Why do Muay Thai fighters wear Anklets?

[T.J.T]

I would wear them to keep my ankles warm, but i did find them to be restricting(probably wore a size too small) so i stopped wearing them. It took a bit to get use to not using them but now its not a problem.

I do throw one on for a week or two if i roll an ankle, i find it helps with the swelling because of how tight mine fit.

The sweat is a intresting comment, as i do sweat a lot and have slipped around before. its not something i have thought about, but its an intresting idea.

[ThaiKickU]

Pretty sure they are just for support. My first MT coach used to make me wear them, but I don't think it was for support. I think he just thought they looked cool and made you look like a real MT fighter lol. Needless to say, I don't train with that guy anymore.

[DwarfMesomorph]

Ahhhhh......
Thank You DeluxeMT.

[gotobread]

Actually, it was only a few weeks ago that I was watching some fights and I noticed one of the fighters removed his ankle supports. I think I only noticed this because they were the brightest neon green I think I've ever seen.

[LongArmofdaLock]

what deluxeMT said. let's face it those thin elastic supports aren't supportive at all. what they do do (at least what I've noticed in wearing them) is keep those tendons nice and warm/loose so that if I do hit with my foot by accident and bend it back it doesn't stress the tendons as much as if they were cold.

[cali_chute_boxe]

Originally Posted by DwarfMesomorph

Why do Muay Thai fighters wear Anklets? How did this tradition start?
For me, they absorb sweat and remind me to get up on my toes.
Is that the reason others use them?

Hahaha. What is really funny is when I see BJJ guys wearing them and they don't do any standup.

[cali_chute_boxe]

Originally Posted by deluxeMT

I pretty much have to point this out in every thread on ankle supports being worn by MT fighters, but I'll do it again:

Thai fighters mainly wear ankle supports to keep the ankle joint warm, they will mostly remove the ankle support in later rounds of the fight

For example:

Early round:



Late round:



Or sometimes, a fighter may keep them on, while another chooses to have them off:

Early round:



Late round:

Damn you beat me to it. But was not mentioned is that nakmuays must wear them through the 1st and 2nd rounds when fighting at the larger stadiums in Thailand. It's just the rules just like having to seal the ring and Waikru/Ram-Muay before every match.

[Dan Koong]

They take a little sting off if i screw up a kick during sparring, and i've severely sprained/rolled both my ankles multiple times skateboarding and playing rugby so they give me a bit of added support. i don't feel quite as comfortable training or fighting without them.

[deluxeMT]

Originally Posted by cali_chute_boxe

Damn you beat me to it. But was not mentioned is that nakmuays must wear them through the 1st and 2nd rounds when fighting at the larger stadiums in Thailand. It's just the rules just like having to seal the ring and Waikru/Ram-Muay before every match.

This I didn't know. Awesome.

[Astaroth]

Originally Posted by cali_chute_boxe

Hahaha. What is really funny is when I see BJJ guys wearing them and they don't do any standup.

It kind of helps with traction and it does some offer support when rolling or getting thrown. I wear them but it's more of a tradition thing that I brought over from MT. One thing I brought over from BJJ/wrestling to MT though is kneepads/braces. Keeps the hamstrings warm.