Luktum Sityodtong 2 - Stepouts, Fakes & Teeps (74 min)

This is Luktum's second entry into the Muay Thai Library (watch the first on positioning and trips here), and I'm very happy every time I get to work with him. He's a classic Femeu Style, relaxed and evasive, but never running away. Rather, he stays within range of his opponent and has a kind of "Matador" quality of dodging and using his opponent's power and moves against them. I love this quality of Femeu fighting, that isn't anti-fighting, but rather very punishing. Luktum is from the famed Sityodtong Gym and is still young enough that he still fights abroad, demonstrating his style in all its strengths and beauty. He's a very patient and methodical teacher, which I also like, because sometimes a technique is 90% about timing and getting that right has a lot to do with feeling. That can take a lot of patience, from both teacher and student. This session actually goes beautifully well with Rambaa Somdet M16, who I had just filmed with prior to this one. Watch them together and see the ways they complement each other.

What to Look Out For: 

1) Teep Fake: Luktum uses the front teep fake to set up for a number of strikes or step-offs. The fake itself is something to practice, then what comes off of it is the secondary part. Getting the teep high enough and fast enough to look "real" when it's a fake is something I often struggle with.

2) Fake and Jab, Fake and Move: the importance in the jab versus the step off is whether your opponent moves or not. If they're standing their ground, you fake the teep and jab. If they believe the teep, they may try to bat it away and now you've got even more of an open shot. If they step toward you, you have two versions of a step out for a counter.

3) Two Step Outs: the difference between these two was not hard to spot, but the second version was hard for me to figure out. The first one, you step to the side and swing your front leg to the back, switching stance and ultimately standing in your opponent's blind spot. The important part here is to use your forearm either on the outside of your opponent's guard to parry a counter, or you're blocking a hook and you're inside the arm, which allows different counters. The second step out is harder (for me) because you're staying very close and just kind of swiveling your feet over. We spend some time figuring this out, but what's great about staying so close is you have ALL KINDS of counters.

4) Teep, Teep, TEEEP: when you're not faking a teep, you're making your opponent believe your teep. Luktum has this cool trilogy where the first one is just annoying or keeping your opponent on their spot, just like a little stinging jab. The second teep is a slide teep, which launches them backwards. If they rush back at you, you have the third teep, which is high on the chest and sends them flying again. 

5) Clinch Turns: I'm a clincher. I know a lot about clinching. But I learned some new things today, little details that felt revelatory. First, nearly touching your opponent's ribs with your elbows while locking them out from a double-inside position is brilliant. Second, there's an additional pull he emphasized when you're turning your opponent in the opposite direction that really just adds power, like a Nitro Boost to your turns.

6) "Yeun Dee Dee": I first heard this phrase, or first understood this phrase, from Samart Payakaroon during our session for the Muay Thai Library. It literally means to "stand well," but it's how Thais will refer to balance and the composure you have between everything. You can really see how important this is by watching Luktum's stance and feet when he does his sidesteps or fakes... anything really. He's SO balanced and you can really see how important it is for his style of evasive movement and counters. Balance improves every style, benefits every type, every move. It's the most important part of Muay Thai and lots of what Luktum is working on in this session is drawing out balance.

7) Ambidexterity: Luktum has me switch stance in strikes, but he also gives me a lesson on how you have to train your opposite stance (non-dominant) in order to be able to work within both stances. You don't switch for no reason, but rather switch effortlessly. It's confusing to your opponent, but it also makes you double your weapons, double your impact, and improves your balance, as I've already emphasized.

Still from the session edited by Kevin:

If you enjoyed this session, you may also like these Muay Femeu Library entries:

#25 Luktum Sityodtong - Positioning and Trips (62 min) watch it here 

Tum is an active international Thai fighter raised out of the famed Sityodtong gym. He shows the importance of positioning and timing in this session with a fantastic lower body system of tripping attacks towards the end. His muay is both physically close, but also evasive and tactical.

#72  Tak Cho. Nateetong - 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. 

#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.

#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.   

#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.

#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. 

#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.

#46 Bluksek "Kru Noi" Sityodtong - Internal Knees & Elbows (59 min) watch it here

Learn techniques that go all the way back to Old School Sityodtong, some of these I've not seen before. Kru Noi has a system of internal elbows and knees that work offense and defense together. And don't miss what I'm calling the Low Kick Destroyer, sure to end your opponent low kicking you.

#13 Kem Sitsongpeenong - Building a System (52 min) watch it here 

Kem, one of the best fighters of his generation, shows me building blocks of his system. He teaching a firm, defensive frame, and especially likes an upward elbow that explodes out of blocks, checks and fake teeps.

Remember, you can browse the entire Library here: Table of Contents