The one thing every family should know: before every bout each fighter performs the , a ritual of respect and thanks to the teacher, wearing a sacred headband, the , with live music. IFMA requires it in competition and also scores it as an event of its own. The sources agree that it honours teachers, parents and ancestors; they differ on whether it is cultural or religious, so each gym explains its own practice. 3,21,29,32
What happens
- The fighter enters the ring wearing the mongkhon, often with a on the arm. 1,21
- In the common pattern, the fighter circles the ring and bows at each corner. 3,29
- The fighter kneels and bows three times. 3,29
- Then comes the , a personal dance whose moves often show who trained the fighter and where they come from. 3,29
- The teacher takes off the mongkhon in the corner, often with a short blessing, and the bout begins. 1,40
The rule in competition
's rules say every athlete must perform at least the opening postures and bow to the floor three times while wearing the mongkhon; a fuller wai kru of six opening postures is encouraged; in preliminary bouts it lasts at most two minutes; recorded music may replace a live band. The head guard goes on after the wai kru. 21
The music
Live music plays for the wai kru and the bout: the , an oboe, with drums and small cymbals. IFMA calls the band the and the wai kru music . 10,21,29,31
What it means
- The words. is the Thai gesture of respect with the palms together; means teacher, from the Sanskrit guru; ram is classical dance; muay is boxing. 3,32
- Gratitude. All the sources agree that the wai kru expresses respect and gratitude to the fighter's teacher, and also to parents, ancestors and all past teachers; in the past, when fighters performed before royalty, it honoured the king too. 3,29,32
- Wider than boxing. Wai kru ceremonies are part of Thai school life, classical music, dance and massage, and Thursday is traditionally the teachers' day. 3,29
The mongkhon and the prajied
- Mongkhon. A sacred headband, traditionally presented by the trainer when a fighter is ready to represent the gym, worn into the ring for the wai kru and often blessed by a monk. The WMC says it is unique to Thai boxing. IFMA requires it for the wai kru, and it is not worn during the bout. 1,21,29
- Prajied. An armband. Under IFMA's rules it may stay on the upper arm or the waist during the bout if it is neatly covered, with shorter strings for young athletes. By tradition it began as a piece of a mother's sarong tied on for luck in battle. 4,21
- As grades. Some schools use coloured prajied or mongkhon as grades, a practice common in Brazil and used by several UK bodies; the grades page sets them out. 1,4,47
The ceremonies of a student's life
| Ceremony | What it is, and whose account |
|---|---|
| , also yok khru | A teacher accepts a student (WMC and UKMF) |
| The yearly wai kru | A yearly homage to teachers; the UKMF says it is usually held on , and describes , teachers marking sacred symbols on a fighter's forehead |
| Khrob khru | A ceremony on finishing training or becoming a teacher (WMC and UKMF) |
All rows from the WMC and the UKMF. 29,40
The traditions as competition
IFMA runs cultural events, scored by judges, from the under 8s to Masters 60 and over. 21
- The wai kru solo. The athlete, whom IFMA calls a , is scored on starting postures, sitting and standing postures, and finishing and joining postures; , the old Chaiya footwork, is one of the finishing movements. 21,22
- . A duo demonstration of techniques from IFMA's Khan syllabus, judged on realism, timing, balance and fitness. IFMA's wider traditional discipline is called mae mai muaythai. 20,22
