Muay Thai Ring Girls
~ 80 mins
available on ebay

This isn't a documentary. This isn't an instructional video by any means. I guess you could call it a docudrama or a mockumentary. The fights are real, sort of, they take place, but are probably thrown or mismatched to help Master Toddy's folks look good. The more I see of these folks the more I get this uneasy feeling that all is not on the up and up.

This video doesn't help change my mind, Master Toddy plays himself playing Mr Miyagi, or something. Some of the funniest pseudo-philosophy comes through in the scenes where it is made clear to the world that Master Toddy saved these fine young ladies from terrible lives. The girls all train hard and go off to Thailand to find out they are fighting students of Master Toddy's brother that no-one knew existed. Really they should have stuck with pure documentary if thy wanted us to believe the fights were real or just filmed movie fights to get somebetter angles.

Really, very little real training is shown, the girls all sleep in the ring and train together while Gina Carano narrates about their character and how much each has overcome; very melodramatic. All the while Master Toddy shows the tough love of a trainer and father figure, though to me he comes off more like that creepy uncle we don't like to talk about. Seriously bad acting, matching bad plot and dialogue all make this a cheese fest. It is well shot, the video is clear and the sound is good. It is watchable exactly once. It has no replay value at all.

The Noble Art of Muay Thai
Phosawat Saengsawang
~1 hour

This video is available from dcothai
Overall this is a good video. The menus are clear and the English track is presented in a clear, understandable voice. The presentation is top notch.

The hour or so of video is jam packed with information. There is little repetition and none of the slo-mo repeats and things that drive me nuts on so many videos. Be ready with the pause and rewind buttons as you'll want to see most of it again.

There isn't anything too far out in the first parts of the video. The mai mai and luk mai coverage is quite good and easy to understand. There are some techniques in the middle section that you may not think of as parts of Muay Thai, for example the 'spring whip kick' which looks like an inside crescent kick and the 'smash kick' which is similar to an axe kick.

Overall this is a good video and well worth the $20. Even better if you get it as a gift like I did. Happy Holidays.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that I told you to go buy George St. Pierre's DVDs back on June 11 so that you could say you had them before he was the welterweight champ. Now it is too late to say that but go buy them anyway. Also visit GSP's webpage. www.gspmma.tv you owe it to yourself .

Congratulations to Georges, and thanks to both fighters for some interesting bouts over the past few years.

Peter Aerts - Volume 3 - Combinations - approximately 35 mins

See the other posts for comments on layout and production. still the same here, overall good.
This is a good video consisting of 15 combinations. The majority of these are purely offensive but a handful start with a defensive move. As expected there are some very interesting and useful combos here. Simple perhaps but certainly effective.

There is less of the fight scenes spliced into this video. I like to watch fight action as much as anyone but this doesn't really bother me too much as most of these fights are available for viewing from different online sources. Google is your friend.

Without the slow motion replays the tape would have time for another 10 combinations, that is the only complaint i have. I'd like to see more. All the instructinoals from this time period have these slo-mo replays so I guess I can't complain too much.

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 4

Volume 5

Muscle & Fitness Complete Taining System
5 DVD set $59.99 US available from Muscle & Fitness webstore

My friend ordered this from the magazine. I feel guilty as I buy these trash books occasinoally when I have to fly or waste time in some other way. I think he may have gotten the ad in a mag I passed onto him when I was done. For that I am sorry.

I can't say anythingbad about the production quality, with the mega millions of this publishing company behind it these can be nothing but hollywood quality. Unfortunately the same can not be said for the exercises and workouts.

Like the magazines these DVDs are all about body building, isolating a muscle for the pump, whatever. $60 for 5 DVDs and a log book isn't a bad price but you will find better workout information from places like Testosterone, and for free. If you need to spend money than buy Georges St. Pierre's set, even though it duplicates the workout, you'll get more out of it.

Peter Aerts Volume 2 Power Kicking ~35mins of techniques

See Volume 1 post for the layout and technical presentation thoughts, this video is the same in those attributes.

This is a very thorugh presentation of the basics of kicking. As an example the first 15 minutes or so of this video is the basic round kick at 3 levels and two sides all shown separately. Sounds boring but each time Peter has a hint or two to share.

After this comes front and back kicks briefly. Then right into defense and attack combos. Block the low kick and kick back, scoop the front kick and kick the leg are examples. This material fills out the rest of the video and it is good stuff. In all 18 techniques are shown.

Like the volume 1 this video is interspliced with fight clips, this time it seems to be better lined up with the techniques being taught, you can see Peter practice the head kick and then watch a clip of some poor soul getting knocked out with it.

I liked this one better than volume 1, perhaps becasue I like kicking in general I suppose. It is worth a watch for sure though as Peter shares some good tips for setting up kicks.

Volume 1
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5

Peter Aerts - Volume 1 - Power Punching - 35 mins approximately.

Filmed in the Chakuriki gym run by Thom Harnik.

Lay out is the tried and true - Technique One: Peter explains slowly, then lets loose, then the technique is shown a few times in slo-mo with some bad music playing in the background. Lather Rinse Repeat. Pretty much par for the instructional course. As a nice addition some fight clips are mixed in between techniques. These aren't tuned to be the technique just shown or coming next but if you watch the whole tape you will see the combinations taught in action in this clips.

Peter's English is good, it isn't his first language and it comes out stilted but the explanations are clear. In all he covers 16 combinations, touches on slipping and weaving and loves the liver punch.

Unfortunately we don't often see past the bottom of the shorts, Peter says many times that turning the body is important but we never get to see how his feet move to accomplish this. Near the end of the video as Peter explains slipping and moving outside punches we do get glimpses of the footwork but he doens't really spend anytime telling us anything about it.

