Equipment and sizing guide

Gloves, wraps, shin guards, mouthguard, shorts, pads and what to look for when buying them for Muay Thai training.

Start with what your gym requires

Every gym has its own list, and the list depends on what you will be doing: bag work needs less than pad work, pad work needs less than sparring. Ask before you buy. What follows is the usual kit, what each piece is for, and the sizing questions people ask most. Nothing here is a product recommendation and no brand is named on purpose.

Gloves

Muay Thai gloves are sized by weight in ounces, which describes the padding rather than the fit. Ten ounces is common for pads and bag work, fourteen to sixteen for sparring, and heavier gloves protect a sparring partner more than they protect you. A glove should close around a wrapped hand without the fingers being crushed and without the wrist floating; try them on over wraps, not over a bare hand. Thai-style gloves tend to have a more open thumb and a longer cuff than boxing gloves, which is what the athlete in the studies wears.

Hand wraps

Wraps protect the small bones of the hand and hold the wrist straight behind the knuckles, which is the line the punching studies keep pointing at. Cloth wraps of about four and a half metres suit most adults; shorter wraps suit smaller hands. Learn to wrap from your coach and re-wrap whenever the wrist feels loose. Quick wraps and gel inserts are convenient for bag work and less supportive for anything else.

Shin guards

Shin guards are for sparring and for partner drills where kicks are checked, which is the check and the rear check in the curriculum. They should cover from below the knee to the top of the foot, stay in place when you kick, and not slide around the leg when a kick is checked. Sizes are usually small to extra large by height and calf size; try them on and kick a pad before you decide. Cloth slip-on guards are lighter and move more; strapped leather guards stay put and take longer to put on.

Mouthguard, cup and headgear

A mouthguard is worn for any contact, including light sparring and clinch work. A boil-and-bite guard is the minimum; a guard fitted by a dentist fits better and lasts longer. A groin protector is worn for sparring by everyone; a chest protector is common for women. Headgear is required in many amateur formats and used in many gyms for sparring; it reduces cuts and does not remove the need to keep the hands up, which the studies keep repeating for a reason.

Shorts and ankle supports

Muay Thai shorts are cut short and wide so the leg can lift for a knee or a high kick without the fabric catching. Sizing is by waist and they run generous. Ankle supports are elastic sleeves that keep the ankle warm and give a little support on the ball of the foot when the heel is up; the athlete in the studies wears them because they also make the foot readable against the shin, which is the contact surface for every round kick.

Pads and shields

Focus mitts are for hands and elbows; a kick shield or a Thai pad pair is for kicks, teeps and knees. The pad round and the kick pad round in the curriculum draw the pad where a holder would hold it. Holding pads is a skill with its own injuries, particularly to the holder's shoulders and wrists; learn to hold from your coach before you hold for anyone.

Caring for it

Gloves and guards should be dried open after every session and never left in the bag. Wraps are washed like clothing. Replace gloves when the padding compresses or the lining tears, and replace a mouthguard that no longer fits. A coach can tell you when a piece of equipment has stopped doing its job; the app cannot.

Back to the curriculum or the studio.