MUAY THAI ARMBAND (DRUANG RANG)

Muay Thai Armband (Druang Rang) – by Kru Snake Blocker

The Muay Thai Fighters wear Armbands around their bicep for 3 reasons.  The number one reason is to distract the fighter.  When someone has a string flying every which direction on their arm, the opponent is distracted by it, and the eyes tend to focus on curious things flying around.  Many times, a Muay Thai Fighter will wear brightly colored lace (bright green, pink, blue, etc.) to distract their opponent even more.  Sometimes they will wear several strings.  The Fighters also will wear dangling feather at times.  These feathers will fall off during the fight and the opponent tends to look at the feathers as they fall…again, causing the distraction.  The second reason is for rank. Muay Thai does not have a traditional belt system, although some instructors have chosen to incorporate a belt system in recent years.  Early on, armbands were used as a type of rank given to practitioners who have earned the right to fight in competition.  Some Muay Thai Societies and Organizations use various armband colors, patches, and/or certificates for ranking.  The third reason is for looks.  Fighters look tougher and more fierce looking because the armband makes the bicep look more defined.