Bad Boy Black Muay Thai Shorts Review
Brand
Founded in San Diego in 1982 Bad Boy quickly gained a reputation for sponsoring athletes, initially in surfing, skating and motocross competitions. They made the move to martial arts by sponsoring the BJJ legend Rickson Gracie, and currently sponsors a stable of fighters including the likes of Alexander Gustafsson and Michael “Venom” Page. They stock a wide fade of fight gear and apparel and have become one of the most recognisable names in MMA with their distinctive two eyed logo.
About the item
These shorts are actually no longer on the Bad Boy UK website, but they are available from other retailers in both blue and black. With flared legs coupled with an eight band elastic waist these shorts appear very understated, apart from the location of the two eyes on the back of the shorts.
Aesthetics
Cut in a Thai style with flared legs, these shorts have a simplistic look. Entirely black other than the Bad Boy name and logo on the waist band, the name printed on the bottom of both legs and twin eyes on the back, one on each bum cheek, all embroidered in white. Overall the shorts look very clean cut, they’re not as flashy as the traditionally bright Thai shorts, probably because Bad Boy favour MMA training and that style of gear.
Materials and Craftsmanship
Bad boy are proud to be able to boast that these shorts have been handmade from 100% satin material. You can feel when you’re wearing them that they’re high quality – they’re very comfortable and even the embroidered logos are nice and flexible allowing easy movement.
Comfort/use
I find these shorts very comfortable, they’ve been used for running before training, hours of pads and sparring and even stretching sessions and I haven’t ever had an issue with them. The embroidered logos were stiff when I first got them, which is to be expected, but once they’d been worn and washed a couple of times they broke in nicely. The flared legs mean the shirts are easy to move in, you can throw high kicks without restriction and thanks to the eight band elastic waist, along with a draw string, I’ve never had to stop a session to adjust them. They’re a great set of all round shorts that compare very well to some of the more expensive ‘traditional’ brands of Thai shorts.
Cost
Available from Amazon for around £22 these are easily affordable shorts for a beginner, but are more than suitable for more experienced boxers. They’re well made, well designed shorts in a traditional style that are going to hold up to punishment. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to someone just starting out in the fight game as a pair of shorts to see them through to an intermediate level, where they may decide to look at the Thai brands of shorts that can be more expensive – which is exactly what I did.
Pros/Cons
+ Very comfortable
+ Affordable
+ Good choice for a beginner
– Simple, understated look may not appeal if you prefer ‘flashier’ Thai shorts
– Eyes on the backside of the shorts may put some off
Feel free to add your own thoughts on these in the comments below.