EQUIPMENT
What to wear and bring
Wear comfortable gym clothes: t-shirt/vest, shorts/joggers and a pair of trainers. To buy some of our merch, check our club merch page.
Remember to bring a bottle of water with you and a towel. Boxing is a great cardio workout, you will get hot and sweaty!
There are showers at the Sobell Centre if you fancy a shower after class.
Hand wraps
For your first class, we will have hand wraps to borrow and one of the coaches on the day will help put them on for you.
After your first class, you are required to purchase your own wraps thereafter for hygienic reasons.
Decent quality wraps are available everywhere starting from around £9. The ones we sell at the club are from RDX but any boxing equipment supplier sells them. Just make sure to get 3.5m or 4.5m (180inches) wraps, anything shorter does not offer maximum protection. Your hands are so important and you can always wrap away an extra bandage.
A good method for washing wraps is to throw them in a pillowcase to help keep the tangles to a minimum
Optional
Gloves
Those of you who are planning on staying with us might want to invest in your own boxing kit as sharing equipment can be a little gross. The following should be used as a rough guide for boxing-related gear. In the meantime, we have gloves that can be borrowed for use at the club and are left to air dry out.
In boxing, we use different gloves for different activities. If you are planning to box recreationally without any sparring (fighting), we recommend 12oz (if you weigh more than 55kgs) training gloves (or 10oz if you weigh less than 55kgs). The club’s supplier is RDX and they do good entry-level gloves for around £30. - Other affordable boxing brands include - Sting, Adidas, Ringside.
Long-term members (those with 6+ months of experience) are recommended to purchase their own training gloves for use
If you were hoping to get into Sparring, you must use 16oz gloves or above.
Gums Shields / Mouthguards
Mouthguards are used to protect from trauma related to your teeth, mouth, gums and jaw. They are mandatory when doing Intermediate partner drills and Sparring that involve contact.
Entry-level mouthguards are made to mould at home (known as a boil-and-bite). It comes in a shape that will fit any jaw to firstly be boiled at home. While the guard is still hot, you place it over your teeth and shape it to your jaw. - Sisuguard (~20£), Opros (~30£), Safejawz (~20£)
For a more accurate and safer fit, home impression kits are moulded to your teeth and then sent back to the supplier to be custom-made - gumshields2go (32£), BoxfitUK (60£), powguard (70£)
Skipping ropes
Skipping is vital to keep up your cardio and develop footwork. There are a lot of skipping ropes out there of varying quality and material (plastic, speed wire, beaded, leather). The cheap plastic ones will do the job and are the ones we have at the club (~5£). If you have a bit more budget, adjustable skipping ropes are great to make sure you get the best comfort while skipping.
Footwear
Normal trainers are acceptable to be used in training as long as they provide you with enough support and protection, and are comfortable for YOU to move in. However, casual sneakers are not recommended for training.
Boxing boots are lightweight, focused on having a flatter sole, enhanced grip, providing ankle support, and allowing for extra mobility. Boxing boots should only be worn inside and are not suitable for running in due to their flatter sole.
Headguards
Headguards vary a lot in price but you can get a decent one anywhere from £40 to £100.
The one you should buy depends on a couple of factors but you can refer to the table below.
| Headguard type | Protection | Visibility | Other details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open face | Lowest | Highest | Standard protection for brows, ears and cheeks |
| With cheek protection | Medium | Medium | Enhanced protection from cuts & bruises |
| With face bar | Highest | Lowest | Highest protection – metal bar in front, best if you are susceptible to nose bleeds |
If you’re unsure, we have all three types available to test out in class. We only recommend boxing-specific headguards. For more information and pictures, visit this link.
Pads
If boxing is becoming your thing, we would recommend getting your own training pads. Our club prefers smaller-style pads/punching mitts as it requires boxers to focus on technique rather than power - RDX Genie focus pads (~22£)
Taking care of your boxing equipment
It's absolutely vital you keep your kit clean and dry. Always remember to take out your boxing equipment after training from your bag to air out.
Cheap alternatives:
- keep those DO NOT EAT silica packets in your gear bag to help fight against dampness.
- Use old newspapers or Talcum powder on the inside of your boxing gloves.
Product Alternatives:
- Meister Glove Deodorizers (~13£)
- No Stink Sport Glove deodoriser (~8£)
Boxing stores online
One stop UK-based boxing suppliers that stock all the above equipment:
- BoxFitUK