Welcome to the Wing Chun forum here on MartialTalk,
Mr. Cat. I think this is a really
good question and I will be interested to see what preferences other folks have.
My own opinion is that you should do a little research online or at your local "karate" or martial arts supply store and check out what's available, and what the prices are, then
get back to your sifu for more guidance before buying. There are a lot of different approaches to sparring. Find out what your sifu has in mind, and then you can make a better informed decision.
That said, here's what I've used in the past:
1. Light, "UFC style" gloves that allow open hand techniques, grabbing, trapping and protect both your knuckles and your opponent's chest and face (somewhat) depending on how hard you go at it.
Do check that the velcro, etc. on the wrist band is not abrasive and that there are no scratchy labels. In Wing chun there is a LOT of friction and sliding of bridge-arm against bridge-arm and this "minor" detail can be a big problem.
I once got a really nice pair of gloves except that they had a flashy embossed plastic logo sewn and built into the back or the wrist cuff. No biggy for boxing-ish arts that only hit with the front of the fist, but it was a real pain (literally) for Wing Chun sparring where we do a lot of deflections. Then I ended up pretty much ruining the gloves trying to cut away the plastic logo.
2. Headgear that fits comfortably without slipping around, allows good visibility, has good ventilation, and protects against centerline attacks to the face. I'd recommend out with something with a face you are going to bother with headgear at all, you might as well protect your nose and mouth. Personally I prefer an open grate to a plastic shield since I like to
breathe ...and to
see without the face-shield fogging up ...but that's just me. So maybe something like this:
View attachment 28566
3. For shin guards, get something like Muay Thai/kickboxing guards that are pretty tough and have some rigidity,
not the cheap foam stuff. A hard roundhouse will go right through those things. A guy named
Emin did that to me about thirty years ago and it's still a
vivid memory! So ask around to find out what offers good protection and is a good buy for a guy just starting out.
Beyond that, I can't be much help since my group is mainly a bunch of old guys (40s to late 60s) and we don't do a lot of hard contact leg kicks. After all, our primary kick is a front stomp to the knee and a shin quard doesn't protect against knee hyper-extension. In our group just about every one of us has already had several knee surgeries, and one guy has two artificial knees!
4. Last, but not least: get a decent "boil and bite"
mouthguard and a good fitting
cup and you're ready to start training!
OK, now maybe some of the people here who spar a lot more than me can give you some better quality information!
