MMA gear for beginners. What about them? Well, whether you have decided on joining an MMA gym or training, you can not do it without its essential top gear. Know that ‘MMA is not a joke’.
There can be several serious injuries if the required MMA gear is not used.
Therefore, minimize the risk of injuries and upgrade your mixed martial arts experience with the must-have MMA gear for beginners.
MMA skills
Let’s begin by introducing you to the general skills used in MMA. It’s important in understanding the need for specific gear and the crucial role it plays for your safety in the game.
All the techniques or steps that an MMA person uses fall into the following categories.
Striking
When the opponents fight each other hand-to-hand in a standing position, it is called striking in combat sports.
Kicking, knee striking, and punching are all striking techniques used in MMA.
Grappling
Grappling involves gaining a physical advantage or improving your relative position to make the opponent escape or submit. It is used in various martial arts sports.
The grappling techniques used in MMA are submission holds, takedowns, clinch holds, sweep throws, and pinning holds.
List of essential MMA gears for gym and training
Here, you will explore the essential MMA gears that guarantee safety and a better experience. People are often confused about using MMA gear for both training and gym.
While there are particular things specific for either training or gym, most of the following gear is a basic must-have MMA for both.
MMA gloves
These are fingerless gloves made of natural or synthetic leather. It is an essential fight gear for performing grappling and striking.
Unlike a boxing glove, it is less padded and lighter in weight around 4-6 ounces.
It plays a key role in protecting your hands and fingers, avoiding any damage to the knuckles. Most MMA organizations don’t conduct any fight competition without it.
You cannot effectively and safely do strike training without it. However, it is not necessarily needed for the gym especially if you are doing heavy bag hitting. It doesn’t serve well for that.
Shin guards
Shin guards are padded similar to MMA gloves worn from ankle to below the knee. You are going to face lots of kicks in your MMA training.
Therefore, wearing shin pads serve greater protection for your foot bones and shin.
There are mainly two standard shin styles. One of them only covers the shin while the other covers the top of the foot as well.
It is an uncompromised piece of fight gear. The fitting of shin guards deserves attention.
If your shin pad is not correctly fitted that depends on your length and shin’s length, there would be no required protection for your shin and foot bones.
Mouthguard
A mouthguard is the only essential equipment that can save your mouth and teeth from any kind of injury.
It is a protective thermoplastic device placed inside the mouth that covers gums and teeth.
The chances of getting hit in the mouth are common in mixed martial arts. Therefore, a mouthguard acts as a savior which reduces the impact of a hit by aligning the jaw in the best feasible way.
It is mandatory equipment in MMA competitions. You can choose the right mouth guard by carefully considering its size, safety, and comfort.
Remember, a good mouthguard never makes insecured in place and doesn’t make you tradeoff your right to speak or breathe normally for safety during the sport.
Rashguard
After being familiar with the abrasive nature of MMA, you cannot miss getting rash guards. These are compression garments that protect skin from abrasions or cuts.
It is highly protective during grappling sessions when there can be unnecessary friction or cuts of fingers or nails on the upper body.
It comes in different styles and forms ranging from long sleeves to guard tops and leggings to shorts.
Rashguards are not only sportswear garments, they possess the benefits of reducing muscle soreness in addition to scraping protection.
While they are a must-have for training, an MMA gym doesn’t necessarily need them.
Headguard
While every MMA gear is crucial for safe training, the head guard holds a distinct place. Because the head is the place where your brain lives.
Any exceedingly powerful hit can cause big damage. A headgear makes a person spar harder and as well as reduces head injury risk.
It is a protective guard designed with materials capable of absorbing impact. The guard also protects the ears during grappling.
There are head guards specifically built for beginners with face guards. This significantly helps a beginner save his mouth and head from injuries until he has sufficiently learned the defense skills.
Cups/Groin Guard
It is important training equipment to protect the fighter’s groin area. It helps prevent serious injuries to sensitive areas in lower bodies during MMA fights.
Groin guards or cups are sturdy materials molded in the shape of cups to cover genital areas. If you are participating in a fight, it is recommended to wear it under shorts.
Because despite the prohibition of blowing into sensitive areas in MMA competitions, you cannot risk getting hit in those areas.
Experts recommend beginners to start wearing it during training so that they get comfortable with it during competition as well.
Sparring gloves
In addition to the MMA glove, you might need a sparring glove or hand wrap.
Wearing sparring gloves or hand wraps adds to hand and finger protection. Beginners as well as professional fighters can wear it in both training and gym.
Secondly, sparring or boxing gloves help reduce the impact of striking with its sufficient padding.
Conclusion
Since you are well now aware of the essential MMA gear for beginners, you are ready to step into the gym for training.
It is better to prioritize gear quality over price because your safety should matter the most. It helps you get a great MMA experience!
