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
Monday, February 13, 2006
Friday, February 10, 2006
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
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.
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.
Friday, January 20, 2006
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.
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.
Monday, January 16, 2006
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?
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.
~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.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
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.
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.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
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
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.
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.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
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.
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