When you start out in a martial arts class generally all you need is to get the club uniform or just some loose fitting sports clothes that you can use. But as you progress through your training you will probably, at some point, be introduced to a bit of sparring. Although a lot of martial arts clubs will have all a few items of the most of the protective gear that you need for you to borrow, it is much better if you can get your own, to make sure that it fits you properly and is good quality. There are also some things, such as the mouth guard and the groin protector, which you wouldn't want to borrow from someone else! You may even progress to the point where you are thinking about entering a few competitions which involve either full contact or semi-contact fighting, in which case you will definitely need your own gear.

So what exactly do you need and where can you get it for a good price? Read on my friend...

The best way to get all of the stuff which you need for the best posible price is to buy a set in which you get it all together at the same time. The sets of protective gear highlighted below represent the best value for money and contain everything that you would need for sparring and semi-contact fighting in most types of martial arts. If you are a student of taekwondo, however, you will also need one of the chest protectors will the point scoring target on it like the ones you will find lower down on the page, and if you are going to be doing any full contact fighting then you will most likely want a groin guard too, which not all of these sets will include.

 Head guards are one of the most basic items of protective gear that you will need for boxing or for any martial art. Don't try to be tough and think you don't need it, because even in semi-contact people can get over-excited or just misjudge things and give you a really hard wallop. And even if you are training for a full contact fight where you won't be able to wear one of these, it is good to use it for training as it will prevent the kind of incremental damage which you don't notice at the time but can lead to long term problems.

 Not necessary for all styles, but if your practice taekwondo then you will need one for the targets, and they can also be good for doing a bit of full contact training without leaving yourself bruised and needing time off your training to recover.

 Basically these are just like sparring gloves for your feet, and are highly recommended for sparring and semi-contact fights

The most obvious and the most essential item - but remember that martial arts sparring gloves are different from boxing gloves. The ones below are appropriate for all kinds of sparring except MMA or jiu jitus which will probably require you to have fingerless gloves. For a more detailed look at the different types that are available as well as information on hand wraps and bag gloves take a look at this other hubpage I created specifically looking at sparring gloves

 I know they are uncomfortable to wear but even with gloves, and even if your oponent is puling there punches for semi-contact, you can still end up getting your teeth knocked out if you don't wear a mouthguard at all times.

 Important to prevent injury to your shins when you land a heavy kick.

Another essential piece of equipment, especially for men, is the groin guard. It's worth spending a bit more on a decent one of these as they can be quite uncomfortable and can even restrict movement if you get a poor quality or ill fitting set.