Overall this is a good video for ideas on combinations to practice. Certainly worth the time to watch.

Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5

Thai Boxing: The Devastating Fighting Art of Thailand
Author: Samyon Tanjawon
Published 1975

I bought this book so you won't have to. Seriously, do not buy this book. This is 80 some pages of the worst pictures ever depicting Muay Thai. It was so bad I couldn't be bothered to scan an image to show you. Edit: Found one on the web, know the face of your nemesis!

I have some other books from this time period and they look nothing like this. It can't be that the art has changed this much, as those other books look like Muay Thai. This doesn't look like any martial art. The kicking pictures in particular are horrid. Arms flailing every which way and hitting with the sole of the foot sort of like a crescent kick motion. Really I have no idea how anyone could learn from this book.

Having said that there are some interesting shots of the Mae Mai and Luk Mai in the middle section of the book. They aren't identified as such but they are in there. The Distinguished Art of Fighting is a better book for this though. Please do yourself a favour and buy it instead.

KenFlo vs Octagon Post and Sherk. Watch the video here

Decent fight overall for Sherk, his takedowns are explosive. Kenflo was cool though, hung in till the end which many, including me didn't expect.

So hot on the heels of his win in Heros I get a news release stating Carlos will be fighting Renzo Gracie in the IFL this coming Dec 29th. Go Carlos! Go Dragons! More here

Sport Navi has some great shots of Carlos Newton winning his Heros match. Go there and see them. Go now. You are only ever three devastating uppercuts away from losing consciousness.

Hey,

I found my old Pride post. May as well post it now as I get ready for the card this weekend.

Random Pride thoughts:

Thanks to ExpressVu all day replay I get to watch Pride WWGP Survival at a decent hour.
There must be some time shifting that can be done for us folks way out east. Anyhow with some news floating around about PRide's loss of the TV contract in Japan Survival might be an apt name for this card. The TV company also produce the PPV shows that you and I get to see, hopefully something good comes around, another channel maybe will pick them up.

Random thought 1: Does Ou Won Jin have some kind of unchokable neck?! I would have
been tapping like Gregory Hines in those. From Grappling to slugfest to GnP this fight had it all, good match.

Random Thought 2: Suleov tries to capture the power of Chuck Norris' Beard. 15 mins of playing two for flinching until finally a big punch lands. Little more tag is played. That one punch wins the fight. My grass grew six inches this week, it was more exciting.

Random Thought 3: Nice scramble out the back by Bech... whatever Gregory at the 3 min
or so mark and a nice slam by Filho just after. Mostly decent pace of GnP, if you saw the fight you can't argue with the decision. OK match

Random Thought 4: Beautiful Scramble by Joey at just about the last minute, great finish too. Good Match.

Random Thought 5: I'd like to have Yoshida in my corner...neither that or the gi helped this guy. OK match

Random Thought 6: Throws, sub attempts, and good old face punching. Good Match

Random Thought 7: Let's hope this loss will be Bennett's last...appearance in the ring. OK Match

Random Thought 8: Wasn't this Alfonso guy in a bad video game? Fitting that Sakurai got a perfect finish than huh? Good match just because of the right hand.

Random Thought 9: It's illegal to kill Zebras for use in Speedos isn't it? Oh well it worked for him. Pretty equal brawl, Good Match.

Random Thought 10: Don't Blink. Kang bandwagon, all aboard! Good match

Random Thought 11: Any match with a flying knee is a good match. I don't know why but I like the NYBA, sorry to see him drop this one.

Closing thought: Good card, If there is another Bushido I will watch. Here's hoping the stories are hype or another channel will pick up PrideFC.

Georges St. Pierre
Xtreme Rush Fighting
Instructional Video

Nothing bad can be said about Georges! It is illegal in Canada to insult him in any manner.

These videos are good. Clear sound and picture make this a very easy learning experience. Georges speaks English. You have heard him in post fight interviews and you know what to expect. It is amusing sometimes but in no way affects his ability to describe what is going on. David L'Oiseau helps Georges out in the video and does a solid job as expected.

Striking combos, including the infamous spinning back-kick are covered in the first section. Second section has some great takedowns, including hints for using the fence or wall to your advantage. Very interesting. The final section is a circuit training tour of Georges' weight workout. Chest, shoulders, legs and core are each done in separate circuits. The Georges gives a great description of his sprint program.

Volume 2 is all about the ground game. First some techniques, nothing really fancy in way of technique. Similar stuff to Eric Paulson's material but with the St. Pierre flair. Then Georges and David give us some tips on the ground game of MMA. This is a good section. It is too short at only 20 mins or so.

The only issue I have with this set is the repeating of this conditioning section on both videos. A waste of space that is labelled as a bonus on the sites selling these videos. No it is a waste, volume 2 should be half the price. Note to Mounties, this is not an insult to Georges, do not storm my house and lock me up in the Hudson Bay Detention Center ;)

Georges is great, these videos are well done and hold some good tips. Buy them now and you can say you had them before he becomes UFC champ.

Well I saw the last episode of the IFL pilot. Good stuff. The only part I didn't like was the full screen of Pat coaching, while the fight was happening. They showed the fight on the big screen in the background but the shot was bad. Stick with the fullscreen fights with the coach inserts, Other than that good job by the IFL.tv crew.

Bring on the new teams!!!!

Blogspot was screwed up for a while, they lost my Pride post! and my last IFL post.

Just got to see the second episode of the IFL pilot. More good stuff. All the previous comments stand for this set of fights too. I could do without the picking up in the 3rd round for fights but I understand they have limited time. The show pits Mo Smith's Tiger Sharks against Renzo Gracie's Pitbulls.

