The muay thai armband or pra jiad is worn by fighters in the ring and has a long history dating back to the time of Siamese warriors in and the many battles fought for the Kingdom of Siam (old Thailand).
Today in the ring, the muay thai armband or Pra Jiad is worn by muay thai fighters as part of the traditions and spiritual beliefs of the Thai.
In the West this would be similar to a lucky charm but with even deeper meaning in Thai culture.
In some gyms outside of Thailand, in order to be able to award and distinguish levels among students, different colored muay thai armband or Pra Jiad are worn by students and they represent something similar to martial arts belts in Karate, Judo or BJJ.
But traditionally in Thailand there are no real muay thai belt rankings and the Pra Jiad or muay thai armband represents tradition and spiritual beliefs rather than representing a certain rank.
What Does the Armband Represent?
Similar to the Sak Yant or muay thai tattoos worn by fighters on their bodies, the muay thai arm bands are believed to bring the fighter good luck and boosted attributes such as speed and knockout power.
Thailand is a deeply spiritual as well as superstitious country. The belief in spirits that are everywhere and that are both good and bad is prevalent throughout society.
The practice of muay thai is no different. Ancient traditions that are part of muay thai such as the wai khru (traditional dance performed before a boxing match) and the sacred mongkol or headband worn by muay thai fighters before the fight, represent this belief in the spirit world.
The practice of wai khru and sealing of the ring to not allow bad luck and spirits in and the wearing of the mongkol or headband also to bring the fighter good luck and fortune are closely intertwined with the wearing of the arm bands in muay thai or Pra Jiad.
Like the mongkol or headband worn by fighters, the Pra Jiad also must be blessed by a monk or holy man in order to be effective in bringing the fighter good luck and ward off harmful and bad spirits.
The Pra Jiad is considered a sacred object and is very revered and treated with respect. It should be kept in a high place and should never touch the ground or be stepped over by a person which would bring bad luck and lessen the effectiveness and the powers of the arm bands for the muay thai student.
What is the Pra Jiad made from?
Similar to the mongkol or sacred headband, the Pra Jiad is traditionally made from material belonging to a loved one and close family member. Commonly it is made from a mother’s sarong.
Traditionally the arm bands were mostly either white or red in color and worn by warriors going into battle. Often magic symbols or precious amulets were worn with the arm bands for protection in battle.
Today the Pra Jiad is made from threaded material and come in many different colors. Custom arm bands can be made and they can be purchased off the internet.
Similar to the mongkol, the Pra Jiad consists of the band itself and a longer tail at the back. There are typically worn above the fighters bicep. Either a single Pra Jiad or a pair of arm bands can be worn by the fighter.
Unlike the mongkol which is removed after the Wai khru and before the fight in modern muay thai, the Pra Jiad is worn throughout the fight.
The Muay thai armband as Representation of Rank
Some muay thai gyms and schools today use the pra jiad to represent rank and level of attainment in muay thai.
There are color and rank systems similar to those in Karate and BJJ that are used to represent level of achievement and completion of certain grading by the student.
One of the greatest ever muay thai trainers Kru Yodtong Sennan developed a muay thai ranking system with 7 levels of achievement.
The system was brought to Evolve MMA in Singapore by Chatri Sityodtong who is the founder of ONE Championship.
The ranking system for the official Sityodtong Muay Thai Program at Evolve MMA in Singapore is based on Pra Jiad.arm bands with 7 levels.
Level 7 = Kru
Level 6 = Expert
Level 5 = Advanced
Level 4 = Intermediate
Level 3 = Advanced Novice
Level 2 = Intermediate Novice
Level 1 = Novice
Muay Thai Armband – Pra Jiad – Summary
The Pra Jiad in muay thai is part of the Thai spiritual belief and culture which pays great attention to respect and tradition.
Together with the sak yant (muay thai tattoos), the muay thai dance and the sacred headband (mongkol) the Pra Jiad is important to the traditions of muay thai and impact a fighters self-confidence and belief as it has done from ancient times to today.
In modern muay thai schools and gyms, mostly outside of Thailand many students are not fighters or even plan to fight.
But in order to keep them motivated and attain levels of improvement the Pra Jiad arm bands is sometimes used today to represent rank levels in muay thai much like the colored belts in other martial arts.
Whatever the purpose today the Pra Jiad has a long history and deep meaning that is all part of the traditions and culture of muay thai.
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