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#157 Rainbow Sor. Prantalay | Profound, Dynamic Basics, Build Your Whole Style (1 hr, 42 mins)
🕑 Added 2025-06-02 19:57:28 +0000 UTCRainbow is a fighter from the Golden Age. Although (I believe) he didn't win stadium titles, he fought nearly all the top names of the OneSongchai promotion during his time, and after he retired from the stadia in Thailand, he went on to be undefeated as a fighter in China (he has many belts and trophies in his gym from this time). He had especially good success against the formiddable Southpaws of his time: Sakmongkol, Noppadet, Matee, Orono; and he even managed to knock out Panomtuanlek, who he considered number one at that time.
I really love this session as being "E for Everyone" in the Muay Thai Library, because it sets up foundations and progresses so perfectly for beginners, but it also evolves so smoothly that advanced students can be drawn deeper into the core of the basics and see how everything they've learned up to now fits into the more complex work of sparring and fighting. I am definitely brining some of this into my own training. And you don't need a great trainer to access this work, you can incorporate this into whatever you have access to, by understanding it yourself even. Great teaching cuts across the whole spectrum.
What to Look Out For:
1) Muay Thai Fitness with Real Foundation: Rainbow's gym teaches principles drawn directly from the true foundation and basics of Muay Thai. Pay attention to how he builds the entire style picture from what starts out at fitness and drilling. It's an escallating instruction showing you the core qualities and skills a fighter must have. Every great fighter we've filmed with fought foundationally - this shows how to build it, so watch the pyramid.
2) Footwork, Balance, Symmetry: the first part of this session is a warmup with footwork, balance and symmetry, throwing weapons while stepping to connect the feet and body, carrying power with your legs. Nothing in Muay Thai works well without this. He has me marching forward and backward, not turning around to come back, because being able to fight forward and backward are of equal importance. Get ideas for some great drills, as well as how to use footwork grids.
3) How to Use Bagwork: not everyone will agree with this, and that's fine, but everyone who has taught me bagwork in Thailand has emphasized that the importance of rhythm and timing (jangwa) as the purpose of bagwork. It's not how many times you can hit the bag in a round, or how hard you can blast it, but about using the space around it, finding openings, changing pace.
4) Lateral, Pivot, and Spacing in Padwork: for Rainbow, padwork is about understanding distance control and where you are in the ring. He shows me some really wonderful footwork for a lateral step-to-kick that I have never seen before and I really love; stolen. There are times to pivot, times to step off laterally, and overall control every movement your opponent makes.
5) Sparring is Problem Solving: sparring is th "end boss" to everything we worked on leading up to it. It's using the footwork, the control, the spacing, the forward and back, being able to see, timing, change of pace - all while solving a will that is working against your own.
Other Sessions Referenced, study these like footnotes to my commentary:
#117 Kru Kin Por Promin - Muay Boran Precision, Balance & Flow (93 min) watch it here
#12 Andy Thomson - Mad Scientist of Muay Thai (56 min) watch it here
#137 Kem Sitsongpeenong 3 - Balance, Fakes and Calm (102 mins) watch it here or podcast here
#136 Lamnammoon Sor. Sumalee #1 | Relentless, Spearing, Ripping Muay Khao (92 mins) watch it here or podcast here
#94 Wangchannoi Palangchai #1 - Deadly Step Counter Fighting (70 min) - watch it here
#132 Matee Jedeepitak - The Keys To Femeu Timing & Distance (66 min) watch it here
#125 Therdkiat Sittepitak - Aggressive Femeu (61 min) watch it here
#104 Yodkhunpon Sittraipum 4 - The Art of Shadowboxing (64 min) watch it here
#98 Khunpinit Giattawan Freestyle: Southern Power Femeu Style (71 min) watch it here
Watch the All-Time Incredible Fight, Rainbow vs Panomtuanlek
See Who Rainbow Picks as his Top 5 Greatest Muay Thai Fighters Ever:
Watch the Muay Thai Scholar Highlight Edit of Rainbow
Photos From Rainbow's Career:
Rainbow in blue
Some of Kevin's Photos From the Session:
If you enjoyed this Session and learned from it here are Related Sessions in the MTL that focus on basics in a very deep way, or on hands:
#112 Chatchainoi Chaoraioi - The Best Padman in Thailand (64 min) watch it here
Called The Man of Stone when he was a Golden Age fighter at the Derjat Gym, today he is the best padman in Thailand, as far as we have experienced. Learn what makes his padwork so effective, and the forward, hardnosed Muay Thai style that he teaches.
#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.
#113 Arjan Yai Muangsupan - Golden Age Forms & Dynamics (119 min) watch it here
Arjan Yai gives a keyhole into basic Golden Age forms of Muay Thai that have not all been preserved over time. He was a padman and trainer in the famed Sor. Ploenjit gym when the great Kaensak was Fighter of Year twice. He still trains stadium Muay Thai fighters. In this session he starts from the ground up in a beautiful documentation.
#132 Matee Jedeepitak - The Keys To Femeu Timing & Distance (66 min) watch it here
Some of the most difficult - but vital - things to learn in traditional Muay Thai is the trinity of Timing, Distance and how to incorporate the Basics. These form the core of what made Golden Age Muay Thai so very special as a fighting style. Lumpinee Champion Matee Jedeepitak has spent two decades perfecting his communication of these femeu qualities, unlocking them for everyone from beginning student to advanced fighter.
#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.
#88 Samransak Muangsurin - Muay Maat Legend Keys to Powerful Hands (61 min) watch it here
Samransak was nothing if not thunderous as a fighter in the Golden Age. He threw with serious, heavy hands and just brutalized his opponents. He teaches the basics of his Muay Maat style, how he brought boxing into the ring to massive effect. One of the all time legends of the sport.
#130 Sagat Petchyindee #5 - The Coil and the Uppercut (70 min) watch it here
Sagat has got to be the most popular legend in the entire Library, and this session shows why. Incredibly precise in correction and full of that intensity which made him one of the most feared fighters of his era. Here he unlocks the secrets of his uppercut and the overall coiling that marked his renown, explosive style.
Comments
Ron pAN
The Japanese heavy cable ropes also hurt your toes pretty good.
Justin McCain
This was definitely a new favorite!
Manodepedra
Thanks you from France "Session how to train well all part for me !"
