Recommended Gear

While Karate does not inherently require much equipment. Some equipment, uniforms and sparring gear will greatly aid in your training. Depending on your club, some of this equipment may be required. Listed below are a few recommended vendors for the US.

The Uniform

When Selecting a uniform, a Heavy Weight or Middle Weight Gi is recommended. Much of what we practice involves throws and grappling, as such the lightweight Gi simply will not last through many training sessions before tearing.

Look for uniforms in the 8 oz to 14 oz range. My personal preference is 10 oz from Proforce.

Please, only white or black uniforms. And No V-Necks!

The Gear

When selecting sparring gear, the minimum required will be gloves, headgear and boots. There are also other types of gear that are optional such as forearm, shin and chest protectors. A mouth guard is also highly recommended when free sparring.

Because our sparring will include grappling, MMA gloves are recommended.

Gloves like these will still effectively protect the wrist and knuckles for strikes, and allow use of the hands.

The Weapons

During the warmer seasons, when we are able to train outdoors, we will be practicing the traditional Okinawan weapons of Kobudo. To participate, look into obtaining these 5 weapons.