Equipment Training

1. Boost Energy:

Between the high energy of the class, the increase of endorphins (a hormone that increases energy and makes you feel good), and better sleep quality from moving your body, kickboxing is will give you a major energy boost! Step aside afternoon caffeine jolt, kickboxing has you covered.

2. Get Stronger:

Yes, you will build muscle and get stronger with kickboxing!! The impact from punching and kicking the bags as well as the conditioning exercises that complements a cardio kickboxing workout will improve your strength and tone your muscle.

3. Feel Confident:

Last but not least, kickboxing will be sure to boost your confidence...and make you feel like a badass. Not only will you feel great about your results but you’ll be better equipped to defend yourself if ever needed. As mentioned above kickboxing is one of the most effective workouts in terms of fat burning and cardiovascular endurance.

So, a great way to get your workout in and save your training partners hands is to wear focus mitts. An extra advantage to having focus mitts is it gives the person striking a distinct target to aim at. That white dot on the black background is hard easy to keep your eye on.

Kick Shield

A Kick Shield is just what it sounds like. A shield to pad the impact of the person you’re kicking. Even a person who thinks their weak often packs a powerful kick. Especially when you practice it dozens of times in a row. So, a kick shield is kind of like a much bigger focus mitt that you hold with two hands and put your weight behind, so the person kicking can use a lot of force without hurting you or pushing you back.

Makiwara

A Makiwara is a uniquely Karate conditioning aid. It’s essentially padded post or board that’s struck repeatedly to harden your knuckles. The post style normally requires drilling holes into floors and lot of other mess, so I’ll show you board style, which is much easier to mount to a wall.

Makiwara – Wooden Karate Striking Board A Makiwara is a flat wooden striking board used by some of the more traditional Karate schools. It is often part of a school’s Hojo Undo training. The Makiwara is a training tool used for practicing strikes & punches. It is also used to toughen a student’s hands and elbows (because students are striking a harder surface than a thickly padded heavy bag). The round post version of the Makiwara is known as a Ude Makiwara.

The Makiwara is a vertical wooden board about 5-7 feet in height. At the striking height, the Makiwara will generally have a pad of rice straw or foam rubber padding. This is done in order to lessen the impact on a fist or elbow strike. All stretches and exercises should be supervised by a trained martial arts instructor in order to prevent injuries and to ensure the proper technique is utilized. For information on other traditional training tools, please visit Black Belt Wiki’s sections on Martial Arts Training Equipment and Hojo Undo. Simply attach this to a wall and start punching it. Start lightly and as your hands get tougher hit it harder and harder. The grooves cut into the side (like the padding on the front) is meant to give you a little extra give, but keep in mind you’re still hitting wood. And you’re doing it with the intention of making your knuckles tougher, so some pain should be expected.

Groin Protectors

Cups are an essential part of martial arts gear for males. Even if you’re not participating in full-contact sparring, it’s a valuable piece of equipment. It doesn’t take much force for to make an accidental kick quite painful. For light sparring, a simple compression short/cup combo may be all you need, but if you’re going to ramp up your training, you might look into something

Mouth Guards

You know that a mouth guard covers your teeth, but it has a more important role too. A correctly fitted mouth guard can also help your jaw, and may even reduce the risk of concussion. Most mouth guards are designed to fit any mouth, and come in adult and youth sizes. Many martial artists and athletes use simple “boil and bite” mouth guards, which use hot water and your teeth to get a custom fit.

Hand Guards

Hand guards, also called gloves, come in many different shapes and sizes. Karate gloves are different than MMA or boxing gloves. Boxing gloves tend to be the largest of the three. They have closed fingers and thumbs and thick padding all the way around the fist, as well as a “mitten” shape, with all the fingers together and thumb separate. MMA gloves have open, separate fingers and an open thumb, and have thinner padding for more hand dexterity.

Guards

In some ways, karate gloves look like a cross between the two. They have the rounded padding over the fist like boxing gloves, but typically do not have a covering on the underside of the fingers. Instead, molded plastic or elastic straps hold the fingers in place and secure the gloves to the hand. The thumb can be either closed or open.

Chest Protectors

A chest protector reduces the chance of injury to the ribs and stomach during karate sparring (plus, the look kind of like armor, which is pretty cool). This equipment is specially designed with lightweight material to allow for a large range of motion. As a result, you don’t have to sacrifice agility for coverage. Chest protectors come in a variety of designs. Vests may feature adjustable straps and hook-and-loop closures for a secure fit. Rib guards may fasten with clips for easy on and off. Many are dual-color and reversible so that sparring partners can be easily distinguishable to judges and spectators during tournament competitions.

Foot Guards

Karate has a lot of kicking, so you’ll definitely want this piece of equipment! You can reduce your risk of painful bruising or broken bones with the right foot guards.

Karate foot guards are usually two-piece: a shin guard and a removable or separate boot. These pieces may be sold separately or together, but no matter what style you choose, you will want to make sure you get something that covers both your feet and shins.

Foot and shin instep guards are typically constructed out of vinyl-dipped foam, or another durable, lightweight material, so your feet don’t feel heavy. They’re easy to put on and they even provide extra traction to keep you from slipping on the mat. Ventilation can also keep your feet feeling cool and dry. Many foot guards are reinforced at stress points, increasing their ability to keep you on your feet and out of the doctor’s office. At the end of the day, karate is a wonderful martial art, and sparring in karate is great for honing your skills within the art as well as improving balance, coordination, and timing. Don’t let the gear intimidate you – just jump in, start training, and have fun!