For beginners, Muay Thai is a martial art that has a lot of unknowns for first timers. You’re not really sure what to expect on your first day, what you’ll learn, so on and so forth. But one of the simplest things you can do is to properly invest in the right muay thai gear for a successful first day.
While it may seem silly to wonder what exactly do you need to wear to your muay thai classes, surprisingly a lot of students end up coming short with the proper attire and gear they need to properly train. This article will outline the recommended gear for muay thai classes.
When we speak about wearing proper muay thai attire, we’re not talking about the different brands you should wear. We’re primarily discussing the actual pieces of clothing and accessories that you need to bring with you to your first class. During your muay thai journey, you will meet new people who range from beginner to experienced levels and you’ll notice that they have a specific muay thai brand preference. Over time, you’ll get an understanding of the quality of gear these brands produce and you will be able to make those decisions for yourself about what muay thai brand you prefer.
The most important thing about wearing proper muay thai attire is to ensure your going to make the most of your muay thai training. You want to invest in gear that’s not only comfortable, but will also last you a long time. You don’t want to invest in a pair of gloves that you know will blow out in under 4 months. If you’re not investing in quality gear, you’ll find yourself spending more money in the long run.
Now that we’ve covered why you should care about your muay thai attire and gear, let’s discuss the main pieces of gear you need to bring with you to your muay thai class:
A pair of high quality and comfortable muay thai gloves can make all of the difference in your muay thai training. Having muay that gloves that offer ample amounts of padding and support not only allows for a smoother punching experience, but also offers better protection to your hands and wrists.
We cannot express how important it is to invest in a breathable shirt made with quality materials for your muay thai training. Often times, you’ll find yourself drenched in sweat and gym interiors can get hot really fast. Wearing a shirt, such as this muay thai t-shirt, allows you to stay cool during your muay thai training.
One of the not-so-great features of Muay Thai gloves is the lack of wrist support. But this not-so-great feature is done on purpose. In Muay Thai. students learn a ton of striking techniques, but they also learn how to clinch and these clinching techniques requires a lot of wrist mobility. So when you train with maui thai gloves that are not the most wrist secure, you’ll want to make sure to invest in some boxing or muay thai hand wraps. Hand wraps allow you to add additional padding to your knuckles, but also secure your wrists to avoid wrist injuries during heavy bag work.
One piece of gear I wish I was advised to invest in early on was buying a pair of spats, or compression pants (ladies, I believe yoga pants do the trick as well). Compression pants not only protected me from unnecessary chaffing during warm ups, such as running, but they also allowed my legs to stay cool when the gym would inevitably get hot. They also allowed me to be more flexible while throwing body and head kicks.
With us covering the essential pieces of gear to bring with you to your next muay thai class, let’s review some additional pieces of gear that you may need down the road if you decide that you want to dedicate your short-term future to muay thai.
A mouth guard is generally required if you plan on sparring muay thai (simulated, controlled combat). A mouth guard serves one purpose: to protect your teeth. As someone who has sparred once without a mouth guard, receiving a clean uppercut to the jaw without mouthguard absolutely sucks. Please protect your mouth and teeth and invest in a muay thai mouth guard.
Whether you’re planning on training full time in muay thai, a lot of times coaches will want to have students engaged in technical sparring. Technical sparring is a controlled combat match where students go against one another at 10-20% strength levels. During technical sparring, you are pretty much safe, but you will want to wear a pair of shin pads for your sparring. Even if you’re striking at 10%, accidentally hitting someone’s elbow shin-to-bone hurts and shin pads help protect your shins.
Make sure you take your time in finding the right attire for your muay thai training. Working out in uncomfortable clothes is a recipe for a bad time during your muay thai training. Feel free to check out our collection of muay thai gear that’s great for both beginners and intermediate level practitioners.
