The Prajioud is NOT a ranking system. That's just a quick way for a club owner to make a buck off of a kid who doesn't know the difference. If your "Kru" is using them as a ranking system, has a "Kru" certification from the WMC and can't produce his own personal fight record, you are getting taken for a ride.
Ahahah! While looking for a place to practice stand up in Albany, NY, I went to this really expensive McDojo MMA place. I watched the Muay Thai class, and was really confused why they were wearing Karate belts! When I asked, the instructor said it was just an adaptation since MT practitioners normally used the Prajioud to denote rank. The place was 150$ a month and the class was so bad. That just made it all the better :icon_chee
The Kruang Huang is used as a talisman to ward off harm...kind of like a lucky charm.
They actually offer "level-up testu" at my Muay Thai gym, but it seems to be entirely up to you whether or not you want to partake in the level system, and mostly for self-motivation. Made me suspicious at first, but considering how cheap my gym is, and that they only ask for $10 when you test, it doesn't bother me too much.
But more on topic, I think the armband is at least partly just traditional/decorative. Some of the pros at my gym wear it when they fight, and they're Korean. Pretty sure they don't have any personal religious faith or superstitions involving it.
im pretty sure most korean are buddhist.
that said its usually worn as 'protection' or magic mumbo-jumbo. The thais usually get a priest to twist it who rattles on calling the Great Peaceful Buddha to help knock a fellow human's brains in.
Some twist sacred amulets,parchments,lucky objects,M&Ms etc into it.
Muslims do it too sometimes.
Personally i think its dumb cuz its pretty annoying and distracting when its slips down ....but a lot of whiteys love to wear the lil "Mo-ey Tai" outfit , complete with shorts,anklets and arm bands.
i don't understand how some people say that the ranking is used to rip off students.
Firstly there's all sorts of superstitious shit in muay thay like the wai kru before the fight, and the rehearsals of the way kru that I find undignifying, I don't bow down to some dude. It's wrong in my culture, but I have to do it in muay thai if I don't want to "disrespect" my teacher and get my ass kicked with unnecessery extra conditioning work and throw me into the bags when I shoulld be practicing my moves with other students.
So I feel that bowing, and geting on my knees to do the wai kru much more undignifying than giving some bread to the guy.
Secondly, nobody is going to make "money" with grading classes. What is it going to be max? $10 for the band, and $20 for the test. Big deal, there are much bigger costs, like petrol for driving to the school, rehab work from injury, food and appropriate nutrition, membership fees (which are expensive), a little test fee every 3-4 months is nothing compared to the overall cost of training in muay thai. And that's IF the teachers charge the fees at all.
There's no ranking system in muay thai for whatever reason, it doesn't mean that it hurts to grade the students properly and match them up with appropriate level students. I can imagine that it could get confusing if you have multiple kru and lots and lots of students in the gym.
There are a lot of stuff in traditional muay thai which is different to how we do in the west, like in thailand they don't use punches much, but in the west we like to punch a bit more. doesnt mean one is right or wrong.