The first few weeks of training you will just need workout clothes. I don't allow street shoes on the mats, so the first thing I will be looking for my boxers to invest in is a pair of boxing or wrestling shoes. The beginner's class we allow sox or bare feet on the mats, but after one month if you decide to stick around we need to get you in a pair of shoes.

  The second thing will be a pair of 14oz or 16oz boxing gloves (Check out the Boxing Gloves page for more info) and a pair of hand wraps. (These help protect your hands and keep your gloves from getting smelly). To start we have loaner gloves, but you do want to still have a pair of hand wraps. 180inch is the perfered length. They range between $5-$15 dollars. 

Mouth guards, headgear, and foul protectors are mandatory when athletes start sparring and doing live situation sparring simulations. (This is how we build boxers up to full contact sparring). I don't have an exact time estimate for how long it will take to get to this level, it varies student to student. 

Probably the most important thing you need to start boxing with is a good attitude. Being friendly and courteous goes a long ways. Boxing is a very technical sport, The beginner stage is more instructional, it takes time and dedication to get to the next level. Some students graduate to the next level faster than others.

 I found no correlation on how fast you advance in the program and how good you become at boxing. Some of my best boxers learned the slowest, its dedication and discipline that gets you to the next level. Practicing the drills you learn at home helps speed up the process as well.