Protective Gear

[MJS]

There are many different types of protective gear out there to prevent injuries and to allow to contact level to be raised, while at the same time, keeping the person safe.

IMHO, I think that if you want to kick your training up a notch, wearing something such as a Redman suit or something similar is going to be necessary. We all have jobs to go to and I for one, can't afford to constantly deal with serious injuries.

So, what are you thoughts on this type of gear? How much gear do you usually wear during training sessions? Is wearing the gear going to hinder your movements or the techniques you throw?

Mike

 

[fireman00]

During sparring I wear padded gloves (like practice gloves for bag work), shin guards, foot guards, Shock Dr. cup (NEVER enter the ring without one), Shock Dr. mouth guard, head gear and rib padding (either a hogu for WTF or the less protective ITF rib padding). I'm currently awaiting knee pads thanks to two vicious knee to knee shots I took during sparring that had me limping around for almost 3 weeks.

Big thing it to make sure everything fits right; personally I've found external groin protectors are either too wide and you wind up waddling around or are to narrow and don't offer enough protection.

 

[ChrisWTK]

I actually don't like wearing the sparring gear I currently have. I think they're too big on me and it makes it harder to focus on dodging punches when you're worried about tripping on your boots or the gloves are coming off and the helmet shifts constantly. I don't mind the protection, but if I think twice about doing something and get hit because I hesitated, is it really serving its purpose?

I also think that wearing more protection than is needed isn't good. If I'm not afraid of doing something cause I know that it wont hurt if I get hit doing it then I'm not learning to defend myself properly for the street. People don't walk around wearing 'redman suits.'

I can understand that you're worried about getting injured. I am too, but that's a risk you're going to take when doing martial arts. Would you rather train in a safe environment(and just taking note that oh I got hit here and it would hurt more if i wasn't wearing pads) or would you like to train as close as possible to the real thing?

 

[stone_dragone]

My students wear the molded foam Macho brand/style gear (not an official endorsement). I wear the fabric hand and shin/instep guards (more for other people than myself).

The only issue that I understand with get-ups like the redman suit is that the wearer has to be able and willing to react as if they weren't wearing the padding in order to provide the maximum training benefit.

My two cents

 

[tshadowchaser]

I was brought up the old way no pads
My students are allowed to wear head, hand,and foot pads most of the time, sometimes i like to make it a little more real and no gear (mouth guards are ok) but lighter contact

 

[Carol]

Nearly everyone that I know that has tried on a redman suit has found them to be VERY claustrophobic.

As concerned as I am about getting injured, I don't see myself doing it. Not sure how to find the best balance between hard training and risk of injury for me is...I just hope I don't learn the hard way.

 

[ChrisWTK]

Nearly everyone that I know that has tried on a redman suit has found them to be VERY claustrophobic.

As concerned as I am about getting injured, I don't see myself doing it. Not sure how to find the best balance between hard training and risk of injury for me is...I just hope I don't learn the hard way.

I agree with you Carol about finding a balance.

I've never actually worn a redman suit, but I'm a goaltender in ice hockey so I know what it's like to be fully padded. I've never felt claustrophobic but I have felt as though I was an unstopable hulk. I don't think that's good for training cause in reality you're not unstopable, you can't take every hit that's thrown at you and you're going to have to learn to take it or dodge it. Beating around that fact by wearing a redman suit is not the way to deal with it.

I don't mind people wearing it, such as instructors, to get their students to get over the fear of actually hitting a person and allowing them to go all out. But I really can't see two people in redman suits trying to spar.

 

[still learning]

Hello, Try finding a REAL DUMMY? ....just joking.....Aloha

 

[pstarr]

When I began martial arts, padded gear hadn't even been dreamed of. At my school, we use no hand/foot pads, headgear, or body protectors. And the number of substantial injuries we've had in the last 30 years can be counted on the fingers of one hand-

 

[Andrew Green]

16+ oz Boxing gloves and a good pair of shin pads is good, want a little more add some head gear, which has it's ups and downs.

Things like the redman suits are overkill IMO, I can't even see how someone could fight in that, to me it just looks like a walking punching bag for high priced self-defence seminars.

