Martial arts tips
Tips on how to choose boxing gloves, hand wraps, protective gear, a gi and a punching bag, what you need for your first training session and what to give a fighter as a gift. You will find all the gear in Combat sports equipment.
Boxing gloves are the first and most important purchase for anyone starting boxing, kickboxing or Muay Thai. The wrong gloves hurt your wrists, fall apart quickly and are unpleasant for your sparring partner. This guide explains how to choose gloves by weight, purpose and material so that your first pair lasts several seasons.
Signed up for boxing or kickboxing and not sure what to buy? Good news: you need very little for the first class, and the rest can be bought step by step. Here is what you need right away, what is worth buying in the first month and what you will only need once you start sparring.
Looking for a gift for someone who boxes, kickboxes or trains MMA? The best gift is something they will use at every session: hand wraps, a mouthguard, a skipping rope or a new pair of gloves. We have put together gift ideas by budget, from small items for a few euros to equipment for training at home, plus tips on how to guess the size.
A punching bag is the one piece of boxing equipment you buy once for ten years, so a mistake is expensive: a bag that is too light flies around the room, one that is too heavy hurts your wrists, and a badly mounted bag can rip the hook out of the ceiling. This guide explains which bag to choose for your weight and height, how hanging, free-standing and water bags differ, and what you need to install one safely at home.
Hand wraps are the cheapest piece of boxing equipment and the only one that directly protects the wrist and the small bones of the hand. Gloves without wraps protect only the skin on the knuckles, while the wrist stays loose on impact. This article explains which wrap length suits your hand, how elastic and cotton wraps differ, how to wrap, and when gel inner gloves are a good alternative.
Your child is starting boxing or kickboxing and you are not sure what to buy? A few items are enough for the first classes: gloves, hand wraps and a mouthguard. In this article you will find a size chart by age and weight, a list of what to buy right away and what can wait, and tips on not overspending while your child is growing.
Gi size is one of the most common questions we get from customers: judo gis are sized in centimetres, BJJ gis in letters and numbers, and karate gis also by cut. In this guide we put all the sizing systems into one place, explain how judo, BJJ and karate gis differ, and how to wash a gi so it does not shrink in the first month.
A mouthguard costs from 6 euros and a single implant about a thousand, so it is the first thing a coach tells you to buy before your first sparring. Yet many beginners mould it wrong, so after a month it ends up at the bottom of the bag. This guide explains how mouthguard types differ, how to mould one, which to choose for a child or with braces, and when to replace it.
After gloves, shin guards are the most important protection in kickboxing and Muay Thai. They protect the shinbone and the instep when you kick a partner or block a kick. This guide explains the types of shin guards, how to choose the size and which ones to pick for a child or for competition.
In sparring, a boxing headguard protects the eyebrows, cheeks, ears and nose from cuts and bruises, so everyone who starts sparring needs one, and so do most kids. This guide explains how headguard types differ, how to choose the size and when a headguard is mandatory in competition.