Martial Arts Sparring Equipment

Most schools that train in sparring (kumite) require you to have a full set of martial arts sparring equipment. They may have a school policy indicating what equipment is required, and there might be a rule that states that you cannot spar unless you have all your sparring gear on. However, if you belong to a martial arts school where the rules are a little loose and they do not have a defined sparring equipment policy, here is some martial arts training equipment you should bring along and wear every time you spar:

Mouth Guard

The last thing you want is to do any sort of “light” sparring, and have someone accidentally kick or punch you really hard in the teeth. The fees to fix any dental injuries are very expensive, so prevent any teeth from being cracked or knocked out during martial arts sparring, wear a mouth guard. For about $5, it’s well worth the investment.

Jock

Any sort of martial arts kicks to the midsection or to the legs risks missing the target and landing in your groin. Equipment that protects the groin will prevent any unnecessary pain in that region. You can opt for a plastic jock, but with enough force, they have been known to crack and break during sparring or competition.

For the best in groin protection, get a steel jock (that’s what Muay Thai kick boxers use)

Martial Arts Headgear

With all the martial arts drills performed on a regular basis, you can bet that if someone is off target just be an inch, they can deliver considerable damage. You want to make sure that your head is protected from any sort of injuries. Any punches or kicks to the head can result in facial bruising to a concussion. A martial arts headgear will stop any needless head injuries.