A Newbie’s Guide to Protective Equipment for Ladies Boxing

It has been a long time coming, but for the first time in the history of ladies boxing this virtually unknown sub-class of the sport has risen up to an internationally publicized level and is now being regularly aired on some of the world’s mainstream sporting channels. On top of this women’s boxing has been accepted into the 2012 Olympic games; this exciting news has sparked interest from a long line of amateur boxers wanting to be a part of this wave of female boxing enthusiasm.

If you’re one of the many hopefuls wanting to show off their natural talent for contact boxing then you’re going to need a few pieces of equipment before you proceed to knock out your opponents front teeth. In general boxing can be a dangerous sport for both men and women, especially if the right precautions are not taken and if both parties haven’t learned the basic defensive techniques. The best thing about boxing, besides the feeling of freedom and personal satisfaction that if gives you, is that it won’t cost you an arm and leg to start learning so just about anyone to get involved.

Here is a list of some of the most common pieces of women’s protective equipment used in training, sparring and fight matches:

Ladies Boxing Gloves

This is probably the first item that you would seek out when shopping for boxing equipment; it is also the most important and the most regularly changed piece of equipment available. The size, shape, weight and design of boxing gloves change depending on what form of the sport you plan on studying, though you’ll find that all come in 3 main varieties; the training gloves, sparring gloves and fighting gloves.

Hand Wraps

These are commonly worn under the boxing gloves to give extra support to the hands and wrists. They come as a long strip of material that is wrapped tightly around the palms and wrist area before you begin training or fight in a match. Some trainers insist that wraps be used during training due to the large amount of contact you have with heavy bags.

Mouth Guard

This is another simple yet vital piece of ladies boxing equipment to protect your teeth and gums from damage caused by constant impacts to the face during a fight. They are usually made from a soft synthetic material that can be bought in a standard shape or individually molded to the shape of your teeth.

Head Gear

Having a well fitted, durable and comfortable head protector is a must for sparring and match fights, as it protects your body’s most vital organ. Head gear comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes all of which guard against impact damage to key points of your head and face; due to its importance it is recommended that you purchase a top quality helmet from a well-known company.

Groin Pads

A kick to the groin area is just as painful for women as it is for men and so a range of ladies boxing groin protection cups has been designed for full contact boxing matches. They are popularly used in kickboxing and MMA styled fights rather than in standard boxing.

Chest Protectors

The chest area is another vulnerable and sensitive area on a woman’s body that can cause a great deal of pain if hit hard enough. Chest protectors come in a variety of designs which include individual padding, soft bras and compact vinyl padded shield plates that slip over the breast and abdomen area.