Monday, March 30, 2009

Bruce Lee's JKD and Muay Thai: Interview with Dan Inosanto

So if you peruse the internet or youtube enough, you'll find there are a lot of on going debates concerning martial arts in a "this style vs this style" format.

One of the biggest debates I've seen is the "Bruce Lee's JKD is the greatest thing evar!! Muay Thai's kicks are too slow. I could break a thai boxer's leg with JKD".



*JKD= Jeet Kune Do or "Way of the Intercepting Fist": Bruce Lee's philosophy that one should abstract what works from each martial art into their own personal expression/martial art. The JKD that is taught in schools is often Bruce's own personal JKD- a mix of of many arts"*


While I don't want to engage in the whole keyboard warrior phenomenon (it's pretty fkn stupid...read some of the comments), I think it's important to realize that Muay Thai is probably one of the only of the more "traditional" martial arts that still dominates.

I'm aware that MT is a sport, but the techniques and power are still derived from it's predecessors used in ancient war times. I think that is why it is so effective. Much of it's techniques have been distilled and are constantly tested in the ring for effectiveness (whereas point fighting Karate is not the best way to test the effectiveness of Karate itself).

Effectiveness is the key.

You'll hear our instructors always explain techniques and combos to us in terms of effectiveness.

Thus, Muay Thai's techniques and philosophies are always being put on trial to prove their mettle, more so than many other traditional martial arts from the East.

As for the Bruce Lee's JKD vs Muay Thai debate, here's a little something for you.

Dan Inosanto was one of Bruce's closest friends and the most qualified and respected authority on Bruce's JKD. As far as Bruce Lee's martial arts goes, Inosanto is the man. He owns his own Academy in the States, where he teaches JKD, Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai and more.



Check this interview with Inosanto and views on Bruce Lee and Muay Thai: CLICK

It's a bit of a read, so here are some highlights:

"When I was in Kenpo and Jun Fan Gung Fu I never favored kicking as much as hand techniques. I became more balanced between kicking and punching after I trained Muay Thai with Ajarn Chai. And I preferred the way the Thais kick and train."



"I teach two times a week at my academy. And Muay Thai is a very strong portion of what I teach. I sometimes take the last 15 minutes to teach Kabri Kabrong"

"But Sifu (Instructor) Bruce was highly influenced by Muay Thai. Whether he was doing it correct by the standards of the Thais would be another thing, but he tried to put the essence of Muay Thai into his training."



"Sifu Bruce was trying to do what he called his personal expression of combat. And if you look at his notes you will notice that he investigated different arts. He listed the strengths and weaknesses of arts such as Tae Kwon Do, Shotokan, Boxing, Savate and Thai Boxing. Thai Boxing was one of the systems he really liked... the powerful rear leg and the use of elbow and knee is copied and highly influenced by Muay Thai. But he didn't have that much time in Muay Thai, so he didn't have the chance to go in deeply...But he did incorporate Muay Thai techniques into his personal expression, Jeet Kune Do. It is true that he did copy it."

"In my opinion as I look at it here in 1995, Lee delved into Muay Thai but maybe not as deep as he thought he knew it. When we trained, he didn't know exactly how the Thais did it. But we improvised a foam forearm pad from football, which is sort of copying what we observed from the Thai pad. But we held it incorrectly, with the palm facing inward instead of outward like the Thais. I was corrected after I started studying under Ajarn Chai and Nyom."

"when I teach my class the Muay Thai is taught separately from the Jeet Kune Do class."

There you have it. If you are studying JKD, hopefully this will mean something to you. I'm not trying to debate with you. I just want to show that Muay Thai is deserving of respect.

As for those of us studying Muay Thai, take pride in knowing that you are participating in and age old fighting art that may not be perfect (what art is? and how do we define "perfect?"), but continues to prove it's effectiveness and gain the respect of martial artists everywhere.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Fighter Profile: Baxter "The One Armed Bandit" Humby

Baxter Humby was born in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1974. Known as "The One Armed Bandit" because he has no right hand. It was amputated at birth



He's fought and defeated many great fighters. He's had over 70 something fights, and more than 60 wins. What a dude.

In addition to all that, he seems like a very calm and composed guy, who is looking to work with kids to show them that they can do anything they set their mind to. But it's not just kids that would benefit from that kind of inspiration.

Titles:

IMTC (International Muay Thai Council) World Super Welterweight Champion
KKC USA Kickboxing Champion
IMTC World Middleweight Champion
IKBA International Kickboxing Champion.



