#152 Bangsaen Tor. Kotsan #2 | High Level Ruup & Control Over Space (Boxing & Muay Thai)

This is Bangsaen's 2nd entry into the Muay Thai Library. I recommend watching the first session, but it's not important to see it before this one; you can watch in any order. He was an established Muay Thai fighter with more than 100 fights out in the provinces, before making his debut in the stadia of Bangkok. After a series of 11 Knockouts, Mr. Songchai suggested that Bangsaen go into boxing and sent him to train under the legendary Arjan Surat, and fight amateur for the Thai National Team. After a few years of that Bangsaen turned pro and fought for 4 years, with about 19 pro fights. He is not a trainer at the Chor. Hapayak Gym north of Bangkok, a gym with an impressively large stable of fighters from the minimum weights for Bangkok (100 lbs) to the 140 lb international fighters for Entertainment Muay Thai.

What to Look Out For:

1) The Overall Dominance of the Golden Age: everything that is about to follow is a demonstration of the elements required for a fighter to be dominant in the Golden Age. It's principles like balance, ruup, offense and defense, control of distance, how to generate power and accuracy with economy of effort... this whole session is a long-form illustration of all of these principles.

2) Deep Twist: the deep twisting that Bangsaen uses to both slip/defend and simultaneously set up for a counter is foundational to generating power in Muay Thai. He uses footwork to cut angles, control distance, and deliver him wherever he needs to go, but it's the core that makes everything he throws insanely accurate and powerful.

3) Carrying Weight/Power Over the Feet: control of distance is one of the most important elements of fighting. Takrowlek said it best: "whoever controls the distance, controls the fight." Bangsaen is always over his feet. He does not use a lot of leaning, either forward or back, unless he's balanced right over his feet. Every weapon is delivered on the stable cart of his legs and feet.

4) Ruup: the overall posture that Bangsaen has almost never changes. He looks like he's in his own movie, standing with knees bent, torso somewhat curved but upright, and arms pinned to his ribs. From here he can defend, strike, angle, spoil, trip, sweep... anything. His ruup allows him to do anything and hide everything.

5) Ruk/Rap: these are concepts that mean to be on the offense (ruk) or defense (rap), and Bangsen utilizes the two seamlessly. Every strike has defense built in. Every block or pivot has the counter cocked and loaded.

6) His Head Kick: this is just beautiful and it's so gorgeous precisely because of all of the things listed above. He throws this headkick from elbowing range, seemingly out of nowhere, precisely because he has the twist, the weight transfer, the ruup, the offense/defense throughout all his movement anyway. So he doesn't give anything away by a sudden change in posture. Rather, he builds every weapon out of his base posture.

The Dejrat Coaching Tree

As a student of Arjan Surat, Bangsaen is part of the Dejrat gym coaching tree, a measure of which we've been able to document in the Muay Thai Library. Several of Arjan Surat, as well as these three Golden Age fighters who fought under him. We have two from Arjan Surat, two from Bangsaen, and one each from Takrowlek and Chatchainoi. You can find them all here. Just keyword search. One of the great gyms in the history of the sport, still training champion-level stadium fighters.

Other Sessions Referenced, these are like deep study footnotes to the audio commentary:

#130 Sagat Petchyindee #5 - The Coil and the Uppercut (70 min) watch it here

#90 Arjan Surat 2 - His Old School Tough & Defensive Style (94 min) watch it here

#140 Weerapol Sahaprom - Symmetry and Power in Boxing & Muay Thai (1 hr, 40 min) watch it here or podcast here 

#133 Bangsaen Tor. Kotsan - Central Core, Boxing & Muay Thai (85 min) watch it here, podcast here

#143 Takrowlek Dejrat - Master of the Low Kick (90 min) watch it here 

#111 The Karuhat Rosetta Stone 7 - The Secrets of the Matador (83 min) watch it here

Boxing for Muay Thai:

#148 Anantasak Panyuthapum | Boxing, Elbows and The Feet (80 min) watch it here

#109 Chatchai Sasakul 3 - Developing Rhythm & Precision (1 hr, 46 min) watch it here

#71 Napapol Giatsakchokchai - Powerful Boxing For Muay Thai (81 min) watch it here

#35 Yodsanan Sityodtong - Southpaw Tactics & Power (86 min) watch it here

#115 Eagle Den Junlaphan 2 - Boxing Within Muay Thai (66 min) watch it here

 Arjan Surat holding the bag for Bangsaen, in preparation for a fight.

 An article announcing an upcoming boxing bout for Bangsaen, broadcast on Channel 7.

Kevin's photographs up close from Bangsaen's Head Kick:

Watch Bangsaen pick his Top 5 Greatest and why

Interview with Bangsaen from the 1st session:

watch the interview here, public on YouTube

If you enjoyed this session, these are MTL sessions on similiar themes:

#133 Bangsaen Tor. Kotsan - Central Core, Boxing & Muay Thai (85 min) watch it here, podcast here

Just a tremendous session with a great kru of Chor. Hapayak gym, teaching core principles of staying in your frame, fighting and defending out of your center, bringing together the forms of Western Boxing and Thailand's Muay Thai. Reach back into the history of Thailand's Boxing and Muay Thai synthesis.

#140 Weerapol Sahaprom - Symmetry and Power in Boxing & Muay Thai (1 hr, 40 min) watch it here or podcast here 

The absolute legend Weerapol shares the principles behind his amazing career. 3 times he was the Rajadamern Champion in the Golden Age, and then he went onto become a WBC and WBA World Boxing Champion. 15 years of Muay Thai, 15 years as a boxer. Discover the beauty and power of his style, one of the best Thai fighters in history.

#123 Samson Isaan 4 - Secrets Of His Pressure Fighting (122 min) watch it here

Our most extensive documentation yet of one of the most relentless pressure fighters of the Golden Age of Muay Thai. 2 hours of work on all the small things, the weight transfers, angles, tempos and techniques that made the 1991 Fighter of the Year such a wrecking ball with heavy hands and endless clinch.

#142 Arjan Metprik Silachai 2 - Relentless Pace & Low Kick Attack (69 min)  watch it here or podcast here

 This is really an invaluable session as it really captures one of the oldest, most effective branches of Thailand's Muay Thai. Arjan Metprik of Khorat, who was Lumpinee Champion in 1970, and kru of the famed Thongchai Tor Silachai (FOTY 2001), really goes through all the elements of his advancing, pressuring, highly defended Muay Maat and lowkick style. One of the great coaches in Thai history. 

#60 Sagat Petchindee 3 - All the Strikes Tuned and Dangerous (101 min) watch it here

One of the great, legendary names of Thailand, Sagat Petchyindee the inspiration for the Street Fighter character, goes through his entire striking philosophy with lots of technical correction and fine tuning. See the secret to his creation of smooth, efficient, explosive power, and witness the amazing man himself.

#96 Hippy Singmanee 3 - Basics of Balance, Rhythm & Footwork (75 min) watch it here

When a legend of the sport teaches you the core basics of Golden Age Muay Thai you stop and listen. These movements are essential for reaching higher levels of fighting, and Hippy - who was probably the best small fighter of his time, always fighting up - teaches these movements to his own young fighters. Build from the ground up.

#74 Samson Isaan 2 - Muay Khao & Western Boxing Excellence (59 min) watch it here

In 1991 there was no fighter more of a force than Samson Isaan, who took Fighter of the Year then. His relentless style combining Muay Maat punching aggression with Knee Fighting pressure and clinch made him a wrecking ball. In this session discover what made this little fighter so impossible to handle.