I have heard some rumblings of people with FSN getting mixed up schedules and how this programme is jumping around timewise. That is too bad, it could kill the show's chances, it deserves better! Get it on TV in Canada too while you're at it IFL.

Hey! Delson Heleno for all you folks asking for Capoeira in MMA. Leadfoot is here. Lets just say the kicks do finish it, how is up to you to see.

Rogan and Eddie Bravo in the crowd giving positive interviews about the league is nice after the big stink Dana allegedly put up and the lawsuits etc.

I'll be tuning in for the final when I can. I advise you to do the same. It has aired on FSN already but I am sure you can catch reruns. Do it, it is worth every minute.

Carlos Newton!!!!

More IFL news. Newton is going to lead the Dragons team from Canada in the IFL. Go Carlos, go Canada, go Dragons.

Also announced was Matt Lindland as a coach, awesome work IFL. He has pretty much the best name in the league, even if it is prowrestling throwback. The Wolfpack. Also we get Mark Coleman with a UK based team?! and Antonio Inoki coaching team Japan. Holy Shit I am stoked. No names for their teams yet. I can't wait to see these logos.

Which brings me to a criticism of the IFL. Get this news on your webpage. Don't make me read and link to it on Sherdog. Hell everyone loves Sherdog but you have to get this stuff on your page, with logos and bios. This is simple web work folks, all the content should have been ready and approved and the minute that press conference was happening it should have been turned up on ifl.tv
Instead I have to send people here to see the video http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=721

Another criticism. Do not ever let that stumbling, stuttering fool announce important news again! Hire a publicist, never let people know you didn't have the final name of a team ironed out until seconds before the announcement. It isn't funny, it is embarrassing. I don't care if he is rich and running the show, he came off as an idiot.

I just watched the first episode of the IFL show. International Fight League (http://www.ifl.tv/) is what MMA should be on TV! I could end the post there as it sums up my feelings completely.

This show is beyond anything that Zuffa/UFC and Spike TV have come up with. The production quality, camera angles, announcing all lent to the feel that this was a real sports event not a spectacle. I loved it.

There has been lots of flak on the Internet about the shorter rounds and a few other rules. This is still MMA, ask the guys that took the beatings if they were doing MMA and I am sure they'd say yes. The rounds aren't noticeably shorter and lots of punishment occured, including a great leglock.

Another thing that gets the wankers on the boards going are the names. But honestly look at the links for the big three sports leagues. Go ahead I'll wait:

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp
http://www.nhl.com/teams/index.html
http://www.nfl.com/

These names suck too, according to the criteria being used to judge the IFL names. Cats/Fish/imaginary beasts/ this is what sports names are, the IFL is no different. The logos aren't anyworse than fish wearing helmets and that duck mask thing. That arguement strikes out with me.

IFL, get this on TV with Expressvu. Do it now. At least get it on the Fight Network here in Canada so I can watch it without turning to the filesharing programs.

PS - Fight Network guys, get on Expressvu. What is the slowup?!

Muay Thai instructional videos
Razor Rob McCullough
http://www.islandmartialarts.com/index.cfm?ac=ShowProducts&CatID=76&SetCat=1
$55 US

This 5 volume set is one of the best I have seen. Any beginner should have it. Any person that has done Thaiboxing for a while will know most of the basics covered but Volume 5 is a gem and there are lots of good tips to make the set a good purchase even for the more experienced. All types of pads and bags are used in the demonstrations making for great views of the techniques in action.

Rob is a for the most part clear and well-spoken. He uses everyday langauge to get his points across, which is nice, too many others try the baffle with bull tactic. Rob gets by that with clear, honest representation of the moves. He gets a little repetitive at times but it is forgivable as the explanations are good.

Volume 1 is the fundamentals. Rob covers footwork, angles and gives lots of emphasis to the hip rollover in the kick. The explanations using the heavybag for demonstration are great. Good tape for beginners for sure.

Volume 2 moves into the basic strikes. All the boxing staples are here; jab, cross, hook and uppercut. All clearly explained with good poiinters for technique application. The elbow basics are also handled well, with a bonus spinning elbow move or two. The strikes are shown in a variety of ways. Use is made of focus mitts, Thai pads and the heavy bag. Great stuff.

Volume 3 covers the knees. Nothing wildly different here, but good strong coverage of straight knees and the curved or circle knee. Rob covers basic clinch work and delivers some good tips on moving the opponent around by his neck. Also some great pointers on hip movement are included. All around this is a fine video.

Volume 4- we get to the kicks. This tape is delivered in an interesting and effective manner. First the kicks are all shown using the right leg. Then they are all done again with the left leg. I like this idea. There are subtle but important differences between the two sides that can confuse people starting out. So this deliverly helps by letting the viewer get one side down at a time.

Leg kicks, body kicks and the head kick are all covered. With pads, on a bag and my favourite for new learners; just with a partner. I love doing the kicks this way. Sure the purpose eventually is to kick hard and hurt folks. However learning the technique and distancing involved in each kick by aiming at a real person and using control to land in the exact right spot without breaking anybody is a great method of building that power via skill instead of butishness.

Volume 5 is the gem as I said. Though this section is short, all I need to say is the combos given on this video will keep any viewer busy for a long while. Don't just run through them and think you got them. Practice, make them second nature, then you'll be able to use them when it counts.

Go buy these,they are worth every penny.

