What to Bring to Your First Boxing Class

The packing list

That is the whole list. The reason it is so short is that a first class is almost always shadowboxing, footwork, pad work or bag rounds — none of which needs equipment you do not already own, except gloves, and the gym has gloves.

Call the gym and ask two questions

Thirty seconds on the phone saves the two most common first-class problems:

1. "Do you loan gloves for a trial class?" Most do. Some ask you to bring your own wraps for hygiene, which is reasonable and cheap to solve. If they do not loan gloves, that is the one thing you have to buy before you go — see the picks below.
2. "Is the first class beginners only, or mixed?" A mixed class is fine, but it tells you to expect to be the slowest person in the room for an hour, which is much easier when you were expecting it.

What to wear

• A t-shirt you do not care about. Not a vest if you would rather not have wraps and gloves rubbing on bare shoulders.
• Shorts or leggings. Anything you can pivot and bend in. Avoid long loose trousers — they catch when you move your feet.
• Flat shoes. Any flat trainer beats a cushioned running shoe, because boxing footwork is lateral and a soft, raised heel rolls under you. If you own court, skate or wrestling shoes, wear those: boxing shoes vs wrestling shoes explains why they are closer to right, and you do not need actual boxing shoes for months, if ever.
• Nothing on your hands yet. If you own wraps, bring them. If not, the coach will show you what to buy.
• No jewelry. Rings and watches come off before gloves go on.

What the gym almost certainly provides

Bags, pads, a timer calling the rounds, and loan gloves. What gyms generally do not provide is hand wraps, because they sit against your skin, and nobody lends a mouthguard for obvious reasons. That is the whole split, and it is why the buying order further down starts with wraps.

What the class will actually be

It varies, but a typical beginner hour runs: a warm-up with skipping or shadowboxing, a technique block on one or two punches, rounds on the bag or the pads, and conditioning at the end. The timer runs the session in rounds, usually two or three minutes with a minute of rest, which is the same structure we use in the beginner heavy bag workout and in round timer settings. Expect to be tired in the warm-up, which is normal and not a verdict on your fitness — boxing is a different kind of tired.

The buying order, after you decide to go back

This is the part people get wrong, usually by buying a full kit before the second class. The order that wastes the least money:

1. Hand wraps. Cheap, personal, and the gym will not lend them. 180 in for an adult hand. Learn to use them from our wrapping guide — and buy two pairs so one is always dry (washing them takes a day).
2. Gloves, in the right weight. After two or three classes you will know whether you are staying. 14 oz is the default for most adults for class and bag work; size by body weight from the glove size chart, and best gloves for beginners has the picks. Do not buy a sparring glove yet.
3. A mouthguard. The moment anybody mentions sparring, and not before. Boil-and-bite is fine; the mouthguard roundup ranks them on whether they stay in.
4. Headgear, only if your gym requires it for sparring. Many do. When you need headgear is the honest version, and the first sparring kit checklist is the whole list for that stage.

Everything else — shoes, a rope, a bag at home — comes later and some of it never comes at all. If you are already thinking about training at home between classes, start with the beginner equipment checklist and how to start boxing at home rather than buying a bag in week one.

Mistakes people make before class one

• Buying a complete kit. Gloves you have not sized, headgear you will not use for months, a bag you have nowhere to hang. Buy wraps.
• Buying 16 oz gloves because they are the most padded. Weight is matched to your body weight and use, not to caution.
• Wearing cushioned running shoes. The soft raised heel is exactly wrong for pivoting.
• Skipping the phone call. Two questions, thirty seconds, no surprises at the desk.
• Trying to keep up in the warm-up. Pace it. Nobody is judging the new person for pausing.
• Not eating, or eating a full meal. Something light an hour or two before.

If the class is at home instead

Plenty of people start on YouTube in a garage rather than in a gym, and the kit list is different because nothing is loaned: wraps, gloves and something to hit are all on you. Garage boxing gym setup and what a home setup costs cover that route, and the bag end of it starts at punching bags under $200.