What you REALLY need when training combat sports - a guide to your essentials in combat sports
This guide is something other than the others on this site, an throughout, I will be covering only what you really need to consistently train combat sports, and as we all know, consistency is key in sports and all things alike. This is a no-bullshit guide that will cut out all the useless fluff from everyone saying you need this specific piece of equipment before you even think of training. Let’s be realistic here, our goal here at Fight Central is to genuinely help beginners learn what they need to know as well as experienced fighters alike to find a new product they can use the next time they train.
Regardless of your level, let’s get into my top no-nonsense guide on what you really need in combat sports:
Shinguards
No matter the sport you’re training, you are most likely going to need a good pair of shinguards in order to keep yourself and others protected in drills or sparring. That being said, you definitely want to go with a pair of sturdy shinguards that will last you longer than any old pair off the street, so here are my top picks when it comes to excellent quality that won’t break the bank:
Fairtex SP5 shinguards - The Fairtex SP5’s are one of the most commonly seen shinguards worn all over the world and that is for good reason, they are renowned for their quality and brand identity. These are actually my current pair that I use in training, and I would highly recommend them to all reading this. The SP5’s are very high quality, with a soft foam interior that protects your shin and a hard pad on the outside to make sure your opponent still feels every ounce of the power you put in to your kicks. Overall a great pair of shinguards for beginners and advanced alike, would recommend.
RDX Shinguards - This is another pair that you see a lot around various gyms, the RDX brand is known for their good quality to price ratio, often seen with many high-profile fighters such as Tony Ferguson and more recently, Leon Edwards. These shinguards boast a very good material and feel, coping well with sudden movement and I find they don’t move around much when used, even in MMA and grappling sequences, overall a very solid pair to have for the price, very reliable and should last a long time if properly maintained.
Gloves
Whether you’re training MMA or striking, even boxing you still need a good pair of gloves to use, I would even recommend having pairs of different sizes for different uses, if you have the money to spend. For a good pair of all-round gloves, the 14oz size is the best, they can be used for pretty much everything you will ever do in training, you can hit the bag with them no problem, drills can also be done in 14s, as well as pads or even sparring, the 14oz size is good as it balances padding while not being too heavy and uncomfortable to use. Anyhow, here are my best finds for gloves with a little explanation added on:
Venum Contender gloves - The contender series from Venum is a very good quality line that’s worth getting into for a pair of reliable and affordable gloves that won’t fall apart on you two months after you get them. With a variety of colourways and sizes, the Venum contender gloves come highly regarded as comfortable as well as serving their purpose perfectly, with style, of course. I have used these gloves previously and although it was a few years ago when I used them, I can gladly say I think the gloves were and still are top-notch in the industry.
Twins Special boxing gloves - The Twins Special brand is truly excellent. Yet another brand that comes highly recommended by me and a lot of other people, sure the price might be a little more than the average pair, but you’re not getting an average pair of loves here, these gloves are 100% real leather, tight and secure wrist straps for protection and as comfortable as they come, until very recently a set just like the one in the link was my main that I used for over 2 years before replacing them, and still I find myself using them sometimes. These gloves provide amazing finger mobility for boxing gloves, which allows you to practice your Thai clinch very effectively, the gloves are also very good for catching kicks and performing sweeps. Overall, these gloves are a 10/10 in my mind, and I would certainly recommend them to anyone who needs a pair of gloves.
Clothes and Training wear.
Trust me when I say you don’t want to be training in everyday clothes all the time, if you’re a beginner, listen to this advice and get yourself some clothes to train in, I would suggest a compression top and some dry-fit shorts to help with mobility and sweating, you don’t want to be wearing heavy cotton clothes that will just soak up any sweat and leave you feeling heavy as you’re training, or long trousers that will stop you from kicking high. Good training attire is essential as it can help with comfort while training as well as not getting smelly very quickly. I’ve found a few things you can wear I found to be great in training:
Fairtex muay thai shorts - The Fairtex Muay Thai shorts are a good pick, used often by pro fighters or in organisations such as ONE championship. These shorts are well-fitted with a comfortable material that allows you to kick as high as you want, while also being lightweight without soaking up sweat like other clothes you might find. Overall very good manufacturing paired with quality for a low price, would highly recommend.
Venum short sleeve compression shirt - This is also a very solid pick for training wear as it absorbs sweat without getting heavy and allows a lot of mobility, often stretching. The material is also high quality, made by a known brand that I would highly recommend.
Protective gear
No matter the combat sport you’re in, you’re going to need some sort of protective gear unless you want to have dental bills and various health issues all over the place. I’d recommend getting your hands on a good gumshield, a solid groin guard and its up to you but headgear might be a good idea as well, I personally don’t wear any when training but I know some people like to. I’ll leave my recommendations for each here so you guys can go check them out:
Opro Gold gumshield - I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, this is one of the best gumshields you can get for the price, it molds to each tooth individually, has a thick outer shell to protect the front of your teeth, and comes with a “fitting cage” to ensure you get the best fit for your teeth, this is a seriously good piece e of equipment that I’ve been using for a while now too and the only way I’m getting a different one is if I decide to get a custom fit. Excellent gumshield overall.
Venum groin guard - What else can I say other than you have to protect the Crown Jewels?
RDX Headgear - A quality product by RDX, allowing a firm fit that won’t get in the way of your vision, this headgear is sure to protect you against cuts and bruises coming into fight camp or just in a sparring session.
Supplements and recovery
In my opinion, just because you’re a fighter doesn’t mean you can’t take supplements intended for gym goers and weightlifters, although some of them are downright better for the gym and not martial arts. I think it’s good for fighters to take creatine to help with muscle recovery and energy levels, providing more hydration to the body. As well as this, I see no problem using electrolytes and even protein powder to boost performance and muscle health and gain. Electrolytes are good as they replenish what you lose through sweat in a training session and protein is also beneficial as it helps the muscles regenerate and grow at a faster rate after your sessions. I have linked some useful products I found here:
Creatine - Good for recovery and energy levels in training, I take 1 scoop daily, and with this supplement, consistency is key, as it takes some time for it to accumulate in the bloodstream to a level that actually affects the muscles.
Protein powder - Fuel for the muscles, as they call it, protein is very good at repairing microtears in your muscles, boosting strength and muscle gain if you have a good intake of protein, you don’t need to buy powder if you get enough protein from your diet but I would recommend it regardless.
Electrolytes - An excellent way of staying hydrated throughout the day even, or it can also be used when training in hot environments during tough training sessions where you sweat a lot. I used very similar electrolytes to stay hydrated and not lose nutrients while I was training in Thailand.
Thank you everyone for tuning in and please give these products a try, I seriously think they can up your game and elevate performance in some cases, or just allow you to get very good gear for yourself, it’s like i said, no bullshit, see you next time here at Fight Central