Renagade MMA Gear
Everything You Need to Know About MMA Gear
What to Look for in a Muay Thai Bag
Aug 29th
For a fighter, getting a Muay Thai bag is a big deal that can cause heavy headache and lots of doubts and uncertainty. One does not want to make a wrong choice and be stuck with a bag he/she hates or go through with bothersome exchange/ refund process.
Some wonder if other punching bags can be substituted for a Muay Thai bag; in most cases it is not recommended.
The reason why is that Muay Thai is a different system of martial art compared to other martial arts; in Muay Thai, eight points of body is utilized in attack and defense, which includes kicks, knees, elbows and punches. In short, it is much better to get a Muay Thai bag for Muay Thai practice.
Muay Thai bags are sometimes called banana bags, because they are long in length and not too wide in width. The cover material is usually leather (genuine or synthetic) or high-performance vinyl.
One can purchase a Muay Thai bag either filled or unfilled; please keep in mind, a filled bag will cost more both in price and shipping. Some of the popular brands of Muay Thai bag are Fairtex, Title, KO Fightgear, Twins and so on.
Since a Muay Thai bag is a hanging style, it is good to go for quality rather than cheap price. No one wants to see their bag sagging after a short period of time.
Material wise, there is not so much difference nowadays between leather and vinyl. If one wants to go for easy care, vinyl is the material to choose. In case of getting an unfilled Muay Thai bag, it is important to fill the bag with clean rags and clothes; if one dumps in smelly clothes, the bag will smell too. Speaking of the filling, some products are filled with rags only whereas others are lined up with foam. Some believes the foam lining provides smooth texture; some believes it hurts the integrity of the bag. It is good if you can check out both types before making a decision and see which one fits you better.
It is always better if you can try out some bags, that goes without saying. However, in case that¡¯s not likely, it certainly helps to check out online reviews and product information.
See all types of Muay Thai Bags
Wavemaster Training Bags: Video of XXL Powerline Original Kidkick
Aug 24th
Your Best Punching Buddy: Wavemaster Bag
No matter what martial arts you are training for, say kickboxing, boxing, karate or MMA, there is one thing you absolutely need: a friend who will take all your kicks and punches without a grunt, a.k.a. your punching bag. For a serious trainee, going to gym to meet a punching bag is not enough. Sooner or later, you consider getting your own punching bag. Then the question presents itself: what kind of bag do you get?
Many think of a hanging punching bag when they hear the word, punching bag. But it also comes with complications- where will you hang it? How? What if you want to relocate the bag? Well, for your information, there is a bag that does not come with such perplexities: Wavemaster punching bags.
First of all, Wavemaster is a standing punching bag. You do not need to hang it! When you want to move the Wavemaster bag, you can do so by simply rolling it on ground. No headaches here.
Secondly, you can change the height and weight according to your need. Wavemaster bags come with multiple height setting; as for weight adjustment, simply decided how much water or sand you want to fill up. Applying adjustments is practically impossible to those hanging punching bags; once they are up there, it’s practically forever.
Lastly, it is easy to care for Wavemaster bags. It is covered by durable heavyweight vinyl. You can just clean the bag using wipes; that’s pretty much it. Unless you wrestled around with your bag drenched in corn syrup, there should be no complication in cleaning the bag. Store Wavemaster bag in cool places, not outside when thunderstorm is raging. In other words, you don’t have to take any serious measure to keep your Wavemaster bag well-cared for.
Wavemaster punching bags come in various sizes and purposes. Size-wise, there are Kid Kick Punching Bag, Century Wavemaster Punching Bag, and Century Wavemaster XXL. For specific purpose, there are Wavemaster Cardio Combo, Century Aerobic Wavemaster, and Century XXL Wavemaster with Scoring Zones. Century XXL Wavemaster with Scoring Zones is especially good for martial artists who want to hone precision; this punching bag comes with 10 different scoring zones.
So feel free to take a pick; and start kicking and punching those bags! Don’t worry about hanging anything!
UFC Shirts Fresh Off the Press
Aug 24th
Dubbing Yourself as A Proud UFC Dude: Yes, UFC T-Shirts.
As a UFC dude, you never miss a chance to see a good game. You keep a poster of your favorite fighter pasted on your wall, and there aint no way anybody will dare flick a finger on it. It’s about time you garb yourself properly too, is not it? After all, a true follower of UFC with a fierce heart of a fighter is bound to express himself in every way possible.
