Fighting Strategies Of Muay Thai: Secrets of Thailand's Boxing Camps [Paperback]

Mark Van Schuyver (Author), Pedro Solana Villalobos (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

There are three elements of Muay Thai boxing: techniques, tactics and strategy. Most Muay Thai books deal only with techniques. Fighting Strategies of Muay Thai is the first book to reveal actual fighting strategies and tactics as taught in the boxing camps in Thailand. Both the author of this book, Mark Van Schuyver, and his partner in this project, Kru Pedro Villalobos, are martial artists. In fact, Villalobos is a professional Muay Thai fighter and trainer who has studied extensively in Thailand with some of the art's most well-known names. And in helping Van Schuyver with this book, Villalobos held back none of the secrets he had picked up in Thailand. Because the elements of timing and the strategies of the Muay Thai system are universal to all types of fighting, this book will be invaluable to Muay Thai fighters and trainers, professional and amateur fighters, and martial artists of all styles, including taekwon do, karate, jujitsu, judo, and no-holds-barred fighting and wrestling. The definitive work on Muay Thai strategies and tactics, Fighting Strategies of Muay Thai is a guide to total fight preparation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Van Schuyver has practiced martial arts for many years. He is the author of more than 100 articles on the martial arts in such magazines as Black Belt, Inside King-Fu, Karate Illustrated, Fighter and Tae Kwon Do Times.He is also the coauthor of the book Secrets of Championship Karate.

Pedro Solana Villalobos is the owner, director and head instructor of the Thailand Arts Institute in Atlanta. He began his martial arts studies at the age of 6 with judo and then migrated to kickboxing and Thai boxing. Villalobos continues to train extensively in the boxing camps of Thailand.

Product Details

• Paperback: 137 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581603584
• ISBN-13: 978-1581603583
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A knockout, October 23, 2002

By 

James Pohh (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fighting Strategies Of Muay Thai: Secrets of Thailand's Boxing Camps (Paperback)

Beautifully written book (with the exception of some typos). The book assumes you have prior knowledge of muay Thai so don't expect a step-by-step instruction manual. You may want to look elsewhere for basic instructions. The book serves its purpose well and breaks down the methods, mechanics, tools, ranges and strategies needed to succeed in the ring. You might get a bit confused in the beginning when Van Shuyver attempts to give the reader a physics lesson on power and movement. I guess we should have paid attention in class huh.
Fighters are broken down into four major categories: aggressive, elusive, counterer and tricky. I think we all fall somewhere within these categories but it is interesting to see how a muay Thai stylist deals with such fighters and the book goes into many possible options. There's even a self-assessment you can take to determine your fighting style. All in all, a good bang for your buck.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is where you should start, September 24, 2004

By 

K. Kang "dkang21" (BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fighting Strategies Of Muay Thai: Secrets of Thailand's Boxing Camps (Paperback)

This is a great book. I bought 3 Muay Thai Books and I stopped buying it after I purchased this one. This book is compilation of author's training experience at Thailand and at his gym(Dojo) with his students. If you are a beginner, it gives clear conditioning plan with things to consider and also it gives tips on fighting strategies. However, this book is little light on technical side.

All in all, this is a good book and if you are serious about training and want a book to supplement your training, this is where you should start.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The next best thing to learning it in a Thailand camp, August 7, 2003

By 

Jozev (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fighting Strategies Of Muay Thai: Secrets of Thailand's Boxing Camps (Paperback)

Villalobos (The true contributor of this book) is the REAl DEAL, who show us the true picture of what are being taught in Thailand's camps. Not a step-by-step guide for beginners, but any intermediate to advanced martial artists would surly benefit from this book.