To cup or not to cup?

[GouRonin]

I was just thinking about this...when I work in American Kenpo I wear a cup. When I work in submission fighting, or Judo, I don't wear a cup, when I work in Systema I don't wear a cup. In boxing I wear a no-foul protector.

Sometimes I wear one and sometimes I don't. What guidelines do you use when deciding to wear one or not?

 

[Damian Mavis]

I wear mine to the mall. And that's all I wear. Well except for my boots. I'm sexah!

Anyway, since we are talking about cups let me tell you a little story about the last time I didn't wear my cup to train martial arts. I was sparring with my brother in law who's been a student of mine for about 2 years now and still has really bad technique but insane power. He's wild but when he connects it's like a truck. So... we are sparring and I'm just going kind of easy trying to get him to learn some things and feel his groove when he decides to throw a full powered turning sidekick at me.... but because of his bad technique his knee is bent down and his foot aimed up so instead of kicking me in the gut he pounds right up into my groin.... full power, no holding back. So there's a little bit of good news, he missed my scrotum! Lucky me, instead he CRUSHED MY BIRDIE BETWEEN HIS HEEL AND MY PELVIC BONE. I thought I was going to barf and then I thought I was going to pass out, I lay on the floor shaking like a frightened child for about 10 minutes.

I got myself checked out and I was fine but the doctor told me I was lucky because some people have had to have reconstructive surgery from injuries like that because the tube gets ruptured. It was purple for a month though.... and unusable for almost as long.

This is the "scared straight" method of getting people to wear cups.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[c2kenpo]

To cup or not to cup that is the question?

I propose no question at all. The wee willy doesn't require a lot of bumping around to cause that lovely gastric convulsive feeling in all men.
One of my instructors was working finger set with a student and demonstrated the finger whip to the softies and oooops student not wearing a cup and went down for the ten count.

My experience from MA to soccer, to football, to lacrosse, and just about any activity that could place a small to large object in an area that I dont want there, intentionally or non-intentionally

CUP IT Shakespere!

JMHO
Dave "C2"

 

[GouRonin]

Some say however that the cup gives a false sense of security because you don'r wear one every day. Well, most of us don't. Some arts require that you don't because it can be dangerous. Even in regular sparring arts I know of injurious actions that caused damage because of wearing a jock.

I think that it's good to practice with one to allow strikes etc but it's also good to practice without them as well.

 

[KennethKu]

Originally posted by Damian Mavis

I wear mine to the mall. And that's all I wear. Well except for my boots. I'm sexah!
........, instead he CRUSHED MY BIRDIE BETWEEN HIS HEEL AND MY PELVIC BONE. I thought I was going to barf and then I thought I was going to pass out, I lay on the floor shaking like a frightened child for about 10 minutes. ...... I got myself checked out and I was fine ........ It was purple for a month though.... and unusable for almost as long......

ROFL!!
I was in a bad mood this morning, but your post made me LMAO!

It is literrally "putting your pecker on ice" there! LOL

 

[Brother John]

If I MIGHT get hit
or probably will...
I put one in.

If not, I get what I get.

Your Brother (natural baritone, and staying that way)
John

 

[jkn75]

I always wear a cup when I spar, especially against kids. Kids have the knack for hitting the groin.:erg:

For other techniques generally not. Comfort is important and as Gou pointed out,

Some say however that the cup gives a false sense of security because you don'r wear one every day. Well, most of us don't.

 

[Blindside]

Well, most of us don't. Some arts require that you don't because it can be dangerous. Even in regular sparring arts I know of injurious actions that caused damage because of wearing a jock.

Ok, I've only been doing martial arts for about 7 years now, but I've never seen an accident where wearing the cup exacerbated the situation. On the other hand, I have seen lots (more than 5) incidents where the cup protected from serious harm (most recently last tuesday).

Not wearing a seatbelt saved the life of a friend of mine, when he wrapped his car around a telephone pole. That being said, I always wear a seatbelt, because the odds are that its going to save my life are much higher than it taking it.

When I did BJJ, Judo, and escrima I didn't wear a cup. I do for kajukenbo and kenpo.