KickBoxing- Muay Thai - The Art of Siamese Unarmed Combat
Author: Hardy Stockman
Cover price $2.95 US - I paid about $20 after shipping.
96 pages

Yes Virginia there was a Muay Thai before the late 90's. Okay we all know there was but it seemed that there was a boom in popularity in North America then. Maybe it's just me but there seems to have been a huge influx of books and tapes on the subject recently. Anyhow it nice to see something from before the boost in popularity. Way back in 1976 this, now out of print, book hit the market.

As this book was published before the rest of the western books I've seen so far I guess I can't say it follows the trend of chapter order. In this case it may be the trend setter. Anyhow, the familiar History, Tradition,Basics and Combos formula makes an appearance. There are a few extras though.

An interesting section on the economics of Muay Thai is found early in the book. Found here is an interesting insight to the tiny amounts of money Thai fighters get paid for professional bouts. The numbers are from the 70's so I won't quote them here. They are outdated but I can imagine that adjusted for modern times there are kids in the ring for less than 5$ US even now.

Another interesting section is called Muay Thai vs. the rest. These 5 pages near the end of the book relate stories of Thai boxers beating pretty much everyone else no matter the styles practiced. Now I am sure there is truth to these stories and I don't question the effectiveness of the techniques having been on the receiving end enough times. I think though the rise of the Internet and the Internet/Keyboard Warriors that espouse these style vs style arguements and create their own demi-gods have desensitized me to this type of discussion. Too bad really, as I imagine in 1976 these stories may have made for better conversations than what is found out there in cyberspace now. Probably these anecdotes form the basis of the myths passed around now.

This book is well made, mine is like new though I got it used from EBay, so it was built to last. This was the first time I saw this volume offered for auction but I don't go there everyday looking so I am sure another could be found if someone is willing to try. The book is mostly text, for a thin volume there is a lot to read. The pictures are black and white, mostly decent except for a horrendous set depicting a Ram Muay that pappears to have caught the performer in between every move of any real note.

For interest sake alone I stick this in the middle of the pack of Muay Thai books I have. There are some interesting bits not found in the more modern tomes, including a pretty darn good glossary. Really the presentation, though basic and brief, is in some cases better than newer books.

MuaY Thai Kickboxing:
The Ultimate Guide to Conditioning, Training & Fighting
Author: Chad Boykin
207 Pages
$28 US / $34 Canadian

I like this book. It does not cover a huge range of techniques. The basics are well covered and clearly demonstrated. The strength of this book is in the amount of training drills provided. Only one spot near the back in the conditioning section had any typos that I noticed. It starts describing a squat thrust, runs into a unrelated picture and then skips to a new exercise. Other than this small error the layout is well done. The pictures are, black and white and easy to follow.

The book starts with a thankfully small history section. I say that as it offers nothing new compared to all the other history sections of Muay Thai books I have read. Matter of fact this book references the others. Nothing original here but I think that is ok.

Chapter 2 is the basic strikes. As noted nothing extravagent here either. Once very nice thing in theses 55 pages is the inclusion of a basic defense move following each demonstration of the strike. I like this format a lot. Also this section includes a decent intro to the plamb clinch. I always like to see that.

Chapter 3 is the money well spent. It starts with the basics of pad hitting. (Authors listen up: we need a good section on holding, it is an art) The it moves to page after page of ideas for combos to train on pads, bags, alone , with a partner, drills for every occassion. Really as a person who runs a class I have lots of experience thinking up decent drills (some not so decent too) but it is nice to have a resource of things to try out. Now these weren't all new to me but with over 200 combos listed I will be looking here for fresh ideas when I need them. If you need help thinking up drills, buy this book now.

I could have stopped reading the book at this point and been happy. The Thaiboxing for the street section is too small to be worthwhile and though the conditioning section was very well done I could just rip out the weight training. I am no expert but I don't see how tricep kickbacks belong in a serious weight trainer's program. There are good exercises too; the squat, deadlift, powerclean, it's just that in my eyes a beginner won't know which are which and treat them all equally. The bio in the back credits Mr Boykin as certified personal trainer, I just don't put much stock in those courses unfortunately as they are designed to train the casual gym goer/soccer mom, not a fighter.

Still I liked the book. I put it number 2 on my list behind, the tied for first, Distinguished and Legacy books. It does cover lots of good info, even in the sections I scored lower. Chapter 3 really is worth the purchase price for reuse value.

Muay Thai Basics: Introductory Thai Boxing Techniques
Author: Christoph Delp
Blue Snake Books
211 Pages
Cover price 26.95 Canadian.


I happened to pick this up at a Chapters store in Moncton, NB while passing through. My wife rolled her eyes as I got back into the car toting yet another Thaiboxing book, especially another marked basics. Oh well I am a sucker.

This book follows the all too common progression of martial arts books. Part 1 is background and tradition, Part 2 is basic skills and so on. You won't find too much new in these sections if you have other Muay Thai books but the author does have some interesting presentation.

The quality of the book is A-1. Pictures are all clear, in sync with the text and relevant to the flow of the work. In so many book yoiu get a picture of a person in mid move that really could be a shot of any technique. Not so in this book, good quality photos throughout.

Parts 3,4 and 5 are the meat of this book. Again it is an introductory text so nothing too exciting. If you are a beginner though the techniques found in these pages will lend you an understanding of the moves you should be working on first and gives you a taste of more advance items like the spinning heel kick and jumping round kick. Something I really liked about these sections are the big bright yellow boxes at the end of each weapon section. These boxes have a good amount of wisdom on common mistakes made during the preceeding attack types. It is worth the chapter just to read those.

Part 3, Chapter 7 is a nice find, a chapter in a Thaiboxing book on the plamb clinch. Many books leave this valuable set of techniques out all together, so if it is important to you, you may want to pick up this book for these 10 pages of explanation. It covers the basic stance, offbalancing and a series of knee strikes. More than enough for a beginning clincher.

