Before people start sparring, they need protective gear. Essentials are mouthguards, gloves and headgear.

Heres' a good post as to what to look for in sparring gloves.

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=433146&highlight=glove+types

A lot of people make the mistake of buying fighting gloves, these are for proper fights where you are trying to knock the other guy out. Examples include the Kempo gloves and many MMA gloves, they look cool, but you don't want to be hit by them. Sparring gear protects your opponent during training, and so you can hit relatively hard when practicing techniques, and they won't feel it as much.

Here is a list of reliable online sites for purchasing equipment

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=437764

For purchasing a custom mouthguard (self-protection is always a wise investment, and these are considerably better than the cheap ones from Walmart et al.), try these sites:

Gladiator mouthguards

O-PRO mouthguards

- Carl -

Baltimore Martial Arts Supplies Stores

And if you're not comfortable about ordering stuff online, you can check out the following two stores. I always go there to get stuff like sparring gear and practice weapons.

- Andy -

Kiyota Co.
2326 N. Charles St., (410) 366-8275
Besides martial arts equipment, Kiyota also has a lot of martials arts books, among which you'll find books by Grandmaster William Cheung.

Warrior Emporium
1228 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
USA
410-625-9278
A lot of weapons and also quite a lot of punching bags and dummies if you're interested to get them.