Wai Kru - Paying Respect to the Teacher

As a fighter and internationally recognized instructor it has always been important for me to continue to learn, study and progress in whichever arts I study. My opinion is based on the fact that as an instructor I realize that I don’t know everything, and though through years of training I may have mastered all that I have seen there is nothing to say that I have seen everything.

Thai boxing like all martial arts systems are in some shape or form geographically based, if you live in swamp or on the top of a mountain the techniques you would use to fight are going to be vastly different to someone that lives on the plains or dense forest. Therefore only studying with one particular camp or in one geographical area could seriously limit your knowledge.

Having spent several years traveling round Thailand fighting and training I noticed that there are differences in the core skills that the various regions have. Where one region may produce the best kickers another region may be better when using their knees, some regions are more skilled when in the clinch, and some others when using their elbows and still more their punching skills.

And this geographical skills base is further complicated by different camps in the same area, for example if you have two camps in Pattaya, both are great schools, both produce great kickers. However both schools have their own distinct kicking style, in the way they throw their kicks, therefore as a student or instructor wouldn’t it make sense to study at both camps in order to better understand how they do it and likewise every other technique.

If you train with any reputable instructor you will gain from it , it may not be an earth shattering amount but the more you experience the greater the understanding you will ultimately have.

For example some camps use very forceful methods to break out of the clinch, whilst other will use much lighter more sophisticated methods to take control. Both types work and are therefore correct but one version definitely requires a much greater amount of effort in order to succeed. Therefore if you not very strong in your upper body, the one version is unlikely to work well for you.

I also appreciate that Bangkok is a Mecca for Thai Boxing and therefore having fighters coming from the various provinces will expose those camps to the variation of technique and style I mentioned.

However it should also be understood that camps in Bangkok are there to prepare and produce fighters for the ring, and therefore in order to maximize their time, it is common to work with a framework of maybe twenty techniques, roundhouse kick, front kick, right cross, jab, upper cut, hook, long knee, swing knee and three or four elbow techniques. These techniques are then drilled over and over again on the pads and bags, so that ring craft develops so as to be able to best apply whichever given technique is required as their opponent moves during a fight.

However this specialization limits the art of Muay Thai, as techniques once adopted are removed through the ongoing ring refinements. One obvious change which came about during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s was the way the Thai’s modified the position of the arms during the execution of their roundhouse kick. Where generally the arm on the side of the kicking leg would be thrown down and away from the body upon execution, it was instead modified into a elbow strike parallel to the kicking leg, the reason for this change was because of the likes of Rob Kamen and Raymond Decker.

Being powerful punchers they would step into their Thai opponents space as the roundhouse kick was executed allowing them to knock out their opponent with a strong right cross before their kick could land. Therefore the elbow was introduced to stop this practice as the puncher stepped forward to strike to the jaw, the elbow would come across naturally blocking the kickers jaw and in turn breaking or at least damaging the punchers hand should it connect with the punch , to be followed milliseconds later with the roundhouse to the ribs or head.

Now being a Thai purest I am proud that the art of Muay Thai is a living art that adapts and changes to meet its needs against the competition, unlike a number of karate systems which though pure to their roots are not entirely practical in the 21st century. But in order to go forward Thai boxing students should be aware of where the techniques came from and seek to gain as much experience through seminars, books and video’s from as many different instructors and trainers as possible.

From the time I have spent here so far in America, I have tried to attend as many seminars with as many instructors and different organizations as possible, so as to see how they teach their techniques and where the emphasis of their teaching lies. Some schools teach elaborate combinations of techniques which are programed into their students, but then if they encounter a variation in technique from their opponent it can quickly unravel their technique leaving them out of their depth Other schools are focused just towards the striking techniques drilling short powerful knockout punch combinations with the occasional kick thrown in . Training in both these schools gives you both the chess like combination, where your techniques produce a conditioned response, which in turn leads to you to the next strike or counter, which in turn weakens your opponent to where a conclusive strike can take place. Or the checkers style combination, where he moves, you strike, he moves again, you strike until through a war of attrition you win.

It is important to not to limit yourself and therefore your knowledge by letting your ego get in the way. I have seen fighters start to have success and as their name becomes well known their wish to attend coaching sessions or seminars diminishes as they feel that they know everything, or that the other people attending will think less of those fighters because they are taking part, when in fact those fighters should be more highly thought of as they continuing to study to increase their knowledge and refine their art.

No two people are the same, the same can be said of instructors even if they have both been trained by the same instructor themselves, as our physical differences, strengths and weaknesses develop us in unique ways. Where one instructors prowess may lie with his punching skills and his fellow instructor lies with his kicking skills, when they themselves teach, though they know exactly the same about both kicking and punching they are more likely to stress the areas with which they are more capable or comfortable .

As an instructor I can’t teach someone to fight exactly the way I did, simply because they are not me. I can teach them the same techniques and the skills that goes with them, but the human factor is what makes us different. Therefore as an instructor I teach my students as much as I can about everything and in so doing they will take on board my knowledge and experience and then add to it there own particular skills, strengths and weaknesses and personalize it and so the evolution takes place.

As a final note I would just like to give my gratitude to all the instructors that I have been fortunate enough to train with throughout my many years in the martial arts.

They have all in some way contributed to my knowledge and my development, and therefore to that of my students. If I can give a final word of advice to every martial artist reading this is; don’t limit yourself or your knowledge, be loyal to your instructor and be loyal to your art but be open to new ideas and new people. Just as you don’t use every single thing you learned at school, so you don’t have to use everything that you learn at a seminar, it simply gives you a different way of understanding things, for knowledge is power.

Arjarn lek chaieawrung