You have probably heard or read about it somewhere and have decided to enroll your child in Krav Maga for their safety and well-being.
Krav Maga has gained enormous popularity in the Netherlands and beyond. This is largely due to the accessible, effective way to learn to defend yourself, assess dangers, and stand up for yourself. These are skills that every child (and adult) obviously benefits from greatly in daily life.
Maybe your son or daughter has already taken a few trial lessons at a Krav Maga club or you are going to do so at a few schools. Not much is needed for Krav Maga, and for the first few times, you probably don't need to bring your own equipment.
Once your child continues with Krav Maga, it is obviously much safer, more comfortable, fresher, and also much more effective if he or she has their own gear.
Fortunately, Krav Maga (and most other martial arts and combat sports) is not an expensive sport in terms of equipment. Membership fees vary per club, of course, but let's be honest: the safety and well-being of your child is priceless.
Most important: groinguard, boxing gloves, and shin guards
Actually, the three most important basic items are (children's) boxing gloves, a cup, and shin guards. However, it is also convenient to buy a complete set so your child basically has everything needed for the class right away. This is often even more cost-effective.
Also needed: a mouthguard
Besides boxing gloves, a cup, and shin guards, a good mouthguard is also very important to have. The necessity of having a groinguard or mouthguard varies per club, but we consider these the most essential protectors in Krav Maga.
Clothing: krav maga martial arts trousers, sports shoes, and a sports shirt
For Clothing, most Krav Maga clubs we know require a black, long, loose pair of trousers and a matching sports shirt. This is usually (but not always) mandatory to purchase through the club, federation, or association. Be sure to check this with the club where you enroll your child.
Unlike most other martial arts, Krav Maga training is done with shoes on. This is because the training focuses on everyday self-defense situations where your child usually also wears shoes. These don't have to be special shoes, although it is convenient if your child simply has comfortable, clean sports shoes for this.
With this, you basically have the complete Krav Maga outfit. Of course, it is convenient if your child can carry the gear in a sports bag.
Optional: MMA gloves
For adults (and sometimes also in children's lessons), participants often have MMA gloves in addition to boxing gloves. These are open gloves that offer less protection than boxing gloves but allow you to grab and hold.
Being able to grab is of course essential in self-defense, which is why it is desirable to have both types of gloves. Boxing gloves for exercises where harder contact is made and MMA gloves for more all-round possibilities.
Complete Krav Maga outfit for children:
- Kids boxing gloves
- Shin guards that can be worn over shoes
- Mouthguard (dental protector)
- Groinguard
- Krav Maga trousers
- T-shirt (usually from the association)
View in our webshop:
Collections >> Krav Maga >> Krav Maga sets for children
Optional for Krav Maga for children:
- MMA gloves
- Gymbag
- Water bottle (drink bottle)
- Towel
- Antibacterial spray to keep the gloves fresh
The requirements for young children and older children are usually the same, although children who are older or have been training longer may prefer to take somewhat better (more expensive) boxing gloves and shin guards. Also, a mouthguard and cup are sometimes only required for older children. This depends on the association, federation, and/or club.
Kids boxing gloves for Krav Maga
Most children can best start with relatively simple boxing gloves for Krav Maga. These are also not used every lesson or throughout the entire lesson, as is the case with boxing and kickboxing.
For the size you need, we have provided a size chart for each pair of Kids boxing gloves in our webshop that you should follow.
Shin guards for Krav Maga
For Krav Maga, we would almost always recommend cotton shin guards. This is because there are actually no special shin guards for Krav Maga. The children wear shoes, and most shin guards are not designed for this.
What we sell most as shin guards for Krav Maga are cotton shin guards without footpiece (similar to soccer shin guards, but soft) or simple shin guards with elastic straps that fit well over a shoe.
If your child is older/bigger or has been training longer, his/her harder, pre-formed shin guards may be a better choice. These offer more protection and also stay in place much better during intensive training.
Mouthguard/dental protector
Even if contact to the face is not allowed, we always advise doing partner exercises with a mouthguard. A mouthguard doesn’t cost much (much less than a dentist appointment) and even the simplest mouthguard helps a lot. Punches and hits can (especially for children and beginners) unintentionally still hit the face.
It’s not even just about direct hits to the teeth, but the teeth hitting each other. Teeth can be quickly damaged if they clash together.
Does your child wear braces? Then a special mouthguard for braces is highly recommended. You cannot use a normal mouthguard with braces, and of course, you want to protect your teeth, mouth, lips, and braces well!
Cup/Groinguard
There are groinguards (cups) for both boys and girls. This is not always mandatory for the youngest children, but it is certainly allowed. A simple cup does not cost much and protects against a lot of possible (serious) pain.
Especially in Krav Maga, where many exercises involve strikes to the groin, a good groinguard is an essential part of protection. A cup is never really comfortable, but a knee or kick to the groin is even less so!
We emphasize this importance in Krav Maga because it is a self-defense style where targeted strikes to the groin are common. In almost all other martial arts, this is not allowed and usually happens only accidentally.
Krav Maga martial arts trousers
At most Krav Maga clubs, members wear a (black) long, loose martial arts trouser. These are trousers that allow your child to move easily and are easy to wash. They are usually made of a polyester-cotton blend, making them comfortable but also sturdy enough for the many exercises done in Krav Maga training.
Krav maga trousers actually look a lot like Karate, Taekwon-do, Kempo, or Kung-Fu trousers. They are wide and usually have an elastic waistband with a drawstring to tighten around the waist.
The trousers are unisex and suitable for both boys and girls. They are also wide enough with an elastic waistband, making them suitable for almost any build. They usually come in length sizes that correspond to your child’s actual height. Of course, we have size charts in our webshop that you can consult.
Krav Maga T-shirt
A simple loose-fitting, roomy T-shirt is often enough for Krav Maga training. Most clubs have a shirt with their own club logo or umbrella organization logo. Be sure to ask your club or association about this.
Choosing a club shirt is also understandable so everyone wears the same uniform clothing and no differences arise. Sometimes there are different colored shirts that children can earn with an exam, like in Judo or Karate.
If there are no requirements from the club, we recommend choosing a loose gym T-shirt for your son or daughter. Preferably a T-shirt that breathes well and is sturdy enough.
Gymbag
Any gymbag is basically fine as long as all the gear fits inside 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 the gloves fresh
If you’ve ever smelled other children’s boxing gloves, you know that a spray to keep them fresh is no luxury. The sprays in our range from Sukkiri, FreshKO, and Booster work very well and last for many months with normal use.
More information and blogs:
- 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
- Krav Maga: Effective self-defense
- What is the best martial art for self-defense?
- The positive effects of martial arts
- Krav Maga Union
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