What Gear Do You Need for Your First Muay Thai Class in Venice, CA?
New to Muay Thai? Here's what to wear and bring to your first class at Kaizen Academy in Venice, CA — plus what we provide. First class is always free.
"What do I actually need to buy before my first Muay Thai class?" It's one of the most common questions we hear from people who call or email Kaizen Academy — and the honest answer surprises most of them: almost nothing. You need less gear than you think, and what you don't have, we'll lend you.
Here's exactly what to wear, what to bring, and what's actually worth buying once you know you're sticking with it.
What to Wear to Your First Class
For your first Muay Thai class, you need three things: athletic shorts, a t-shirt or rash guard, and shoes you can slip off at the edge of the mat (you'll train barefoot). That's it. Board shorts, running shorts, or basketball shorts all work fine — you just want something you can kick in without restriction, so skip jeans and anything with a zipper or metal snap.
Leave the jewelry at home. Rings, necklaces, and watches catch on pads and partners, and they're an easy way to get a minor injury on day one. Long hair should be tied back.
What Kaizen Academy Provides
You do not need to own gloves, wraps, shin guards, or a mouthguard for your first class. We keep loaner gloves and pads on hand specifically so beginners can walk in and try a class without buying anything first. Your first Muay Thai class is always free, and that includes the use of our gear.
This is intentional. A lot of people put off trying Muay Thai because they assume they need a gear bag full of equipment before they're "allowed" to start. You don't. Show up, borrow what you need, and figure out if you like it before you spend a dollar.
What's Actually Worth Buying (Once You're Hooked)
If you train a few times and decide to keep going, here's what we recommend picking up, roughly in the order you'll want it:
1. Hand wraps. These go on before gloves and protect the small bones and joints in your hands and wrists. Get two pairs of 180-inch cotton wraps so you always have a clean set ready.
2. Your own gloves. Loaner gloves work fine early on, but once you're training more than once a week, your own pair matters — both for hygiene and fit. Most beginners do well with 14–16oz gloves, which have enough padding for pad work and partner drills without being so heavy they slow you down.
3. A mouthguard. Required once you start doing any partner striking drills. A boil-and-bite mouthguard from any sporting goods store is fine to start.
4. Shin guards. Not needed for your first several classes, but once you're doing regular pad and partner work, shin guards protect against the bruising that comes with checking and throwing kicks.
Notice what's not on this list: you don't need a specific brand, you don't need the most expensive gear on the market, and you don't need any of it before you've confirmed you actually enjoy training.
The Common Beginner Mistake
The most common mistake we see isn't a gear mistake at all — it's buying everything up front, before a single class, out of nervousness about being unprepared. Save your money. Come try a class in shorts and a t-shirt first. If Muay Thai clicks for you — and for most people, it does — you'll know exactly what to buy because you'll have felt what you actually need it for.
What to Expect Beyond the Gear
Your first class will include a warm-up, basic stance and footwork, and drilling strikes on pads with a partner or coach. You will be sore in muscles you didn't know you had — that's normal, not a sign you're unfit or out of place. Every class at Kaizen Academy is capped at 15 students and led by experienced coaching, so you'll get real attention even as a first-timer.
Muay Thai at Kaizen Academy runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5–6pm, and it pairs well with our BJJ program if you ever want to cross-train striking and grappling together. You can see the full lineup on our class schedule.
Come Try It Before You Buy Anything
Kaizen Academy is at 2014 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291, serving Venice, Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, Culver City, Playa del Rey, and West LA. No experience required, no gear required, no fitness level required — just show up. Your first class is completely free.