Tak Cho. Nateetong - Art of Femeu Interruptions and Balance (73 min)

You can enjoy this Library session as a podcast, including our added Library Coffee thoughts here.

Kru Tak is one of these incredibly difficult fighters to stand in front of. He's constantly slipping and tagging and annoying you. I remember Joe "Hongthongnoi," who is himself a Muay Khao fighter, saying that the job of a Femeu fighter is to "annoy." Indeed. But that kind of skill requires a lot of relaxation and timing, which Kru Tak not only has in droves, but is also able to break down into teachable segments.

Tak is a natural Southpaw, but he encourages switching of stance, so long as it's productive and reasonable in a natural movement. It's an enthusiasm for symmetry and being able to move from anywhere, to anywhere, etc. A few of my favorite moments from this session require simply stepping backwards (one step) into your opposite stance and slamming your opponent with an immediate counter.

Some things to look out for: 

1) Step Back to Lead Hook: from an Orthodox stance, take one step backwards as your opponent is advancing and throw your lead hook. Because they're coming forward, you're either hitting them in their blind spot or in their open side, depending on if they stepped with their front or back foot. It's so smooth.

2) Step Back and Lead Kick: this one is hard. You step back and then launch the leg that's in front after you've stepped back. It requires control of your weight. It's not a power kick, it's a true Femeu "annoy you" kick.

3) Balance is Everything: Tak has me do floating blocks, floating blocks to teeps and counters, punches off of caught kicks, etc. Every single one of these requires total balance. People want to be like Saenchai and dance around everywhere, but really a true Femeu style is about balance.

4) Caught Kick Counters: when your kick is caught, you can point your knee down and continue with a follow-through to slip your leg out, or you can point your knee up and straighten your leg to keep your opponent back. In both cases, not over-rotating and keeping your shoulder "open" allows you to throw more counters.

5) Stepping Outside: part of balance and power is keeping your feet outside your opponent's stance. So you're always, always stepping just slightly outside of their stance as you're advancing, going backwards, slipping, stepping off, pivoting and landing your own strikes.

6) The Push-Pull in Clinch: this is awesome. You force your opponent into a state of tension that allows you to rip them around anywhere and land your knees. My favorite is simply shoving the opponent (from the arms) backwards so they tense, then pulling them into you while you step back and knee. Or turn them as you pull, that's even better.

7) Teeping with the Claw Foot: I've learned this before but Tak is the first to really let me understand how the "claw" of the toes and the angle of the foot work together. It hurts, man.

The Library Coffee Session

Something we've been adding are our Library Coffee sitdown discussions right after filming with a particular kru or legend , opening up some of the larger ideas found in each special private. Check out what we thought after filming with Tak:

watch on YouTube here 

Listen as a Podcast

Tak Cho. Nateetong Library Coffee Podcast #4 (for iTunes)

If you Enjoyed This Session Here are Others on Similar Themes

#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.

#27 Karuhat Sor. Supawan - Tension & Kicking Dynamics (104 min) watch it here 

Karuhat, a fighter with perhaps the slickest style of any Golden Age great, shows the importance of tension, and patiently goes through correcting the kick, making it quicker and much harder to read.

#12 Andy Thomson - Mad Scientist of Muay Thai  (56 min) watch it here 

Andy is absolutely unique in the lore of Thailand Muay Thai. An instructor for more than 2 decades, a mentor to so many, he innovatively teaches a Muay Thai emphasizing symmetry, strength, balance and explosiveness, expanding what the body can do under duress, holding pads like no others do.

#19 Attachai Fairtex - Timing and IQ (72 min) watch it here 

2x Lumpinee Champion Attachai Fairtex is one of the great femeu fighters of Thailand. Namsaknoi, himself an elite femeu fighter of legendary status called him his most difficult fight as he just was too hard to read. This is a window into that quality, and how to build it.

#65 Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn - Sharking The Angles (67 min) watch it here 

The Emperor. Fighter of the Year in 1996 and 6 years undefeated as Lumpinee Champion, one of the greatest fighters ever teaches his incredible edge-attacking style. He shows how he is always one step ahead of his opponent, setting them up in a constantly evolving attack.

#34 Samart Payakaroon - Balance, Balance, Balance! (81 min) watch it here 

Atop the tower of Muay Thai legends probably stands Samart. 3x Fighter of the Year, 4x Lumpinee Champion and WBC World Boxing Champion, no fighter more brilliantly showed what femeu fighting could do. In this session he shows the foundations of how to build true balance, the ultimate key to his fighting style.  

#28 Jaroenthong Kiatbanchong - Femeu Muay Thai Hands (50 min) watch it here 

Super slick, 3x Lumpinee Champion Jaroenthong is considered one of the Yodmuay of the Golden Age, often pictured with Samart and Somrak as killers from that day. In this session he teaches how he marries great boxing hands with femeu footwork. 

#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.

 All the Muay Femeu Library sessions can be found here. 

TIP BOX: if you are inspired by what you see and want to show added appreciation you can send gratuity directly to Tak. Every time I send these extra donations and thank yous the Krus are really touched. Just message $5 or more via PayPal to the address sylvie@8limbs.us, please in the "add a note" section specify "for Tak". I will transfer the funds, and cover any extra fees. KRU FUND: additionally, now 10% of all net Patreon pledges go into my Kru Fund, and is directed back to the Krus and ex-fighters who have helped make this documentary Library possible: http://8limbs.us/muay-thai-thailand/starting-the-kru-fund 

Browse the entire Muay Thai Library project here!