Myth Buster: They ONLY Spar Light in Thailand

[@5ifth]

They probably saw that you were good and since they knew you weren’t going to be there long they wanted their guys to get the experience of getting outclassed in boxing.

[@1Invinc]

I think what was happening is that they recognized that you were a far superior boxer, and they wanted to use you to train up their Thai fighters who'd rarely experience good hands at the same level with the usual sparring partners.

[@EnochBrown-s5j]

Exactly right!!!

[@linussvedberg486]

I agree they do spar hard in thailand but in my expirience gyms like to test ”their” own fighters to new guys they see have skills.

[@suchasin]

Funny...I have been to Thailand 17 times and have visited camps each time and I have never seen an actual sparringsession between Thai. They either take it lightly, or dont spar at all. I have seen tough sparring between foreigners and the thai nakmuay do box or clinch a lot but sparring compared to the way we do in Holland and the rest of europe is not at all commonplace

[@neil2445]

@Great Whiteyea dutch kickboxing tends to be extremely rough in their sparring. To each their own way I guess but I much prefer the Thai way.

[@neil2445]

@Luke Brown sounds about right yea.. Thais tend to spar very frequently and extremely light.. since they want to improve as much as possible and they fight very often

[@jambalaya201]

Thais are extremely technical and while Dutch Kickboxing is too, the Dutch style used more power Imo.

[@alexong2542]

@@suchasin probably because Thai fights professionally in several matches in a year. Unlike boxing, muay thai fighters fight for over a hundred matches, that's why they have to be very careful not to get fucked up in the brain during sparring.

[@viktorracz7399]

I never thought I could watch a dude talking about sparring for 12 minutes, but now I wish it was a longer video. I didn’t know you until today, but I’m really excited about your videos now. Very informative and different from the other channels. Cool cool cool

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it and I have lots more videos coming.

[@treyz7847]

I agree. Hard sparring is fine once in a while, but if you are going home feeling dizzy from taking shots everytime, then you probably need to get out of that gym as soon as you can. That's just no good in the long run in my opinion

[@InimitaPaul]

Thai’s: White man in the house, time to step it up 😉

[@IsaiahLordPrince]

Duh

[@kouleeofficial]

Lame

[@IsaiahLordPrince]

@@kouleeofficial it's a joke lol.

[@StoutProper]

Nah they’re like that with anyone who’s decent, Thai, foreign whatever

[@koan7144]

Amazing "Bangkok ready" story! Trainers cheering while outclassing Thai fighters reminded me of Bas Rutten's story how he was surprised that people idolized and praised him in Japan after beating "their" fighter since in Holland the other guy would need bodyguards to save him from a crowd after beating him. I love that philosophy of striving for better and appreciating the best in other humans 🙏

[@nomadnorbert]

I trained in many gyms in Thailand and it was always light. They also kicked people out when they sparred hard. We only did hard sparring when getting ready for a fight. I fought once and was offered many more fights. I saw trainers put on gear after seeing someone spar hard, beat them up and kick them out. I guess everyone has a different experience.

[@connor3284]

Maybe it is like Western gyms. I've been to an MMA gym where I got knocked on my ass and saw white from a teep to the face and have been dropped with a liver shot...and I've also been to a kickboxing gym in the same town where the coach strictly supervised all sparring and would step in if he saw a head get knocked back or heard too hard of a shot. Each gym has a different culture, even in a traditional society.

[@chamudapeiris2872]

I just sparred today in the muay thai gym and watching the video with a swolen eyelid .Yep they don't sparr light

[@poodleman3356]

Arent you guys supossed to be in lockdown??

[@poodleman3356]

@Great White wow luckyy shows if you are on the right side of the world you can have freedom

[@Triception]

@@poodleman3356 Yea, if you take precautions like smart people, you can open faster. Who would have known.

[@chamudapeiris2872]

@@poodleman3356 nah man loackdown taken off here in SL

[@Triception]

​@Great White and more importantly, don't believe assholes on social media

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

At least clinch work over in Thailand is a more controlled pace because the sparring was crazy. Maybe it was harder because the guys I sparred with got frustrated. I'm not sure but man it wasn't chill.

