Karate kit for beginners and kumite

Your first classes

Ask your club before you buy anything: what it expects you to wear, whether it sells its own gi, and when you will need sparring kit.

For a first gi, a light student gi is the inexpensive option. Blitz, for example, calls its 7oz polyester-cotton student gi an ideal first gi for students; it has an elastic and tie waistband and comes with a white belt. If you're buying for a child, check that the gi comes in their height.

Choosing a gi

Gis differ in fabric weight, which makers such as Blitz state in ounces. Blitz aims its heavier gis at more committed karateka. It describes its 12oz cotton-canvas Zanshin as a middleweight gi for dedicated adult karateka, and its 14oz brushed-cotton Diamond as a heavyweight gi for advanced practitioners and instructors. Not every maker states a weight: adidas gives none for its K220KF kumite gi.

Makers also name the cut. Blitz's Zanshin is a European cut with full-length sleeves and trousers. Its Diamond is a Japanese cut with shorter sleeves and trouser legs and a reduced lapel, which Blitz tailors for kata. adidas's K220KF is a kumite cut, made light, with mesh panels on the back and seat.

Gis are sized by height. Blitz uses numbered sizes - 5/180cm, for example, is for 180-189cm - and sells half sizes in its heavier gis, while adidas sizes in centimetres. Some makers address shrinkage: Blitz says the Zanshin's fabric is pre-shrunk, and adidas says its K220KF shows minimal deformation when washed. Check the maker's size chart and care advice before choosing between two sizes.

Gis for competition

Under WKF rules, a competition karategi is white and WKF Approved (WKF Kumite Competition Rules 2026, Art. 2.2.1; WKF Kata Competition Rules 2026, Art. 2.2.1). The Kumite Rules add more detail (Art. 2.2.1(e)-(j)):

• the jacket must have ties;
• when belted, the jacket must cover the hips but be no longer than three-quarters of the thigh;
• the sleeves must end no further than the bend of the wrist and no shorter than halfway down the forearm;
• the trousers must cover at least two-thirds of the shin without reaching below the anklebone;
• women may wear a plain white T-shirt under the jacket.

Belts

Your grade belt is a matter for your club's grading system. Some beginner gis come with a white belt - Blitz's student gi does - while heavier gis, such as Blitz's Zanshin and Diamond, are sold without one.

Competition is different. WKF's belt rules are in Art. 2.2.1(c) and (d) of the WKF Kumite Competition Rules 2026, and the Kata rules say the same in Art. 2.2.1(e) and (f). Under these rules:

• athletes wear a WKF Approved red belt (AKA) or blue belt (AO), as allocated by the draw;
• grade belts cannot be worn during the bout;
• belts must be around five centimetres wide;
• belts must be long enough to leave fifteen centimetres free on each side of the knot, but no longer than three-quarters of thigh length.

Kumite protection

Kumite is karate's sparring. What you wear for class sparring is up to your club, so ask first. The kit list below is WKF's; organisers who don't use WKF rules can set their own.

Under WKF rules, the compulsory protective equipment for kumite is:

• WKF Approved mitts, one athlete in red and the other in blue;
• a gum shield (mouthguard);
• for men, a WKF Approved body protector; for women, a chest and body protector or an integrated chest and body protector;
• WKF Approved shin pads and WKF Approved foot protection, again red or blue;
• for men, a WKF Approved groin guard.

Athletes under 14 also need a WKF Approved helmet and an external body protector, and girls under 14 a WKF Approved chest protector (WKF Kumite Competition Rules 2026, Art. 2.2.7). All protective equipment must be WKF Approved (Art. 2.2.10).

Mitts

WKF's specification for the mitts it approves describes a mitt that is open on the inner side, so open-hand blocks are still possible. It covers mitts with or without thumb protection, in red or blue (WKF Sport Items Homologation Process 2025-2028).

When choosing, check how the mitt fastens (finger loops, a strap or both) and how it is sized. Blitz, for example, publishes knuckle-width bands for its Club Elite mitt. If you compete, the draw decides your colour, so you may need a pair of each.

