Muay Khao Study Notes: The Disappearing Style of Golden Age Muay Thai, Learning from Lamnammoon

[Kevin writing...]

These are Sylvie's study notes from her study of Lamnammoon's Muay Khao style in the latest session. Watch the whole thing as a patron here. I made this video edit today sharing the session notes for followers of this Patreon who may not have subscribed yet, and for patrons who haven't dove into the session yet. It's really good.

The Disappearnce of Muay Khao in Thailand

A few thoughts on how special this session is. As Sylvie explains, its about the structure and timing of Golden Age Muay Khao, which probably was represented in its acme by the Hapalang Gym in Bangkok, which produced 3 Fighters of the Year: Dieselnoi, Chamuakpet and Panomtuanlek (the muay of all three of which have been documented in the Muay Thai Library...I'll post those sessions below). There is something of a picture of Thailand's Muay Thai that it has become dominated by clinch and Muay Khao fighting, but the truth is that there are ZERO top Muay Khao fighters in Thailand's staidum Muay Thai today. The style has all but disappeared, and along with it many of its technicques and deeper principles. Even in the first decade and a half of the 2000s Thailand's Muay Khao had changed, probabably due to an emphasis on power and size, and to rule changes that favored the trip. A great deal of the paced, eroding timing of Golden Age Muay Thai already was starting to disappear. Today, it only exists vestigially, in traces even in the stadia. Keys to it are the way that pace and timing were controlled, over a 5 round arc.

What is incredible about this session is that Lamnammoon, who had Panomtuanlek (from Hapalang Gym) as a training partner and a bit of a mentor, and became one of the great Muay Khao fighters of the late Golden Age himself, teaches some of those very important disappearing principles, things that are beyond or beneath techniques, things that you can't really get from demos. Its the structure and timing of Muay Khao, the way it eats up space and denies counters, the way it punishes and slowly erodes the ruup of femeu opponents, gradually closing down opposition. This is what you'll find in this session. Sylvie's notes point the way, and her commentary brings out these hard-to-see aspects that are even today very effective. This "structure" of Golden Age Muay Khao is actually, in my opinion, the reason why Sylvie has been able to be so successful fighting and beating MUCH larger very skilled opponents throughout her very polifiic career. The secret is: how you squeeze the space. It's its own subtle artform. It's fighting at a level beneath striking itself, at the fabric of the fight space. In the Golden Age of the sport FOTY were very commonly Muay Khao fighters, and Muay Khao fighters filled the ranks of the best fighters in Thailand. It was a prominent style that pitted itself against the slick, more evasive Muay Femeu fighters of the day.

Here are the fighters of the Hapalang Gym in the Muay Thai Library

If you watch these session below with the structure & timing taught by Lamnammoon, you'll see that there is a lineage of control within this fighter's tree. There are over 10 hours to study.

#3 Dieselnoi  Chor Thanasukarn  - The King of Knees (54 min) #1 - watch it here

Dieselnoi is the greatest knee fighter who ever lived, and it just wasn't because of his height. Spending this hour with him lets you feel how much love and energy he pours into his Muay Thai, even at this age, the real secret to what make him dominant in the Golden Age of the sport. There is nobody like Dieselnoi. Nobody.

#30 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn #2 - Muay Khao Craft  (42 min) watch it here

The greatest knee fighter who ever lived not only shares his secrets in ring tactics - how to draw out your opponent and then ultimately hem them in - and various closing and tripping techniques, he also shows his amazing heart. He's a Legend among Legends, the fighter without equal in the history of the sport.

#48 Dieselnoi Chor. Thanasukarn #3 - Jam Session  (80 min) watch it here

Possibly the greatest fighter who ever lived, Dieselnoi, teaches his fighting tactics and strategy, keys to winning as a Muay Khao fighter. He is accompanied by Rajadamnern Featherweight champion Nopidej Sor. Reodi, so you get to see see the interaction between two related philosophies of the Muay Khao style. This session could be watched and studied over and ove

#76 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn #4 - How to Fight Tall (69 min) watch it here

There several sessions with the King of Knees in the Muay Thai Library, this is the fourth, but this is the first one where he gets the chance to teach a tall, long fighter like he was. If you are a tall fighter this is the session you don't want to miss. He is arguably the GOAT, an in this session he unfolds his entire fighting system of knee fighting pressure and distance control.

#49 Chamuakpet Hapalang #1 - Devastating Knee in Combination  (66 min) watch it here

The most decorated fighter of the Golden Age with 4 Lumpinee Belts and 5 Rajadamnern Belts, and the Fighter of the Year award (1985), Chamuakpet, a gym-mate of Dieselnoi, teaches his beautiful and devastating Southpaw knee to the open side, in combination. His fast, powerful knee was practically unstoppable and in this session you can see why.

#81 Chamuakpet Hapalang #2 - Muay Khao Internal Attacks (65 min) watch it here

One of the all time greats gives his 2nd session of the Library. 9x Lumpinee and Rajadamnern champion, 1985 Fighter of the Year, a man who took belts from both Samart and his brother Kongtoranee, his Muay Thai has been lauded as one of the best that have ever been. In this session he teaches his rising KO out knee, straight up the center, his philosophy of grips, pulls and elbows in the clinch, and just in punching range. Not to be missed.

#139 Chamuakpet Hapalang #3 - Vertical Attack, Control of Space (95 min) watch it here or podcast here 

If you speak of only Lumpinee & Rajadamnern National Stadium titles Chamuakpet is the most decorated Muay Thai fighter in history, with 9 belts to his name (5 Rajadamnern, 4 Lumpinee). He fought for 17 years, preceding and encompassing the Golden Age of Muay Thai, and had one of the most accomplished fighting styles of Muay Thai, combining Muay Khao greatness with high IQ weapon use. In this session learn secret keys to his success. His teep, his vertical knee, his elbow, and the bi-directional dynamics that made him so balanced & so controlled.

#131 Panomtuanlek Hapalang - The Secret of Tidal Knees (100 min) watch it here

Called Mr. Tidal Knees, Panomtuanlek completes the trinity of Muay Khao greatness documented from the famed Hapalang gym. This is such a rare and beautiful session, perhaps Top 10 in the entire Library. Panomtuanlek teaches his base of movement and postures which allowed him to become one of the most dominant Muay Khao fighters of the Golden Age.