Most of the rest of the book covers some simple combinations to use to train the basics covered. Again nothing too fancy but the point is to kick thousands of times to get the technique right not to learn some fancy thing you can't really do. The book goes over different combinations on pads and against a person, lots of variety should keep the boredom away.

One highlight right at the end is a small section on historical training. I always like these bits. It helps remind me that I get to do this sport for fun. Some people, historically and presently put themsleves through hell for what I would consider little recompense but to them is a treasure and a way to keep their families alive. Practice, have fun but remember the roots of the art and if you are new to it, this book would be helpful to you overall. Though I think the Legacy book is slightly better.

Maurice Smith - Vol 2 Pad Work
Online at many places for abour $20 bucks or as part of a four video set in the $50 range.

Maurice starts with the focus mitts and the proper placement for the holder. This is great, the number of times I have tried to get a workout with someone new to pad holding only to be frustrated is immeasurable. Maurice talks about a rythm that develops between a pad holder and the fighter, never were truer words spoke. "The pad man...my friend."

Next up on the menu is working a dynamic drill with the padman using the basics just covered but adding some movement by both parties and some strikes by the pad holder. This is a good solis bit of footage with a lot of Maurice's knowledge coming through. This carries through to the next segment; hitting the pads 'realtime'.

Whereas the first 10 minutes were based on getting the holder working properly and done slow, this section shows the jab, cross, left hook, body hook and uppercuts at speed and in combination. Essentially applying what was earned earlier.

On to the Thai pads, Maurice shows us how he likes to have the pads held. Front kick and round kick tehniques from Volume 1 is reiterated and expanded on. For the low kicks Maurice has the padholder put his arm down with the pad by the thigh.

This goes against everything I have ever seen for practicing these kicks. I was always told the pad holder is learning too and this will only develop the bad habit of putting the arm down to defend the leg kick. To be fair Maurice says to be sure to not go too hard. However my opinion would be just kicking the thigh 'not too hard' to learn the technique would be better.

After a few examples of punch/kick drills we get to the knee section. Again Maurice shows clearly the basic straight knee technique from both in and out of the clinch. However he keeps saying not to do a lot as they are tiring. True they are tiring but they score more in the organizations I have competed in, we always do a lot of knees, enough to make us dry heave in training.

The video finishes up with combos combining all the weapons including elbows. Maurice comes through with great tips and advice for the application in a fight. Overall I think this is a solid volume. I'd certainly like anyone who needs to hold pads to watch it. The message comes through clear on how important it is to be a good holder. The video production is great and Maurice of course is a knowledgeable instructor. The only thing I can find fault in is; as with the first video, this isn't really Thaiboxing, though all the weapons are used it just has a more kickboxing feel.

See also Volume 1

Maurice Smith Thaiboxing Volume 1 - fundamentals
available online for ~$20 or as part of the four DVD set for $50.

This is sold as a Muay Thai tape on the sites I visited. It is about half Muay Thai, kickboxing is a better description. There is a difference, and if you are looking for pure Muay Thai you really won't find it here. Shins are used and low kicks covered but not in a fully Thai manner, more in a modified method. Good clear basic kickboxing is what is served up.

2-4 mins each on are spent on the jab, cross, left hook (that would make a boxing coach wince) and an uppercut. Both sides aren't shown and by eight minutes Maurice is onto the kicks.

Defensive front kick with lead leg, inside low kick, more like a JKD lead kick with a shuffle step than a Thai kick. The right leg version of the low kick is much more Thai like. Maurice shows a couple of angles to throw it and does a body kick from one side.

Knees and elbows are next on the list. The video is very clear on both long knees and short clinch knees. Some decent info on holding the clinch and making space to throw knees is included. The elbow section is short and sweet. A few angles are shown and the cutting aspect stressed. Once again the different sides aren't really covered, both arms are used but for different angles.

Defensive manoeuvres are next. Parries and scoop blocks. Defenses for jabs, hooks and uppercuts are shown, again only on one side. Elbow blocks get about a minute and are shown in a clear manner that co-incides with the Thaiboxing I have seen. Next in the defense is kick blocking, including a good section on defending against leg kicks to the lead leg. The last section is knee defense, unfortunately Maurice chose to show a knee defense involving both hands dropping to the opponents hips. Without explaining the timing and recovery involved this defense leads to the blocker getting elbowed and hooked punched everytime.

Maurice is a multiple kickboxing title holder and an accomplished MMA fighter. There is no doubt he has the experience to deliver this material. He does so clearly and concisely. My only complaint is it may be a little too concise. In an effort to cover all the material in the time alotted, some of it feels glossed over. The quality of the video is excellent and sound is fine. If you are a beginner this would be a fine introduction to kickboxing with some Thai technique included. If you have been training for a few months you may still pick up a couple of things but whether it is worth the money is hard to say.

See also Volume 2

Stretching for Athletes
Panther Video

Bill Superfoot Wallace
~55 minutes
Availble for about 10$

Bill Wallace has to be the most flexible guy I have ever seen outside the acrobats of a Chinese circus. Who better to lead a video on Stretching. This video focuses on the legs and hips, as world reknown kicker, again who better than Bill.

This video starts with a good introduction to stretching and the basics of the way muscles attach and work. This is clear and easy to understand. Bill tells us that A relaxed muscle is more resistant to injury, quicker and more easily moved. All that makes sense to me.

Moves into warmups, works from the top down. Gentle motions just to raise the muscle temperature and let your body know something is coming. After this Bill begins stretching exercises to do alone. This is comprised of a lot of static stretches keeping the tension on for counts between 2-10 seconds. None of the exercises are anything extraordinary but the order they are done in makes sense and flows nicely. This section is a little less than half an hour and Bill recommends doing them every day.

