Fumetsu

Fumetsu are a British combat sports brand, founded in 2007 and designed in-house in the UK. They sit apart from the Thai manufacturers in two ways that matter: they are competitively priced, and they make a genuine kids' range — which most Thai brands do not make at all.

If you are starting out, kitting out a child, or looking for value across a whole kit bag, this is the range to look at.

The kids' range

This is the thing worth knowing about Fumetsu.

Most Muay Thai manufacturers simply do not make equipment for children. They make small adult sizes, which is not the same thing — the hand compartment is the wrong shape, the padding is the wrong density, and a child ends up wearing something that neither fits nor protects properly.

Fumetsu's Ghost S3 kids' range covers boxing gloves (6oz and 8oz) and MMA sparring gloves, built for a child's hand rather than shrunk down from an adult's. If your child trains, this is one of the very few real options available.

See the full kids' range, which also covers shin guards and shorts.

The gloves

• Ghost S3 — the workhorse, and where most people start. The widest choice of colourways, and the range that also covers Thai shin guards, MMA gloves and the kids' equipment.
• Alpha Pro MK2 — the step up. Denser layered foam, a firmer feel, a more substantial wrist strap. Buy this if you have outgrown a starter pair.
• Oni, Dragon Slayer and Snake Eyes — the illustrated ranges, hand-drawn in-house and run in limited quantities. Same construction, considerably more presence.

Standard sizing rules apply: 16oz for sparring, 10 to 12oz for bags and pads — and 6 to 8oz for children.

The shin guards

Traditional two-piece Thai construction, covering the shin and the instep, across four ranges — Ghost S3, Oni, Dragon Slayer and Anaconda.

All use a dual-strap system: one strap below the knee, one round the calf. That is what stops the guard rotating when a kick lands off-centre, and a single-strap guard will not do it.

Sizing is not obvious and every brand charts it differently — ignore height columns and measure your shin length and calf circumference instead. Our shin guard size guide explains the method, and there is a size chart on every product page.

Hand wraps

Fumetsu make more hand wraps than anyone else we stock, and they are the best value in the shop.

• Icon — traditional 4m Mexican-style wraps, in black, orange and camo.
• Ghost S3 Quick Wraps — slip-on, padded, and fast. Convenient for bag work, though they do not give the wrist support of a proper wrap.

Worth remembering that wraps do two jobs: they stabilise the wrist and knuckles, and they act as a sweat barrier that keeps moisture out of your glove lining. A cheap pair of wraps meaningfully extends the life of an expensive pair of gloves.

Shorts

Three ranges — Origins in the traditional cut, Anaconda, and the Oni Dual Layer, which uses an outer shell over an inner layer for better weight and drape.

Sized on your waist measurement, not your clothing size. And never tumble dry them — heat destroys the waistband elastic.

Protection

The Thai Metal Groin Guard is the traditional steel cup, and it offers substantially more protection than a plastic jock strap. It is what you want for hard sparring and clinch work, where a knee that was aimed at the body finds something else.

Cross-training

Fumetsu is a combat sports brand rather than a purely Muay Thai one, and the range reflects that — MMA sparring gloves sit alongside the striking equipment, in adult and kids' sizes.

If your gym runs MMA and Muay Thai out of the same room, you can kit out both from one brand.

The name

Fumetsu is Japanese for immortal, or indestructible. The rhino that appears across the range is the brand's own symbol — chosen, unsurprisingly, for being difficult to stop.

The illustrated designs are drawn in-house and run in limited editions, which is why colourways come and go rather than sitting in the catalogue indefinitely.