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!

Taekwondo Sparring Gear

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

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.

Sparring Gear

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Dedicated to your MMA Success,

The Renegade School Owner
Mark Beagle