[@joed2525]

BRO I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN!

[@infinitemonkey917]

Do they use elbows in sparring ?

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

@@jessepearcy Haha. Okay. I think you're the first person to ever call my technique sloppy. And of course I used Dutch style. It was a kickboxing fight. Why would I fight the muay thai fighter using muay thai??? That's just dumb and why Lerdsila rolled through everyone else. Fight smart or lose.

[@guilhermealvessilveira8938]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial I agree with you

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

​@@jessepearcy I didn't beg to fight Lerdsila. I begged K-1 to give me any fight or chance to prove myself. Of course I studied my opponent. Not doing that is foolish. Are you aware he fought and lived in North America before he fought me so I'm not sure what you mean. Funny how Lerdsila fans are so upset I beat him but he was a polite gentleman about the loss. I've seen him at 2 cards in China since then and we both shared hugs and complimented each other. You should take a note from your apparent hero and try being polite. Anyway I'm done with you. I have other people who I'd rather spend my time replying to.

[@danplasma]

looks like a librarian....in fact an elite deadly world class striker! badass!

[@error98123]

your channel has got me pushing myself in the right direction Cannot thank you enough

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I'm very happy it's giving you the push you want.

[@MEXTHAIBOXER]

Defense goes a long ways. And so does what you say about combos. I sent my fighter to Thailand last year and he said the same thing you do in this video. He was able to get the better of the sparring partners out there with superior boxing defense , counters and combinations.

[@dsww9641]

Yes he’s right. That Fairtex gym was in Bangphli at Soi Boontamamuson. A lot of foreigners but as a beginner then I had a lot of fun training there. Apart from the gym, they had a fairtex factory, pro shop, guest accommodation and even the Boss’s summer house at the back which was filled with exotic animals. Sadly, the gym has been closed for several years.

[@TimoB24]

“Have you “BEAN” to Thailand??” Great vid😂😂

[@joed2525]

I got stiches sparring in Thailand. The guy I was sparing couldn't handle my hands like you said. (i've been doing just boxing most my life) and he got upset and started throwing hard kicks to the head and body, and he fainted a body kick, went high after awhile and then bam! cut my eye brow.

[@firefiret8]

Thaaaaattt... sounds like you where going hard and he said fuck it imma fuck this dude up

[@thesun564]

@@firefiret8 Not really true. Tbh Muay Thai guys tend to have no hands, so they are pretty easy to lit up with the hands and that can be frustrating. Especially if you’re hitting them in the head a lot

[@hearwho8438]

@@thesun564 pretty accurate especially for Thai fighters

[@SandaBoxing]

Traditional MT is weak with the Boxing; this was what I started with. Then train a lot of Boxing and got much better, beating lots of purist Nak Muays. The Thais have been taking Boxing more seriously due to a lot of foreigners bringing in lots of hands in fights.

[@davids.7052]

Perhaps you could do a video on taking a trip to Thailand for training. Where to go, where to get reliable information, and the costs involved - in addition to general "does and don't" general tips. Perhaps a rundown on what gyms are best for different skill level (pro fighter, wannabe pro, just training for fun, etc.) or different goals (hard training, sills, or just having fun, etc..)

[@AllThingsFascinate]

I've never heard this myth?? I thought everyone knew how absolutely brutal thai fighting and sparring could be?

[@gh0rochi363]

It’s commonly stated that the Thais spar light so that when they fight they aren’t hurt since they fight so often.

[@astonchui808]

Thank you very much for sharing good stories, they are eye openers to me.

[@skyline2282]

Your personal, tried and honest insight is invaluable. Thank you!

[@joebagtas9617]

I feel like in America, every MT I've been to starts really light and ends up going near 100% speed. Not full impact, but very close to full speed.

[@sheeparebillygoats7221]

My gym doesn't do that. We almost always go light to have longer sessions and get more time in, unless training for a fight or sometimes we just get a hankering to bang and have a freindly heavy spar and go to work next day with swollen eyes looking like we have on eye liner lol.

[@joshuajamias7648]

I just discovered your channel two weeks ago and love your content! I didn't take my first boxing match until I turned 30. Your insights have been really helpful.