Tidbit: "Baxter Humby participated in the film Spider-Man 3. He took Tobey Maguire's place in filming a fight scene between Spider-Man and Sandman. Humby helped deliver the intended effect of punching through Sandman's chest."- wikipedia



Videos:

Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ovmYrfy53E

VS Blocker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXPiMAdzuvk

Feature: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZaCRcUL3tA

Thursday, March 26, 2009

A Taste of What's to Come...

Down to business!

Sparfest @ Kombat Arts on April 25th:
We've got the usual troupe going out for this sparfest event (which is basically hard-sparring/smokers). As well, we have a few of our newer guys we're looking to put in so they can try it out (I think). If you are among those being considered for this event, make sure you are keeping on top of your training so you can perform to your best ability.
So start running!



YUMT friend Nic's fight in May:
Most of you have met Nic and Kru has mentioned it to us as well, so I'm going to just post it for the rest. Nic is prepping for a fight in B.C., which looks to be a solid challenge that he has earned. We wish Nic the best and are confident that he will represent beautifully.

Other Competitive Opportunities we are looking to...May?:
we're looking into opportunities for the fighters to get some experience, which can be as soon as May. If anything solid comes up, you will be informed asap. So fighters keep up on your running, especially if you do get some kind of opportunity in the next couple months. That means: Arash, Vlad, Serge, Brian and Myself at the very least. Remember to wait after class for any extra sprints or drills we have to do.

Learn to Run Seminar:
Kru's parent's have been kind enough to offer us a running seminar to help correct our running technique, and give us some other helpful tips. This will be a great opportunity for those of us that aren't great runners to ask questions and learn some good habits. Even if you are a seasoned runner, this will be a great opportunity to see where you might improve. Date is TBA, stay tuned.

That's all for now...check back for any updates soon....In the words of a mighty Russian, "REAL TALK"!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Fighter Profile: Nopparat Keatkhamthorn

I think it's worth looking at Nopparat. He's a good and highly ranked fighter with some very big wins on his record. He's strong clincher. However, he's got one pitfall: opponents with strong punching skills. So it may be worth it to watch him a bit and see where he does well and where he doesn't.




Awards:
Two time Lumpini champion (126lbs, 130lbs) & Thailand champion 130lbs
5 star chicken tournament finalist
S-1 Loutraki Casino, Greece Champion
Top 10 Thailand 130lbs

He's defeated two of the top dogs pound for pound in Thailand: Saenchai sor Kingstar and Orono Wor Pecthpun (both of which have been profiled on this blog).

However, he's run into Yodsanklai and Bovy Sor Udomson as well, and the results were different against these strong punchers. I'd definitely recommend watching his fight with Yod; it turned into a war towards the end

He also fought on the Contender Asia season 2 Qualifier/S-1 tournament.

Take a look:

vs Saenchai: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1iQ4cSu-Ak

vs Orono: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LgWMG0q-ZM

vs Bovy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VWu6XyDc7c

vs Yodsanklai: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGmpo84uopo

Vs Egon (Contender Qualifier): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMEK5Cj9MU4

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Fight Video: Soren NTG vs Narupol Fairtex

A fight from the "Return of the Contenders" fight card

Watch: here

a quick sweep from Soren in round 1

Both are very skilled technicians that are usually more appreciated by fans of very chess-like fights, rather than non stop action. I actually thought it would make for a much slower fight, but they had a nice even pace going. It's a keeper, Enjoy!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Highlight Video: Buakao Por Pramuk

Everybody knows about good ol' Buakao, and we've all seen a million highlights of him wrecking other fighters all over.

This particular highlight vid is, in my opinion, the most entertaining, and great for motivation to train. It's kind of cool how it shows him hitting pads with a technique, and then applying it in the ring.
Watch: here

Hopefully we'll see him return to form and win the tournament again...or better yet, return to fighting full Thai rules.


The former king of K-1 MAX

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Footwork

Great class today everyone. This week Kru and Poochoi Lindor have worked a lot of our footwork in with our techniques.
I can tell you without hesitation that I appreciate this kind of stuff sooo much more now than I did a year or two ago, so remember to work on that stuff consistently. You'll be thankful you did.

It makes throwing techniques so much more fluid and instantaneous...and I definitely notice the frustration when my foot work is off. So keep that in mind and let's all improve together.

Keep training hard!


Clifton Brown delivering a nasty kick...
It could not happen without good footwork lol

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Fight Video & Profile: Kaew "sugar" Fairtex vs Genki Yamamoto

A WBC Super-Featherweight championship title fight from 2007

Watch here

There's a nice mix of techniques used in this video.

Kaew is a former Lumpini stadium champ and thailand champ at 126 lbs, as well as the WBC Muay Thai champ at 128.