 

[Explorer]

We do it a couple of ways.

Sparring is done with lightly padded gloves, shin/instep guards, cup, mouthguard and head protection until brown belt level. We're trying to make sure we don't train in flinch responses ... and it's working pretty well. In the brown belt ranks (we have 3) the gear starts coming off. By the time you test for first dan ... it's down to a cup and a mouth guard. We're looking for speed and control here.

There are times when we train with 'armor'. During bogu exercises we have the 'attackers' wear FIST head and chest protection. The chest protectors have been modified with a formed lexan sheet with a little foam in front of it. With this modification the chest protectors are more like padded kendo armor. It's really great. The 'defenders' wear no protective gear and can strike the 'attackers' pretty close to full force (depending on precisely who is wearing the gear ... me, another instructor or someone with a slightly less robust composition -- ahhhh, it is what it is). We've been very happy with this arrangement and the students like the diversity.

 

[IcemanSK]

16+ oz Boxing gloves and a good pair of shin pads is good, want a little more add some head gear, which has it's ups and downs.

Things like the redman suits are overkill IMO, I can't even see how someone could fight in that, to me it just looks like a walking punching bag for high priced self-defence seminars.

You think Redman suits are overkill, wait til ya see this bad boy from Kwon! http://www.kwon.com/kwonusa/shop_artikeldetails.asp?kid=494%2C568&agnr=4000100

Now that's protection!

 

[pstarr]

Looks like an armored Baby Huey...probably allows you to kick with about the same kind of finesse.

 

[BrandiJo]

do you just stand there and get the tar beat out of you on while your in it?

 

[MJS]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone!:ultracool I personally have never worn one, but by the looks of some of them out there, I have to wonder how much movement they allow for the 'attacker.' I was just thinking that the regular sparring type gear that we see, isn't going to allow us the much protection when kicking up the contact level, so these suits would probably be the next best option.

Has anyone had any luck making some of this gear by making modifications to existing gear?

Mike

 

[HKphooey]

There are much better training suits out there these days. At Tony Blauer's SPEAR/HI GEAR training they have some lightweight suits that you can eailsy move in without getting to sweaty. But they are expensive.

I personaly use many protective components that I have put together over the years. Once and a while I will suit up head to toe and let the students beat on me. It is amazing to see the look on a students face when they puch you and it has little of now effect. I usually have to tell them 2 or 3 times that it is OK to hit me hard. Once they get the "jist" of it, they put some power behind it. The only problem, then their form goes out the window and they get too wild. This, in itself, is very beneficial training. I wouldn't want them to learn this for the first time when attacked on the street. After 2 or 3 classes, they get comfortable and begin to have control, form, and they utilize techniques they have learned.

 

[MJS]

There are much better training suits out there these days. At Tony Blauer's SPEAR/HI GEAR training they have some lightweight suits that you can eailsy move in without getting to sweaty. But they are expensive.

I personaly use many protective components that I have put together over the years. Once and a while I will suit up head to toe and let the students beat on me. It is amazing to see the look on a students face when they puch you and it has little of now effect. I usually have to tell them 2 or 3 times that it is OK to hit me hard. Once they get the "jist" of it, they put some power behind it. The only problem, then their form goes out the window and they get too wild. This, in itself, is very beneficial training. I wouldn't want them to learn this for the first time when attacked on the street. After 2 or 3 classes, they get comfortable and begin to have control, form, and they utilize techniques they have learned.

This is a link to the gear in question:
http://www.tonyblauer.com/4105/03_01_highgear.asp

Doesn't look like its going to minimize movement that much, while at the same time, providing protection. There are some video clips there also, so it shows movement while wearing the suit.

Personally, I think this is a great tool for training. It'll help develop the proper mindset in the student, giving them a more realistic feeling to an attack.

Mike

 

[painstain]

we wear head hands and foot gear and a chest protector usually a kwon, mouth peice and groin protectors are optional except at tournaments.

i personally prefer the foot/shin insteps over anythong you have to strap on and i don't like foam dipped gear. the gear only prevents major injury, not pain.

painstain