitigate an technique, and simultaneously deliver a more effective technique; that is called counter fighting. I know some of you will disagree on these definitions; it is all semantics. The important thing is you take away the underlying concept.

Picture little child playing double Dutch, the entry into the inter weaving ropes illustrate a perfect example of timing. So for the sake of this blog entry, I will use counter fighting model as an over simplified way of illustrate timing.

Examples of Timing:
1.) Using a right defensive knee to against an incoming right cross
2.) Using a simultaneous leg or body kick against the incoming jab or cross

So the next time you spar, I challenge you to cultivate your timing by trying to insert some counter fighting techniques.

On a closing note, timing in Muay Thai should earn you some style points.

I hope in reading my thoughts and views on training, I also introduce those new to Muay Thai on some of the popular names in the sport.

Olympic Gold medalist in Boxing; Somluck Khamsing

The Thai Flavor

2010-11-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

You guys always hear me say “move Thai.”

The reason for that is I feel that Muay Thai in America is too Americanized or has too much MMA influence in it. Some adaptation and modification may be needed at times, most of the time it is due to a lack of solid Thai fundamentals where guys ad lib too soon in their training.

Strong stance, effective use of hands to set up leg attacks, and maintain that rather middle range. I have heard that middle range described as a grey area; not quite punching range – not quite kicking range. A range where you can punch, kick, knee, and elbow. What I call middle range, someone else may call long range. In MMA that range affords you an extra fraction of second to defend the clinch. But there are times when you need to get in someone’s face.

The lead hand hook is slightly different from the Western style hook. Remember that hands set up legs right? I am sure you have heard me say “left hand – right leg.” That left hand is what I call a Thai hook; sometimes known as a long hook. Some of the various applications can be a slap, push, or even a mat katung. “Mat” is fist, “katung” is straight; so mat katung is a straight fist or straight punch in a pushing fashion with the lead and rear hand. Yes, you can mat katung off the rear hand. The push can be to the side of his head, shoulder, or his hand to get him to subtly shift his weight.

Remember its always about refining and perfecting. Strive to be a surgeon; not a butcher.

Beginning Level Freestyle Pad Holding

2010-10-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

I leave for Langhorne, PA this Saturday to train with The Legendary Guro Dan Inosanto, so I am making this week’s blog entry early.

In 2006 I had the pleasure of training at Sasiprapa in Bangkok, Thailand. I briefly stopped by Fairtex as well where I had the pleasure of meeting the Living Legend; Ajarn Apideh Sit-Hirun.

I can honestly say it was both awl inspiring and a wake up call on how to train. There I immediately noticed that fighters do not hold pads at these camps (or at least the ones I went to). The trainers there did all the pad holding. What a treat if you are a fighter or a student to have a favorable trainer to fighter ratio where you train. Upon my return to the States I tried incorporating some of those concepts into my own Muay Thai training as well as my Muay Thai teaching. That process was easier said than done.

I hope to briefly paint a picture of what I call beginning level freestyle pad holding. Below I will try to give some pointers on how to slowly incorporate freestyle pad holding into your training. I credit the following based on the time I have spent with Khuen Khru Bryan Popejoy of Boxing Works in Hermosa Beach, CA. These may not be his exact words, nor have I ever specifically asked for techniques in pad holding, but rather this is my interpretation and an homage to Khuen Khru Bryan Popejoy.

Stages of Pad Holding

Flow at the kicker’s discretion
Flow at the pad holder’s discretion

Typically, in most Muay Thai classes in America the instructor designates the techniques or combination to be applied onto the pads. Usually this is a pre determined set of techniques where you know what is to be expected. It is easy to always position yourself for the appropriate range or distribute your weight a certain way if you know what is expected. When you fight or spar, you may not always have the luxury of deciding what technique you wish to throw. Sometimes you have a fraction of a second upon seeing an opening – processing the message – and executing the action. By then the opening may have been last year’s news.

