What are the arm and headbands Thai boxers wear?
The armbands, worn on the left arm, are known as kruang wruangs and in the Western world denote the boxers grade (just like belts in karate), with red (10th) being the top level. In addition, black armbands should be awarded once a student has faught in the ring and are worn on the right arm. This effectively doubles the student’s grade. In Thailand the armbands for ceremonial reasons and can also hold charms and blessings during the fight. The headband is known as a monkhon and is only worn prior to the fight, again representing the spiritual aspect of Muay Thai essential to the Thais.