[@crazypeem583]

From my experience growing up in Bangkok most of the gyms when you first time in there, they gonna treat you like an exercise class but of you tell them you want to train for fighting, yeah they are going hard. As Thai I know most Thais are going to the Muay Thai gyms just to lose weights I think that's a reason why many gyms seem lazy.

[@NotaNazgul]

Thank you for posting this. I just had a discussion. People said "only call it Muay Thai if it is killer brutal with all the bone conditioning and hard elbows in sparring". I said "hey, it is a common sport, workers and pupils do it. It is a big thing and very nuanced. Many people do NOT train for a pro carreer and it is still Muay Thai." Maybe I was more right that time? Love your country and culture! Sawadeekap!

[@connor3284]

As a Westerner I'm surprised to hear that most Thais going to MT gyms are there for the same reason most Americans practice BJJ or kickboxing, which is just as a fun hobby for exercise. I just assumed the culture of Muay Thai competition was such an aspect of your society that most people training would be there to compete.

[@wadewilson1973]

This is true in my experience as well. Boxing sparring was always hard! It is true when I train in the US as well!

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Yes. Boxers in Canada go hard HARD. It makes my kickboxing rounds seem chill.

[@TheDreamDetective888]

Curious if you ever got to discuss the training differences with Thai trainers n coaches? Thanks🥋🙏

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I haven't. I'd like to go back to Thailand at some point and see what happens know that I have some belts and recognition. Hopefully more chill sparring.

[@paulpelle3046]

Either that or they’ll make sure they all have horseshoes in their gloves. 🤣

[@bluecat6902]

Nice story man.

[@paulsantiago9626]

2 years living training and fighting all over Thailand from issan to the islands and i will say that Thais dont spar hard with each other very often. They love to swing off on farang who are there for a few weeks to a month lol 😂. Also hands do not really score at all in Thailand unless they are damaging and move the opponent out of there base so they intensionally spar hard with hands to develop that attribute. They have no interest in pitter patter hands. Waste of time

[@davecrain7742]

the three dislikes are from guys who got sparred hard in thailand and then vomited in the ring.

[@paragon1782]

These stories were actually very fun! I'm surprised

[@BjjMaster]

When I travelled to Thailand I spent 2 months in Chiang Mai and 1 in Phuket. I can’t remember the Thai name of the gym in the north, it’s been re branded, and the one in the south eventually became Phuket top team. At that time they both had the same sort of schedule. Clinch after every practice mon, tue, thur, fri. Hard sparring was on Wednesday and as you say boxing only, all weapons on Saturday, very light and playful.

[@GerlardTheSeaLion]

Went so Sinbi last year, remember watching a foreigner and one of the trainers trying to take eachothers heads of in the ring while all thai fighters of the gym were standing around yelling "oweeeee" ahaha. good times

[@bronzetiger3837]

Loved the stories. In truth sir , You are quite the Technical genius. There was probably some "face" being lost with your UNDOUBTEDLY Sharp skills. Good stuff.

[@sociallypatterneddefect9580]

Now you got me thinking of THAI FOOD! YOUR making me HUNGRY! dats good stuff

[@jordanmaclean6410]

I love this Chanel, most level minded mindset.

[@thefootballpunnedit]

They definitely tune it up on farang... they have mad national pride and like to check the heart of visitors

[@shaolinkza7485]

They actually use ur boxing skill to show theree athletes that they have to work on there boxing to become champion

[@naluboii808]

Fake news. They were trying to beat him up. They don’t necessarily like foreigners.

[@laluna412]

@@naluboii808 at some gyms yes, but at others Krys is right aswell

[@baigpigpig]

yea its so obvious lol, they were trying to hurt the fuck out of him@@naluboii808

[@THE_ODOUR7]

Thanks for the story. I wish I had the skill and humility to not annihilate people who are sparring too hard. Sometimes at the gym there's fighters who throw way too hard and every time I fight them I'll get emotional and counter punch them hard to "give them a taste of their own medicine." Maybe I need some chill hahahha 😅😅

[@carwrapsupplier354]

Yeah I get that sometimes too, but I simply step back throw my hands up for them to stop and ask them to take it easy... it works, although I may have to do it several times within a round but haven't had any problems yet as I keep my cool and don't ramp up my power, I keep hitting the same strength "touch, touch" ;)

[@BassForever44]

That sort of stuff scares me from sparring in my country. I trained in Japan and the Philippines and everybody was super professional, knowing the objective of sparring. But in Costa Rica I'm not so sure....

