Kung Fu
Research-based guidance on kung fu kit: what schools ask you to wear, how suits, trousers and shoes differ, and what the rules require for Sanda, a fighting discipline of wushu (Chinese martial arts).
The catalogue
Equipment categories
Every Kung Fu category we research, with what it covers and how many products we've assessed.
Traditional toggle-fastened suits, and trousers sold on their own for schools that train in a T-shirt.
3 products researched
Kung fu shoes compared on sole, upper and sizing.
2 products researched
Training and sparring gloves, offered in Light Sanda's 8oz and 10oz bout weights.
3 products researched
An open-face head guard for Light Sanda, which doesn't allow strikes to the face.
1 product researched
Shin and instep guards for Light Sanda, where they're compulsory. Adult full-contact Sanda doesn't use them.
3 products researched
You bring your own gum shield under Light Sanda and IWUF rules.
4 products researched
A men's groin cup, which you bring yourself under both Sanda rulebooks.
1 product researched
By style
Browse Kung Fu by style
Kit and guides grouped by style, wherever we have researched content for it.
Guided journeys
Where to start
Pick the journey that sounds most like you - each one leads with the kit that matters first.
Starting kung fu classes
Ask your school what it expects before you buy - kit lists differ from school to school. Some schools train in a full traditional uniform, others in a T-shirt and plain long trousers, and some ask for kung fu shoes or set rules on soles.
Start with
Forms and traditional training
Compare suits on fabric and sizing, and shoes on the sole. If you compete in forms (taolu), check the event's rules. BCCMA describes itself as the official governing body for Chinese martial arts in the UK. Its Traditional Taolu rules say competitors should wear competition uniforms with athletic, event or cultural characteristics, and appropriate kung fu or wushu shoes.
Start with
Sanda training and sparring
For Sanda sparring, check what your club requires before you buy. For bouts, BCCMA's Light Sanda rules list an open-face head guard, boxing gloves, shin and instep protectors, body armour, a gum shield and a groin guard as compulsory.
Competing in Sanda
Start with your own gum shield and groin cup: in Light Sanda you always bring both, even when the organiser supplies some or all of the other equipment. You also wear long trousers rather than shorts, and use BCCMA-approved 8oz or 10oz gloves, depending on your category: ask the organiser which gloves it accepts. Kit rules come from the event, and BCCMA's Light Sanda rules and IWUF's full-contact Sanda rules differ, so check which one an event uses.
Equipment guide
Protective equipment
The protective kit for Sanda, and what BCCMA's Light Sanda rules and IWUF's Sanda rules ask for.
Mouthguards for Sanda
Compulsory in Light Sanda, where you bring your own even if the organiser supplies the rest of the kit. Under IWUF's Sanda rules you provide your own gum guard too.
Headguards for Light Sanda
Light Sanda requires an open-face head guard and doesn't allow strikes to the face, so we list only an open-face guard here. Full-contact Sanda under IWUF's rules requires IWUF-approved headgear.
Shin Guards for Light Sanda
Compulsory in Light Sanda, for juniors and adults. Under IWUF's full-contact rules, children and juniors wear shin guards and youths wear instep guards, but the rules list neither for adults.
Groin Protection for Sanda
Compulsory in Light Sanda. Under both Sanda rulebooks you bring your own groin cup.
Reading
Kung Fu guides
Longer, research-based reading on choosing and using the kit.
Guide
Kung Fu kit by style: Sanda, Wing Chun, Shaolin
What you wear and buy for kung fu depends on your school and your style, so ask your school first. This guide covers uniforms, kung fu shoes and sashes, then three styles: Sanda, a fighting discipline with published competition kit rules; and Wing Chun and Shaolin, where your school sets the kit.
Updated 22 October 2026