Arjan Pipa JockyGym - The Roots of Femeu (77 min)

Arjan Pipa is a legend among trainers. He's responsible for training Femeu phenoms like Silapathai, Saenchai, Somrak and Lerdsila out of the Jocky Gym in Bangkok. He's turning 59 this year but is still just full of energy and playfulness. He tells me to "be the monkey" and he walks the talk, all the time, every movement. He's wonderful at explaining and expressing the importance of rhythm and timing for the Femeu style, but he also goes into the more general importance of having fun and playing while honing your own style - regardless of your style.

This is also a special session in that it was brought about by the sponsorship and help of a patron who really wanted to make sure Arjan Pipa is included in the Library. This patron had learned from Arjan before and really helped to make this session possible. I love this, because it shows that people understand the importance of the Muay Thai Library, in preserving not only technique but also the men themselves who are they conduits of these techniques. But this is one among a few now of patrons who contact us and want to make sure that their Kru or Arjan makes it into the Library, as an act of honor and preservation. That is totally what this Library is about. And I'm stoked to have Arjan Pipa included, as he is really quite wonderful.

Some things to look out for: 

1) Watch the Bend in his Knees: He never tells me this, but just watch it. I can feel it, I have enough experience to see the difference. He wants me to be faster and more relaxed, but it comes from this bend in his knees and the movement in his hips. He says to move like the ocean, or the extended wingspan of a bird. Little tight wings never get you off the ground. You have to expand, be relaxed and flow.

2) Jab Like a Viper: Arjan makes a point, more than once, about the punch having to be like a snake, not like pushing. Pushing is slow, it's too much tension. It should strike out and back very quickly, and he turns the fist at the last second to basically get past the opponent's guard.

3) Long Guard: Arjan hates a tight guard. He says that's all well and good for boxing, but not for Muay Thai. Long Guard, interrupting at a distance so you don't get blasted with elbows.

4) Angling the Teeping Foot: both the front teep and the back teep angle the same direction. which effectively closes your front teep and opens your back teep. It's less slippery, allows you to engage more with the target. You also can teep the hip of your opponent with a front teep, but should aim higher with the back teep.

5) "Moho": this is more of an ethic, but it's a strategy. You annoy your opponent with juggling them and evading them, interrupting their attacks so much that they become "moho," or angry. So they come harder, and you spoil them all the same. They become more predictable and tight. 

6) Turn by the Wrist: this was so cool. Arjan Pipa teaches me a twist counter to an oncoming Muay Khao, or anyone trying to come grab you. It's the same kind of inside-arm turn you'd use in the clinch, but he slides the hand down to the cuff of the glove and it creates incredible torque. It's so good.

7) Slip Outside and Grab: this is the inverse to the inside control of the twist counter, and instead you parry the arm inward and just grab under the oncoming opponent's arms, lock them up and knee or throw... or both.

8) Spinning Elbows: Arjan makes a great point about how reverse elbows are for when your opponent is coming at you. He lets me use a number of different elbow styles as the person "derning" or coming in, but once the opponent reverses direction to attack or starts chasing you, or you're against the ropes and need to get out, that's when the reverse elbow is handy.

9) Monkey Energy: this is familiar for anyone who watches Chinese Mythical sagas, or is familiar with Hanuman, the ultimate warrior who is also a monkey. Monkey energy is playful, tricky, always laughing and teasing. It's annoying. It's very, very annoying. But it's fun for the monkey himself. You're having fun, you're opponent is just getting tighter and madder and more predictable.

Stills from the session, edited by Kevin:

If you enjoyed this session, these other sessions are some that you might also enjoy, along the same themes or styles of instruction:

First of all, Silapathai's session is super relevant. He was trained by Arjan Pipa, and he teaches the Pipa teep:

#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.

The 1st Kru Manop session also dove deep into the teep:

#55 Manop Manop Gym - The Art of the Teep (90 min) watch it here 

An absolutely brilliant technician, Arjan Manop who is famed as Saenchai's Yokkao padman, teaches the art of the teep in fantastic detail. Some of his corrections were so small, like the timing of the plant foot, but have made big impacts on my practice. If you love the fine details of beautiful Muay Thai technique this is a session for you. 

and the Chachai session also was seriously focused on breaking down the teep:

#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!  

#44 Ponsaknoi Sit Chang - Old School Jockygym (74 min) watch it here

Ponsaknoi is from the legendary Jockgym, a gym producing some of the greatest champions in Thai history, femeu elite fighters like Somrak, Saenchai, Lerdsila have flowered from this gym. An instructor at Jockygym for 20 years, and a fighter there long before, this session allows insight into the grounded basics of the femeu fighting approach across the decades.

#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. 

Rambaa taught similar clinch turn dynamics:

#21 Rambaa Somdet - Clinch Trips & Throws | Session 1 (34 min) watch it here 

Thailand's first MMA World Champion, and one of the most aggressive, stinging fighters to grace the ring shows his philosophy on how to handle the clinch, using quick attacks, lifts, body-weight shifts to upend an opponent often before they are set. Some of my favorite trips are in this.

Attachai teaching timing:

#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.