Student Sparring Headgear | Century Martial Arts

I like this headgear because of the way it form-fits. It's comfortable and secure without obstructing my view. Although most of the time we practice sparring at 30% speed and power during, especially when working with newer, enthusiastic students, some accidents are inevitable. Knowing the gear I use keeps me covered allows me to focus on my sparring strategy and giving pointers.

Student Sparring Gloves | Century Martial Arts

Having the right gloves is important to me. Like a baseball player's glove, fit and feel of sparring gloves needs to be just right. I like the open-finger feel of the Student Sparring Gloves – I find it provides a better level of grip control when guiding a punch or a kick away from you.

Being able to have the slight fingertip pressure that is afforded in this glove gives me a better feel for the direction and intention of my partner's strike. I also like the tight fist I can make when it is time to punch. It takes no time or pressure to go from an open hand parry on defense to a tight-fisted offensive punch.

Student Sparring Boots | Century Martial Arts

If you're stand-up sparring, you need to be continually stepping, sliding, cutting angles and pivoting on your feet. For this, you need foot gear that doesn't compromise your movement in any way. In other words, you want to forget you have anything covering your feet – yet still actually have something there providing cushioning for you and your partner. I think Century's Student Sparring Boots accomplish this quite well. They wrap around and contour to your feet the way feet pads should, and are engineered to be light and have a thin feel while still providing the necessary padding.

Student Sparring Rib Guard | Century Martial Arts