UFC shirts have many different categories and themes. It is not just about colors and pictures. UFC T-shirt categories include nationality, fighter name, logo, design theme and so on, all to be chosen according to your preference and personal taste.
Some of the most popular UFC T-shirts by fighter includes: Liddell Pose, Gracie, Anderson Silva (middleweight champion), B. J. Penn (welterweight and lightweight champion), Brock Lesnar (heavyweight champion), Chuck Liddell (light heavyweight champion), Michael Bisping, Tito Ortiz (light heavyweight champion), Randy Couture (3rd time heavyweight champion), Forest Griffin (light heavyweight champion), and so on.
If you are a die-hard UFC fan, undoubtedly you have heard of all the names above. If you are a novice at UFC, you can research the names above mentioned and get a stronger grip on the glorious history of UFC. Your preference of a fighter can decide your choice of a t-shirt.
If you want to go for a simple logo rather than a picture of a fighter, there are various logos and designs out there. Some of them are “Blood”, stacked typography logo that says Ultimate Fighting Championship red logo that says UFC behind cage pattern, military-themed design, UFC-covered design, you name it! The list can go on forever.
If you want to wear a UFC T-shirt to school and to attend to other daily activities, moderate themes will be the best choice: such as UFC Original T-shirt or UFC Fence Logo shirt. As for a more extreme occasion, consider a design like As Real As It Gets T-shirt. Your front will be covered with real fighting scene with black background.
Remember, no matter what design you choose, it is to both proclaim and enhance your UFC-mania identity. Be proud of your distinction and always keep the spirit alive! And greet your fellow UFC fan when you see them across the street; don’t worry. You will recognize when you see one.
See UFC Shirts
Hayabusa Pro MMA Gloves $56 vs UFC Official Fight Gloves $44
May 2nd
In this article I would like to compare 2 brands of MMA Gloves: the UFC official Fight Gloves to the Hayabusa Pro MMA Gloves. Both are excellent competition gloves and they both have an excellent reputation as being gloves that are great for the cage.
See UFC Fight Glove Video Now…
The padding of the Hayabusa Gloves weighs about the same as the UFC gloves but the UFC gloves padding is more centralized over the knuckles where the padding of the Hayabusa gloves is more dispersed and covers more of the hand. The UFC gloves have one big pad.
See Hayabusa Video Review Now…
The wrist support of the UFC gloves is a single wrap with no adjustment. Next time you watch a fight, you will notice the gloves are taped to keep them secure. The Hayabusa gloves also have a single wrist wrap but they also have an added inner cinching strap that allows the fighter to first tighten the inner side of the wrist then a final outer wrap. This feature also allows for easier on and off of the gloves.
The palms of the UFC gloves are completely open. The thumb is not impeded at all. This allows for complete grabbing while grappling. The Hayabusa Gloves have a “Y” type of palm design. I am not exactly sure what this accomplishes, but I think it may have to do with hand fatigue. The “Y” design helps when flexing so your hand muscles do not get so tired.
The Construction of the UFC gloves is top quality leather, where the Hayabusa are a synthetic material, which is very much like leather. Both have excellent graphic printing and both have superior stitching.
Some of the customer comments/complaints I have received are not too many for these 2 gloves. Some people do not like the longer finger padding. They say it makes it difficult to make a tight fist- I have to agree. The UFC gloves are very hard. I think I would rather be hit with a bare fist. After see the UFC gloves, you will have a new appreciation for the UFC fighters.
The Hayabusa Pro MMA Gloves Retail at most stores for $64.99 and can be found for $56.
The UFC Official Fight Gloves Retail at $54 and can be found for $44.
Dedicated to your MMA Success,
The Renegade School Owner
Mark Beagle
Grappling or Striking – Choosing the Right MMA Shin Guards
Mar 6th
When deciding what type of shin guards to purchase, you need to address one question:
Are you going to be using them for Stand-up or Grappling or Both?
By addressing this question, picking the right type of guard becomes very simple. Then the only question that remains is other features that will make your train more beneficial.
Grappling Guards need to stay in place when rolling (wrestling). You can’t be bothered with having to adjust guards that need to be straightened or even put back on, once you go to the ground. Competitive fighters can’t stop. Training needs to be fluid, and as you train… you can’t be worried about your gear falling off!
Stand-up or Striking is concerned Padding. Extra padding is needed to absorb the shock of shin to shin contact. This types of guard a typically held in place by a couple of straps around the calf and ankle. Strikers are not as concerned with the guards shifting because they are not being tugged by your opponent’s arms or legs.