The only mention of his record so far is 88-31-4

He is currently ranked 1st in Lumpini, just below the title holder Saenchai sor Kingstar. This may mean that a Kaew-Saenchai fight is not too far away...(personally, Kaew's earned a shot, but Saenchai may still be very well out of his league)

He favours his elbows from his south paw stance and his left thai kick.

This video is the second time he has fought Genki Yamamoto for this belt.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Fighter Profile: Yoddecha Sityodtong



I don't have too much info on Yoddecha, although he was definitely one of the greatest fighters of his time. According to evolve-mma.com (where he currently teaches in Singapore), he has a fight record of 145-37. I think he fought around 145-155lbs

Unless he's made a comeback, I believe he's retired.

He was known for his aggressive style of fighting, with a lot of high kicks involved.


Yoddecha's kick

It's also notable that he trains out of Sityodtong Gym under Kru Yodtong Senanan, probably the most renowned Muay Thai trainer in Thailand and around the world.

He was featured in the History Channel series "Human Weapon"


Kru Yodtong

Videos:

Highlight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkzRVV9ok-M

Muay Boran Demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8r4h2zb6Cg

Vs Mohammed Ouali: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfg6FXAYGaI

Vs Rayen Simson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaNTybbygwI

Vs Unknown: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXQ5yDDM7g4

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy National Muay Thai Day!

Read here

Remember to pay respect to your teachers and classmates and celebrate this day by training hard!
PS. Happy St. Patty's day


old school pic of Ajahn

Monday, March 16, 2009

Congratulations to our new Assistant Instructors

This Sunday passed (March 15th), Brian received his certification under Ajahn Suchart as PooChoi (Assistant) Kru. Brian will now begin to help out others with technique and teaching under Kru Jen, while he continues to improve himself. Always bow to him first to show proper respect.

YUMT extends its congratulations to Kru Jen's other students from XC, Nic and Arry, who have also received certification.

We would also like to thank Ajahn for helping train us so that we can continue to develop and promote our sport in Canada. We will continue to train with him in order to uphold the integrity of our certifications.

I think there's a photo of the group floating around somewhere. When I find it I'll post it.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

THIS Tuesday (March 17th): Regular Class, Not at Southside

Due to circumstances, our joint class with Southside has to be cancelled. Class this Tuesday the 17th will be run as usual and held at York. See you there.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Our NEXT Tuesday Class, and National Muay Thai Day (March 17)

*this post will be edited as more details become available or change; check back often!*

Next week Tuesday, March 17 is National Muay Thai Day (Nai Khanomthom Day), as I posted in a previous entry.

To celebrate, our class on Tuesday March 17 will be held at Southside Muay Thai and Submission, one of our friends in Muay Thai.



It'll be an hour and a half class, and then a video presentation of some choice fights. The class should start around 6:30 and end at 8, and then we should be done everything by 9.

We will meet at Tait Mackenzie no later than 6:00, and arrange rides to go to Southside AND come back to York. If you can offer a ride to your fellow students, please let us know.

A thank you to Kru Jen and Southside for hooking us up with this great opportunity to celebrate this day and train with our friends. Take advantage of this great class and do not miss out!

A special thanks to Kru Pete and Mikey from SS for their support of our gym.

Fighter Profile: Khem Fairtex (formerly Sor Ploenjit)

Get used to this face. He'll be representing Thailand in the next season (2nd) of The Contender Asia!

Khem after defeating Diesellek and taking 2 of his titles

If I'm not mistaken, Khem fights at 147-150ish pounds. This would make him a little light compared to some of the new blood that's been slated to enter the Contender, but he's still a Thai champ...that's going to count for a lot.

On an interesting note, a lot of people want him to fight Buakao since both supposedly the exact same size (height and weight)...

Khem is:
a former lumpini stadium champion,
the S-1 2008 (which doubled as the WMC Contender Qualifier) Tournament champion,
Current WMC Super Welterweight Champion
Current Thailand Super Welterweight Champion

In his most recent fight he defeated Diesellek Kingboxing, and took Diesellek's WMC and Thailand titles. He is currently ranked 1st in Rajadamnern Stadium, while Diesellek is still the current champ.


Videos:
(S-1 videos)
V Egon Racz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPNOfGr_PsU

V Vlado Konsky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcU7H2IW3ok

(Extra)
V Saenchai Sor Kingstar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8GOnPwX_X4

Just thought you might want to get to know a bit about Khem now, since we'll be seeing him soon on the little screen.


Will this be the next belt Khem brings home, as well as Fairtex's second Contender belt?

