Equipment Checklist For Beginner Martial Artists
A common question that I hear from people who are just starting at my Columbia martial arts school is “What equipment do I need?” Women especially want to know what they should wear to train in and what other supplies they will need to be successful. There are a few crucial items a women will need to train in Muay thai and Brazilian jiu jitsu, two of the most popular styles right now.
Muay Thai, a form of kickboxing often trained by MMA fighters, requires less supplies and can be easily purchased. Any comfortable workout clothing is good for Muay Thai or other kickboxing styles.. It can be something as simple as a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt or something like a whole uniform of under armor design. It really doesn’t matter as long as you can move easily around in it.
One thing that women need to be more conscious of in muay thai is wearing just shorts. Muay thai requires alot of kicking, so many women wear spandex shorts under their regular shorts. The only other things needed to train in muay thai are hand wraps and boxing gloves. These can be easily purchased often from your martial arts school, a sporting store, or online. These come in all kinds of colors which often is more appealing to women than men, but adds a little fun to the mix. To train in this martial art, you generally will only need one set of hand wraps and gloves. If you begin training more often you may want to look into purchasing a second pair pair of handwraps because they do need to be washed every so often so this would allow you to switch them out whenever you need to.
The supplies needed for Brazilian jiu jitsu are just as easy. The main thing that you need is a gi, which includes the top, the pants, and the belt. A gi requires a little more attention when purchasing it because it needs to be a specific size. You can generally purchase these at your martial arts school or through your school or online. I have purchased all my gis at my Columbia BJJ school for convenience sakes; I was able to try a few different ones on to find the one that fit me best.
If you choose to purchase your gi online it is important to select the right size. The quantity of Gis that are hanging in your closet is proportional to how often you will be training.. Because gis need to be washed after being worn during training, it makes sense to purchase at least two gis if you will be training regularly.. So if you’re training everyday and only have one gi, you would have to wash it everyday which can get to be a serious chore. Many women also wear spandex shorts under their gi pants. While sparring the pants may come loose or untied so having the shorts underneath protects you from anyone seeing anything they shouldn’t. The last thing you need for jiu jitsu is optional. A mouthguard will save your pretty smile but it takes time to get used to.. Dicks, Sports Authority, or any sporting goods shop will have these.. Women generally wonder right away what they will need to train and be successful. Everything women need can be easily purchased from their martial arts school or a nearby sporting goods store.
