"The enemy has only images and illusions behind which he hides his true motives. Destroy the image and you will break the enemy."
Monday, August 18, 2014
A thought
"The enemy has only images and illusions behind which he hides his true motives. Destroy the image and you will break the enemy."
Friday, August 15, 2014
KO of the week: Sam A vs Thaksinlek (videos)
Muay Thai is one of the most exciting and devastating sports to watch. Blink and you just might miss something. For the rest of swing kick month, I'll be posting a swing kick KO every week.
That's right...knock out by swing kick. You'll get to see different timing, different set ups and targets each time. Try and look out for ones that you have learned, and even some that you may not have. Today's video has been widely shared on the facebook MT community, so I thought it would be appropriate to re share here.
Stay tuned for next week's KO video!
Monday, August 11, 2014
Swinging away...Kem vs Jordan Watson (video)
It's kick month, so check out this kicking war between two well known welterweights! Also watch out for the elbows...Gotta love em. Jordan Watson is a well known British fighter with the nickname "Quadzilla". Kem is a sucessful fighter who has won titles training out of Sor Pleonjit, Fairtex and now Sitsonpeenong gym.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Golden Era Muay Thai on Ch 7 (video)
Ajahn Suchart mentioned this link last night in his class. In the interest of swing kick month, there is a pretty awesome low kick finish in this video. I think it's the third fight. All the fights are pretty great though. Check it out!
Thank You Ajahn Suchart!
Ajahn Suchart came to teach at YMT on Aug 7, 2014. Not only did he teach his traditional technique, but also about the value of what we are doing. More than anything, he impressed upon us the need to work hard for what we have, learn to appreciate it and then help build the community further.
The 3 things he feels that work against our progress are: Convenience, Ease and anything Cheap. If something's too convenient, comes too easy without being earned, or can be bought with little to nothing then it will most likely spoil us. It is harder to build and sustain unity and love in a community where these 3 things are the foundation. They make us selfish and lazy, drawing us away from others and the chance to improve. He urged us to continue to invest in ourselves and each other...to help each other and treat each other as family.
Lastly, he wanted us to continue to spread and promote Muay Thai for what it can do for our society. Promote the art, promote your teacher, promote the school, and of course yourself. With the proper physical training and development, a martial artist can gain patience in their every day life; the patience to forgive, the patience to persist and so forth. Ajahn asked us to help get Muay Thai to the masses, so that we can give everyone in our society a chance to gain that patience and change the way we relate to our fellow human beings for the better.
Thank you all for attending and meeting the man who gave us our Kru Jen, and therefore our school and each other. Of course, a thank you (Khup khun khup) goes out to Ajahn for coming out and spending time with us!
-PCC
Thursday, August 7, 2014
PCC's personal reads
Sawadeekhap everyone,
PCC here. Just a couple reads of mine I thought I would share that you may enjoy and benefit from.
We have a library at York Muay Thai (YES! We do. Go check it out today)...so I thought it'd be appropriate to throw some titles out here. One of these books is actually in the library at our gym.
As martial artists, we come to understand that the learning process is an endless one. We are constantly discovering things about ourselves and others. Even in a single technique, the amount of improvements and tweaks that can be made are never ending.
In my experience, I've come to find training Muay Thai to be like a walking on a tight rope. That sweet spot in the center constantly eludes most of us. In order to even taste that sense of perfect balance on the rope, we must pay close attention and lean one way before we end up falling the other way...and then vice versa. It's tightening up one area of our abilities, only to then need to turn our efforts to another area, and then back again to the first. You can learn a lot about yourself in this viscious cycle, so long as you pay attention to the experiences.
Here are two books that helped me learn to pay attention my own strengths and weaknesses, and how they relate to my learning. Truth be told, I'm still working on applying what they've taught me.
