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Jampatong Na Nonthachai - The Master of the Head Kick (63 min)

Added 2021-07-10 16:50:00 +0000 UTC

This is one of my favorite sessions in the whole Library, it expresses so much what the Library is about: preserving and archiving the Muay that is disappearing from the world. Jampatong was a formidable head-kick KO artist of the Golden Age. He was 118 lb Rajadamnern Stadium Champion and has a string of KO victories over some of the greatest that the Golden Age has to offer: Sangtiennoi, Chamuakpet, Seancherng, just to name a few. And the greatest notch on his belt was not one, but two wins vs Samart Payakaroon. There are Fighters who have that one thing you have to watch out for: Yodkhunpon's elbows, for example; Jampatong's head kick; Dieselnoi's knees - opponents know. Promoters know. The fans know. So that fighter has to become incredibly good at getting to that signature weapon, which makes them so much greater than the history books ever let on. Given all that, Jampatong is 60 years old and hasn't done any Muay Thai in 30 years. 30 years. He runs a restaurant in Nonthaburi, where he and his older brother grew up and made names for themselves; he's the younger brother of Gulapkaw, also in the Muay Thai Library, 135 lb Rajadamnern Champion and now manager at the famed Jitmuangnon Gym. Jampatong's Muay would never be passed on, he's not a teacher. He was 30 years removed from the sport. But now, incredibly, he's in the Library, both his Muay and his shyness and even his little sadistic streak. Not only that, but Gulapkaw helped with the session, as his brother has been out of the gym for so long, and watching the two of them put on gloves and spar - transforming themselves into teenage siblings playing at the gym - is one of my favorite experiences... and it's on video. I love it. [Note: a thank you to Ryan on Twitter who alerted us to Jampatong, when he answered the question Kevin asked: Who is the most underrated Thai fighter by the West in history?]

The structure of this session is also a beautiful example of why the long-form instruction of the Muay Thai Library is so important. You get to see the personalities of Gulapkaw, Jampatong, and Kru Din - you also get to see their interactions with each other. Jampatong was so shy, it took a few minutes to settle everything in, but then he's able to just start observing and remembering, moving and teaching. This is one of those amazing "jam session" type Library entries... they're always amazing. So, you're getting input from 3 nakmuay, really.

What to Look Out For:

1) Sammadi or Focus: Gulapkaw is the first to instruct and he reiterates what he emphasized in his own session in the Muay Thai Library, which is that you have to truly picture an opponent when you're shadowboxing. It can't be meaningless movement, you want to be thinking, responding, calculating and controlling your opponent.

2) Arm Hook Trip: I was trying to trip Kru Din in an arm-hook position in the clinch. I have one hand on the neck and one looped around his arm, he's pretty well locked up. I was trying to trip him over his outside foot, but Gulapkaw teaches how much easier and more effective it is to use my inside leg against his inside leg and pull him over that.

3) That F***ing Right Cross: this is the Nor Nonthachai cross, it's terrifying. It's at the end of the session when Jampatong really shows me how it works, but I'm mentioning it early because he hits me with it and Gulapkaw does it as well, much earlier in the session. You drag your knuckles down or across your opponent's face, it reads as very short even though it's not a short punch. It's so, so accurate though. Jampatong does the same thing with a jab. He just peels your face off with it.

4) Set Up for a Head Kick: Jampatong's initial demonstration of his head kick is to throw a few open-side, lead leg body kicks. Get your opponent dropping their elbow down to block it, or bracing to take it, then just kick over it and Lights Out. It's brilliant for a couple reasons, 1) you get the opponent distracted by the body kicks so they don't anticipate the head kick; 2) you get them distracted so they try to deal with the scoring kick, then just get KOd; 3) you get them feeling like, "eh, that's not so bad" and they lean into it, then they get KOd.

5) Distance and Opportunity: Jampatong wants to stay close all the time. He can land his head kick from jabbing distance, so that's basically where he wants to hang. He teeps and body kicks, body punches; anything to annoy the opponent into having to bat his strikes away. That opens up for the head kick.... but he's scoring all the time if the opponent doesn't go for the bait. He can also just push your guard hand out of the way and kick over it. He's a nightmare.

