Sparring Gear
knowledge | January 31, 2010
Sparring Gear
I bet all of you are familiar with sparring. As you may know, sparring is a form of training that is common to many martial arts. It is commonly identified as a relatively free-form fighting, with enough customs, rules and agreements to make injuries unlikely to occur.
Well, participating in any sparring activity is exciting in the first place. Unlike any forms of fighting in competition, the goal of sparring is normally the education of the participants and not to determine a winner, so it’s no wonder that you will learn more of a defense here than the ways to fight in order to win. This is perhaps one of the reasons that sparring is played with participants fully geared. Yes, you heard me right. The ones who are allowed to participate on sparring are those that are fully geared with the right sparring gear.
The full sparring gear is basically required for every participant who wants to experience how it is like to spar. The gears are required and given for everyone’s safety. However, there are certain exemptions though on the part of the adults and senior black belts. These people are usually allowed to spar even without the full sparring gear, usually the head gear.
Here is what the full sparring gear consists of:
* Headgear
* Hogu or chest protector
* Mouthpiece
* Fist protector or forearm guard which is optional
* Foot protector or shin which is optional
* Groin cup for men
As what I’ve said earlier, all of these gears are required in order to prevent any injuries to occur.
Now, if you are planning to participate in sparring and currently looking for some available sparring gears, I bet you would be happy to know that finding sets of sparring gear is so easy today, with lots of stores online and offline offering these equipments for your ultimate spar.
However, it is important to note that there are a number of forms of sparring in the martial arts, so the equipments required might vary. But perhaps the most essential to all is the need for protective padding. So, when searching for sparring gear, be sure to check with your school on what to order. There are some sparring schools these days that offer sparring kits, complete with carrying bag. So check with them for they can also help you with the right sizes and the proper fit.
Also consider your training needs when planning to buy for a sparring gear. Note that the leather sparring shoes are durable and many sparring junkies find these comfortable. Perhaps the downside of this gear is that it tends to slip more than foam-dipped foot pads.
It is further important to weigh the price of the gear as well as its value before you decide on buying one. Many experts recommend the cloth gear as it is less pricey and offers a more secure fit than the foam-dipped sparring gear. However, the cloth gear generally offers less protection against the impact. But, for many, it is still worth using.
Finally, when considering mouthpiece, choose the ones that protects but allow adequate airflow. And, when it comes to head gear, pick those with a face cage or guard to eliminate any potential serious injury.