Watching Tape - An Important (and often underutilized) Part of Learning Muay Thai
Have you ever sparred with someone and felt like you were playing checkers while they were playing chess? Every move you made, they countered with ease? Every trap and set-up they laid you fell right into?
It’s happened to all of us, and it’s a very important part of skill acquisition. Muay Thai, like all fight sports, is a high stakes game of physical chess. Being tough is the prerequisite to fighting, without being tough you’ll get nowhere in this sport. But as my coach said, ‘Tough ain’t enough!’. Skill, the ability to think under pressure, creating rhythms and breaking those rhythms to land big shots, fighting smart… these are the things you need to fight at a high level. Getting absolutely schooled in sparring does more than serve you a large slice of humble pie; it reminds you that there is always more to learn, always ways to improve.
Besides hours and years of training, sparring, fighting, and learning, one of the best things that you can do to better understand Muay Thai is watch fights. Watch the greats, watch their tricks, and see how setups are used, traps are laid, and weaknesses are exploited. Below are some fights that highlight some of the most exciting and beautiful parts of Muay Thai.
1. Nong-O vs. Fabio Pinca - Highlights the importance of basics & the importance of feints
Nong-O puts on a masterclass against one of the best Westerners to ever compete in Muay Thai. Things to watch for:
The way Nong-O feints the teep and feints the rear kick to set up strikes and keep Pinca guessing.
The way Nong-O teeps the thigh to disrupt Pinca and stop him when he comes in heavy.
The way Nong-O consistently steps into a lead kick after missed punches when Pinca jumps straight back. As Coach Joe says, kick after the punches if your opponent moves a lot.
2. Jongsanan vs. Sakmongkol (The Elbow War) - Highlights Golden Era Muay Thai at its best, the art of hand fighting, and various clinch positions
The 5th?—and most famous—bout between these two legends. This fight is known as The Elbow War and unbelievably no one was cut. Things to watch for:
Rd. 1 - The ease in which both fighters check kicks. When they miss a check, they are either catching the kick or immediately firing back with punches. This is something we talk about often in class.
The way they are both able to land elbows and knees from all positions in the clinch— 50/50 position, outside control, inside control, the lock around the head and arm, the body lock, etc.
It takes two to tango—two to fight this sort of fight. It’s hard to fight for hand control if someone is punching. But in a scenario like this where both fighters are willing to fight for hand control, watch how they position for dominance and control at that range.
3. Tawanchai vs. Nuenglanlek - Highlights stadium Muay Thai - lots of kicks and lots of clinch. Southpaw v. orthodox maneuvers. Aggression v. backwards movement.
It’s hard to say how this fight would be scored in the US, where forward aggression, punches, and activity are scored with much more weight. (There are a number of sanctioning bodies in the US, many with different scoring criteria. Though judging is getting better and better, very often are the aforementioned items scored much higher than they should be according to traditional Muay Thai scoring.)
These fighters are two of the best right now. Tawanchai (red) is known for a great teep and slick skills, while Nuenglanlek (blue) is a forward pressing fighter who often pushes for the clinch. Things to look for:
In this southpaw v. orthodox matchup, watch how Tawanchai keeps his foot on the outside and paws the jab to set up power kicks, punches, and elbows from his dominant left side.
Look for Nuenglanlek’s dumps from the body lock, something we drill often in class.
Look for Nuenglanlek’s lock around the neck or neck and arm—something which we also have been drilling a lot recently.
Look for the way Tawanchai scores with kicks as his opponent comes in, and then attempts to neutralize with a shin across the belly or a clinch position that halts the action. This is a common way to win each exchange for a fighter that likes to fight moving backwards
4. Rodtang v. Haggerty 2 - Highlights effective forward movement, exploiting a chink in your opponent’s armor, the importance of power.
With the first fight being very close, many people expected this one to go the distance. In a true clash of styles, Haggerty attempted to stick and move, hitting from range, while Rodtang looked to close the distance, get on the inside and throw heavy hands. Things to look for:
Haggerty attempting to stay long using teeps, teeps to the thigh, long leg kicks, and foot work.
Rodtang exploiting and searching for the body once he realized Haggerty was vulnerable there. We talk about this often in class—when you see an opening, exploit it.
A forward fighter through and through, watch how Rodtang presses forward, slips back to avoid Haggerty’s strikes, and then almost immediately gets right back in Haggerty’s face. This type of relentless pressure tires an opponent while keeping you out of danger. The best forward fighters don’t move straight forward 100% of the time. They create the illusion that they are constantly moving forward, while always staying in front of their opponent, but are smart and wily enough to slip out of the way when need be.
Brownie Points!
The first gym that I trained at in Thailand is now extremely popular in large part due to the beautiful style and flow of the twins who own it. While one now lives abroad, video of them sparring—new and old—constantly resurfaces on social media. Sitjaopho has become synonymous with ‘Muay Femur’—fighters who rely on technique and skill.
Light sparring at its best, they have zero ego, perfect control, and beautiful technique. There is no desire to win only a desire to have fun and practice good Muay Thai. This is sparring at its best. Watch their fluidity, calm demeanor, and tricks.