You have made up your mind and decided to put your son or daughter in kickboxing. Great choice, of course, because you have probably heard or read everywhere how good martial arts can be for children. Discipline, self-confidence, fitness, and much more!
Maybe your child has already taken a few trial lessons or will do so at a few clubs. Usually, your children can borrow some gear the first few times, but that is usually not very hygienic and also not very safe. The gear is often discarded or absolutely not the right size. Be honest: that is not pleasant for training.
Fortunately, kickboxing or Thai boxing (and most other martial arts and combat sports) is not an expensive sport and the equipment does not have to cost a fortune. Especially if your child is just starting, you can get started with relatively affordable gear that at least belongs to him or her.
Most important: boxing gloves and shin guards
Actually, the two most important basic necessities are (children's) boxing gloves and shin guards. However, it is also convenient to just buy a complete set, so your child basically has everything needed for the class right away. This is often even more economical and nicer if it matches, but that is more an aesthetic than a functional thing.
Also needed: inner gloves, mouthguard, and groinguard
Besides boxing gloves and shin guards, inner gloves or handwraps, a mouthguard (dental protector), and a groinguard are handy and nice to have. If you want to be extra sure about your child's safety, or if it is a requirement from the club, then a headgear is part of the full equipment.
Clothing: kickboxing shorts and a sports shirt
For Clothing there are usually no requirements, but loose-fitting (short) sports shorts and a T-shirt or top are the most common clothing items in kickboxing. A real kickboxing shorts makes it a bit more fun, and sometimes there are matching shirts as well. Sometimes clubs also have their own club clothing that is desired or even required, but that is not always the case.
Kickboxing and Thai boxing are done barefoot, so shoes are not needed. That also saves quite a bit on your wallet.
And then you basically have the complete outfit. Of course, it's handy if your child can carry the gear in a sports bag.
Complete kickboxing outfit for children:
- Kids boxing gloves
- Kids shin guards
- Inner gloves or handwraps
- Mouthguard (dental protector)
- Groinguard
- Kickboxing shorts
- T-shirt
View in our webshop:
Collections >> Kickboxing >> Kickboxing sets for kids
Optional for kickboxing for kids:
- Headgear
- Gymbag
- Water bottle (drink bottle)
- Towel
- Antibacterial spray to keep gloves fresh
The basic necessities for young children and older children are the same, although children who are older or have been training longer may prefer somewhat better (more expensive) boxing gloves and shin guards.
Kids boxing gloves
Most children up to about 10 or 11 years old are best off starting with synthetic leather or PU boxing gloves. If they are older, train more often/harder, or you simply want to buy better materials for durability, then you can consider leather boxing gloves.
Older children will start with 10 oz boxing gloves, and there is much more choice in the higher segment than with the smaller children’s sizes 4 oz, 6 oz, and 8 oz. For the size you need, we have included a size chart with every kids boxing glove in our webshop that you should follow.
Inner gloves or handwraps
It is customary to wear handwraps under the boxing gloves. These strengthen the hands, wrists, and fists, but also have the added big advantage of absorbing some of the sweat. You can wash the handwraps, but not the boxing gloves.
Especially look at what the other children are wearing, because there is a good chance your child will want the same (group behavior, which is also logical). Putting on handwraps is quite an art for a child, so inner gloves are a much simpler choice.
Kids shin guards
For the youngest children up to about 10 years old, we would always recommend cotton shin guards. This can be a sock model or a model with elastic closures.
If your child is older/bigger or has been training longer, their harder, preformed shin guards are a better choice. These protect more and also stay in place much better during intensive training and sparring.
Mouthguard/dental protector
Even if no facial contact is allowed, we always recommend doing partner exercises (especially during sparring) with a mouthguard. A mouthguard doesn't cost much (much less than a dentist appointment) and even the simplest mouthguard helps a lot. Punches can still accidentally hit the face (especially with children and beginners).
It's not even about the direct hits to the teeth, but the teeth coming into contact with each other. These can very quickly cause damage if they clash together.
Does your child wear braces? Then a special mouthguard for braces is highly recommended. You can’t use a normal mouthguard with braces, and of course, you want to protect your teeth, mouth, lips, and braces well!
Cup/Groinguard
Groinguards (cups) are available for both boys and girls. These are mandatory in competitions but usually not during training. A simple cup doesn’t cost much and protects against a lot of possible (serious) pain. A cup is never really comfortable, but a knee or kick in the groin is definitely not!
Kickboxing shorts/Muay Thai short
It’s usually not mandatory, but kickboxing shorts or thai boxing shorts make it feel real for your child. And they need sports shorts anyway for training, so why not just get real kickboxing shorts?
We have plenty of kickboxing shorts for children, and there’s much more story behind the design of the shorts than you might think. We’ve written a very detailed blog about it.
T-shirt
A loose-fitting roomy T-shirt or sports top is usually enough for kickboxing training. However, the training is intense, so a special sports shirt (drytech or aerydry polyester) is recommended so your child isn’t training in a soaked shirt.
Headgear
Although strikes to the head are not allowed under 18 in competitions, headgear is always mandatory in the ring. During training, this is not always the case but often allowed. Check with the gym and/or trainer, or just see what the other children at the club wear.
Gymbag
Any gymbag is basically fine as long as all your gear fits plus a towel and water bottle. We have lots of great gymbags from martial arts brands in our webshop, including many suitable for children.
Antibacterial spray to keep gloves fresh
If you’ve ever smelled other people’s boxing gloves, you know a spray to keep them fresh is no luxury. The sprays from Sukkiri, FreshKO, and Booster in our range work very well and last for months with normal use.
More information and blogs:
- Symbolism, features, and backgrounds of Muay Thai shorts
- Benefits of kickboxing for kids
- Where and why to buy a kickboxing set?
- Which martial arts are most suitable for children?
- Martial Arts for children: learning, laughing, and still a bit serious
- Why martial arts are so good for children
- Martial Arts Authority: No strikes to the head under 18 years old
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