Why do fighters dance before they fight?

The wai kru ram muay, the teacher who stands behind every fighter, a sacred headband, an armband with a story, and the music that plays.

Imagine a fighter climbing into the ring. Before a single punch, they walk slowly round the ring and bow at each corner. Then they kneel and bow three times. Then they begin a slow, careful dance. ^3,29

A fighter wearing a white headband kneeling and bowing with palms together in the ring.

This is the . Each word means something. is the Thai way of showing respect, with the palms pressed together. means teacher. Ram means dance, and muay means boxing. ^3,32

Thank you, teacher

Every source agrees on one thing: the wai kru is a way of saying thank you, and of showing respect to the fighter's teacher. It honours parents and all the teachers who came before, too. ^3,29,32 In Thailand, ceremonies of thanks to teachers happen in schools, in music and in dance as well as in boxing. ³

Adult students kneeling with trays of flowers before their seated teacher in a decorated hall.

The dance part is called the . Its moves often show who trained the fighter and where they come from, so each one can be a little different. ^3,29

Two men in traditional dress demonstrating a standing posture of the wai kru dance together on a stage, one knee raised, arms extended.

The music

Live music plays during the wai kru and the fight. The lead instrument is the , a kind of oboe, with drums and small cymbals. ^10,21,29

Three musicians at ringside playing an oboe, two drums and small cymbals.

The headband and the armband

During the wai kru the fighter wears a , a sacred headband. By tradition, the teacher gives it to a fighter who is ready to represent the gym. ¹ When the dance ends, the teacher takes the mongkhon off in the fighter's corner, and the fight begins. ^1,40

A teacher lifting the sacred headband from a fighter's head in the corner of the ring.

Many fighters also wear a , an armband. ⁴

A painterly legend scene: a woman tying a strip of her sarong around a man's arm before he leaves.

A ring shaped sacred headband and a knotted cloth armband on a wooden table with jasmine flowers.

Different views

In the 1970s, Thai teachers began to bring the wai kru, and everything else in this story, to Britain.

Written from checked sources, listed on the sources page. Pictures are drawn, with computer help, under our direction; none shows a real child. Recorded chapters and words are read by a computer voice; a word not yet recorded uses your device's own voice.