KRU LEK TEACHES MUAY CHAIYA CHAPTER 5
The Lead Leg refers to the leg that is positioned in front of us & set in
front of the other leg which is the normal way of standing with regards to
fighting. The way we stand in a fight is an important thing that we, the
trainees, must pay great attention to. We must think carefully about how we
plan to position ourselves in a fighting stance. Not allowing UN-natural muscular
tension. In Muay Thai, we should try not to bend too much when we’re standing
at long range. We bend more when we’re entering close range. And, we should
expect to do so promptly & without delay. Throughout the entire time up
until the advancing footwork of Muay, we must not cross our legs nor walk
wherein both of our legs become too narrow and/or close to each other. That
would be dangerous if we were to receive a powerful kick. And, it would
compromise our balance and make us look UN-stable among other things.
The lead
leg has more importance over the lead fist because the lead leg has an
advantage in terms of distance when in use for longer ranges. And… if we
practice until we’ve obtained a certain level of mastery and/or expertise, then
you can… inevitably… use the lead leg for high & low level kicks as well as
close & long ranges. With regards to Muay Thai, in particular, the legs
and/or feet are used often.
Every
style of fighting begins with learning how to stand properly. That is, except
for combat that involves certain types of brutish animals or beasts. We must learn
how to stand properly until we’re strong & sturdy. We must stand firmly
when we’re practicing the boxing walk (“DERN”), the advancing steps (“YAHNG”),
and the other various types of movement until it all becomes muscle memory.
And, we must stand firmly so that we can achieve a certain level of safety
after receiving blows from attacks delivered by our adversary. The things that I
have just explained to you in great length & detail are meant to help you,
the reader, understand the importance of standing properly in fighting before
we start talking about how to use the lead leg and all.
How to Use
the Lead Leg or Lead Foot
Now it’s
time for me to tell you that the lead foot or lead leg must be set in front of
you. We should practice in a way that we don’t move a little bit or pull back
in preparation for the move. We should transfer our bodyweight to our other leg
when we want to deliver a kick (“DTAE”) or when we want to deliver a push kick
(“TEEB”) in addition to the “CHUD” (Chaiya WHIP kick) or “NEB”. And… when we
see our opponent move a little bit… we should deliver a “CHUD” (Chaiya WHIP
kick), “DTAE” (kick), “NEB”, or “TEEB” (push kick) towards the lower abdomen,
sternum, OR… kick towards the inner leg (“BPUDT-DTAH-KAHD-NAI”) or outer leg (“BPUDT-DTAH-KAHD-NAWK”).
They’re vital points which affect the standing & walking abilities of one’s
adversary. The ancient masters of the past referred to this particular action
as “CHING KOHM” (making the “FIRST MOVE” before that of your attacker). And…
it’s so that we don’t allow ourselves to waste our “NAH-TEE TONG” (or “golden
minutes” in Thai) which means using valuable opportunity in applying the
concepts of “FOLLOW” (“DTID-DTAHM”) and “AGGRAVATE” (“SUM-DTERM”) using our
knees, elbows, rear feet & rear fists. Not allowing the lead leg or lead
foot to work for nothing and without reason. With regards to applying the
concepts of “FOLLOW” (“DTID-DTAHM”) and “AGGRAVATE” (“SUM-DTERM”)… the ancient
masters of the past up until the ones existing in the present day have referred
to this particular action as “PUN LUM”.
Next time, I
will explain more about the word, “PUN LUM”.
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