Wrestling Gear: The Complete Wrestling Equipment List

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The night before the first practice, the kitchen table turns into a checklist: headgear still in the bag from last season (does the strap still lock?), wrestling shoes, a towel, a bar of soap, a water bottle. Wrestling is one of the simplest sports to gear up for, but the right wrestling gear protects your ears, your teeth, your knees and your skin. Here’s a plain wrestling equipment list: what the rules require, how to choose headgear, shoes, singlets, mouthguards and knee pads, the hygiene products that keep skin infections off the mat, and the recovery gear for after a long tournament.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

What the rules require

• Ear guards: required in high school (NFHS) and college (NCAA). NFHS rules call for wrestling ear guards that are rigid and padded, with an adjustable locking strap so they don’t come off or turn. NCAA rules require them any time live wrestling happens, practice included, and ban tape or decals on them. USA Wrestling recommends headgear for all ages but doesn’t require it.
• Shoes: light, heelless wrestling shoes that reach above the ankle, with laces taped or held by a locking device.
• Uniform: a singlet, or in high school the NFHS two-piece uniform (school-issued compression shorts or wrestling shorts plus a form-fitted shirt). USA Wrestling’s national freestyle and Greco-Roman events don’t allow two-piece uniforms, and women wear a women’s cut singlet with a sports bra under it.
• Mouthguard: required by NFHS for wrestlers with braces, and it must cover both upper and lower braces.
• No sleeves or bands without a pad in high school matches (new for 2025-26), and no jewelry.

Our top picks

Headgear

Headgear exists to save your ears. A blow or rub can cause bleeding under the skin of the ear, and if it isn’t drained it can harden into cauliflower ear. In a survey of 537 Division I wrestlers, ear hematomas were reported about half as often by those who wore headgear (26% versus 52%), yet only about a third wore it all the time in practice, mostly because of comfort. So pick headgear you’ll actually keep on.

The Cliff Keen F5 Tornado is one of the most familiar on the mat. Cliff Keen says it’s 43% lighter than other models, with a strapping system you can adjust right on the mat, a design meant to let you hear your coach more clearly, and 23 stock color combinations. It’s about $56 at Cliff Keen (we saw about $53 on Amazon), and the Youth Tornado is about $53. Make sure it fits snugly and the strap locks; replace cracked shells and worn chin straps.

Check the Cliff Keen F5 Tornado price on Amazon

Wrestling shoes

Wrestling shoes are thin-soled, heelless and high-topped so you can feel the mat, pivot and shoot. They should fit snugly with no heel slip, and the laces must be taped or tucked into a lace pocket. The ASICS Matflex 7 is a popular first pair, with a rubber outsole and men’s and grade-school versions on Amazon. Keep your wrestling shoes for the mat only: wearing them outside tracks dirt onto the mat and wears out the grip.

Check the ASICS Matflex 7 price on Amazon

Singlets and the two-piece uniform

Many schools issue competition uniforms, so families often buy a singlet just for practice, club tournaments or summer freestyle. The Matman Edge comes in men’s and youth sizes for about $33 on Amazon. For USA Wrestling’s national freestyle and Greco-Roman events, check the uniform rules first: the right color singlet for the bout, no two-piece uniforms, and a women’s cut for female wrestlers. NFHS rules allow a two-piece uniform in high school folkstyle.

Check the Matman Edge singlet price on Amazon

Mouthguards

With braces, a mouthguard isn’t optional in high school: it has to cover both upper and lower braces. The Shock Doctor Double Braces (about $20, strapless) protects upper and lower teeth, is made of medical-grade silicone and needs no boil-and-bite molding. Without braces, a mouthguard is optional but common; the Shock Doctor Gel Max comes in youth and adult sizes with a gel-fit liner. A dentist can make a custom one too.