On to partner stretching. Bill stresses safety first with the partner. Another 20 mins or so is spent on these. Again nothing out of the ordinary but all good solid exercises in a nice smooth order. Bill recommedns partner stretching 2-3 times per week as it is harder on the muscles.

The third section is about the 'new fangled' stretching machines. I had one in the early 90's. That was probably when this video was first released. Anyhow the section is as good as it can get, showing a number of exercises to do while strapped into a machine. This is limited but the presentation is good.

Five minutes of review finishes the volume off in style. Bill comes across as an extremely knowledgeable and affable person. You can tell he is a great instructor with lots of experience with the material. The credit say written and performed by Bill Wallace and the preparation shows, unlike some instructionals where the presenter stumbles along never quite sure what to say Bill comes ready to deliver This video is full of traditional Karate or Tae Kwon Do class stretches. I am sure that trained kiniesologist or physiologists or whoever would wince but Bill Wallace is a trained martial arts stretchologist. I trust him to know from experience how to make me be able to kick high.

The video is clear, the sound is good, no annoying Panther slomo repeats. It is a quality show.

Fighting Strategies of Muay Thai
Author: Mark Van Schuyver with Kru Pedro Solana Villalobos
Pages: ~130

Another skinny Muay Thai book. I bought mine cheap on Ebay but last I looked it was still available online at Chapters.ca and Amazon. There is no cover price on my copy but it runs low. You should be able to get it for around $20.

I have mixed thoughts on this book. It is well written and clearly explained. The production quality is good. Unfortunately the whole book reads more as a commercial for Villalobos' school than a book about Muay Thai. To me it comes off resoundingly tacky.

Although clearly presented there is nothing new in the history or technique sections of this book. Usually there is some insight to why a move is done or an explanation that tackles the art from a different perspective, that is not the case in this volume.

The book moves into a training section where more advertisement occurs: "Since Villalobos has 12 bags in his school..." Who cares, is this guy the only person to have bags hanging? Would have been better presented as 'with access to a heavybag you can do this...' The book is full of little appeals to the person Villalobos not the art of Muay Thai. It drove me nuts.

The weight training section of this book is thankfully short. Ignore it completely and get a better book on sports conditioning. What is printed in the book is once again credited as Villalobos' personal workout, like we should do it just because he does, no science or logic at all.

The sections on fighter types and battle strategy are almost as hokey. Questionaires help you determine which type you are so you can better adjust you training. Not bad in theory I guess but I sum my thoughts up this way: One of the photos in this section shows Villalobos looming over four kneeling fighters and the caption reads "Villalobos and all four types of fighters: aggressive, elusive, counter and tricky. As a universal fighter, Villalobos uses all four styles." How does this guy stand up with his head swollen up like that. Considering he is credited with 15 fights in the back of the book I question his right to the title Universal Soldier or whatever.

There are some good parts to the volume. The glimpse of Villalobos curriculum is interesting and the standard Muay Thai training regimen is worthy of a quick look. There is a short vocabulary included which may make a nice reference.

Overall the book is low on my list of recommendations. These two: Legacy and Distinguished are much better use of money. The section on Thailand which is noted in the subtitle "Secrets of Thailand's Fighting Camps" is a few pages long, the rest is a basic commercial.

Killer Chicken Wings - Advanced
Eric Paulson
Buy it here
approximately 55 mins

I really enjoyed this video. Eric is a good instructor, clearly demonstrating the technique and packs each display with a lot of the little tips that make a difference. Hand placements, hip movement, every little thing.

The video is more advanced than the first doing chicken wing/kimura attacks from the guard; top and bottom position. Rolling moves into the chicken wing and of course being Eric Paulson some defense against leg locks and some variations into leg locks when the chicken wing doesn't succeed.

The video is shot like a small seminar. Eric displays the moves and really defines the important parts of each. This is well captured with steady camera work and good angles. After each set of moves are displayed the tape breaks into a training the techniques section. In these parts the small group of people practicing are shown doing the moves. It is apparent that skill levels are different in the group giving an idea what various scenarios arise while training. All the while Eric is moving about and coaching each pair through the technique. This is invaluable as I am sure I have run into the very issues that Eric is helping these people through. A great idea.

If I had to pick something that wasn't the best, it would have to be sound quality. At times it faded somewhat but never enough that Eric can't be heard, I did have to turn the volume up twice to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Well worth the investment. I play this one a lot.

Ultimate Fight Night on Spike TV

I love Spike TV.

Leben vs Rivera
Chris Leben wins by convincing punching over Jorge Rivera. Whatever, I still don't like the guy. Not the kind of person I like to see representing the sport. Maybe his TUF persona was an act but it has coloured my opinion forever, first impressions and all that. It is getting hard to ignore his winning though.

Josh Burkman vs Drew Fickett
Burkman by guillitine choke ove the not quite so masterful Ficket(on this night anyhow). This match lasted just over a minute. That's two quick ones, I am holding out to see Jason von Flue on TV tonight. Two wins and Burkman is blabbing about 'his' title, thought saying he respects Matt HUghes and really wants Diego 'Dirty' Sanchez.

The historic hype announcement is coming. Going to shake the MMA world they say. If it is the Royce Gracie rumour that is floating around the Internet, I can really say I am more interested in Spike TV's new Blade series. Couture -Liddell 3 is getting the full treatment. But another mega fight is coming. Dana introduces the 'greatest weltterweight of all time' and the country music plays as Hughes wanders down to the cage(wonder how BJ Penn feels about that). His opponent appears to chimes of the original UFC theme, "the greatest fighter to ever step into the octagon" Royce Gracie. Blah. He is right, he did build the house but is it his anymore? Or did he forfeit on the mortgage by staying away so long? When does Blade start?

