Muay Thai Gear for Beginners

When choosing muay thai gear for beginners its most important to consider where the most of your training will take place.

Here at Fiji Muay Thai, the focus is on self learning and training from home.

A lot of you will have access to gyms and trainers so the muay thai gear you will need to get will be slightly different from those of us who train mostly from home.

Training at home or at a gym?

If you are looking to set up a home gym and train muay thai and striking mostly from home then you will need to invest in more training equipment.

If you have access to a muay thai gym where you will be doing your training then you will have other equipment needs you need to invest in.

Either way there is certainly some muay thai gear that you absolutely must have whether training at home or at a gym.

Muay Thai Gear for Beginners – Solo Home Training

Obviously training mostly from home you wont have access to the heavy bags, double-end bags, boxing rings and strength and conditioning equipment available at most gyms.

Check out 8 Steps to Learn Muay Thai at Home, one of the more popular posts at Fiji Muay Thai.

So a heavy bag really is crucial for home based training.

When setting up a home gym there are some other very important pieces of equipment you will need to learn and train muay thai from home.

The following pieces of muay thai gear are what you would need to train effectively at home:

1. Heavy bag
2. Gloves
3. Hand wraps
4. Skipping rope
5. Round Timer

The above 5 pieces of equipment will allow you to train muay thai, kickboxing and MMA striking from home effectively.

If solo, home based training is your primary mode of training then you really need these 5 pieces of equipment.

They are crucial for your training.

Partner Training from Home

If you have a training partner or partner’s who you work with from home, then in addition to the equipment listed above you would also need more equipment.

Partner drills and Dutch style drills are excellent training tools and if you are training mostly at home then shin guards are a must.

Having extra sets of gloves are also very important for partner work.

Just be sure the gloves are 14 oz gloves for safety purposes.

The extra weight and padding in comparison to 10 oz or 12 oz gloves will keep you and your partners safer when drilling or sparring.

In terms of muay thai for beginners, training at home with a parter you really only need shin guards and good 14 oz gloves to really get the most out of your training.

More safety equipment such as mouth guards, head gear and groin guards not crucial pieces of muay thai gear for beginners.

Muay Thai Gear for Beginners Joining a Gym

If you have access to a local gym with quality trainers and a good training environment, you are very fortunate.

Although here at Fiji Muay Thai solo, home training is the focus – joining a quality gym with good trainers is still the best way to improve your muay thai and striking.

Thankfully at a local gym you will have access to a variety of training equipment.

Thai style banana bags, uppercut bags and double-end bags available at your gym each have specific purposes and you can access them at your gym.

It is highly recommended that you do get your own muay thai gear for beginners which will include the most basic gear such as:

• Gloves – for drilling, sparring and pad/bag work
• Shin guards – for drilling and sparring
• Hand wraps – best to have a couple of pairs of your own

That’s about it.

If you are training at your local gym then gloves, shin guards and hand wraps are just about the only equipment you will need as crucial muay thai gear for beginners.

As you get more advanced and will begin sparring then a mouth guard would definitely be necessary.

And possibly headgear and a groin guard as you move onto harder sparring for competition purposes.

Extra Useful Equipment

Training at a local gym there are definitely some extra pieces of equipment of gear that will be very useful.

Water bottle – keep this close by for water breaks in between rounds. This saves you from having to walk to the water fountain and also from having to line up at the water fountain during breaks.

Towel – I always take a couple of towels when I get a chance to train at a gym. Its guaranteed that you will sweat during a group training class or private session. A towel is very useful to have ready and close by.

Compression Gear – I rarely train without some form of compression gear. If it is sweat wicking gear then this is even better. For me compression gear is an essential but for most people it may not be. I like to wear them under muay thai shorts as well as a short sleeve or sleeve less top.

My Home Gym Set Up and Gear Recommendations

Below are what I see as the most important pieces of muay thai gear for beginners and my preferences.

#1 Heavy Bag – 6ft Thai Bag is my recommendation for home training

Training mostly from home, the one most important piece of equipment I use is the Thai Bag or banana bag.

This 6ft bag from Thailand is the one piece of equipment I feel allows me to train the most effectively.

I also have a standard heavy bag that I use regularly. But the 6ft bag is the best way to work in low kicks without a partner.

The 6ft bag also works well practicing sweeps and trips for solo clinching drilling.

#2 Gloves & Wraps

These go together with the heavy bag and are crucial.

I like the Twins brand of gloves.

Just about any wraps will do the job just be sure they are 180cm in length to get the most protection and padding possible.

#3 Shin Guards

These are not essential if you are solo training.

But since I also train with some partners and students I have a few pairs of shin guards for them to use.

I like the Fairtex brand of shin guards but I also use other brands.

#4 Skipping Ropes

This is one piece of muay thai gear for beginners that is very useful and important to have.

Especially if you are training at home.

I have a regular licorice rope as well as the thick Thai style rope.