Sunday, March 8, 2009

What Champion Nak Muay Do When Not Fighting

So I profiled Orono Wor Petchpun in a post earlier, as he is one of the greatest fighters of our time.

So what does Orono do when not elbowing the crap out of people? What drives him to win? What is his other passion outside of the ring? Find out now...

Click HERE!

I am amazed this made it on the internet. It's kinda cool to know a champ badass like Orono is a lighthearted dude. Bless his heart lol
-------------------
DAMN! I'm editing this post because yet another great nak muay has been caught on tape. Enjoy Buakao Unplugged: WATCH

*I think Orono bests Buakao at this other hobby too lol*

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Fight Video: Tommy vs Coban

Short and sweet fight. Coban is nicknamed the "Cruncher"...he has a rep for walking in and pounding the crap out of his opponents.

Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4hGz2qeZlA&feature=channel_page

Friday, March 6, 2009

Sparfest videos (Feb 28/09)

Finally, videos :) (Thanks to Arash)

*You can make these videos bigger and sharper in resolution by clicking "View HQ video" at the top right of the video. HQ=high quality*

Click this link: Sparfest Videos of Arash, Andrew and Vlad from YUMT


More Sparfest Pictures

We've got some more photos from Arash's camera now added to the gallery for this event

The picasa thinger allows the uploaded photos to be higher in resolution than if uploaded on facebook, so here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Click here

We'll have videos, possibly, up soon. Keep checking back!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Muaythai? or Muay Thai?

That's right. I'm dedicating a whole post on the space (or lack there of) between the words Muay and Thai.

Believe it or not, if you peruse the internet when you should be working (as I do), you'll find that "Muaythai" as one word is now the accepted name of the sport.

Quote Charissa Chan, Director Media Ventures, World Muaythai Council:


"Did you Know that the name of our sport is written Muaythai?

We officially changed Muay Thai to be Muaythai in 1999 as part of our GAISF application and also in accordance with the Olympic movement. World Muaythai Council officially endorses Muaythai to assist in our dream: one team for Muaythai at the Olympics.

WMC head office provides to members the Official Logo with Muaythai in one word. This logo is available from WMC headquarters in Thailand on wmcifma@hotmail.com."


You should know that an Olympic sport can't have a country's name in the title, so I'm guess that's why the two words are now being officially recognized as one.

Just an interesting piece of information for you, even if it is technically old news. It would be awesome to see Muaythai in the Olympics.

The IFMA (International Federation Muaythai Amateur) world championships...I'd imagine Olympic Muaythai to follow a similar format

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Some Diet tips

Click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Muay Thai Terminology

Here is the handout from Kru on basic Muay Thai terminology:

click image to enlarge


This is especially useful for those who will be testing

Demo Week

We have our demo week once per semester.

All classes during this week are therefore free to try out (although non York students may have to pay a small fee to get into the Tait Mackenzie building...see the front desk for information on that, OR ask Kru about it and maybe we can work something out).

Bring your friends! Bring your mom....ok, maybe not. Let's keep promoting our sport.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Nai Khanom Tom? and YUMT's short term forecast

Before you read on, the title of this post may interest you. You may wonder, "wtf is a Nai Khanom Thom"? Click here for a quick history lesson on this Muay Thai hero an important part of our culture.


the most common image of Nai Khanom Thom
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Kru:
"Upcoming events are:

March 14th - Grand Opening Siam Woodbridge - Let's show our support for Siam No.1; click here



March 15th - Brian Trinh begins his Poo Choi Kru journey! Cam, Lindor and myself continue ours with Ajahn.

March 17th - National Muay Thai Day - Nai Khanom Thom Day. Stay tuned for a get together where we rep Muay Thai big time."

There... aren't you glad you know who Nai Khanom Thom is now?

Monday, March 2, 2009

Congratulations team YUMT

A job well done to our team this weekend for their hard work. A special shout out goes to Serge, Brian and Nic for all their show of heart and dedication. A big thanks to our instructors Kru Jen and Poochoi Kru Lindor for their efforts and guidance. Lastly, a warm thank you to everyone who has helped train and shown support for our team.

For details on our busy weekend, ask one of the seniors or instructors when you see them in class!

I think I'm getting sick again from being so tense with excitement, haha.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sparfest Feb 28th/09 photos

Some pics from sparfest...
Full gallery of Sparfest: click!
Some other photos from training: click!

*See the previous post for a write up on our guys at this Sparfest*

Here are some highlights:

Click on THIS picture below!
YUMT's sparring group and support team..click!


Lindor warming Andrew up on pads


Kru warming up Vlad with drills and technical sparring


Arash and Andrew preparing


Vlad on the right, right before showtime