Lamont

 

[Dronak]

I don't wear one right now because almost everything we're doing is solo. If we were doing sparring or something, I'd probably go get one and wear it. But for now the chance of getting hit is practically non-existant, so there's no reason for me to wear a cup.

 

[Brother John]

Hey James-
90% of my work is solo as well, but then I find that when I work with others.... OR go test in Las Vegas, that the cup that I MUST wear feels 'out of place' or strange...and tends to be a distraction.
So now I wear it much more... even when alone.
Besides, if you don't wear one for a long time and then you must for a day.. it can chafe.

:angry:
Your Brother
John

 

[Damian Mavis]

"Some say however that the cup gives a false sense of security because you don'r wear one every day"

What are you going to do? Condition your testicles for street defence??!!??!!


Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by Damian Mavis

"Some say however that the cup gives a false sense of security because you don'r wear one every day"

What are you going to do? Condition your testicles for street defence??!!??!!


Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

ROFL! :rofl: :rofl: Good Ol' Iron Balls Mahoney

 

[7starmantis]

Originally posted by Blindside

Ok, I've only been doing martial arts for about 7 years now, but I've never seen an accident where wearing the cup exacerbated the situation. On the other hand, I have seen lots (more than 5) incidents where the cup protected from serious harm (most recently last tuesday).

Not wearing a seatbelt saved the life of a friend of mine, when he wrapped his car around a telephone pole. That being said, I always wear a seatbelt, because the odds are that its going to save my life are much higher than it taking it.

Lamont

True, but I've been to auto accidents where people were burned alive because they couldn't get out of theri seatbelt too. Saying that, I don't think anyone is going to catch their cup on fire, so that may be moot. Well, that would be a cool trick !

I have seen incidents where wearing a cup has created more of an issue for someone, but they are few and far between. Also, we tend to think, oh man that cup broke and really injured that guy, but we don't think about how bad the injury would have been had the cup (broken or not) been there at all! WOW

7sm

 

[GouRonin]

Originally posted by Blindside
Ok, I've only been doing martial arts for about 7 years now, but I've never seen an accident where wearing the cup exacerbated the situation. On the other hand, I have seen lots (more than 5) incidents where the cup protected from serious harm (most recently last tuesday).

The guy I am thinking about was wearing a cup and a close shot shifted the cup causing it to shift and crush and destroy one of his testicles.

 

[Blindside]

Hi Gou,

Yeah, I've hear the same example, or the guy who's cup splits, and somehow the guy gets caught between the pieces.

My point is I think these accidents are by far the exception.

Lamont

 

[Shinzu]

i tend to wear a cup during sparring. i'm really not in the mood to get my "boys" crushed. i have seen too many accidents.

 

[D.Cobb]

Originally posted by GouRonin

The guy I am thinking about was wearing a cup and a close shot shifted the cup causing it to shift and crush and destroy one of his testicles.

You could always wear the external cup. That is to say, the kind that you wear outside of your uniform. I have one made by Adidas, and having worn the kind you "slip in" and the external one, I can vouch for added comfort. You don't chafe, and nutty contact is minimal. The only real problem I've seen/ felt, is that they cover quite a fair way back and taper to a bit of a point. If your partner/ opponent executes one of those nasty Kenpo type scoop kicks, you can end up with the problem, commonly referred to in Australia as, getting your freckle puckered.

Makes you walk funny too!
--Dave

 

[MartialArtist]

I'd rather have some protection when someone kicks you. I've had a cup broken before and broken cups myself and wonder what it would've been if we weren't wearing cups.

For grappling, cups really aren't necessary. Even when someone does a high-crotch.

 

[Hollywood1340]

I've seen some pretty nasty accidents in Judo, and we're not allowed to wear cups.

 

[kenposcum]

One of my instructor's favorite "attitude adjustments" was to pull the cup away and snap it on the "jewels." It hurt.
Another time I got kicked so hard in the cup that I was left with a bruise outlining my crotch.
Yeah, these incidents were painful. But how much worse would they have been cupless?
:asian: