POWAY -- As his opponent let a punch fly, Samart Payakaroon leaned his body back and toward the floor, moving out of his attacker's range.

Even as he did so, the Muay Thai kickboxing legend kept one foot planted on the ground, which immediately became the pivot point for a powerful counterattack kick.

The strikes weren't at full speed or strength, however, and Payakaroon wasn't in a real boxing match -- only sparring with friend and Muay Thai instructor Nick Mechling on Saturday at the International Self Defense training center in Poway.

About 20 martial arts students and instructors attentively looked on during the rare opportunity to learn from the man once called "the Bruce Lee of boxing." Payakaroon has been the world Muay Thai champion in the 115-pound weight class and is a two-time world featherweight boxing champion.

"Samart is the greatest Muay Thai fighter of the last century," Mechling said after the demonstration. "In Thailand, he's mobbed on the street."

Nowadays, Payakaroon is retired from the boxing ring and has also become famous in his homeland as an actor and singer. But he still travels the world, visiting kickboxing schools to teach his fighting techniques and promote the sport.

"It's great for my students to be able to see him because it shows what Muay Thai can be," Mechling said. "Hopefully, if people see him enough and people like him, we can raise the bar" of Muay Thai kickboxing in the United States.

The students asked Payakaroon and other instructors how they could improve their timing, strengthen their legs, block certain attacks and other questions about the martial art. Payakaroon also demonstrated throws and performed a traditional pre-fight dance called the wai kroo.

Through an interpreter, Payakaroon told a student that there is only one good way to block a kick to the head: Don't do it.

"You don't block the head kick, you get away from it," he said.

He also said the hardest part about being a kickboxer in Thailand isn't the hours of training or getting kicked, but staying in his weight class.

"In Thailand, if you're 120 pounds, you have to be exactly 120 pounds," Payakaroon said through his interpreter. "There's no getting in the ring if you weigh more."

A 13-year-old student at the school, Ian Hubbard, of Poway, said he learned "how to keep your balance, what to do about getting elbowed in the head" at the training session.

Ian said he enjoys kickboxing because "it's really full contact and it's fun to do."

Another student at International Self Defense, Tim Bullus, of San Diego, said seeing Payakaroon in action was exciting because he is "like the Michael Jordan of kickboxing."

Bullus said Muay Thai kickboxing is powerful and historical, originating hundreds of years ago.

"You go back in time," Bullus said. "It's like the center of fighting, it's where it started out."

Contact staff writer Paul Eakins at (760) 740-5420 or peakins@nctimes.com.