Grappling and Striking require a Hybrid Shin Guard. There have been a few attempts at this but they have all failed miserably.
Modern MMA Training requires that fighters be able to transition from striking to the ground in an instant. Fighter can’t be constrained by their equipment or they are training to fail!
A good Hybrid/Cross-training shin guard incorporates strapping that will not shift or fall off when rolling and also has the extra padding to soak-up those hammering blows.
Time to decide
Grappling Shin Guards if you are planning to be doing mainly ground work, with little striking See Grappling Guards Video
Striking Shin Guards if you will be doing most of your training standing up See Striking Video
A Cross-Trainer is for the MMA fighter that needs the best that both grappling and stand-up have to offer See Cross-Training Video
You can click on the guard type to see the selection or you can see the video review for each type, that further explains these features.
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Dedicated to your MMA Success,
The Renegade School Owner
Mark Beagle
Taekwondo Sparring Gear-Importance of Shin Guards
Feb 25th
In the past write-up, I mentioned the significance of an outstanding torso guard. The body is exactly where, I’d mention, 80% of just about all strikes are targeted as well as land. Safeguard your upper body and stomach with the highest quality torso guard you can buy.
Shin protection is one more extremely important piece of sparring equipment. Of these 80% strikes which land in the mid-section, the alternative 20% land within the head or are usually blocked. The shin and feet should be protected, not just for the offender, but in addition for the defender.
If you were to consider the shin bone by itself, you’d discover that it is shaped much like a sword blade. The back is heavy while the front is tapered to cut into your adversary. The shin is actually the same way. I’ve seen people get kicked in the forehead and their head split wide open! They will not just open you up, they are able to in addition break a bone effortlessly. I have also seen people who have broken arms from blocking leg strikes.
An outstanding shin guard is designed for everyone’s coverage. There are numerous different designs available on the market: foam, cloth, vinyl composite- some people do not even wear shin guards! Oh my god! How uncaring. The debate is usually- “it keeps me tough…”
Like a good quality chest guard, you do not want the least expensive sparring gear you can buy. It always is amazing to me when dad and mom also choose the low-priced stuff… They aren’t the one’s going in to fight wearing it!
Things to look for
Here are a number of points to watch out for when shopping for top quality shin guards. First of all, the padding needs to be thick, not soft and bouncy. Soft and bouncy means that the strike may hit bottom… your bone. The padding needs to be extremely dense feeling. If you squeeze it, it shouldn’t give just a little.
Another essential thing to consider is a reinforced front padding that runs along the front of the shin pad. As strikes get harder, you’ll want to combine more padding to the striking area.
These are just a couple points that will help you while searching for sparring gear and a number of the mistakes folks make as you go along.
Dedicated to your MMA Success,
The Renegade School Owner
Mark Beagle
New Member Special MMA Move of the Week
Feb 22nd
Thanks For Joining the Team!
As a Team Member you will be in on the latest MMA Gear Reviews. You will also receive valuable MMA moves taught by our veteran MMA Coach, Adrew “Ravioli” Rodriguez.
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Dedicated to your MMA Success,
The Renegade School Owner
Mark Beagle
Taekwondo Sparring Gear – Choosing Chest Protector
Feb 18th
One of the important items of sparring gear is the chest protector, AKA: Hogu, chest guard, trunk guard. The key reason why it is so significant is mainly because the abdomen and chest are the biggest targets. You want to defend this area whenever possible, so it is crucial to never be cheap when looking for a good, premium quality upper body protector.
When you or your young one start off their martial arts career, it may conclude the very first day of sparring if you get the wind knocked from you by way of a properly placed back kick. Plus, when sparring, you really don’t want to become “Gun Shy”, which means you really don’t want to be afraid of getting struck. This may greatly affect how good you are. Should you be scared, you will regularly be on the defensive never on the offensive- SCORING!The way the upper body protector is made is the key. I’ve observed that the thicker are not always better. You might think thicker- much more padding- more protection… Much more padding can cause a bouncing result, just like a ball. The heavy cushioning may soak up some of the blow but will knock you on your rear end. Not good- that’s viewed a knock-down! In addition, heavier padding implies less mobility. In sparring, speed is the name of the game. You will notice, when you watch high-level competition, that the competitors have very well fitted gear.
