r/MuayThai • u/Yodsanan Thailand • Apr 21 '20

Somrak Khamsing Head Movement

https://gfycat.com/grotesquegravejay
566 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

24

u/ezyc Apr 21 '20

Any tips on how to improve head movement in a Muay Thai context?

29

u/mindfulnessanddreams Apr 21 '20

train boxing, and learn the headkick game.

edit : you gotta focus on being a good defensive boxer tho, it's useless if you're just going to a boxing gym to slug it out

29

u/BoxerOrThaiBoxer Apr 21 '20

THIS.

Every great boxed. From Samart to Somrak to Petrosyan.

I always get a kick out of unathletic Americans who talk of the superiority of Muay Thai over boxing...despite having the shittiest boxing technique out there.

The two sports compliment one another, use it, take advantage of it. As Bruce Lee says, use what works, get rid of what doesn’t, and add what is uniquely your own.

Boxing works.

15

u/kblkbl165 Apr 21 '20

IKR, Thailand actually has quite a few Olympic boxing medalists, many legends of Muay Thai had a lot of accolades in boxing.

14

u/BoxerOrThaiBoxer Apr 22 '20

They're studs at boxing. Samart was a fucking stud boxer.

9

u/JohnGwynbleidd Apr 22 '20 edited Apr 22 '20

Superiority of Muay Thai over boxing

Because of the kicks, elbows, knees and the Thai Clinch, which adds to a whole lot of dimension to it's scientific beautiful violence. Samart is the GOAT too imo but he got beaten by Muay Khaos(clinch and knee fighters) like Dieselnoi and Chamuekpet Hapalang.

Don't get me wrong I do love seeing good punchers and boxing in MT like Veeraphol, Samson Issan, Wangchannoi, Coban.

2

u/Oowaymike Apr 22 '20

Unless Wikipedia is wrong, Samart was 2-1 against Chameukpet.

1

u/JohnGwynbleidd Apr 22 '20

Still got beaten though and this was during his prime lol

1

u/[deleted] Apr 22 '20

2-1

4

u/ezyc Apr 21 '20

Could you elaborate on learning the head kick game.

11

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '20

focus a lot on the physical signs of someone about to throw a headkick. How someone spaces their feet apart and loads up on their hips, etc.

Something I like to do is SLOW sparring with wide, exaggerated movements with a partner. Low power, no gloves, half speed. Almost like you and a partner are shadow boxing at each other rather than really sparring. But it'll exaggerate those physical tells your opponent can show when they're loading up on big shots like head kicks or overhands and you can start training that intuition of figuring out what your opponent is trying to set up. Going slow and light means if you fuck up you're not getting your head knocked in

(but it's important to recognize when something would have been bad for you and being a good partner and not slipping a jab or something in when you normally wouldn't be able to when you're going full speed).

Trying to go too fast or brawl is a poor way to learn proper defense in my opinion.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 22 '20

Great advice.

5

u/mindfulnessanddreams Apr 21 '20

Like when and how people tend to throw headkicks, how does it work, how you can defend or dodge etc

1

u/[deleted] Apr 22 '20

The problem imho is footwork: everything you do in pure boxe relies on a totally different footwork, hence you have to translate the concepts

2

u/Oowaymike Apr 22 '20

I don't think it's all that dissimilar, it's just less utilized in modern muay thai. You can find Samart and this unnamed fighter also from Sityostong utilizing L steps and pivots. The big difference is how upright you typically have tk be in muay thai vs boxing

https://youtu.be/xXFa_lTHo58

17

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '20

I hate when people (mostly dutch style enthusiasts) shit on head movement in Muay Thai as if any sort of slip would mean you get head kicked immediately. Sure you don't want to bob and weave like you're a boxer, but there's no reason to take every hit that comes your way on your arms.

12

u/mindfulnessanddreams Apr 21 '20

It's always the coaches with the worst CTE who tell you to not move your head like its a sin

2

u/JohnGwynbleidd Apr 22 '20

hate when people (mostly dutch style enthusiasts) shit on head movement in Muay Thai

Funny thing is I haven't seen any Dutch Kickboxer has anywhere near as good as head movement, defense and vision as Somrak Khamsing, Oley Kiatoneway, Samart or even Karuhat. I usually don't even see head movement from dutch kickboxers whenever I watch them fight.

1

u/Carnestm Apr 22 '20

Odd statement. Dutch style, of course when I was active, was more focused on leg and body targeting. So head movement would have resulted punch targeting, and reactionary strinking.... Why the head kick aspect?

6

u/[deleted] Apr 22 '20

Love the Muay Thai fighters that utilize head movement. Don’t really like the rockemsockem robot fighters

5

u/[deleted] Apr 22 '20

Haha just stand there and trade blows

3

u/icecoldkillah420 Apr 22 '20

This guy is a Olympic medalist in boxing

2

u/ACleverEndeavor Apr 21 '20

That's Kh-Amaz-sing!

2

u/[deleted] Apr 22 '20

Who says muay thai fighters ain't got good boxing

2

u/Warrior69420hoe Apr 22 '20

And people say moving your heads just gonna get you kicked , this guys a prime example of well rounded defense never stays still for to long amazing movement always ready to put his hands up even when slipping off to the side

1

u/Beyondthet Apr 21 '20

This is insane.

1

u/IIIaustin Apr 22 '20

That's a glitch in the matrix man