I found them fairly accesible to any skill level of student...from the beginner to the athlete. I hope they might help you too:
The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey in Pursuit of Excellence
By Josh Waitzkin
Preview the book: click here
"With a narrative that combines heart-stopping martial arts wars and tense chess face-offs with life lessons that speak to all of us, The Art of Learning takes readers through Waitzkin's unique journey to excellence. He explains in clear detail how a well-thought-out, principled approach to learning is what separates success from failure. Waitzkin believes that achievement, even at the championship level, is a function of a lifestyle that fuels a creative, resilient growth process. Rather than focusing on climactic wins, Waitzkin reveals the inner workings of his everyday method, from systematically triggering intuitive breakthroughs, to honing techniques into states of remarkable potency, to mastering the art of performance psychology.
Through his own example, Waitzkin explains how to embrace defeat and make mistakes work for you. Does your opponent make you angry? Waitzkin describes how to channel emotions into creative fuel. As he explains it, obstacles are not obstacles but challenges to overcome, to spur the growth process by turning weaknesses into strengths. He illustrates the exact routines that he has used in all of his competitions, whether mental or physical, so that you too can achieve your peak performance zone in any competitive or professional circumstance. "
The Talent Code
By Daniel Coyle
*Available at the York Muay Thai library*
Preview the book: click here
"New research has revealed that myelin, once considered an inert form of insulation for brain cells, may be the holy grail of acquiring skill. Journalist Daniel Coyle spent years investigating talent hotbeds, interviewing world-class practitioners (top soccer players, violinists, fighter, pilots, artists, and bank robbers) and neuroscientists. In clear, accessible language, he presents a solid strategy for skill acquisition. "
PCC here. Just a couple reads of mine I thought I would share that you may enjoy and benefit from.
We have a library at York Muay Thai (YES! We do. Go check it out today)...so I thought it'd be appropriate to throw some titles out here. One of these books is actually in the library at our gym.
As martial artists, we come to understand that the learning process is an endless one. We are constantly discovering things about ourselves and others. Even in a single technique, the amount of improvements and tweaks that can be made are never ending.
In my experience, I've come to find training Muay Thai to be like a walking on a tight rope. That sweet spot in the center constantly eludes most of us. In order to even taste that sense of perfect balance on the rope, we must pay close attention and lean one way before we end up falling the other way...and then vice versa. It's tightening up one area of our abilities, only to then need to turn our efforts to another area, and then back again to the first. You can learn a lot about yourself in this viscious cycle, so long as you pay attention to the experiences.
Here are two books that helped me learn to pay attention my own strengths and weaknesses, and how they relate to my learning. Truth be told, I'm still working on applying what they've taught me.
I found them fairly accesible to any skill level of student...from the beginner to the athlete. I hope they might help you too:
The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey in Pursuit of Excellence
By Josh Waitzkin
Preview the book: click here
"With a narrative that combines heart-stopping martial arts wars and tense chess face-offs with life lessons that speak to all of us, The Art of Learning takes readers through Waitzkin's unique journey to excellence. He explains in clear detail how a well-thought-out, principled approach to learning is what separates success from failure. Waitzkin believes that achievement, even at the championship level, is a function of a lifestyle that fuels a creative, resilient growth process. Rather than focusing on climactic wins, Waitzkin reveals the inner workings of his everyday method, from systematically triggering intuitive breakthroughs, to honing techniques into states of remarkable potency, to mastering the art of performance psychology.
Through his own example, Waitzkin explains how to embrace defeat and make mistakes work for you. Does your opponent make you angry? Waitzkin describes how to channel emotions into creative fuel. As he explains it, obstacles are not obstacles but challenges to overcome, to spur the growth process by turning weaknesses into strengths. He illustrates the exact routines that he has used in all of his competitions, whether mental or physical, so that you too can achieve your peak performance zone in any competitive or professional circumstance. "
The Talent Code
By Daniel Coyle
*Available at the York Muay Thai library*
Preview the book: click here
"New research has revealed that myelin, once considered an inert form of insulation for brain cells, may be the holy grail of acquiring skill. Journalist Daniel Coyle spent years investigating talent hotbeds, interviewing world-class practitioners (top soccer players, violinists, fighter, pilots, artists, and bank robbers) and neuroscientists. In clear, accessible language, he presents a solid strategy for skill acquisition. "
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
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