[@carwrapsupplier354]

@@BassForever44 it depends mostly on the gym's "culture" and the coaches. For instance at the gym I go to the coach will warn people if they get out of hand. I have heard of a guy got sent home for doing something dangerous and that guy is their #1 pro fighter - he told me the story 😅 must be true

[@BassForever44]

Very interesting. Seems to be the norm that whenever there's a lot of foreigners or visitors training, coaches don't take it serious. I used to live in Japan (8 yrs) of which I spent 3 in a Goju ryu karate dojo and 4 at a kickboxing gym. Whenever we had a group of visitors there, the training sucked. Specially at the karate dojo. Haven't been to Thailand but my muay thai trainer (lived trained and fought there) told me something similar to what Gabe said, further adding that if you don't apply yourself, trainers won't do crap for you training nor technique-wise. Training in Thailand, and Japan for that matter, is more about doing stuff the traditional way but disregarding greatly basics of sports science. If I were considering becoming a pro I'd rather go to the US or the Netherlands. What they lack in tradition they compensate with top-class training techniques and conditioning equipment. Just my two cents.

[@connor3284]

That shows the difference in mindset between the cultures. The Westerners integrate the latest science and technologies and discard any traditional wisdom that conflicts with it, while Easterners disregard the latest insights from science but hold rigidly to traditional wisdom.

[@Malaestro]

It’s cause in Japanese and Thai culture you are already an expert technician by the time you are an adult, if you’re at a serious gym you are very unlikely to be a beginner, you probably started as a kid or in junior high, and had a great teacher, so most of the training is maintenance and improving through sparring volume and strength and conditioning. In the west, on the contrary, lots of guys are in their late teens, or their 20s or 30s and still either developing basic expertise or trying to undo bad patterns they’ve learned. That’s why it’s very hard to catch up. They have about 3x as much training available as a westerner might plus a higher quality, plus better partners and fights. To catch up most westerns need to get into the same environment asap and hope they are also skillful and durable enough to make it.

[@AlbertoMartinez-rk2lf]

I was in Thailand 10 years ago and I train there. I haven't done Muay Thai at that time. The thais didn't spar hard with me and the teacher told me I was very good. I think the teacher wanted me to compite because it was going to make some extra money for him and he told my mates not to kill me because it would have been a bad bussines for him.

[@TheOriginalPain18]

Firas zahabi needs to watch this

[@pavaopsihistal6989]

Why?

[@TheOriginalPain18]

@@pavaopsihistal6989 because he said on the Joe Rogan Experience ,"Do you ever see Thais sparring hard? If you kick a Thai hard he won't wanna spar with you, he'll think you're too amateur."

[@schibleh531]

@The Wop The fuck is this comment?

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I've heard so many people say the same thing as Firas. Maybe they are all people who haven't trainied in Thailand and watch youtube videos of their light sparring.

[@KingsMuayThai]

My experience in Thailand majority of the sparring at Yokkao and PK Saenchai was competitive but playful. Nobody was trying to kill each other. The boxing was a little bit harder but you were wearing 20oz gloves. I do know some gyms will have foreigners go hard if they are preparing for a fight.

[@victorrain]

Thank you very much for telling your story! I really liked it!

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

My pleasure and thanks for watching.

[@MikeD-hn9hf]

Check out Hong Thong Muay Thai, Chiang Mai - great gym, good roster of regular thai stadium fighters / trainers, big focus on controlled, technical sparring and levelling up.

[@Rankor]

Cool to hear you were at Eminent Air - I also did some hard boxing sparring there. I also had a chance to spar Anuwat at Kaewsamrit and even with 18oz gloves and headgear he hit me with a lefthook that nearly took my head off.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

That's awesome you got to work with Anuwat. He was quite the fighter. When were you sparring with him?