Chest protectors could be the most expensive piece of equipment though the fee is really worth it. I have observed people with broken ribs because they skimped on their chest gear purchase. Additionally, if competing, ensure the guard is WTF certified. When you have WTF certified products, you never worry about the officials allowing you to participate because of sub-standard sparring gear.
Be sure the chest gear is rigid. It should want to maintain its shape, like a board. You’ll feel this in the inner surface of the guard- the main part that the padding is wrapped around. The way to tell a quality chest gear is whenever you hit it, it pops and absorbs and doesn’t push you back. And, you should not feel light to medium blows!
Tip: Store the guard flat! Never fold it to make it fit in a equipment bag. The folding action will ultimately split the inside primary padding structure.
Dedicated to your MMA Success,
The Renegade School Owner
Mark Beagle
The New Standard in MMA Gear
Feb 13th
Modern MMA fight training is about to enter a new era. No longer is the same old lame training gear ok. Stopping to change MMA gear to suit the days training lesson will have you training to wait or hesitate. A good example is what one of my instructors used to say:
“When you throw a kick- swing all the way through, don’t stop and pull back! If you train to stop and pull your kicks, when you actually fight, you’ll pull your kicks then!”
As the sport of MMA evolves, the equipment has to keep pace or you will be at a disadvantage. As the fight game gets more competitive you need every advantage you can get. You never know when a decision may rest on your ability to transition from the ground to standup- without hesitation!
If you have ever done any weight training, you know that bodybuilders are constantly looking for tricks, anything, to get that extra edge that can make their workout payoff. MMA fight training is now entering this phase of the sport. As fighters train they are looking for that small training tip or trick that can squeak them through a close decision.
The MMA gear that modern fighters train with is in need of some serious reinvention. Ever notice every glove looks the same… Same features… Same look. Shin guards are the same but they can be even worse. Shin guards come in 2 flavors- grappling and stand up. If you’re rolling you need guards that won’t shift. If you are doing stand up, you just want protection. You don’t care about much than the application. Wake-up call! As MMA, Mixed Martial Arts, fighters- you need something that will work without having to stop or worry about whether they will suit the need.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a shin guard that had the extra padding required for serious striking and also had the staying ability of the grappling shin guards? Combat sports tried to solve this by making a set of shin guards that had Velcro strap-like socking as an attachment, with some extra padding. In my opinion they fell short. The sock-like straps are worse than regular straps and the padding was not reinforced enough to add any further protection.
Plus the nightmare of getting the grappling style shin guards off. OMG!!!
I have a pair of guards returned by a customer that have the main pad almost ripped from the sleeve. The person had a real hard time getting them off and wound up destroying them. I had to eat the ruined pair…
Check-out MMA Sin Guards Now…
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Dedicated to your MMA Success,
The Renegade School Owner
Mark Beagle
Sparring Gear – Buyers Guide- Taekwondo-Karate-Adidas
Feb 6th
If you are new to the Sparring Gear world or just want to learn more about the many option we’re faced with when buying sparring gear…
I have created a e-Learning course to help guide you in your sparring gear search.I’ve been practicing all types of martial arts for over 25 years and I am also a Taekwondo School Owner in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Terminology and Required Equipment
These may be some terms you have heard tossed around or may encounter:
WTF: World Taekwondo Federation
Instep: The top part of the foot, just below the ankle, where many kicks are absorbed.
Hogu: Korean for Chest Protector, aka Trunk
Clash Shins: When two people throw a kick at the same time, clashing shins, in effect- blocking the strike.
Round House: The most popular kick. It start by lifting bent knee toward target, turning hip and at the same time extending your bent knee, striking with instep.
Kukkiwon: the governing body in Korea that keeps track of all Taekwondo Blackbelts.
Karate, Style: A Japanese word that means empty hand and refers to a karate student’s ability to offer a defense without the use of weapons. Karate originate in Japan. There are several styles of Karate- Ryukue, Kenpo, Kempo… In my experience- Karate concentrate more on hand strikes and pressure points
Taekwondo: Korean Tae (hand) Kwon (foot) Do (way). The Way of the Hand and Foot. There are also many styles of Taekwondo. Taekwondo is known for its kicking
Equipment for Taekwondo Sparring:
The World Taekwondo Federation requires the following equipment to compete in WTF sanctioned events:
World Taekwondo Federation Competition Rules
Contestant Uniform and Protective Equipment
1) The contestant shall wear the trunk protector, head protector, groin guard, forearm guards, shin guards, gloves and a mouthpiece before entering the contest area.
