Kickboxing
Research-based guidance on kickboxing kit - what each discipline uses under WAKO rules, how the main designs differ, and what to check before you buy. WAKO is an international kickboxing federation, and Kickboxing GB, which describes itself as Great Britain's national governing body, is affiliated to it.
The catalogue
Equipment categories
Every kickboxing category we research, with what it covers and how many products we've assessed.
Foot guards ("kicks") for WAKO's point fighting, light contact, kick light and full contact.
3 products researched
Kick shields held by handles, for kicking drills and pad work.
2 products researched
Boxing-style gloves for the contact disciplines - not point fighting, which uses open-palm gloves.
5 products researched
Wraps for under your gloves, plus a slip-on option for class training.
3 products researched
Open-face and cheek-protection head guards for sparring.
3 products researched
Mouthguards for training and sparring, including a double (upper-and-lower) guard.
4 products researched
A cup for men and a protector designed for women, for training and sparring.
2 products researched
Guided journeys
Where to start
Pick the journey that sounds most like you - each one leads with the kit that matters first.
Your first classes
Some clubs lend pads, gloves and sparring kit to beginners, so check before you buy. Start with a mouthguard, then add hand wraps, gloves and a groin guard. Which gloves, and which leg and foot kit, depend on the discipline your club trains: point fighting uses open-palm gloves, and the other disciplines boxing-style gloves.
Point fighting, light contact, kick light and full contact
Under WAKO rules these four disciplines use foot guards, worn with shin-only guards, plus a head guard. Full contact also bans sock-type shin guards.
Start with
Low kick and K1 Style
WAKO's low kick and K1 Style are fought without foot guards, in strap-on guards that cover the shin and instep - sock-type guards are banned. Kick shields give a training partner something to hold for kicking drills.
Start with
Equipment guide
Protective equipment
The protective kit WAKO requires, and what to check before you buy for training and sparring.
Mouthguards
Required by WAKO in every fighting discipline and age category, as an upper or a double guard. If you wear braces, check WAKO's rules for guards worn over them, and ask the maker whether a guard suits braces.
Groin Protection
Required by WAKO for men and women in every discipline, in hard plastic, as a cup or a full-abdomen guard. Check the shell before you rely on a guard for a WAKO bout.
Headguards
Required by WAKO in every fighting discipline, covering the top, sides and back of the head. Designs that cover the face are not allowed in WAKO bouts.
Foot Guards
Required by WAKO in point fighting, light contact, kick light and full contact - not in low kick or K1 Style.
Reading
Kickboxing guides
Longer, research-based reading on choosing and using the kit.
Guide
Kickboxing kit by discipline
Kickboxing is not one set of rules. What you wear depends on the discipline you train for and the organisation that runs your events. This guide sets out the kit WAKO requires in each of its six fighting disciplines, what clubs may ask for in training, and what to check before you buy.
Updated 21 October 2026