[@Rankor]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial He was incredible! It was 2005 or 2006, long time ago. Thanks for the great vids, keep em coming!

[@iWatch92]

I was gunna believe him until he got so adamant that he wasn't lying.

[@dangerouslydubiousdoubleda9821]

I think thats more from you being a foreigner than how their sparring works training I see of native thai's is mostly light

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

You're probably right. Although Buakaw was lighting up his sparring partner during boxing. Maybe that's not too common.

[@dangerouslydubiousdoubleda9821]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial I was told by a older thai I worked with(he practied muay thai) that back then they use to go very rough on foreigners, its possible one of the guys had a bad week etc thais like cubans follow a similiar philosophy of training that of "playing" with americans we treat it more as a actual fight, both are schools of thought

[@bongkem2723]

awesome video ! hope i can exxperience that "sparring" style one day !

[@Jonziebal]

Thank you for your story and sharing 🙏🏼

[@spectatecomment7306]

If I were to do any kind of martial arts training, I would want Gabriel as my trainer.

[@BassForever44]

Yes. I'm too poor to do that right now but next best thing is getting a former pro in your town. I'm doing that after flying back home and it's doing wonders fir my technique

[@JimmyPtheman]

So many Muay thai gyms in Thailand. Some spar hard some spar light, I find the hardcore BKK gyms with stadium fighters spar light then harder closer to fight time. What kind of fighter do you want to be? You want to be a hands guy? Elbow guy, Knee guy, clinch guy, or mostly kicks? All shapes and sizes of gyms in Thailand. Just be careful sparring hard all the time, your body can only take so much punishment and who wants to be injured? you lose your gains and it can mess with your mind game too. Have fun, don't be an egoist, make the martial arts a marathon and not a sprint!

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Nicely put 👌

[@canarc1]

Sawasdee Krup 🙏There is a lot of variety in gyms here. It’s a real balancing act for sparring intensity, getting KO’ed in sparring is effectively reducing your fighting career. Do you have to go almost all out sometimes, yes but you only have so many concussions to work with before it’s over. I agree that medium intensity is a sweet spot.

[@adamzoubi96]

wow that's an awesome story, i really enjoyed this video

[@pedrokenzo4670]

Sparring in Thailand seems awful... You are either much better than them or you'll get knocked out

[@ajshiro3957]

This video is super insightful. Didn't really know that they weren't as well verse in boxing as I thought they were. I always thought that Muay Thai guys were good at boxing. At least, a little bit good. Another martial arts myth busted for me!

[@presentelaw]

My son trains with a former Thai fighter and they use a lot of power while training. Their half power sparring is equivalent to full power in Kyokushin. When my son spar at Kyokushin he gets complains. I have to remind him to use light touch.

[@meathead365]

Very entertaining, thanks Gabe

[@extremestillness]

Loving your content brother. Your drilling videos are rad.

[@_sSs_Andreii]

This channel is sooo good.

[@MontyQueues]

yeah this dude with experience was always going hard and i thought like, the veterans would always go light first or gauge before going more, maybe just the culture

[@chaznation79]

Your stories are awesome!

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Glad you like them!

[@kalyxhighgrade5176]

this was great!

[@evilcolin]

Love the vids dude. I gotta say, you are dropping hard truth bombs and I bet some people will get emotional about your myth busting. Imo since you're not an intense person or a rough Scrabble kinda guy, some people want to call you an imposter. The fights don't lie tho, I appreciate the fact that you are bringing a lot of science to the martial arts

[@ajac4093]

Great video!

[@GridIndustries]

Great video! Side note: you always have the best sweaters. lol

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Haha. Thanks.

[@brentsummers7377]

Excellent interesting video. Just like the USA there must be a lot variation between gyms. The more 'old school' trainers might have everyone from kids to adults sparring almost every day, & often pretty hard. That can add up to a lot of head shots in one year... There are highly respected trainers/gyms that are also 'old school'.

