Muay Thai kit list.

Everything you actually need to start Muay Thai in the UK, what each thing costs, and the bits you can safely ignore until you know you're staying. (Links go to Amazon — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. It keeps the site free.)

The short version

For your first few classes you need almost nothing: shorts, a t-shirt, water. Most gyms lend gloves and pads for beginners. Turn up, see if you like it, buy nothing.

Once you're going regularly — say three or four weeks in — the order to buy is wraps → gloves → gum shield → shin guards. That spreads the cost and matches when you'll actually need each one. All in, expect £70–120 for kit that will last you years.

Gloves — what size to buy

This is the question everyone asks first, and the answer is simpler than the internet makes it. Glove size is measured in ounces and refers to padding, not hand size. More ounces means more padding, which means more protection for your training partner.

• 16oz — the safe default for almost everyone. Required for sparring at most UK gyms, and accepted everywhere. If you're only buying one pair, buy this.
• 14oz — usually fine for lighter fighters (roughly under 60kg) and for bag or pad work. Some interclubs specify 14oz for smaller weight classes.
• 12oz and below — bag and pad work only. Not accepted for sparring at any gym worth training at.
• Juniors — 8oz or 10oz depending on age and size. Ask the coach before buying; kids' sizing varies a lot by brand.

The honest advice: buy one pair of 16oz and use them for everything. The two-pair setup (lighter for bags, heavier for sparring) is a nice-to-have once you're training four times a week, not a starting requirement.

• Muay Thai gloves — 16oz £25–50 — Venum, RDX and Blitz all do entry pairs that hold up fine for a year or two of regular training. Look for a wide velcro strap and genuine leather or good PU; the £15 mystery-brand pairs go soft and stink within months.
• Muay Thai gloves — 14oz £25–45 — worth it if you're on the lighter side or you want a dedicated pad pair.

Shin guards

The second-biggest purchase and the one people cheap out on and regret. Muay Thai shin guards are not the same as the flimsy football-style pads — you want the elastic sleeve plus instep strap design that stays put when you actually kick something.

Sizing is by your height and weight rather than shin length: most adults are M or L. Too small and they ride up mid-round; too big and they rotate. If you're between sizes, go up.

• Muay Thai shin guards £20–40 — required at almost every interclub and most gym sparring sessions. Venum Elite and RDX are the common entry picks in the UK.

Gum shield

Non-negotiable, and the cheapest thing on the list. You will not be allowed to spar or step into an interclub ring without one. A boil-and-bite at the cheap end passes every equipment check in the country — the custom-fitted ones are more comfortable but they're a luxury, not a requirement.

• Gum shield £5–15 — Opro is the default UK brand. Boil it properly and it'll last a season. Keep it in the case, not loose in your bag.

Hand wraps

Wraps go under the gloves and protect the small bones in your hand and your wrist. You want 4.5m Mexican-style stretch wraps — the 2.5m ones are for kids and the non-stretch cotton ones are harder to get a good tension on.

Buy two pairs. One's always in the wash, and wrapping damp hands into damp wraps is how gloves start to smell.

• Hand wraps — 4.5m £5–10 — cheapest bit of kit that makes the biggest difference to how your hands feel after a heavy pad round.

Groin guard

Required for men at essentially every interclub and most sparring sessions, and sensible for everyone. Steel-cup versions exist but the standard padded guard is what most people wear and what every equipment check accepts.

• Groin guard £10–20 — Shock Doctor and RDX are the reliable names.

Shorts

Proper Muay Thai shorts are wide-legged for a reason — you cannot throw a decent head kick in board shorts or tight gym leggings, and you'll feel it the first time you try. They're also the one bit of kit where having something you like genuinely makes you want to train.

• Muay Thai shorts £15–35 — satin or nylon, both fine. Size up if you're between sizes; they're meant to be loose.

What you can skip

• Head guard — most UK interclubs don't require one and plenty of gyms spar without. Don't buy until someone tells you to.
• Ankle supports — useful once you've got a niggle, pointless before.
• Elbow pads — only needed if your gym spars with elbows, which most don't at beginner level.
• Your own pads or a heavy bag — that's a home-training purchase, not a starting-out one.
• £150 pro gloves — genuinely lovely, completely unnecessary until you know this is your sport.

What it costs, all in

Buying sensibly at the entry end of each category: gum shield £8, wraps £8, gloves £35, shin guards £30, groin guard £15, shorts £20 — around £115 for a full kit that will see you through your first year and your first few interclubs. Spread it over a month and it's painless.