Shin and instep guards

Under WKF rules, shin pads and foot protection are two separate requirements (Art. 2.2.7(d) and (e)). A strap-on guard with a foot piece that comes off lets you wear the shin and instep pieces together or apart. A slip-on sleeve covers both in one piece: Blitz's elastic pads, for example, come in black or white, so they are not in the red or blue that WKF requires.

Body protectors

WKF's specification for the body protectors it approves is for wear under the karategi. According to that specification, they protect the front and sides of the chest and the abdomen, to the European standard EN 13277-3 (WKF Sport Items Homologation Process 2025-2028).

Under WKF rules, a women's chest guard is worn with a body protector, unless the protector is an integrated chest and body protector (Art. 2.2.7(c)). adidas, for example, makes a body protector and a separate women's chest guard.

Mouthguard

A gum shield is compulsory in WKF kumite (Art. 2.2.7(b)). The rule names it without the "WKF Approved" wording it uses for mitts, pads and protectors. WKF's approved list has no mouthguard category either, so you won't find a gum shield on it. The rules do say that all protective equipment must be WKF Approved (Art. 2.2.10), so if you are unsure what an event accepts, ask the organiser.

If you wear metal braces, WKF requires the referee and the tournament doctor to approve them (Art. 2.2.6). Before you buy, check with the maker that a guard suits braces. Shock Doctor, for example, states that its Nano Double is not compatible with braces.

Groin guards

Under WKF rules, men wear a WKF Approved groin guard in kumite (Art. 2.2.7(f)). WKF's approval process lists a female groin guard as recommended for competition rather than compulsory (WKF Sport Items Homologation Process 2025-2028). For club sparring, ask your club what it expects. For WKF events, check that the brand is on WKF's approved list. RDX and Rival, whose groin guards we cover for boxing, are not on WKF's approved lists for male or female groin guards.

What "WKF approved" means

WKF publishes its approved items by type, and for each type it lists approved brands. The types cover kumite and kata karategi, belts, mitts, body protectors, shin pads and foot protectors, chest protectors and more. For some brands, adidas among them, WKF's entries name the item type, not individual models. WKF's website also publishes a list of dealers by country. So before you buy, you can check that the brand is listed for that item and that the seller is on WKF's dealer list.

WKF's approval documents say approved items show the WKF logo in a clearly visible place. They add that on an approved karategi, the logo sits at the edge of the seam at the lower part of the jacket. The current approval term for protective equipment runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028.

Under WKF rules, national federations may adapt the rules for their own competitions, but not the rules on protective equipment (Art. 17.1). They must also accept all WKF Approved equipment at local, regional and national competitions (Art. 2.2.11).

Organisers who do not run their events under WKF rules can set their own kit rules, so check the rules of the event you enter.

Retailer wording is not proof. A listing that says "WKF approved" is the seller's claim. Even a model code is not enough: adidas's own US store sells its K150 student gi in both a "WKF Approved" version and a "NON WKF Approved" version, under the same code.

Check for the WKF logo on the item you receive. WKF's karategi procedure also bars an approved brand from putting the WKF logo or the words "WKF APPROVED" on its other products.

Our product pages say whether WKF lists the brand for that item type, and whose claim any approval rests on.

Training kit and competition kit

Blitz and Bytomic mitts, guards and protectors come from brands that are not on WKF's approved list, so they are kit for training and club sparring.

Some are described in WKF terms. Blitz calls its Elite shin guard "WKF style", and Bytomic says its Red Label mitt is made for WKF point fighting. Those words describe a style, not an approval. If you plan to compete, check which rules the event uses before you buy.

Which rules apply in the UK

This guide uses WKF's rules because WKF publishes both competition rules and an approved-equipment list. WKF rules apply where an event says it uses them. This guide does not set out any English governing body's own kit rules, so ask your club and the event organiser which rules apply before you buy competition kit.

What we don't claim

We never describe kit as WKF approved ourselves: we report what WKF's list shows and whose claim any approval rests on. We don't claim that any kit prevents injury - we describe coverage, padding, materials and fit. Our assessments are research-based: we have not tested these products, and we quote manufacturers' and retailers' claims as theirs.