sparring equipment

[rachel]

I need to get sparring equipment. What's the best brand to get?What do I need?

[jfarnsworth]

You will get a lot of different answers on this as to personal preference on the various styles of equipment.

You will need headgear, mouthpiece, gloves, shin pads, & boots.

[tarabos]

jason is right...there is really no one right answer here, except the one that your instructor will give you. i would ask him or her what you need and if they have a perference as to what you should and should not use. often times instructors would also like you to purchase gear through them so they can make a profit....whoops, was i supposed to say that?

[Eggman]

I have used macho gear for a while and never have had a problem with durability. I would also suggest a shockdoctor mouthiece, the best twenty bucks you will ever spend.

[rachel]

Originally posted by jfarnsworth
You will get a lot of different answers on this as to personal preference on the various styles of equipment.

You will need headgear, mouthpiece, gloves, shin pads, & boots. How about chest protectors? I've got assets to protect. :D

[tarabos]

Originally posted by rachel
How about chest protectors? I've got assets to protect. :D

lol...none of us men would be able to give a valuable opinion on those...

i'll say this though. none of the women that spar or have sparred at our school in the past have worn them, however one of two of them have complained of "excessive contact" in that area. so i guess it's up to you.

[Kirk]

Originally posted by tarabos
lol...none of us men would be able to give a valuable opinion on those...

i'll say this though. none of the women that spar or have sparred at our school in the past have worn them, however one of two of them have complained of "excessive contact" in that area. so i guess it's up to you.

Yeah, the females in our school kept talking about "repeated
contact" in that area whenever they sparred with me ... but never
said "excessive" :p



I'm only kidding, we don't have females in our school. And I'm not a dirty old man ... need to wait a few years.

[Eggman]

the women at our school dont wear one even though one of the girls is extremely endowed. I do recommend buying protection for the nether regions for the inevitable low kicks.

[Cthulhu]

I agree with what other have already said: check with your instructor first. Not necessarily for specific brands, but what specific type of gear he requires. From that, you can then start shopping around and asking about the different brands.

Cthulhu

[RCastillo]

Originally posted by rachel
I need to get sparring equipment. What's the best brand to get?What do I need?

Make sure it's vinyl, or leather. get your monies worth!:asian:

[jfarnsworth]

Originally posted by rachel
How about chest protectors? I've got assets to protect. :D

Ah, I see, but keep your hands up.:D

[Blindside]

Make sure it's vinyl, or leather. get your monies worth!

I agree with Ricardo, avoid the dipped foam gear, the hand and foot gear wears out way too fast. You pretty much can't avoid it for your head gear though.

Lamont

[cali_tkdbruin]

I like my adidas gear, it's kind of expensive but it's durable and has lasted me a long while even after all the sparring I've engaged in.

[RCastillo]

Originally posted by Blindside
I agree with Ricardo, avoid the dipped foam gear, the hand and foot gear wears out way too fast. You pretty much can't avoid it for your head gear though.

Lamont

I even have leather head gear with a steel mask, though it's not used much, along with my "Fist Gear" for self defense.

I have a pretty face, and I wanna keep it.:)

[tarabos]

Originally posted by Blindside
I agree with Ricardo, avoid the dipped foam gear, the hand and foot gear wears out way too fast. You pretty much can't avoid it for your head gear though.

Lamont

why not? just get leather headgear from fightgear or fairtex. fightgear even has that "airmax" stuff that is supposed to keep you cooler or something.

it'll fit your head better too. whenever i got hit while i was wearing the foam dipped stuff the headgear would twist around my face and i'd have to stop and re-adjust it.

[Nightingale]

personally, I prefer leather sparring gear... however, its damned hard to find, and damned expensive when you do find it. I had some many years ago that was since worn out, damaged, or stolen, so now I'm back to dipped foam stuff until I can scrape up the cash for better.

However, dipped foam is probably okay for a beginner. its inexpensive and pretty durable, and will give you a chance to figure out whether or not you like to spar. By the time its time to replace your gear, you'll be ready to be fighting in tournaments, and spending lots of money on good quality gear will seem like a necessity rather than an unneeded expense.

For some examples of sparring gear, check out my online store at www.nightingalesnest.net/kenpoframepage.html just click on supplies, and select from the "fighting gear" pulldown menu. most of the stuff is dipped foam, but there's cloth and vinyl shin guards, and leather headgear. It'll give you some ideas for what to look for in your area (course, if you want to buy it from me online, I've got no objection to that...lol)

Oh! Don't buy gear at a tournament...its tempting, but it'll cost you way more than you should pay for it.

[Kirk]

Originally posted by nightingale8472
For some examples of sparring gear, check out my online store at www.nightingalesnest.net/kenpoframepage just click on supplies, and select from the "fighting gear" pulldown menu.

Good advice, cool of you to share but *poke* *poke* you got
the link wrong to your own site!!!!! :rofl:


You left of the file extension .. so Rachel, it's actually:

http://www.nightingalesnest.net/kenpoframepage.html

[Nightingale]

LOL. Thanks, nice catch, Kirk. I fixed it.

Sorry.

Brain freeze.

I got like three hours of sleep last night, and work was INSANE today. Everything that could possibly go wrong did... We had a boiler blow up, a sewer back up, ducks in the jacuzzi, power outage for half the complex, and a guy with mushrooms growing out of his living room carpet.

its been a hell of a day.

lol.

-N-

[Rob_Broad]

Many schools have followed the tournament trend and do not allow leather or vinyl gear because in time it gets worn and rough. A few of the companies that insure martial arts schools also insist on foam dipped gear. As for a chest protector you can get the type that goes over your uniform and there are the ones that go under the uniform.

There is a very good chest protector on the market made by a company called Mawashi. I have hit these things full contact before and the person felt no pain.

[rachel]

Thanks,everyone. I went to the Dojo today and surprise! they sell sparring equipment there. I thought they had to order it. Anyway it's Pro Force and I bought it so I'm ready to go when my instructor is.:)

[Rob_Broad]

Originally posted by rachel
Thanks,everyone. I went to the Dojo today and surprise! they sell sparring equipment there. I thought they had to order it. Anyway it's Pro Force and I bought it so I'm ready to go when my instructor is.:)

Pro Force is pretty good stuff. It is manufactured for Asian World of Martial Arts. I believe they have it made by Macho.