รำมวย: the dance before the fight

Before the first bell each fighter performs the wai kru ram muay. He walks the ring along the ropes, touching them to seal it, then kneels and bows three times towards his teacher, his camp or his home. Then the dance: slow, deliberate moves, each camp's version passed down from kru to student, some looking like a hunter, a bird or a soldier. The music, ปี่ชวา and กลอง, plays through the whole fight and speeds up as it heats up. After the dance the kru takes off the มงคล with a blessing. Watch the dances on fight night and you will start to recognise which camp a fighter comes from. Asking your kru สอนรำมวยหน่อย is a way of saying you belong.