#154 Hemrat Chaoraioi at TDet99 | Infinite Training, How To Train in Thailand (1 hr, 24 min)

Kru Hem is on of the head trainers at TDet99, a gambler's gym, a true Bangkok kaimuay, and the gym that serves as the "training camp" for many high-profile stadium fighters and names, including Lamnammoonlek, who was to resume his training and fight prep with Kru Hem a few days after we filmed. Kru Hem is from Khorat and stands in the stable with some other greats in the Muay Thai Library, from the prolific Dejrat family: Chatchainoi, Takrowlek, Arjan Dejrat. "Chaoraioi" is the same gym name used by Chatchainoi, (his younger brother Takrowlek took the Dejrat name). But all 3 started at the very famous Sit Kru Ood gym in Khorat, home to many champions, the most famous of which is probably Golden Age Femeu legend, Saenklai. Kru Hem has over 40 years in Muay Thai, starting fighting at the age of 8, amassing hundreds of fights, and then immediately transitioning into teaching after his retirement from the ring.

What To Look Out For:

1) How to Train: first and foremost to me is the illustration of "how to train," in this session. On the surface, it's just literally doing all the parts of a regular training session in Thailand. This is beautiful for folks who don't have the opportunity to travel and train in Thailand, to see what's included and be able to take some, if not all, of those elements into their own gyms all around the world. But also, Muay Thai in Thailand is rapidly changing and, while these training methods will likely remain steady for some time yet, some parts will disappear, and already many of the purposes of these progressions are already disappearing. Shadowboxing is for flow, for visualization, rhythm and experimentation. Bagwork is for rhythm, explosiveness, timing and power. Padwork is for controlling distance, manipulating movement, becoming less predictable, and finding balance and distancing for maximum effectiveness.

Thailand training is being shaped by Western expectations & Western oriented promotions, and Western ways of training are pushing out some of the Thai standards, aesthetics and well-established methods, even in well-known gyms.

2) Stay in Your Dominant Stance, Return to Neutral: Kru Hem is adamant about returnign to your most ready stance as quickly and as smoothly as possible. He doesn't switch stance, he doesn't pile together weapons into unrealistic and memorized "combinations," but rather everything explodes, flows back to neutral and is immediately ready for the next movement. Sagat would call this "organization."

3) Keeping Target at Center: basically, you want to step outside of your opponent's stance in order to keep them locked into your power zone. You step outside to avoid trips, keep balance, maintain ruup, all these things, but the best part is that your opponent is always standing exactly where your maximum power target is.

4) Power as Defense: this title is misleading, and also exactly what it sounds like. There is a dumb, brute way of using power as defense, which is brawling or just initmidating your opponent by throwing with maximum power. There should be variance in both speed and power. However, power can be defense in its precision. Kru Hem shows how to kick hard, and push with the shin, in order to make any counter strike ineffective.

5) Feeling over Undrestanding: I encourage everyone who has access to training in a gym, whether in Thailand or in a small town where there's only one option, to focus their attention on the "feeling" of each element of training, rather than "understanding" a technique. Do both, but the primacy of feeling cannot be overstated. If you're learning a technique, like stepping to the side for power on your kick (as an example), understanding that this is both defensive and powerful is great, but feeling how that's both defensive and powerful is better. Listening to me describe how Kru Hem's padwork is non-verbally teaching how to keep your opponent in your target center is great to understand, but doing it and feeling it yourself is what actually makes any difference.

6) 5 Round Fight Structure (for Femeu): this isn't only for Femeu fighters, but it's specifically about Femeu fighters. First two rounds are off-balancing, interruption, maybe causing pain and slowing someone down for the later rounds. The scoring rounds, 3 and 4, are still derning (coming forward), but focusing on off-balancing and setting up for high-scoring kicks.

Other Sessions Referenced in my commentary:

if you want to dig in deep, these are like footnotes,

#112 Chatchainoi Chaoraioi - The Best Padman in Thailand (64 min) watch it 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

#94 Wangchannoi Palangchai #1 - Deadly Step Counter Fighting (70 min) - watch it here

#86 Rambaa Somdet M16 3  - The Art of the Stinging Attack (67 min) watch it here

#72  YodPitak Cho. Nateetong #1 - Art of Femeu Interruptions and Balance (73 min) watch it here

#5 Hippy Singmanee 1 - Developing Power (69 min) - watch it here

#153 Noppadet Sor. Rewadee | Muay Dtae, precision femeur kicker watch it here

this session has been added to the Basics Collection. If you would like to see other sessions that focus on the Thai standards of basics check out the collection.

Photos from Hemrat Chaoraioi career:

Some of Kevin's photographs of the session:

you can see the full gallery hi-res album here

If you enjoyed this session these are others in the Library on similiar themes and styles of Muay Thai:

#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.

#22 Singdam Kiatmoo9 - Making the Basics Beautiful (71 min) watch it here

Singdam provides perhaps the best progression through the basics I've yet filmed, the blueprint of his beautiful, effective style. This instruction is bottomless. Even after 5 years in Thailand there is a ton for me in this very close examination of powerful technique essentials.

#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.

#53 Kem Sitsonpeenong 2 - Mastering Everything In Between (80 min) watch it here

With one of the great technique krus of Thailand, Kem Kem Muaythai Gym, in his gym in the mountains just below Khorat. A special session that details how to work on all the things in-between strikes. So much to learn in this 80 minutes. He's a special teacher.

#72  YodPitak Cho. Nateetong 1 - Art of Femeu Interruptions and Balance (73 min) watch it here

One of the most difficult things is to teach Muay Femeu timing and distance control, but Kru Tak is one of the great femeu instructors in Thailand. In this beautiful session he opens up his technique of tricks, feints and shifting deceptions, even in the clinch.

#89 Arjan Pipa JockyGym - The Roots of Femeu (77 min) watch it here

Arajan Pipa was the guiding force in the famed Jocky Gym, which produced elite GOAT-like fighters like Saenchai, Somrak, Sillapathai and so many others. It's a real pleasure to have him in the Library showing his philosophy guided around the teep, off-balances, and taking angles. One of the true Masters.

#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.