Bonnar vs Irvin
Maybe I'll get to see a flying knee knockout, that would make my night. Bonnar is okay, I like his interviews and he does fight well but for some reason I just don't care when he fights. Bonnar pushes Irvin up to the fence and takes him down. Some half guard scrambling takes place, a few light punches from Stefan and a Kimura/jujigatame attempt leads to Irvin springing up to his feet, only to be brought back down. Bonnar sinks a scary deep kimura/hammer lock and butIrvin won't tap, finally he does and Herb Dean stops the fight, probably saving the arm serious damage. Followed by another good interview by Stefan.

Goulet vs Ludwig
The lead in for this match lasted longer than the match itself. Goulet came right out of it after his head bounced off the floor. I thought at first it was stopped a little early, Bang landed hard but I thought Goulet would have been able to fight. His legs buckled and hit fell hard though so I guess it was fair. I expected better from Goulet I guess, oh well, more of both please. Especially if I can get a chance to hear Bas in the corner.

Sylvia vs Silva
Interesting move for Silva getting into a guardlike position with his back against the fence, making Tim hold both their weight up. It has to be stopped as Tim's pants are falling off. Lots of clinch work stops the long arms of Sylvia but nothing interesting happens. It gets separated again. Tim flurries and even jumps in with a knee, twicw. Lots of straight knees in the clinch. Silva absorbs it all and the fight goes to round two.

Silva opens with a spinning back kick to no avail. Silva continues to take shots from the outside and trys to bait Sylvia down to the ground but its a nogo. Silva gets inside and lands some good punches, cutting up Tim. again intot he standing guard move. When it breaks Silva is confident and it shows. Tim's reach keeps him honest though. Tim gets his own spinning kick and Silva nods. Tim gets a take down off a kick, off to round three.

another big spinning wheel kick for Silva to open. Silva is a little more offensive than Tim at the beginning. he is having a hard time getting inside though. Silva gets in and gets suplex position, Tim cheats and holds the fence. Jumping guard to make Tim hold the weight again. It gets broken up to the middle again. Silva lands the spinning back kick and gets a minor takedown that Tim recovers from quickly. Tim wins the last of the round by staying outside. Is it enough to put him over in the judges eyes?
Yep. 30-27 in two judges eyes which confuses me somewhat, I thought he won but not that convincingly. Arvloski is next.

Overall a great show. It's free and had good fights. Did I mention I love Spike TV?

True Life: I am a Muay Thai Fighter.
~45 mins.

I grabbed this tape from a friend of mine. Originally aired on MTV I guess as the True Life series is labeled as such. The show follows two fighters from Master Toddy's gym in Las Vegas as they prepare to fight a bare knuckle match in Thailand. Kit Cope and a fellow named Ben train hard for a great adventure.

Being an MTV production the quality and editing etc are great. This is not a homemade video. Good musical score enhances the tense fight sections etc. Overall, this is a plus for the show.

I only know about Kit from this show and his recent appearance vs Ken Florian in the UFC. The guy does come off as an asshole, really he does. However as the show goes on I really found myself liking both of the fighters. I think alot of the machismo is for show and getting himself hyped up.

I thought the training footage of Master Toddy's gym was interesting. Maybe someday I'll actually take that trip to his weeklong training camp I have been day-dreaming about. I'll have to get in better shape first, they didn't pull any stops getting ready for the trip.

The fight section was a bit of a letdown. Kit's fight was short and honestly it didn't look like his opponent was all that good. I have watched plenty of matchs from Thailand and have seen much better fighters than this guy. However maybe Kit was that good that his opponent looked bad. It could happen. I wish however they had spent some time introducing the opponents and why it was valuable to be able to beat them. As far as I know it was some guy who hadn't fought in 5 years and recently underwent hernia surgery. Probably not but the point stands.

Overall I found the show entertaining and any martial art fan should take the time to watch it. Look for the reruns.

Thai Boxing Dynamite: The Explosive Art of Muay Thai
Author: Zoran Rebac
116 Pages

First thing you'll notice is this is a skinny book. Because of the small number of pages there isn't a lot of room to be real thourough in covering the art. Like most books on the subject it has sections on history and origins of Thaiboxing, basics of stance and attacking weapons. Just compressed into a small space, affording only a page or two to each topic.

The print is very small in this book, the chapter and section headings are so similar to the body text it is extremely hard to tell when one section ends and a new one begins. Also the descriptions in the text refers to the pictures, in some cases these pictures are on other pages. Sometimes the page ahead and other the page behind. This inconsistency makes for another hurdle for reading clarity.

There is good info in the book. Tips on when to use the techniques, some rudimentary items on setting up combinations and sparring information. Also the pictures are quite clear and have captured some good action.

It is an older book and though I just recently purchased it via Ebay, I could imagine in 1987, when this first came out, it would have been a breath of fresh air. Now, it is really a second tier book when compared to other newer titles. Buy it second hand or from Amazon.com cheap if you are a collector, otherwise check one of these two books: Distinguished or Legacy.

Muay Thai: The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting.
Authors: Panya Kraitus & Dr. Pitisuk Kraitus
244 Pages.

I bought this online here: www.dcothai.com/product_info.php?products_id=186
It was 12$ US there, shipping seem a lot at first but added up it was still cheaper than getting from North America. I can't remember exactly what it came to in Canadian dollars, but who cares buy it anyway. Shipping took about 3 weeks.

What can I say about this book that hasn't been said. Pretty much the most thorough book on the subject matter ever produced. I'll get to that but first that bad news.

