Alternative Karate Gear for Sparring

Karate gear from Century, ProForce and Macho are found in just about every martial arts equipment store. The sparring equipment for karate typically looks the same: dipped foam with an attractive color. This goes the same for headgears, shin guards, hand guards and even forearm guards. Most people are fine with the way most karate sparring equipment looks, but are there alternatives to the traditional dipped foam sparring gear?

There sure is. Sparring equipment from other combat sports can be used in place of karate sparring equipment. They are all designed for similar purposes, and unless your dojo has a problem with sparring equipment outside of karate, you can use protective gear from other sports. Here is a list of alternative sparring gear you can use:

Boxing Head Gear

Typically made of leather, boxing head gear is more durable and can absorb more force from a strike compared to karate head gear.

Boxing Gloves

Ranging from 8-18oz (or higher), boxing gloves offer more padding compared to karate hand guards. Karate hand guards are suitable for very light touch sparring, but when it comes to full contact sparring, boxing gloves offer more protection than the karate counterpart.

In sum, if you’re looking for quality equipment to use when you spar in karate, don’t limit yourself to “karate equipment”. Depending on how intense your sparring sessions are, boxing equipment is more than suitable for martial arts training.