FAQs

What is a belly pad?

In Muay Thai boxing, belly pads are large pads which  are strapped about the waist to protect the abdomen.

Belly pads aren’t worn by trainees or fighters. Instead, belly pads are worn by Muay Thai trainers during gym sessions to protect against body shots, kicks, and knees to the midriff area.

Nobody wants to get smashed in their ribs and organs all day long every day – it wouldn’t be good for your long-term happiness and well-being. Hence belly pads are an important piece of gear for the abdomen protection of Muay Thai trainers.

How do you use Muay Thai belly pads?

Muay Thai belly pads are used by trainers to provide abdominal protection whilst running training drills in the gym.

During Muay Thai classes, dynamic striking practice usually involves the trainer holding target pads for the student to aim at. Oftentimes, kicks, punches, knees, and elbows can miss the target pad, or glance off the pad still carrying a lot of force. On many occasions, this can mean a heavy blow mistakenly finding its way to the abdomen area of the Muay Thai trainer.
Belly pads protect Muay Thai trainers against that eventuality, preventing the likelihood of broken ribs or other injuries.

How to choose the best Muay Thai belly pad?

When buying or selecting a Muay Thai body pad there are a few things to look out for.

First comes fit. You need to make sure the belly pad is correctly sized for you, fully covering the front of your body to protect your ribs and internal organs. You want to make sure the pad fastens securely behind your lower back and doesn’t slip or move during motion. Its also worth making sure the belly pad isn’t excessively too big for you, as this just adds extra weight and makes running training drills more awkward and cumbersome.

Once you’ve identified the best-sized belly pad for you, you’ll want to make sure the construction is robust, with adequate padding to protect your abdomen against heavy blows. If you stick to any of the major Muay Thai brands you should be fine (Yokkao, Twins Special, Fairtex, etc).