🥊 Kickboxing Essential Equipment
- Kickboxing shorts for mobility and comfort!
- Kickboxing protective gear for your upper body (head, hands, mouth)
- Kickboxing protective gear for your lower body (shins and feet)
Maybe you have read our article on the benefits of kickboxing and now think that you need this sport in your life. Maybe you have seen some of the kickboxing world champions on TV and have been inspired. Or maybe your mate brought you along to a class and now you are hooked, obsessed, addicted.
Either way, if you are going to be taking your new favourite sport seriously, you are going to have to think about some of the gear you are going to need. Remember, kickboxing is one of the most dynamic of combat sports — so you need to be prepared. Let's look at all the kicking boxing equipment you need.
🩳 Kickboxing Shorts
When kickboxing, the chances are that you are going to get really hot and sweaty. So effective sports clothing is preferable – if not essential. You want clothes with some breathability as well as boxing shorts that are not too baggy. Otherwise, they’ll just get in the way, and that’s not something you want. When picking the right kickboxing shorts, here are three important considerations:
☑️ Types of materials
- Choose soft materials like polyester and satin
- Absorb sweat better
☑️ Size and fitting
- Take into account the length of the shorts and your waist measurement
- Review the waist-to-hip ratio (women players have a higher ratio than men)
☑️ Price range
- Different brands will offer different price ranges
- Make sure you choose several pairs that fit your budget
🦵 Kickboxing Shin Guards and Foot Guards
In kickboxing, you’ll be striking your feet constantly. And, to ensure that you are protected from the force of your own strength, it is important that you take care to wear the correct foot protection for both legs to brace various impacts from kicks and blocks — especially when it comes at an unexpected speed. That's why you need to invest in shin guards and foot guards before officially starting your kickboxing training.
For example, for a kickboxing variant like savate, shinguards are fairly indispensable – as low kicks can go straight to an extremely painful area.
Savate is a martial art which combines kickboxing techniques with fencing footwork. Players need to wear special shoes while training.
Similarly, the shoes are your main weapon in savate kickboxing, so this is where good kickboxing foot guards come in to give support to your muscles, tendons, your little bones in your toes, and your ankles. Another bonus feature? They won’t obstruct your footwork at all.
Meanwhile, learn about the kickboxing rules here!
👤 Kickboxing Headgear and Mouth-guards
In kickboxing, protective guards for the upper body are just as important as those for the lower body. The point of protective guards for both your upper and lower parts of your body is to prevent more serious injury than is absolutely necessary.
Like Muay Thai, kickboxing also uses lots of good balance and footwork to knock your opponent out, so injury, to some extent, is inevitable.
That’s why protection is usually used for particular pain points: the shins (as we have mentioned earlier), the head, and even the mouth. Those bloody scenes that we see in boxing matches are real.
First and foremost, your headgear will protect your temples and forehead primarily. For styles like American kickboxing, in which low kicks are forbidden, you will expect kicks to the head — and it’s worth having something there between you and your skull. Some examples of headgear that you can consider buying are the open-face or full-face headgear.
Next, another must in your sparring gear is a mouth-guard or gum shield will prevent a tinkling of teeth to the floor after a wallop in the mush. It’s fairly self-explanatory, this one, but as important as all the rest.
It's important to check if your headgear or mouthguard is in the best condition.
For headgear: Check for any cracks or foam breakdown
For mouthguard: Check if it's torn or has a bad smell (due to bacterial contamination)
✋ Kickboxing Hand Wraps
When taking boxing very seriously (intensity), and doing it regularly (frequency), you may want to consider handwraps.
Hand wraps are worn beneath your gloves, and they provide compression, security, and stability to the muscles and tissue in your hands. They provide extra protection and a harder hit to your opponent.
In Muay Thai, you may have noticed that fighters wrap their hands in rope. Whilst different regions do this differently, the main aim is, again, protection. It will cover your hand and knuckles, give wrist support, and, sometimes, even extend to your elbow.
Mitts
Mitts – or focus mitts – are the pads that, whilst training, will protect your partner’s or coach’s hands from your punches. Whilst you won’t benefit from them yourself unless you are swapping the puncher and the trainer, they are all-important. And they will make your training more effective. Whoever wears the mitts will call out combinations and return some pressure to your punch or kick.
Don't forget to check out some of the world champions of kickboxing.
🥊 Kickboxing Gloves
The iconic and essential boxing gear: the gloves. Lightweight MMA gloves or the rounded leather gloves, effective handwear is essential for all boxers, for the sake of your hands and the sake of your opponent’s face. This stands for those using punching bags as well as those who are sparring.
Important tip: Don’t bother with bag gloves! Whilst these are more lightweight, as they have less padding, if you ever want to level up to proper competitive bouts, you’ll need the real thing. Thatbeing said, it's best to get your kickboxing gloves in fourteen- or sixteen-ounce sizes.
🤔 Kickboxing Gloves vs Boxing Gloves
For those who are new to kickboxing, you might wonder what the difference is between kickboxing gloves and regular boxing gloves. Does it really matter if they look pretty much the same at first glance? Let's break down their major differences:
✅ Kickboxing gloves
- More square-shaped with a thinner pad
- Main purpose: Offer more hand flexibility, especially when a kick is landed nearby
✅ Boxing gloves
- More round-shaped and thicker pad
- Main purpose: Offer cushioning and protection for repeated punching
Essentially, if you're learning boxing or kickboxing as a hobby or for fitness, using either type of glove shouldn't be a major issue. However, if you plan to train competitively, it's important to wear the correct type of gloves specific to your boxing category.
💥 Punching Bags for Kickboxing
Whilst far from essential if you are going to training at the gym, a punching bag of your own is great if you want to bring your kickboxing training into your home. Whether they hang from the ceiling or are freestanding, the punching bag is the indispensable piece of gear for your practice.
It doesn't matter if you are just boxing for your own general fitness or you are training actively towards a bout, a punching bag is the way that you will improve the quickest.
You don't need a sparring partner, as a punching bag simulates one under repetition.
Anyone who is learning kickboxing as a beginner or an advanced learner will be able to visualise different sparring angles and adjust their movements, speed, and strength as they practice with a punching bag.
In other words, the punching bag is the perfect kickboxing equipment to train solo, around the clock.
🛒 Where Do I Buy My Kickboxing Gear?
There are all sorts of places that sell kickboxing gear – from generic online marketplaces like Amazon Canada, Decathlon, to specialist local sports shops like Canada Fighting and your nearest boxing gym.
Look out for some of the best brands in the boxing and kickboxing market and compare the prices and quality of the products according to your learning needs. For instance, Everlast is a classic, with some of the most famous names in the sport using their products. Otherwise, Twins make quality equipment and Blitz too.
🚶♂️ Gear Up and Take Kickboxing Lessons With Superprof
Finding a qualified and experienced private kickboxing coach in Canada has never been easier and efficient, especially with the help of a tutoring platform like Superprof. Mastering a martial art like kickboxing from scratch can be fulfilling and less intimidating under professional guidance and consistent lessons.
Wrestling and kickboxing, like martial arts, combine a handful of skills. They’re really an art form.
Rose Namajunas
At Superprof, you can browse and review the profiles of various martial arts tutors who offer private kickboxing classes in Canada's major cities, such as Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Montréal, and many others. From their profile, you can learn about the following important details before enrolling in kickboxing lessons:
After reviewing the above information, you can contact your desired kickboxing tutor directly through the messaging feature on their respective profile to discuss the final details of your lessons and payment methods. Before you know it, you'll be preparing for your first headstart in kickboxing and mastering the essential techniques like a pro!
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