Check the Shock Doctor Double Braces price on Amazon

Knee pads

Knee pads are optional, but many wrestlers wear one on the knee they drop on when they shoot. The knee is the most injured body part in college wrestling, and while a pad cushions bumps on the mat, it won’t prevent ligament injuries. The Cliff Keen Impact is a pull-on sleeve with a compression-molded “bubble” over the kneecap, about $23.50 at Cliff Keen and on Amazon, and machine washable. For freestyle and Greco-Roman, USA Wrestling allows a stocking-type knee pad as long as skin is visible above and below it, and hard braces must be covered with padding. For knee support outside the mat, see our best knee sleeves guide.

Check the Cliff Keen Impact knee pad price on Amazon

Skin and mat hygiene products

Skin infections (ringworm, impetigo, staph and herpes gladiatorum) are wrestling’s most avoidable problem. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association recommends showering with soap right after every practice, never sharing towels or bar soap, washing gear and clothes daily, shower shoes in the locker room, and a set cleaning schedule for mats with an EPA-registered disinfectant. Two products that fit those habits:

• Your own soap: Defense Soap bars use tea tree and eucalyptus oils with no sodium lauryl sulfate or added fragrance, about $31 for a five-pack on Amazon. It’s soap, not medicine: any rash that spreads or won’t clear needs a doctor before you wrestle.
• Mat cleaner: Dollamur Mat Attack! is a concentrate (2 ounces per gallon of water) for wrestling mats and rubber floors, about $43 a quart on Amazon. Its listing gives a 2-minute wet contact time for its disinfecting claims; follow the label, and check for an EPA registration number on whatever product your team uses.

Check the Defense Soap price on Amazon

Check the Dollamur Mat Attack! price on Amazon

Recovery gear for the bag

After a tournament of five or six matches, comfort takes over. Recovery slides like the OOFOS OOahh (about $60, washable, APMA Seal of Acceptance) double as shower shoes. A foam roller like the TriggerPoint GRID 1.0 (about $40) or a small massage gun such as the Hypervolt Go 3 (about $149, 1.6 lb) helps many wrestlers loosen hips, back and shoulders. These are comfort tools, not treatment; pain or swelling that lasts more than a few days is a reason to see a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer. Compare more in our best recovery shoes, best foam rollers and best massage guns guides, and see the wrestling recovery page for the routine.

Check the OOFOS OOahh Slide price on Amazon

Check the Hypervolt Go 3 price on Amazon

How to choose wrestling gear

• Check your level’s rules first: high school, college and USA Wrestling events differ on headgear, uniforms and mouthguards.
• Fit beats brand: headgear that’s comfortable stays on in practice, which is where most ear damage happens.
• Buy for hygiene: pick gear you can wash, and wash it after every practice.
• Kids grow: check shoe and headgear fit every season.
• Label everything, and never share towels, soap, headgear or water bottles.

Back to the wrestling hub, or see wrestling rules, youth wrestling, wrestling injuries and, for grapplers, our MMA recovery gear guide.

Wrestling gear questions

What equipment do you need for wrestling?

Ear guards (headgear), wrestling shoes and a singlet or approved uniform, plus a mouthguard if you wear braces. Add your own towel, soap, shower shoes and a water bottle.

Is headgear required in wrestling?

Yes in high school and NCAA wrestling, where it must be rigid, padded and locked on. USA Wrestling recommends it for all ages but doesn’t require it.

Can you wear running shoes for wrestling?

Not in competition. Rules call for light, heelless wrestling shoes that reach above the ankle. Running shoes have heels, which wrestling rules don’t allow, and aren’t built for the mat.

Do wrestlers need a mouthguard?

High school wrestlers with braces must wear one that covers both upper and lower braces. Otherwise it’s optional, though many wrestlers wear one.

How do you prevent ringworm in wrestling?

Shower right after practice with your own soap and towel, wash gear daily, wear shower shoes, keep mats cleaned with an EPA-registered disinfectant, and show any new spot to the athletic trainer before practice.