Question on Chest Guards

[The Kai]

I was thinking of incorporating these into the sparring. However I have a couple of questions

1.) Price
2.) protection
3.) the ability to put your elbows down, allow your torso the bend, flex or twist

Which brand hits all of thse guidelines

 

[Andrew Green]

There are cheap ones and there are good ones, like anything else.

The cheapest and most "realistic" however is to just do more situps

 

[clfsean]

I think #3 might be the sticking point for most of the ones on the market. I know a couple I've played with before had a rather rigid mid-section that wouldn't allow for lots of bending.

#1 is almost always negotiable with the vendor you choose based on quantity of order.
#2 is more subjective I think unless it's apparently not going to stop a mad chihuahua.

 

[Gemini]

I was thinking of incorporating these into the sparring. However I have a couple of questions

1.) Price
2.) protection
3.) the ability to put your elbows down, allow your torso the bend, flex or twist

Which brand hits all of thse guidelines

I don't know if you'd use the same ones we do, but if so, here's what I know. If not, just ignore me.

1. between $40 and $80
2. From none to equivalent to kevlar. The new one I have with the wings is so strong, I can't be at all detered by a full contact kick from a grown male. Someone like me that likes to target the solar plexes need to find a new favorite "spot" to hit.
3. They all limit you to some degree. They offer different sizes but not for different builds, so how much mobility you have will depend on that. There will be some limitation regardless though.

I practice without one. They annoy me. As Andrew said, there's no substitute for a good six pack.

 

[FearlessFreep]

The hogu we use in TKF sparring...at least the one's we use at our school, will disperse a bit of force but not a lot. Basically will stop you from breaking ribs but you can still punch and kick through hard enough that if you are hit in the solar plexus...you feel it

They restrict a little bit of shoulder range but not hip rotation range, so I guess it would depend on what sorta moves you want to spar with.

 

[searcher]

I make all of my juniors and all of my female students use them. I have a variety of them in different sizes and degrees of protection. I use WTF style chest protectors, Century chest protectors, Macho chest protectors, and Ringside. The slimmest and the most protective ones are the Ringside, not the same protector. The Ringside can take a healthy beating with little to no discomfort, with the Century and Macho at a very good second.

The advantages of using them is the reduction of injury to students and lower risk of a lawsuit.

I do not force my 18-36 year old males to wear them, but it is encouraged. This group tends to have a testerone problem that limits their higher brain function. I am in this category, but my wife helps me to keep my ego in check.

As for the six pack and not wearing one I would say that you either have not been hit/kicked hard or you are very lucky. The best fighters I have ever seen still get broken ribs if they have been fighting very long.

 

[Gemini]

As for the six pack and not wearing one I would say that you either have not been hit/kicked hard or you are very lucky. The best fighters I have ever seen still get broken ribs if they have been fighting very long.

Well, I'll say it like this. It's in a controlled environnment, not a full contact one though I do from time to time, take a stout one in the mids regardless.
What luck you have is what you bring with you. In other words, I don't believe in luck.
You're right. At any time I could get a rib broken. I understand and accept the potential risk of not wearing one. It's not a macho thing. I wore one for years. It has to do with realizing my full potential, which I find unobtainable while wearing a hogu.
No. I do not recommend it to anyone.
As FearlessFreep mentioned, even with the average one, it's possible to take a hard enough shot to put you down which is why I said before there is no substitute for a good six pack.

Regards,

 

[The Kai]

There are cheap ones and there are good ones, like anything else.

The cheapest and most "realistic" however is to just do more situps

Boy
Thanks for the advice, like i had'nt thought of that. sometimes it is better to say nothing when you have nothing to say

 

[The Kai]

I don't know if you'd use the same ones we do, but if so, here's what I know. If not, just ignore me.

1. between $40 and $80
2. From none to equivalent to kevlar. The new one I have with the wings is so strong, I can't be at all detered by a full contact kick from a grown male. Someone like me that likes to target the solar plexes need to find a new favorite "spot" to hit.
3. They all limit you to some degree. They offer different sizes but not for different builds, so how much mobility you have will depend on that. There will be some limitation regardless though.

I practice without one. They annoy me. As Andrew said, there's no substitute for a good six pack.

The one with wings, who makes that??

 

[Gemini]

The one with wings, who makes that??

Mine is Adidas but there are a few. I'll pm you a site with the one I use.

 

[FearlessFreep]

As FearlessFreep mentioned, even with the average one, it's possible to take a hard enough shot to put you down which is why I said before there is no substitute for a good six pack.

I also said it's basically there to prevent ribs breaking. No number of situps, no sixpack, is going to stop a full-contact roundhouse to the ribs from cracking them.

It's in a controlled environnment, not a full contact one

It has to do with realizing my full potential, which I find unobtainable while wearing a hogu.

You also can't realize your full potential if you are not giving out and taking full contact shots

 

[Andrew Green]

Boy
Thanks for the advice, like i had'nt thought of that. sometimes it is better to say nothing when you have nothing to say

Well... I've seen them as cheap as $15 cdn, to several hundred. There is a huge range in price and many different types. Your question was vague, and so was my answer

Some offer very little protection, some offer a lot. Some are easy to move in, some are not.

 

[The Kai]

Thanks for saying almost nothing, Why do you even post?

 

[Makalakumu]

I do not force my 18-36 year old males to wear them, but it is encouraged. This group tends to have a testerone problem that limits their higher brain function. I am in this category, but my wife helps me to keep my ego in check.

As for the six pack and not wearing one I would say that you either have not been hit/kicked hard or you are very lucky. The best fighters I have ever seen still get broken ribs if they have been fighting very long.

I hear ya. I used to belong to the upper catagory, but I was drug out of that locker room by my wife and kids. I've broken ribs on two separate occasions and decided not to charm myself with a third time. A tkd hogu is good for medium to heavy contact. For full contact go with something that has some stiffness as well as some padding. The penetration is what puts you down when you are really hitting hard. My tkd hogu is macho. My full contact chest protector is adidas...I don't get to use this one as much as I should...:idunno:

 

[FearlessFreep]

Why do you even post?

Maybe to illustrate that your question was rather vague and has only illicited general comments about chest pads but not a lot of details to meet your needs. Possibly if you identified your needs a bit more clearly, it would be helpful to get more targetted information.

Such as what proce range are you looking for. Most importantly, what sort of sparring do you want to allow or encourage? That will drive what sort of protection you need and will provide a context for price vs movement vs protection.

 

[Gemini]

As FearlessFreep mentioned, even with the average one, it's possible to take a hard enough shot to put you down which is why I said before there is no substitute for a good six pack.

I also said it's basically there to prevent ribs breaking. No number of situps, no sixpack, is going to stop a full-contact roundhouse to the ribs from cracking them.

I agreed with what you said. That's all. I never said a six pack replaces a chest protector. Re read my post and don't put words in my mouth. But if you think a beer gut and a six pack are the same thing under that chest protector, I will never agree.

It's in a controlled environnment, not a full contact one

It has to do with realizing my full potential, which I find unobtainable while wearing a hogu.

You also can't realize your full potential if you are not giving out and taking full contact shots

I sparred full contact for years. My reference was to range of motion. If you think that giving and taking hard shots is all there is to sparring, I can only say you must be fairly new and you will learn differently in time.

 

[mj-hi-yah]

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