Krav Maga Equipment Guide
What gear you actually need, in what order to buy it, and what to ignore.
You don't need to buy anything for your first class. After your first week, this is the order to acquire gear in.
Tier 1: Buy in the first month
Hand wraps
Standard cotton or semi-elastic hand wraps, 4 m or 4.5 m length. Wrap them properly under any gloves the school lends you. Most striking-induced wrist injuries in beginners trace to skipping wraps.
Mouthguard
Boil-and-bite from any sports retailer. About £10. Required from your first sparring class — at most schools, week 3 or 4.
Groin protection
Men: a hard plastic cup with a jock or compression carrier. Required from class one in any reputable school, because the front kick to the groin gets drilled day one.
Women: a women-specific pelvic guard. Less commonly stocked but available from boxing and Muay Thai suppliers.
Tier 2: Buy in months 2–3
Boxing gloves
14 oz or 16 oz for general training. Velcro, leather or quality synthetic. Cheap gloves cause hand injuries — budget around £40–80. Brands that hold up: Hayabusa, Fairtex, Venum, Twins.
Shin guards
Slip-on Muay Thai-style shin guards. Required for any sparring above light contact. About £30–50.
Focus mitts (optional)
Only if you train at home or have a regular partner outside class. The school owns mitts; you don't need them for group training.
Tier 3: Specialist gear (intermediate levels)
Headgear
Required at most schools for heavy sparring rounds. Padded leather or synthetic, open-face. Around £40–60.
Training knives and pistols (rubber/aluminum)
Most schools provide these. Don't buy your own until you're regularly drilling weapon defenses outside class hours.
Pad sets (Thai pads / kick shield)
Only relevant if you train partner-on-partner at home. A pair of Thai pads runs £60–100; a kick shield is £50–80.
What to ignore
- Branded Krav Maga uniforms / patches. Marketing. Some federations require a t-shirt for graded testing; that's it.
- "Tactical" knives, batons, kubotans. Carrying weapons changes your legal exposure. Buy only after you understand local self-defense law — see our legal self-defense guide.
- Heavy bags for the home. Useful, but not essential. A wall heavy bag at the gym handles 90% of home-training needs.
- Combat boots for training. Almost no school trains in boots; the military variants that do are not run for civilians.
Budget summary
- Starter (first month): £30–50 (wraps, mouthguard, cup)
- Intermediate (months 2–3): +£70–130 (gloves, shin guards)
- Full kit (year 1): +£50–80 (headgear, occasional pad)
Total realistic Year 1 spend: around £150–250 plus monthly tuition.