MMA has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the world over the last decade. Organisations such as the UFC and superstars such as Conor McGregor have taken this once-condemned sport and have made it mainstream with hundreds of millions of fight fans worldwide following the sport's every move.
With this exponential growth in popularity, there are more and more beginners who are looking to get into the sport. There are a huge amount of gyms all across the UK that teach all martial arts from kickboxing and muay thai to wrestling and jiu-jitsu.
If you are starting out your MMA journey then you may be interested to know what MMA training equipment is recommended for beginners. In this article, we will take a look at exactly what MMA equipment is needed for beginners who are looking to start training.
What Is MMA?
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact sport which incorporates multiple martial arts disciplines into one action-packed sport. The rules allow for the use of both striking and grappling techniques both while standing and on the ground. The sport is designed to allow all combat sports athletes whether that be kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, or more to compete against one another under one set of unified rules.
What Equipment Do You Need To Start?
While you do not need to have a whole lot of equipment before starting MMA training, if you have been training for a few months and are enjoying it then it could be worth investing in some of your own equipment. This is the MMA training equipment you need to ensure that you have covered all bases.
MMA Gloves
One of the most important pieces of equipment that you need for any combat sports striking training is a quality pair of gloves or sparring gloves. Your gloves will help to protect your hand when you are hitting pads, and bags and will help to protect both your hands and your opponent during sparring sessions.
MMA gloves differ slightly from boxing gloves as they are smaller gloves that feature open fingers to allow fighters to utilise wrestling and grappling. However, during sessions where you are strictly sparring using striking skills, you should always wear boxing gloves. Not only will they protect your hands more but they will also reduce the possibility of injuries during training sessions.
The higher the quality of your gloves, the more protection they will give your hands. In MMA and in all combat sports your hands are your most important weapon. That is why it is integral to do your best to protect them. While you can never fully prevent injuries, boxing gloves or MMA gloves will give you as much protection as possible to help prevent any unwanted injuries.
Hand Wraps
Much like MMA gloves, hand wraps are an essential piece of equipment for MMA training. As we stated previously, your hands are your biggest weapon so making sure that they are as safe and as secure as possible is paramount.
Hand wraps are an additional layer that sits underneath your gloves which ensures that your hands are secure inside your gloves. This helps to protect both your hands and your wrist. In addition to this, the hand wraps also help to offer some protection to your opponent by adding an extra layer of cushioning between the area of the punch landing and the knuckles.
Many people assume that hand wraps do not fit into MMA gloves due to the fact that they are much smaller than boxing gloves. However, this is false. They do fit, and they should always be worn during training. Failure to wear hand wraps could result in serious hand injuries that could hugely affect the trajectory of your improvement.
Groin Cup
Even though MMA is a violent sport where many injuries can occur, none are more uncomfortable and annoying than an illegal groin strike. So much so that the receiver is awarded a 5-minute recovery period after receiving one of these strikes.
MMA fighters wear something called a cup to minimise the effect that groin strikes can have on their performance. These differ hugely from boxing groin guards. While boxing groin guards are incredibly protective they do not leave a fighter with the hip flexibility and movement that they need to both throw and check kicks. MMA groin cups are far smaller and simply cover and protect the appendix without hindering movement or flexibility.
Gyms will not let you take part in competitive sparring rounds without a groin cup. Therefore, not having one could halt your overall progression and your experience with sparring in the gym. Sparring is a vital training tool that will allow you to put what you have learnt into practice and sharpen your tools, helping you become an overall better fighter.
Shin Guards
Shin guards are a hugely important piece of MMA training equipment. This is because mixed martial arts involve a lot of kicking. Kicks are one of the most dangerous weapons that a fighter has in combat sports and can cause a huge amount of damage to both you and your opponent.
Having high-quality padding on your shins during training and sparring is essential to making sure that fighters do not get seriously injured during training. You can purchase shin guards that just cover your shin or you can purchase shin guards that cover your whole shin, as well as your foot. These are both highly recommended to beginners starting out in the sport.
While a lot of gyms will have spare shin guards that you can borrow when you first start and are deciding whether or not you want to continue with the sport, having your own is recommended. If you are wanting to continue with MMA training then you will need your own shin guards that can be worn during training and sparring sessions.
Mouthguard
Mouthguards are without a doubt one of the most important pieces of equipment that all fighters of all levels need. With the rest of the equipment on the list, you can get away with borrowing from your gym for a while, however, you certainly cannot borrow a mouthguard.
In combat sports, the purpose of a mouthguard is to prevent and reduce trauma to your jaw, jaw, lips and gingival tissue. They are an essential piece of equipment for sparring sessions as they provide the fighter with a brilliant level of protection and can also give the fighter more confidence during combat.
Mouthguards are so important that most gyms will not allow you to spar or even train if you do not have a mouthguard with you. Therefore, it is hugely important that you purchase a mouthguard before starting MMA training. It is also hugely important that you buy a mouthguard that fits and can be moulded to your mouth for the highest amount of protection.
Other Equipment You May Need
There are also a huge amount of other pieces of equipment that while you do not necessarily need, could help you to improve your MMA training. This equipment
MMA Apparel - While you can wear any kind of sports apparel when training MMA, wearing more specific MMA clothing can help you to feel more comfortable. When throwing such variations of strikes, being completely comfortable and unrestricted is hugely important. Wearing clothing such as Muay Thai shorts or MMA shorts allows you to throw strikes such as knees and kicks with complete freedom as they are designed to not restrict movement in any way.
Head Guards - Sparring is a huge part of MMA training. Therefore, having the necessary equipment to make sparring as safe as possible is paramount. Protective gear such as head guards should be worn by all fighters during sparring to help avoid cuts, grazes, broken noses, and many more injuries that can occur.
Skipping Ropes - Another extremely beneficial piece of training equipment for MMA fighters and all combat sports athletes are skipping ropes. Skipping is one of the most effective forms of cardio that exists for fighters as it not only helps to build their insurance but also their footwork and timing. You can also checkout this article that looks at why skipping is so important for fighters.
BJJ Mats - Brazillian Jiu Jitsu is a huge part of MMA. It is also one of the most difficult and technical disciplines in the sport. Practising BJJ without the correct mats can be very difficult and can also be very uncomfortable for fighters. Having the correct BJJ mats can make it so much simpler to practise and develop your ground skills and therefore have a much more complete skill set.
High-Quality Fight Equipment From The Sports Leading Brands
Here at Geezers Boxing, we have the largest collection of fight equipment in the United Kingdom from the sports leading brands such as Adidas, Venum, Fairtex, Cleto Reyes and so many more. Not only do we stock a huge amount of MMA equipment, we also stock vital fight equipment such as boxing boots, punch bags, thai pads, training gloves, and focus mitts as well as a huge range of fight apparel such as vests, compression shorts, fight shorts, hoodies and so much more.