[@gwell66v2AnimeReviews]

I was wondering if you saw them doing similar hard sparring with each other? If I had to guess I'd say they would do hard sparring with each other too but that you got extra bc they saw an outsider who is clearly very skilled and it got everyone talking, dying to try you out. Then word spreads to maybe some of the big talkers in the neighboring gym. They bring in the loudmouths, the brick sh**houses, etc. We may speak different languages but EVERYONE loves watching a smaller guy light up a mass of muscle or a big talker! It's an easy visual representation of an underdog. Not to mention I'm sure they maybe see a lot of foreigners who are vastly inferior to their ability so it lends even more to the underdog nature of throwing you in there. Last part of this: as a hockey fan and football guy, it always feels cool when you find a diamond in the rough as far as players go. Like you have a specila insight sort of deal. So they see you come outta nowhere and they get to tell their friends the wild story of this guy who came outta nowhere and lit up all three of these really good fighters today. In general, without having much expertise I would definitely assume they do at least some hard sparring otherwise it's like how would they ever be ready for the speed and ferocity of a real fight? Fun story, thanks for all the videos and insight. I'm going for my first sort of underground fight in a few days and I've been watching these and pro fight videos religiously to prepare. I always really wanted to test myself in a fight but just never took the chance to do it. Mostly anxiety related. Before I get too old I figured now (I'm in my 30s) or never.

[@TheSteff1998]

Great video as always, pls never stop posting. Your content is amazing as fuck!

[@siccens6168]

Just take it as a compliment. Of course they're going to ramp it up when they spar you. Your're like a delicacy. If you were to stay at the gym for a while things would groove out a bit. Anyways, cheers🍻

[@brandonpartee8277]

This is great hear!

[@kaz5150619]

Preach brother the gym i went to last time in phuket put into clinch sparring which im SUPER rusty got a cork on my right quad from a in close heel strike it hurt but i was also like ' thats neat cool'

[@humanityenslaved3380]

You're too nice to be a bully lol I'm the same way but then again you're on a whole different level than me. I'm just ammy.

[@AroundElvesWatchUrselves96]

[Laughs in old days of Kyokushin sparring] 😭

[@tavislucaso]

If sheldon cooper was a professional fighter

[@marcoslampert5126]

This video is amazing, Gabriel! I´m so excited to train in Thailand. Which gyms are the best, for the intermediate level?

[@bunmeng007]

Probably the way they train boxing. Mostly about power, not much combo

[@j5865]

do you think it depends on the individual how they go at sparring or is it something else

[@jambajuice7822]

Great video earned a sub!

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Welcome aboard and thanks!

[@jambajuice7822]

Watched a couple of your fights in glory after discovering your channel. Damm you have some serious skill man.

[@איתיתמיר-ה1ז]

Thank you man, from what I understand Thailand is not the place to go if you want to learn skills, but more pyisical exercise. Have you ever trained at Tristar? I want to go there when Corona ends😊

[@NotaNazgul]

I would say the amount of tech you learn mostly depends on the school you pick by their reputation. And on the training terms you negotiate with your teachers. There must be a lot of Know-how in Thailand after all - just look at their fighters ;)

[@OGFITNESS]

Thats was amazing, i heard they spar really light but i guess when they see someone with skill they all of a sudden want to get their hard sessions in.

[@LucrativePerson]

3:28 could be really bad out of context

[@Buli0n]

When i sparred hard in Thailand they tend to throw power strikes/kicks to torso and legs. But they treat head lightly, they don’t punch full power to the face or they don’t kick.

[@munisdevar9256]

Been following u since Glory..ur an intelligent pressure fighter.u remind me of oscar de la hoya

[@simjam1980]

I think the sparring isn't hard very often because Thais are fighting every few weeks. Sparring hard in training and risking injury means they lose money if they can't fight.

[@w8ngr]

The question is what the ratio of hard Vs play?

[@joebagtas9617]

Gabriel do you have any interesting street fight stories in any of the countries youve been? How did you MT and Boxing help in those situation?

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

0 street fights for me. I'm a very calm guy and when someone gets in my face I just stay chill and tell them to back off. It's worked very well so far.

[@joebagtas9617]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial Maybe a video about that mindset, being a fighter but not going overboard with it, would be great! I think some people struggle with this (could be their background, what got them into fighting, sometimes just naturally who they are.) It's really smart to be chill about it. I have heard from some other professional fighters they had some street fights they werent proud of joining in. Not too many details though. Thats really awesome you've had 0 street fights. Knowing when to separate the beast you are in the ring from who you are outside it is really important. Legal repercussions, health and all.

