Old Muay Thai Magazines and Preserving Articles & Photos of Fighters & Krus

In my effort to understand and celebrate the great Muay Thai of Thailand's past, I've begun reading and studying old Muay Thai magazines, from the 1990s and back to the 1970s. You can see my growing pile here. All the colored tabs you see are marking photos, articles, results, rankings that feature Legends from the Muay Thai Library. Eventually I'm going to digitize them and we've already started posting some of the oldest editions to the Roundtable forum, in a special sub-forum for Archived Muay Thai, you can see those here. Most of the pages are untranslated, but you can get a decent translation if you copy the PDF of something you are interested in and then upload it to Google Translate. This work is all Patreon supported and only possible with you all, so thank you! I also post screen grabs of cool photos I find on our Muay Thai Library Instagram, if you want to follow some Old School history there.

I know many of these men have kept very little of their history from magazines, so when I find something interesting I will send a photo to them digitally, but I've also started creating large copies, some of them framed, to give to them these Legends to keep in their own collections. This is 30-35 years ago for them. In the video above you can see me giving a framed page from Muay Siam to Modt Ek, who used to corner for me several years ago and now is a kru at Silk Muay Thai in Pattaya. I drove over to drop off perhaps the only photographs he may have from his Stadium days. You can see how immediately the memories get kicked up and he breaks into a reenactment of the fight for the whole gym. I've also have some articles for Ajan Metprik and Thongchai, Nungubon, Chatchai and Rambaa. I'm reading every day, and digitizing often. It's a long process and one that requires quite a few passes; I'm learning so much about the progression of Muay Thai promotions, careers of fighters, attitudes about and from gamblers; and even getting a glimpse into Thailand's interest in Western Boxing, soccer (football), and how that growing fan-base was considered a threat to Muay Thai, even in the mid-90s (as the Golden Age was ending).

If you enjoyed this, here is video of me bringing a framed article to Arjan Metprik for his gym in Khorat

watch it here. << video here. A champion in the 1970s, he developed a strong gym in Khorat, Isaan in the 1980s- early 2000s, including the legendary fighter Thongchai. This is an article overviewing him and the Tor Silachai gym for him to hang on its walls.

You can find the Muay of these men in the Library:

#103 Metprik Silachai - Lost Techniques of Old School Muay Maat Lowkick Pressure (81 min) watch it here

Wow what a session. Arjan Metprik was not only a great fighter of the Silver Age of Muay Thai, he created the relentless fighting style of 2001 Fighter of the Year Thongchai Tor. Silachai. It's just an amazing lowkick, knee and Muay Maat style full of pressure and toughness. See how he trains his fighters in this Old School Khorat gym.

#142 Arjan Metprik Silachai 2 - Relentless Pace & Low Kick Attack (69 min)  watch it here or podcast here

 This is really an invaluable session as it really captures one of the oldest, most effective branches of Thailand's Muay Thai. Arjan Metprik of Khorat, who was Lumpinee Champion in 1970, and kru of the famed Thongchai Tor Silachai (FOTY 2001), really goes through all the elements of his advancing, pressuring, highly defended Muay Maat and lowkick style. One of the great coaches in Thai history. 

#145 Thongchai Tor Silachai - Muay Maat & Low Kick Legend (96 min) watch it here

Rare and hard to find we finally get to film this incredible session with one of the very best who ever fight, the 2001 FOTY legend Thongchai. His is a prime example of extremely high level fighting out of a pressure low kick and heavy hands, clinch style. Just some of the most beautiful pressure muay ever. Study to see how this incredible fighter fought way up in such a victorious manner.

#147 Nungubon Sitlertchai - Explosive Striking & Control Over Space (1 hr, 40 min) watch it here

Visiting Nungubon's gym way out in Ubon Ratchathani Isaan we are able to document his absolutely beautiful muay, both explosive and full of the control over space. Learn his secrets to a fluid, punishing Muay Thai, bringing together the arts of boxing and muay, built on a devotion to shadowboxing. True Golden Age excellence.

#86 Rambaa Somdet M16 3  - The Art of the Stinging Attack (67 min) watch it here

Rambaa, whose name means "lunatic" in Thai, was one of the most colorful fighters in Thailand's history. In this session you learn the method to his madness, the way in which a constant stinging attack can lead to big shots and fight enders. This session is full of art and wisdom, from Thailand's first MMA World Champion and Golden Age Lumpinee fighter.

#62 Rambaa Somdet 2 - His Stinging Attack (83 min) watch it here

Rambaa known for his stinging attack, teaches speed and precision in this more than hour long session. Thailand's first MMA world champion, Rambaa draws from various disciplines, fusing techniques together is still a very traditional, stadium-oriented Muay Thai. Here elbows from various angles, switching attacks, and balanced energy come together to produce high-tempo pressure on an opponent.

#21 Rambaa Somdet 1 - Clinch Trips & Throws (34 min) watch it here

Thailand's first MMA World Champion, and one of the most aggressive, stinging fighters to grace the ring shows his philosophy on how to handle the clinch, using quick attacks, lifts, body-weight shifts to upend an opponent often before they are set. Some of my favorite trips are in this.

#14 Chatchai Sasakul 1 - Perfecting Hands (106 min) watch it here

Former WBC world boxing champion at Flyweight, and winner of Best Coach of the Year in Thailand, Chatchai in this nearly 2 hours of video makes micro adjustment after micro adjustment, honing in pristine technique in the basic strikes of boxing, for use in Muay Thai. It's all about weight transfer.

Bonus Session 5: Chatchai Sasakul Southpaw Hands | 52 min - watch it here

Chatchai's stance and striking system is not only ideal for boxing - he was  the WBC Flyweight World Champion in 1997 - it instills a basic weight transfer balance that can dramatically improve your Muay Thai. Watch it being installed on me for the first time from the Southpaw stance.

#109 Chatchai Sasakul 3 - Developing Rhythm & Precision (1 hr, 46 min) watch it here

The best boxing coach in Thailand, former WBC World Champions Chatchai Sasakul, teaches the importance of rhythm and precision. Chatchai's instruction brings western boxing technique to Thailand's Muay Thai, as he was also a Golden Age stadium fighter.

Kru Modt Ek isn't in the Muay Thai Library yet, but hopefully soon.

Here is my Run Cast on Reading these magazines and studying Muay Thai history through them

watch it here