What is the Muay Thai armband ranking system?

In Muay Thai, you may have noticed the fighters wear an armband that is often colored. This is named the Pra Jiad which is taken from its roots in Thailand. Originally, Muay Thai fighters would wear the Pra Jiad in battle which was made of their mother’s clothing. As you can imagine, this makes for cultural significance and the tradition has remained. However, these days the Pra Jiad is often made in a factory and you can buy them online.

Whilst Muay Thai doesn’t have traditional belts like other martial arts – the Pra Jiad armband acts as its own unique belt system. In other words, a Muay Thai fighter may not wear a formal belt, but they will wear an armband that shows their rank. Furthermore in Muay Thai, you don’t always have to wear the armband unlike a belt in traditional martial arts which is meant to stay on at all times. For more information about the Muay Thai armband ranking system – read on.

Does Muay Thai have an armband ranking system?

As established – Muay Thai does have an armband system. There are a total of 16 armbands to obtain in Muay Thai, starting with white. In this sense, the first Pra Jiad is like a white belt. After this, the final rank is the black armband. As you may have figured, this system is actually quite similar to other martial arts and their own belt systems. Here’s a list of the Pra Jiad in order.

• White armband
• Yellow armband
• Orange armband
• Green armband
• Blue armband
• Blue & White armband
• Purple armband
• Purple & White armband
• Red armband
• Red & White armband
• Brown armband
• Brown & white armband
• Black armband

After this, there are some extra armbands to achieve. This begins with the black and red, then black and silver, then black and gold. These three Pra Jiad are exclusively for Muay Thai teachers. In other words, it’s to show their level of teaching and technical knowledge rather than just being a Muay Thai fighter.

How long does it take to get a black armband in Muay Thai?

As stated, the final rank for most people is the black Pra Jiad. This usually takes around 10 years to obtain, but can be done a few years prior if the individual shows a high level of training – both in terms of consistency and practical application. This system is actually similar to BJJ – where you also start as a white belt and then the last belt for most is the black belt. In BJJ, it also takes the average person around 10 years to get their black belt. In other words, if you want your black armband in Muay Thai, you’ve truly got to earn it and put the work in.

Looking at the traditional Muay Thai ranking system

So far, we’ve established that Muay Thai has armbands that are similar to belts in other martial arts. This isn’t a coincidence and it seems that many forms of martial arts are obsessed with belts and colors. This is actually quite a modern phenomenon and also quite a western one too. In fact, many Muay Thai fighters over in Thailand don’t bother with armbands (especially when training) as they follow the traditional method of training.

This means that in Thailand, so long as you’re actively fighting, you’re considered a novice. However, upon retirement after years or a long career, you earn the title of ‘Kru’. In other words, when a Nak Muay retires – they’re called Kru which means teacher. Again, this has some similarities with BJJ, where a teacher is sometimes called a professor. Going back to modern standards, you could therefore have a black armband without being a Kru – whereas if you are a Kru, you would have to have a black armband by design. Hopefully, this isn’t too confusing!

Who was Kru?

Although Kru means teacher, the name originally stems from the legendary Muay Thai teacher; Kru Yodtong. Many regard Yodtong as the greatest coach ever, who produced 57 Muay Thai champions. This was the most ever and was a testament to his training methods. Before coaching, he was also a Muay Thai fighter in his younger days. Sadly, he passed away in 2013, aged 75 years old.

Therefore, it’s basically a way of paying homage to Kru Yodtong to call someone a Kru. This also means that his name ‘Kru’ became synonymous with the word teacher, which shows just how impactful his teachings were on Muay Thai.

Does Muay Thai have belts?

Whilst Muay Thai does use graded armbands (Pra Jiad), they don’t have a belt system like other martial arts. In other words, you’re not likely to see someone walking around with a belt on their waist. If this happens, there’s a good chance the person doing this is a fraud too, because it doesn’t fit in with conventional Muay Thai culture.

Perhaps the reason why Muay Thai uses armbands instead of belts is because of the way training is done. Typically, Nak Muay’s will train and fight shirtless. This means there’s no point to wear a belt like there is when you wear a kimono. Remember, not all martial arts use or require a belt system, such as boxing and certain others.

What is the headband called in Muay Thai?

The Muay Thai headband is called the Mongkon and is another way of defining a rank. Sometimes, these are awarded to fighters after they’ve done particularly well in the ring. Some people see the Mongkon as the equivalent of a black belt within the Muay Thai setting. In other words, it should only be given if someone is really good at Muay Thai.

As you can expect, there’s a lot of fighters out there that don’t wear the Mongkon, but there’s less who have earned it and wear it. Culturally, you could also say that the Mongkon is more respected and valuable compared to a Pra Jiad.

How are armbands earned in Muay Thai?

Like all martial arts, your ranking is defined by your teacher. In some cases, you have to really earn your colors which can be done by winning fights and competitions. This is quite an old school way of doing things but shows if you’re willing to grind then you will succeed. In certain gyms though, the culture is a lot more relaxed. Let’s say there’s a casual practitioner that doesn’t fight but they do well in the gym and show progress as well as train consistently. This person will be promoted based on what they do in the gym.

Ultimately, different people have different ideas and philosophies. In this sense, Muay Thai is no different compared to any other martial arts. One thing that is consistent throughout all Muay Thai gyms is the expectation to spar. In short, you can’t get by and expect promotions without sparring. Arguably, this is what keeps Muay Thai honest and proves it has not been watered down unlike certain other martial arts.

If you’re looking to buy a Muay Thai Pra Jiad then check the prices here.