How to Dress for Kickboxing

The clothes you wear during a kickboxing class affect your performance and comfort. Kickboxing group exercise classes are intense workouts that include movements such as punches, front kicks, roundhouse kicks, boxer shuffles and jumping rope. The punches and kicks may be performed with or without contact against a punching bag, so consider the use of equipment when making your clothing choices. For example, wear short sleeves, so your sleeves don't get caught on boxing gloves if you're punching a bag.

Kickboxing Attire

Your clothing choice reflects your personal style, and your tops and bottoms should make you feel comfortable whether you wear a T-shirt and shorts or a tank-top and long pants, but choose fabrics that soak up sweat from your skin and allow your skin to breathe. Kickboxing clothing should be loose fitting to give you a large range of motion in your kicks and punches but not so loose that your pants or sleeves hinder your workout. You don't want to trip over your pant leg when you throw a kick. On your kicking feet, wear shoes with sole cushioning that also offer protection for your side-to-side movements. If you are female, wear a supportive sports bra.

Kickboxing Gear

Some kickboxing classes require that you wear protective gear, especially if the class includes contact with a punching bag or a person. Wear heavy-bag gloves that secure your wrists to protect your hands. Other gloves, to be used when sparring or against small targets such as focus mitts, are lightweight and fingerless with extra protection around your knuckles. Wear headgear if you perform contact kickboxing and risk getting punched or kicked in the head.