[@PyrexProfessional]

I haven't heard that myth before really, I always imagined they were fairly rough there.

[@DDIAZ-we4dz]

i see that a lot from many thai fighters. even some high level thai fighters. they generally dont have very good boxing skills. especially compared to their overall skill level and experience. great kicks. great knees and elbows. and great clinch work. but comparatively poor boxing. maybe they just have less of an emphasis on it because they prefer to work long range with kicks and short with clinch? idk. but at my old gym. if we were boxing only, me starting off as a boxer, it was often really easy for me to take on guys that were above my skill level in overall muay thai. is it cus of the scoring system they use in fights that heavily favors kicks and clinch?

[@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595]

They don’t have great boxing by western standards because they typically use punches to set up a kick, or they’re on the other end of the spectrum and they just throw really hard 1-2s.

[@yeagerist6832]

💯

[@aguy463]

Hey man, thanks for all your videos. Been wanting to go for a long time now, I'd love to know which gyms you would recommend to visit, not just for training but for insight, for example, I'd love to train with namsaknoi or go to jockey gym as they have a great style of muay Thai. Thank you

[@tracy449]

Hey Bro. Do you have a school I can visit to get some training?

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I don't right now. I will down the road but at the moment I'm not wanting to pull any focus away from my training camp.

[@L0-C01]

Mate you’re a highly skilled fighter and they knew it so they gave you the hard training for you and their boys. They don’t do this to average people. So the myth isn’t busted sorry. They do spar light with average people

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

For sure. I do the same. Light with anyone less skilled. A lot of people here think the high level thai fighters ONLY go light with each other. That's what I'm referring do. But they do hard sparring in camp. I saw Buakaw lighting up the guy I was training with a Por Pramuk. He was so mean 👿

[@L0-C01]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial That’s crazy that you were an amateur fighter out skilling the Thais on their own turf. To have them all watching and crowding around the ring would have been epic! I like how you describe sparring, keep it chill unless someone starts going too hard then you let them know. That’s the way I’d prefer people spar with me. No need to beat each other senseless. I’ve noticed in Thailand if westerners come in with big egos trying to get one over the Thais they will not hesitate to put the hurt on them haha. Makes sense though!

[@thedad1773]

You're the fuckin maaaan

[@randymuaythai492]

bro what you do if you got in a muaythai clinch fight. yo know when we try to get the colar clinch lock 1st? you do that or you bang them with your punches like uppercut or short hook. I had try not to get into their games of clinching by throwing short punches like uppercut usally when they try to grab your neck. sometimes It works. he got rocked from the uppercut so I have the time n space to finish with hook n cross power shoots. but most of the time it's not working specially with them who got my uppercut n end up on the math after taking my hook cross combo. they grab very fast now n i have to play the Thai clinching game

[@cglasford1]

Sounds like a good time ;) any chance we will see you on a ONE FC card any time? I’d love to see you in 4oz gloves going full MT!!

[@SandaBoxing]

THANK YOU, very, very, very much for this video. So many KZbin 💩-heads, think that the Thais don't spar hard & brings this up, whenever they see (and get scared of) a hard sparring compilation video from the US and other Western gyms.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

👌😀 Yep. I've heard so many people say "spar like thais" when I'm at out of town gyms teaching seminars.

[@craigross341]

Getting kneed is the thing that can't happen. It's just an instant injury for six weeks: you can't breathe or sleep with busted ribs.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Ow. That sounds awful. I'll have to make a "rules to clinching" video. In Thailand they know how to clinch safely. That can't be said for everyone in North America.

[@kshtagrawal1]

Did you get a chance to spar with Buakaw???

[@factsjusticetruth8752]

@9:22 is that Buakaw?!

[@j.sleezy8099]

trying to take your head off lmao

[@xingyimaster1987]

They sparred hard because they wanted to put the newcomer (you) in your place

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

I thought that at first but Buakaw went really hard against his training partners in boxing rounds too.