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.