Rule #1: Keep It Simple

Ajarn Greg Nelson has said it a thousand times “simple things done well.” That means no jump spinning hook kicks, cartwheel kicks, or Superman punches for now.

I prefer to initially limit freestyle pad holding to basic attacks:

Jab
Cross
Hook
Upper cut
Elbow (as long as the range is correct)
Left knee or Right knee
Left kick or Right kick
Teep only the belly pad

Rule #2: Develop a Magnetic Relationship

Sorry, that does not help your dating life. But when pad holding, use as few words as possible to communicate what you wish the kicker to do. This goes back to rule #1 of keeping things simple.

Rule #3: Timing

Muay Thai is not just boxing with a few kicks or knees sprinkled in here and there, it is the effective use of hands setting up legs and vice versa. Try not to be stuck in the moment or late to the party. Avoid spastic or herky jerky movements at the beginning stage on both ends. I recommend pad holders to start slow so the kicker can finish fast. Try and get your kicker’s timing and move at a smooth pace for starters. Cultivating your timing will help you more than you realize later on. You want to the kicker to pull the trigger; but only when you the pad holder commands.

We all can imagine what it is like playing a video game. With freestyle pad holding the pad holder gets to control an actual person. I try to make the kicker move well and look good doing so while maintaining good form. Later I gradually start pulling him out of his comfort zone. So don’t be afraid to make your training partner look good.

Rule #4: Must Make Sense

Think of what logical technique you would follow up with if you threw a right cross? It could be a step right knee, step thru or switch left kick or knee, ect… Only requirement is that it has to make sense. That is what pre determined combinations teach you. Student pad holders learn how to put together combinations in real time, right on the spot. Don’t worry; this takes time to learn so be patient with yourself and the kicker. Anything worth doing is worth doing wrong the first few times, but don’t give up or put your own special twist or variation to it just yet.

Rule #5: Just Play Around

Len chen; "len" translates into play, have fun, enjoy and "chen" translates into for example or instance. Im probably jumping ahead right now, but eventually you should be able to timing spar with your pad holder much like a technical roll or flow grappling for the Jiu Jitsu practitioner. Save the hard training for the pads and the fight for the fight.

I hope this helps for now, in future blog entries I will talk about advanced variations. Keep up the good work in class guys. Looking forward to the team dinner night on Oct. 23rd, 2010.

Keeping up with Khuen Khru Alvin Chan

2010-10-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

First order of business, I am very proud of everyone at Team MD CSW for doing well at this past NAGA Maryland. It made my heart proud to hear the announcer say CSW when announcing the winners of each ring. My #1 goal has always been to spread CSW in the state of Maryland. The word is out.

Well, I finally got around to making an entry to the MD CSW blog, mainly because I actually have a moment today to sit down and breathe. A couple of us wen to up to Method Jiu Jitsu & MMA yesterday to train. I always feel welcomed every time Im invited up to teach Muay Thai. I can tell everybody's Muay Thai at Method is improving at an exponential rate each time I go up there.

After my Muay Thai class, we trained with Professor Paulo Jensen; BJJ Black Belt from Team Brasa in Brazil. Paulo received his black belt from Leo Vieira. If Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was a science (and yes it is) than I consider Paulo Jensen a PhD. I encourage everyone to train with him at least once. Attend a seminar, schedule a private lesson if you have to; but do not miss the opportunity to train with Paulo while he is in the States.

contact Michelle at www.MethodMMA.com to schedule a seminar

Later that night, myself, Eddie & Michelle, and Paulo went out to dinner at Fogo de Chao in Baltimore. No scratch that! We had a family dinner at Fogo de Chao later that night. Great food, great company. Talk about gluttony.

Team MD CSW guys, we will be cross training more and more with the Method crew and expect to see more of Paulo Jensen in the near future.

The count down has begun until I leave for Thailand again on Dec. 27th, 2010.