People from all walks of life are taking up sports like boxing or mixed martial arts to get in better shape. These sports are great cardiovascular exercises, and they will also help tone your body and improve your flexibility. If you are starting either of these sports, you will need to know which equipment to buy to protect yourself when sparring with a partner.
Essential Equipment List
There isn’t a lot of equipment needed for either boxing or MMA, so you really don’t have to spend too much money to participate in these sports. Most of the equipment you need will be for self-protection, as you’ll be able to find most of the other equipment in the gym in which you train. There are two different types of equipment you will use, equipment for working out and for sparring.
Workout Clothes
You can wear anything that is comfortable when you’re working out or sparring. Since you will be sweating, wear workout clothes that will wick moisture away from your body to help you be more comfortable as you exercise. Although boxers have their own type of footwear, you can wear any comfortable athletic shoes, such as cross trainers, when exercising or sparring.
Workout Equipment
When you’re working out in the gym, you will be doing some weight training and general exercises, one of which is jumping rope. This exercise helps with both speed and endurance, so you can do it at home, as well as the gym, to get in better shape quickly. While you can buy other workout equipment for your home, most gyms will have speed bags and heavy bags for you to use when practicing your punches and kicks.
Protecting Yourself
In order to keep your hands from getting cut up when you punch the bags, you will want to purchase hand wraps and use bag gloves on the heavy bag. If you do not use this protection, you can easily cut and split open your knuckles. It will also prevent most of the bruising you can get when you first start using the heavy bag during your workouts.
Sparring Equipment
When sparring with a partner, you will need to get gear that will protect your head, mouth and body from being injured when you’re punched. Fight Outlet has sparring gloves, headgear, chest and groin protectors that will help ensure you are not hurt when in the ring with your opponent. You will also need a mouth guard, which you can buy at a sporting goods store or at your dentist if you want one with a custom fit.
A mouth guard is essential because it can keep you from biting your tongue when you’re sparring. It can also help prevent concussions when you’re sparring or if you decide to box or do MMA competitively. In order to practice any sport, you need to have the right equipment, especially when that equipment can keep you from being seriously hurt or from hurting someone else when you’re boxing or doing MMA.
