5 Essential Items for Training in MMA

Below we will outline 5 essential items that you will need to start your training

1. One of the most important items of kit that you will need is a mouth guard. Due to MMA being a contact sport you will take some knocks and get some bruises but one thing you don’t want is to lose some teeth. A mouth guard goes a long way in preventing this from happening. 

When buying a mouth guard buy the best you can afford. This is not an area that you want to be save money. There are 2 different types you can get. The first is “mould in the mouth” types where you put the mouth guard in boiling water then put it in your mouth and it moulds to the shape of your teeth. The second is “custom moulding”. With this type you take a putty mould of your mouth then send the mould off to a dentist and they will make a mouth guard that is a perfect fit for your teeth and gums.

The custom mouth guards are definitely the better of the 2 but you can still get some very good “mould in the mouth” mouth guards. 2 recommendations are Shock Doctor OPRO.


2. The next item might seem a bit obvious but you would be surprised at the amount of people who do not wear a groin guard. There is nothing worse than taking a shot in the groin if you’ve experienced this then you will know what I mean.

There have been a lot of advances in groin guard protection. Gone are the days of just a plastic cup. Now there are all different types of protection and they come housed in different types of attire. There are cups with extra strapping and cups that come with different types of shorts including “netted” shorts, “compression” shorts and even some that are housed in “boxer” type shorts.

Some recommended companies include Shock Doctor, Jaco and Dirty Boxer.

3. MMA Shorts are probably the most purchased item of MMA Gear. Shorts are ideal for your training because they keep you cool when you’re hot and sweaty and they also give you freedom of movement.

There are 2 different types of MMA Short, “Board shorts” and “Vale Tudo shorts”.
The most popular is the board short style shorts. These come down to your knees and offer a massive range of movement and are ideal for all styles of MMA fighting. Vale Tudo shorts have their origins in Brazil and are made from a very stretchy tight material. These shorts are very good for mixed martial arts but due to their small size and tightness they don’t leave much to the imagination so these are not as popular as the board shorts.

4. MMA Gloves come in all shapes and sizes but the majority of them come in regulation 4oz competition style. This is because this is what is used in the UFC so most companies base their designs around the UFC‘s gloves.

When buying a pair of MMA Gloves the areas to look for quality are the material used, the padding on the knuckles and the quality of the wrist straps. A good pair of gloves will be made of leather, be triple stitched, have a dense 4 oz of padding and a triple wrap wrist strap for support. Follow these guidelines and you can’t go wrong.

5. An item that is often overlooked but is essential is a Rash Guard.  A lot of mat born diseases including staph and ringworm are often passed around gyms because of the humid environment and bodily contact that happens when wrestling/grappling on the mats. A lot of people train topless and then wonder why they get ringworm or staph.

A Rash Guard goes a long way in preventing these 2 diseases because it stays tight to your body and keeps out any dirt or sweat that would get picked up when rolling about on the mats with your training partner.

There are other items that you will eventually need to train in Mixed Martial Arts but the above 5 items are essential and you shouldn’t train without them.