Muay Thai Equipment for Beginners: What to Buy First in Mauritius

It is easy to overbuy before your first Muay Thai or kickboxing class in Mauritius. You do not need a full bag of Muay Thai equipment on day one — just something to kick in and something to protect your hands. Here is what to buy for week one, what to add once pad and partner work starts, and what is usually the gym's job rather than yours.

What Muay Thai equipment to buy for week one

Three things: shorts, hand wraps and a pair of gloves.

Shorts

Any shorts that let you lift your knee to your chest will get you through a first session. Muay Thai shorts are made for it, though: the traditional cut is short in the leg and wide at the hip, so nothing pulls on a round kick or a knee. Our Muay Thai shorts come in five designs, from Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,750.

Hand wraps

Wraps go on before the gloves, every session. They are not padding: they hold the small bones of the hand together, support the wrist and soak up the sweat that would otherwise sit in your gloves. Our elastic hand wraps close with hook-and-loop and come in eight colours: 3 m for Rs 400 or 5 m for Rs 450. The 5 m length suits most adult hands; 3 m suits smaller ones. If your coach teaches a particular way of wrapping, follow it.

Gloves

Most beginners use boxing gloves for bag and pad work, and they do the job while you learn. Dedicated Muay Thai gloves exist, but we do not sell a Muay Thai-specific glove online. Our boxing gloves start from Rs 1,550, and weight matters more than style — our guide to choosing boxing gloves explains how ounces work. Before sparring, ask your coach what glove weight the club expects.

At the lower end of our range, shorts, 3 m wraps and gloves come to Rs 3,050 together.

What to add once pad and partner work starts

Early classes are mostly stance, basic strikes and bag work. Pads held by a partner, partner drills and sparring come later — how soon varies from club to club, and your coach will tell you. That is when protection starts to matter.

Gum shield

Once anyone else is throwing strikes near your face, wear a gum shield. Ours are boil-and-bite — soften in hot water, bite down to mould it to your teeth — and each one comes in a case. The single layer is Rs 250. The double-layer gum shield is Rs 350 and has more cushioning; if you expect to spar, that is the one we would pick.

Shin guards

Kicking pads and bags with bare shins is normal. Partner kicking is where shin guards come in. Ours are one piece with the foot and instep pad built in: they slip on and fasten with hook-and-loop straps behind the calf. Black or red, Rs 1,450 a pair, and they suit Muay Thai, kickboxing and MMA — see our shin and foot guards. Whether they are required, and for which drills, depends on the club, so check with your coach before you buy.

Groin guard

Knees and low kicks go astray in partner work, especially while everyone is still learning. Our groin guard is red leather with a wide elastic waistband and hook-and-loop closure, in a men's cut, at Rs 650.

What is usually the gym's job

Thai pads, kick shields and heavy bags are normally the gym's equipment, not yours. You do not need any of them to start, though it is worth asking what your club provides.

• Thai pads — the curved arm pads a coach wears to catch kicks, knees and punches. Ours are curved leather at Rs 2,900 or rexine at Rs 1,800, sold individually; coaches usually take two.
• Kick shield — a bigger curved pad for full-power kicks. Ours is curved leather, Rs 4,000, and it is two-person kit: one holds, one kicks.
• Heavy bag — for training at home, our filled bags run from 60 to 150 cm, from Rs 1,650. For Muay Thai, a 120–150 cm bag hangs low enough for knees and low kicks.

Looking after your kit in island humidity

Wash wraps after every session and dry them in the shade. Air gloves, shin guards and the groin guard as soon as you get home rather than leaving them zipped in a bag, and let the gum shield dry before it goes back in its case.