2) The groin guard, forearm guards and shin guards shall be worn beneath the Taekwondo uniform. The contestant shall bring this WTF-approved protective equipment, as well as gloves and the mouthpiece, for his/her personal use. Wearing any item on the head other than the head protector shall not be permitted.
Source: http://wtforg.cafe24.com/wtf_eng/site/rules/competition.html#4
If you have visited Martial Arts Supplies Sites, you may have seen the amazing choices when shopping for Sparring Gear.
Choices & How To cut through the clutter
You may think that maximum protection would be the only consideration when looking for sparring gear. Human beings risking injury for a sport or martial art discipline they love. Our desire to compete and win can be influenced by the ability to protect ourselves.
When it comes to Personal Protection, Why are there so many choices… It all comes down to the ability for retailers to offer prices to fit anyone’s budget. When you start to reduce price, so too- do you reduce Protection Level.
There are basically 3 types, or levels of protection:
Cloth, also referred to as “Sock-type” gear. This gear offers the least amount of protection. You can purchase Shin, Instep, Hand, Elbow and Forearm Cloth Gear.
Cloth gear is made of low-quality foam that is sewn into a sock-like elastic cloth. The cloth is expandable. It’s difficult to get it on and even more difficult to get it off, once wet!
Foam type gear, I think you can get just about every piece (head, hands, feet, chest, shins, Not Groin) Wouldn’t want a foam dipped groin protector…
The protection level is better and they are easier to get on and off. The problem with these is that they react like a ball- when you make contact- there’s a bounce, rather than absorbing the energy of the strike.
The third level of protection is Composite Gear. This type of gear offers the most protection. If you are not familiar with Kevlar, the stuff they make bullet proof vests and helmets with- like Kevlar, High quality gear is made up of many layers of very dense composite material.
Like Everything Else in Life- You Get What You Pay For
Now that we have leveled the playing field and broken the overwhelming choices down to 3 basic types of gear, now we can learn what to look for in quality gear.
How To Spot Poor Quality Gear
My good friend, Master Robert Caullette of Caullett’s Academy in Royal Palm Beach, says it best.
Master Caullett has been sparring competitively, just about all of his life. He is now one of world’s most respected competitive sparring coaches. Master Caullett tells us in his own words:
“What to Look for When Shopping for Sparring Gear”
Link to Video
We will close things out with some things to consider in your search for quality sparring gear.
Recommendations and Useful Tips
Buying Quality Gear will save you many headaches:
If you decide to compete, you will have no problems with the tournament’s governing body. All states have their own State-level “WTF”, here it’s the Florida Taekwondo Federation. All of these governing Bodies will not question anything that is WTF Certified.
Save time and Hassles returning sub-standard gear. I don’t know how many times a new student showed-up at sparring with cloth gear. “Sorry. You should have checked with us first- that gear is unsafe and can’t be worn here…” We do not allow equipment that does not protect a student in my school.
Shop with confidence. If you buy the right style (Taekwondo, Karate, etc.) and is certified by the world governing body- you can’t go wrong.
Sign-UP for your $5 Off Online Coupon. You can use the coupon anytime. The code will be emailed so you can store it away until you are ready to use it
And Most importantly, You or Your Child will be protected! I recently wrote this small post on my blog:
Top 3 Reasons to Buy Quality Sparring GearMarch 25th, 2009
Reason #1 SaftyIf you think about it… the reason we buy sparring gear is to protect our body. I don’t know about you, but when I get hit I want to minimize the pain as much as possible.When you purchase equipment for someone
or
Someone buys it for you usually PRICE is the only thing that is considered!We’ll leave #1 at that…
Reason #2 Longevity
Quality gear will last many, many, many times longer. And along with the added lifespan- the equipment’s ability to protect will not degrade. I admit I have bought crappy gear in the past- but I had to replace it- and when I did, it was with quality gear. Gear that I have to this day- in good condition. Learn from my mistake.
Reason #3 It is Easier to get On and Off
Whether the gear is for you or your child, remember trying to put the sock-type gear on? The tugging? And your Master yelling at you to get your butt in gear (no pun intended)… How about trying to get it off once it got all sweaty… Ugh!
Quality gear goes on easy and comes off even quicker.
I hope You have learned some valuable lessons about sparring gear. Shoot me an email if you like.
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Dedicated to your MMA Success,
The Renegade School Owner
Mark Beagle