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Hey friends, it's Lizzie! Starting boxing or kickboxing and not sure what to actually buy? Good news: you need way less than the internet wants to sell you. Here's the honest beginner checklist from a 10-year fighter — essentials, nice-to-haves, and what to skip.
The essentials (get these first)
- Hand wraps — the one thing to buy before class one ($10–15).
- Gloves — a 12oz all-purpose pair for most; borrow the gym's for your first class, then invest.
- Fitted activewear you can move in, and a supportive sports bra.
- A water bottle — you'll need it.
Where to spend vs. where to save
Starting out on a budget? Put your money where it protects your body, and save everywhere else:
- SPEND on gloves + wraps. These protect the 27 small bones in your hands and your wrists. Cheap gloves pack out in weeks and rarely fit smaller hands — you end up rebuying twice a year, so “cheap” becomes expensive fast.
- SAVE on clothes. Any fitted activewear you already own works for class. No need for a fight-gear haul.
- SKIP (for now): your own heavy bag, fancy shoes, and gadget gear until you know you're hooked.
The one upgrade that's always worth it once you're committed is a quality pair of gloves. Buy once, take care of them, and they'll last you years instead of months — your hands (and your wallet) will thank you.
How to actually pick your first pair of gloves
Gloves come in three lanes, and knowing which lane you’re in is what stops you buying the wrong pair twice.
Bag gloves are built for hitting the bag and not much else. Sparring gloves are bigger and softer so you’re not hurting the person in front of you. All-purpose training gloves handle bag work, pad work and drills without complaint. That’s your first pair, and no, you don’t need one of each to start.
Then there’s closure. Velcro means you can strap in and out by yourself, which matters when you show up to open gym alone. Lace-ups give you a more locked-in fit, but you need someone else to tie you in every single time. Start with velcro. Honestly, plenty of people never leave it.
And try gloves on with your wraps on. Wraps take up real room inside a glove, and a pair that felt perfect bare-handed can go tight and miserable once you’re wrapped. I broke fit down properly in my Hayabusa glove sizing guide.
The part of the checklist nobody warns you about
Real talk: the gear is the easy part.
Hand wraps have a learning curve. They look simple right up until you’re holding a long strip of fabric with no idea where your thumb goes. Ask a coach, or anyone at your gym who’s been at it a while, to walk you through it once in person. People love showing you. Then wrap at home until your hands do it without you thinking.
Your gear will also smell if you let it. Sweaty gloves zipped inside a gym bag are the whole problem. Unzip the bag the second you get home and pull the gloves out so they can dry. Wraps go in the wash regularly, not eventually.
And here’s the thing I’d tell a friend. I hated my first class. Hated it. I started kickboxing after moving to Florida, my sister talked me into it, and class one left me completely overwhelmed. No amount of gear would have fixed that. I went back anyway, and ten years and a lot of sparring later, it’s the best thing I do for myself. If your first class feels like too much, that isn’t a sign you picked wrong. That’s just class one.
What's actually in my bag, ten years in
Since a checklist is only useful if the person writing it actually trains: here is my kit. My main gloves are Hayabusa T3s (I own the white, pink and black), plus the T360s and the blue E1s as my second pair. Hand wraps. Hayabusa shin guards and a Hayabusa mouthpiece for anything with a partner. Water, and a Cure packet for it, because Florida. That is the whole thing. No headgear, because I don't own any; whether you need it is a conversation for your coach, not a blog.
If your class has kicks in it
A boxing checklist and a kickboxing checklist are the same list with two additions. Shin guards, the moment you start partner drills, because shin-on-shin with no padding is the fastest way to lose a week of training. And a mouthpiece before any kind of contact, even light. I wore slip-on Sanabul shin guards before these and they fit me well because I'm petite; the Hayabusa pair I use now is simply more comfortable and feels better on a kick. Either is fine to start. Just don't start partner work without them.
Buy it in this order
- Wraps. Before class one. Ten to fifteen dollars, and they protect the part of you that can't be replaced.
- Gloves. After you know you're coming back. One all-purpose training pair, tried on with your wraps on.
- Mouthpiece. Before any partner drills. Cheap, and non-negotiable once contact starts.
- Shin guards. When kicks get real. If you're in a pure boxing class, skip this line entirely.
- Everything else can wait until you've been going a few months and know what you actually want.
One practical tip if you're going the Hayabusa route: put the gloves, wraps and mouthpiece in one order. My code LILO is one discount per order, it can't be combined with a sitewide sale, and it only works on the US store (the UK and Europe store uses a different code, LIZZIE). If Hayabusa happens to be running a bigger sale than 10% when you're buying, take the sale instead. The rest of the year, one order with the code is the cheapest way to build the kit.
Building a kit? Put it in one order. LILO comes off the whole cart of full-price gear, so gloves, wraps, shin guards and a mouthpiece all get the 10% together.
🥊 The gloves I trust: Hayabusa
When you're ready to buy your own, this is the pair I've trained in for a decade — unreal wrist support and it fits smaller hands. Code LILO at checkout.
The nice-to-haves (later)
Once you're hooked: your own gloves, a jump rope, and — for fuel and recovery — a solid protein and good electrolytes (I train through Florida summers, so hydration is non-negotiable). Hand sanitizer or wipes for shared gear are smart too.
What to skip
Head-to-toe fight gear before your first class, cheap gloves that pack out in a month, and anything “as seen on TV.” Show up, sweat, fall in love first — then invest in gear that lasts. 🥊🌴
Starting cheap and upgrading later? Hayabusa vs Everlast is exactly that story.
Quick questions
What do I actually need for my first class? Just hand wraps, fitted activewear you can move in, and water. Most gyms lend gloves to beginners.
How much should I spend to start? Very little — borrow the gym's gloves, grab $10–15 wraps, and invest in your own gear once you know you're hooked.
Can I use the same gloves for boxing and kickboxing? Yes — one quality all-purpose pair works for both. No need for separate “kickboxing gloves.”
What do I actually need to start boxing? Hand wraps and gloves. That is genuinely it for most beginner classes, and many gyms lend gloves for a first session.
Do I need my own bag and equipment at home? Not to start. Learn the mechanics at a gym first, then decide whether home equipment is worth the space and money.
How much should a beginner spend on gear? Enough for wraps and a decent pair of gloves. Overbuying before you know you will stick with it is the most common beginner mistake.
