Sunday, January 5, 2014

The arm bands, known as prajioud, originated in Thailand as a type of talisman to bless the fighter with luck and safety. However, in modern day Western gyms, arm bands are often a type of ranking system. Different colours represent the level of skill of the wearer, with black most often being that of the highest degree of proficiency.
The mongkon headband functioned similarly to the traditional arm bands. It might contain bones of ancestors and special characters written on the cloth to bestow favours upon the Thai fighter.
Nak muay used to wear long loose cotton trousers and bind their hands with hemp rope. Fights known as Muay Kaad Chuek where participants had their fists and forearms bound, occassionally dipping the ropes in water beforehand so they would tighten as they dried, rose sometime during the Ayutthaya Period (1350 - 1767).
Previously, matches were largely crude and unrefined with no rules, much less weight classes. In real combat, warriors could not afford to pick and choose their opponents and the early fights somehow reflected the need for a fighter to be well-rounded and courageous.

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