Unfortunately this book suffers from some awful production quality. The text's font changes in mid paragraph and for no apparent reason. Sometimes it seems as though it is for emphasis but other times it just appears to be a whim. It is quite distracting in some cases.

Adding to the distraction is the sentence structure etc.. The book was clearly written by someone who speaks English as a second language. Much better than my Thai so who am I to complain? However in the sense of learning and understanding the work it is a negative.

Once last thing pretty much the only colour, glossy pages are advertisements. Yep in a book, a few sections of ads, that look like they belong in a magazine. Pictures of past seminars are one thing but some are obviously paid for advertisements. Not normal for a book in my experience. The rest of the pages are plain paper, black and white but all very clear photos and fonts (with the font change exceptions).

On to the good, and there is lots. Like many books on the subject, this one starts with history, ceremony, equipment and the Wai Khruu. It is very thorough in these aspects and the pictures are very interesting. The comprises about 90 pages of the book afterwhich the gem of the volume is discovered.

Chapter 23 shows clear drawings of the Mae Mai and Luk Mai. To me this is the greatest part of the book. Some of the techniques can be hard to follow at first but well worth the time to reread until you figure out what is going on. This section proves there is so much more to Muay Thai than round kick and teep. Buy the book for this section and everything else is a bonus.

The last half of the book is dedicated to the different attacking weapons of Thai Boxing. Lots of good pictures with plenty of description of when and how to use the attack and how to defend against it. I found it had quite a lot more variations than other books on the subject, the elbow and knee sections among my favourites. One thing missing, like in other books, is the clinch.

This book is considered "The" Muay Thai book for good reason. Really no practioner, or even fan of the sport should be without it.

Check out this related book : Legacy

Ultimate Randy Couture

This video is about an hour long and picks up with Randy's last fight as a heavyweight, his broken eyesocket bone and coming back to fight Chuck Liddell.

Randy talks about his thoughts on his punching display in the fight against the Iceman and his head-faking the takedowns. Great input from Randy but I saw this fight before, I have it on tape to watch the whole thing if I want to, I don't need to see so much of it again. The first third of this show is about this fight.

At about 16 minute mark the show picks up. Enter Tito and the training footage and hype talk starts. That lasts maybe two minutes and we watch recaps for the rest of the twenty-five minutes given to this fight and Randy's comment on the spanking wasn't worth the wait.

On to Vitor Belfort twice. Not as an exciting opening to the segment as the last but just a replay of stock footage used in the PPV ads. Eventually works its way back to the second fight and Randy's insights. Unfortunately there was even less of Randy and more replay of an old fight in this segment. I almost hit fast forward. I saw this before and Randy's comments were about the colour of his shorts not the fight.

I consider Randy Couture an ideal person to use the term Ultimate Fighter, this program just did not live up to him. My verdict is unless it shows up in WalMart's discount bin don't spend money on this. If you can borrow it like I did from a chump friend who buys all PPVs, it can't hurt to watch.

Muay Thai: A Living Legacy
Authors – KatPrayukvong & Lesley D. Junlakan
~300 pages
$40 US or $62 Cdn cover price

I picked this book up in a Barnes & Nobles on a recent work trip to San Jose . You should be able to find it anywhere, including Amazon.

Right off the bat; this is a great book. I rank it tied for first with my other favourite Muay Thai tome, The Most Distinguished Art of Fighting by Kraitus et al. Both are wonderful books for slightly different reasons.

Where A Living Legacy stands out is in production quality. The back of the book credits at least twenty people as part of the team. A mixture of consultants, models, photographers etc. I am sure others books have large teams working on them to but this group did a wonderful job.

Absolutely beautiful full colour pictures and maps adorn pretty near every page and a pull out Wai Khru poster is included in a rear pocket. Those combined with clear, well formatted text makes this book a joy to read and one that hasn't made it onto my shelf yet. It takes a preferred location on the living room coffee table where I can pick it up and browse and even share with friends who know little of martial arts.

The book opens with a great history section. The first four chapters are devoted to giving an understanding of where the art came from and gives a small glimpse into why it is so important as the national sport of Thailand. I like this part of the book, and though I have read some of these legends before they are presented in a fresh, clear style that makes them among the best tellings I've seen. Three full colour, pictures show the differences in equipment used in the traditional, modern professional and amateur aspects of the sport the some wonderful pages on the various rituals involved with different aspects of the art lead the reader into technique.

Three chapters, about 150 pages of this book is dedicated to technique. This section begins like many other books with discussions on warm-ups, stance, target areas and hand-wrapping. A stand out in chapter 6 is a three page foldout depicting the movements of Yaang Saam Khun, forwards and backwards.

The book moves smoothly to a collection of basic moves. Each type of move; punch, kick, knee, etc is given its own section. Good lead in paragraphs contain tips and tricks for each weapon and then pages of detailed photos and descriptions follow. There is a lot of basic stuff here. That isn't a complaint, I have been doing Muay Thai for a few years and still found these pages captivating. I always feel I can learn something when seeing it from a different perspective anyhow.

There are a few things that a beginner may not see for a while in class, like the jumping round kick and the infamous Jerakhae Faad Hang spinning kick. Mostly though this book contains a good solid base of simple techniques with the added bonus of having the techniques named in English, Romanized Thai and Thai Script.

The last chapter is called Basic Plus and is a quick look at putting combos together or defending and countering. The version of this book I have is labeled Vol.1. There are other hints that more books will be on the way. Hopefully they will pick up from Chapter 8 and show us more of this material and more on the Clinch.

The last line on the back cover is ...No lover of the martial arts can afford not to buy this book. I agree.