6) The Standing Foot: Jampatong's standing leg made me crazy. I was watching him execute these head kicks and they are absolutely indistinguishable from a body kick. The adjustment is in his hip and only in his hip. His head doesn't dip, his standing foot doesn't pivot... nothing. He just angles his standing foot out a bit and blam-o.

7) Insistence and Power: the last segment of this session is on a bag, practicing the head kick. My flexibility isn't the same as Jampatong, neither is Gulapkaw, so we each have to make slight adjustments to the form in order to get our legs up. You want to land with your shin, not your foot, so you really have to drop onto the neck. Gulapkaw twists his standing foot to make this happen. I dip my head a bit to make this happen. Jampatong does neither, he's amazing. But as I'm practicing and he's holding the bag, Jampatong is tapping my standing leg to threaten kicking it out - I just have to believe in the stability and not be bothered by it. He also punches my face to keep my hand up. The two weaknesses of a headkick addressed as I burn on a bag. Totally. Learn to believe in your balance and protection; insist on it.

8) Tight Shots: everything Jampatong throws hurts. He says you don't have to use a lot of power, he actually answers "tammada" when I ask whether or not you kick or punch hard, the word just means "average" or "normal." But when you feel it, his strikes are so accurate they hurt like crazy, even though he's not throwing hard. He hooks me through my guard and it could knock someone out through a block, through a glove, even though he's just going "average." Because it's so tight and accurate. It's that roll of the shoulder and the scraping of the knuckle. Damn.

Kevin's Stills from the Session (find his photography here)

You can browse all the other photos here.

Jampatong Picks His 5 Greatest Fighters of All Time

You can watch this here

If you enjoyed this session, these are sessions you might also enjoy, femeu kicking oriented styles:

#57 Boonlai Sor. Thanikul - Kicking Excellence (66 min) watch it here

One of the most asked for sessions by patrons, and it took well over a year to find and arrange filming with Boonlai. A legendary fighter of the Golden Age who beat some of the greatest fighters of his day (Karuhat, Namkabuan, Langsuan, etc), with such a beautiful kicking attack. Learn the secrets of his head kick, along with some beautiful slow-motion capture.

#47 Silapathai Jockygym - Master of Teep Distance (64 min) watch it here

One of the great femeu fighters of the Golden Age unlocks the secret of his teep oriented dominance which made him one of the most difficult fighters to face in his day. The lessons here are precious as he unfolds the details of how to use the teep and tempo to always put the fight where you want it.

#82 Chanchai Sor. Tummarungsri - The King of Teeps (54 min) watch it here

Perhaps in all the Library there is no session more devoted to, and detailing of the art of the teep. Chanchai is a Golden Age legend known for his undefeatable teep, and clearly has spent many years dissecting all the small parts that make his teep so incredible, so students can learn it for themselves. Dive into the art of the teep in this one!

#40 Gen Hongthonglek - Muay Femeu Tactics & Mindset (70 min) watch it here

The Muay Femeu (artful fighting) style is more than just a set of techniques, it's also a mindset and strategy of how to score, and how to score big. The warfare is not just in terms of damage, but of psychology, displaying dominance through skill and timing. Gen in this hour outlines how he likes to fight, and how he pulls off the biggest scores at the right time.

#11 Karuhat Sor. Supawan Session 2 - Float and Shock (82 min) watch it here

In this session one of the greatest fighters who ever lived really digs into what must lie beneath techniques, a general state of relaxation and rhythm, the thing that made him one of the most dynamic fighters Lumpinee has ever seen.

And if you missed it, here is his brother's entry in the Muay Thai Library:

#105 Gulapkao Nor. Nonthachai - Old School Forms & Rhythms (53 min) watch it here

Gulapkao is a Old School champion who know manages the famous JItmuangnon gym in Bangkok. Here I learn just how important the hips are to techniques, the ways they provide explosive power can create balance. Concepts such as the visualization of opponents, and an absolutely beautiful attacking knee bring together a great teaching session.