People who train Muay Thai are proud of the sport and often wear the love on their sleeves, literally, in or out of the gym. Be it a gym sports jacket or a printed Muay Thai shirt depicting elements of the martial arts.
And while nothing shows your love as a Muay Thai t-shirt printed with the words, “I love Muay Thai”, the blatant display of passion can be rather cringey and kitschy.
Thankfully, many fight brands offer fashionably-cut t-shirts with modernistic graphics and designs to proudly show off your love for Muay Thai. In style.
TIP: Remember to scroll down to get a 10% discount code for our Muay Thai t-shirts.
With or Without
In Thailand fight gyms, you will always see plenty of sweaty, topless men training. It is the norm simply because of the country’s overbearing humidity and heat. And also, modesty is rarely an issue for the traditionally male-dominated Muay Thai.
Modern gyms in the cities (of more developed countries) typically feature air-conditioned -or at least cooler- environment to slightly ease the toughness of training Muay Thai. As such, most people would wear a tank top, sports tee or singlet for training, possibly also for a little modesty. This begs the next question:
What Fabric is Most Suitable for Training?
There is a good variety of fabric used in workout clothes from natural fabrics to synthetics to blends of both kinds. Here, we identify 3 commonly seen materials used in workout tops:
Cotton
Cotton is soft and comfortable, and as a natural fiber, it is ideal for people with sensitive skin.
Cotton is a boon for warm climate as it is a very breathable fabric but the downside is that it absorbs moisture. Hence the more you sweat during exercise, the more perspiration it traps.
This weighs down your garment, clings to your skin and can sometimes causes chaffing.
Dry Tech
Typically 100% polyester or polyester-cotton blend. Polyester fabric is durable, wrinkle-resistant, lightweight, and non-absorbent. Plus, of course, polyester wicks sweat faster compared to cotton.
These properties make sports dry tech tees suitable for all intensity levels of exercise. One thing to note is that not all polyester clothing are built equally and a lot depends on the weave of the fabric.
Recent studies have also found that odor-causing bacteria thrive better on polyester than pure cotton which explains the pungent post-workout polyester clothing. Examples of dry tech includes Nike’s Dri-Fit and Adidas’ Climacool/Climalite.
Compression Wear
Usually made of a polyester-spandex blend. Spandex (or Lycra, or elastane) is breathable, wicks moisture and dries quickly.
More importantly, the key benefits of spandex are freedom of movement; less chafing; maximum comfort; and antibacterial.
Researches have also shown that compression wear improves blood circulation, prevents acute muscle injuries and help speed muscle recovery.
Muay Thai T-shirt Recommendations
If you are more inclined towards compression wear, check out “Rash Guard for Muay Thai” for more information and recommendations.
If you are feeling cotton or dry tech, and something cool/stylish you can wear both in and out of Muay Thai training, here are some of my favorite designs:
MTC Designs
There are many Muay Thai t-shirts available on Amazon as well as specialized t-shirt stores like Teespring, Teepublic, Redbubble etc. In my personal opinion, many of the tee designs that I see are dated, clichéd and derivative.
However, it ultimately boils down to individual taste and everyone is different.
For me, I prefer mine modern with a streetwear flavor. I get the nod of approval from those who are also in the sport while looking cool. Folks like yourself who get it.
This is why I have partnered with a few designer friends to come up with a line of streetwear-inspired Muay Thai apparel. I have opted for 100% premium cotton for most of the designs and I will let them speak for themselves. Designed by Muay Thai fans for other Muay Thai fans.
There are men’s tee, women’s tee, kid’s tee, tank tops and hoodies. More designs will be uploaded each month. Here are a couple of the most popular designs -also my personal faves- so far:
To get 10% off all purchases with no minimum spending required, just use the coupon code MTCTENOFF to enjoy the special discount.
Click here for more designs and SHOP NOW!
Fairtex
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Fan-favorite Thai brand, Fairtex has a nice range of cotton t-shirts in pretty cool and Thai-inspired designs. The material is lightweight and makes them good for training or hanging out. I dig this among their other tiger, lotus and flag designs.
Buakaw
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Not much to say except that these are the official Buakaw tees. Buakaw is of course the global fighting icon from Thailand who shot to fame winning the K1 championship in the early 2000s. Quite possibly the most famous Muay Thai fighter ever. Not sure if these ship direct from the Banchamek gym.
Hayabusa
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More MMA than Muay Thai, Hayabusa tees pack quite the punch in their designs. This is one of their more subtle and classic-looking tee with sweat-wicking fabric. Fight fans would certainly appreciate these performance workout t-shirts for its lightweight and breathability.
Venum
Venum Men's Short Sleeve T-Shirt, Black, XX-Large
- 95% Cotton, 5 % Elastane
- Fitted cut
- Screenprinted Design
- 95% Cotton, 5 % Elastane
- Fitted cut
- Screenprinted Design
Venum has a nice selection of cotton as well as dry tech tops in their apparel collection. If you dig the viper logo or the Venum team, this is the one for you. Can’t go wrong with the big striking “Muay Thai” logo on the chest. Very soft fabric with a fitted look.
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing your fighting and training gear, the key is to go for comfort.
Some people love light cotton while some hate it. And then there are those who delight in seeing their exercise wear drenched in sweat after a good workout.
It all boils down to individual preferences.
The positive qualities of compression wear make them the most ideal for training but not everyone likes the tight fit and they are more expensive than cotton or dry tech tees.
They are also more or less limited to gym use while dry tech or cotton tops are more versatile and can be worn for casual, daily use too.
Sure, you can wear that ragged old t-shirt that you’ve been wearing for the last 10 years or so. But Muay Thai is your passion. You train hard for it. Muay Thai is what you do on a daily basis and it keeps you going in life.
Go ahead and show your love. Wear Muay Thai on your sleeves. Tell everyone that you love Muay Thai, but please skip that “I love Muay Thai” tee and get a cooler and more stylish design instead.
Chok dee!
I’d like the Muay Thai emblem on left front chest of t shirt and the same emblem on back of t shirt, can you do this?
Hi Steve, I don’t offer such printing and manufacturing services. Although I really should. 😀