IcemanSK

We used sell the Brain Pad. It also used to be called the Jaw Joint Protector. It's a double, but it puts a lot more material between your top and bottom teeth than a regular double. That allows for a much larger breathing hole. The idea behind it is that you'll have greater cushion when you get hit in the jaw so that less energy will be transfered to your jaw joint and less to your brain. We stopped selling them because they didn't turn over quickly enough with our customer base, not because of any problem we had with the product. Hi John, I'd imagine that you didn't sell as many as you would have liked because the misconception people have about them...that one can't breathe as well with one. When, I reality, I think folks either don't prepare them correctly, they don't learn to relax & breathe properly during sparring, or a combination of the two. I like my dentist made mouth piece because I don't need to think about breathing properly & because I can talk (teach with it in the whole class & not need to take it out).

Try Titleboxing.com I know they have them.

Twins are excellent gloves. They are worth your time to look for.

I'm sorry that it was a bad experience for you. At least they made it right. I hope it works well when all is said & done.

I thought I'd look at the company where I buy my doboks. They have size 10 as well! http://sangmoosa.com/shop/shop_goodsview.asp?Top=1&Steps=000010001600017&g_code=2008822113619

I'm not a big fan of their quality in v-necks, but Bold Look has a size 10. http://boldlook.net/description.php?ref=200-W

Dentists make them for all types of sports. All mouthpieces are NOT created equal.....even by dentists. A MP for basketball will be thinner than one for football. Boxing & kickboxing MP's are the thickest. I recomend getting one of those. All my best.

I assume that its a "Brain Pad" mouthpiece. They are supposed to be very good. For best protection, I'd talk with your dentist about a custom made mouth guard. Those are usually singles, & they are much more expensive, but they are worth every penny. Dentist made mouth pieces run about $150. With a dentist-made mouth piece, you can carry on a normal conversation....& breathing is not an issue.

Well, it's certainly surprising to hear it from someone of GM Park's status. Good stuff

GM Park is a great man & a true treasure in Taekwondo. I've had the pleasure of training under him twice. I'd encourage anyone to go to seminar where he is teaching. Whether you're TKD or not, you will learn a great deal. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Formal reviews might be hard to come by. If I were in the market for one, I'd probably go with Versaflex by Century...simply because it's a trusted company: so it's likely to be built to last a while.

Thanks BB of C! But I can't tell the weight of the uniform. In my experience, most are middle weight uniforms. I'll look into it.

I've seen a lot of middle weight diamond-patterned "Hapkido" uniforms, but I'm looking for a heavy weight one. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks!

I add my two cents in here. I figure it's only right since I opened the can of worms. I think one's preference has a lot to do with one's experiences. My 1st instructor, a man I dearly loved, did not wear rank stripes (or other rank identifiers) on his belt. He was quite "old-school" in that regard. I didn't know until long into my training with him what his rank was. Probably because of this, I don't like to wear rank stripes. So, when I teach, I rarely do. In my school, people know who's in charge. Outside of my school...I just assume very one is my senior. My current GM wears ranks stripes & "strongly encourages" his school owners to do the same. Therefore, when I'm doing "official" things where I wear my dress uniform, I wear my rank stripe belt. Belt tests, national conferences, organization tournaments, etc. It does come in handy knowing who my seniors are quickly at these events. Although, I respect everyone, junior or senior. I think it comes down to organizational or individual preference. And both have their valid reasons to exist.

Yes, there was flash. But it was more the exception than the rule. Satin & the stars & stripes uniforms seemed to be more for tournaments. Today, it seems like it's the 1st uniform lil Johnny gets as a white belt when his folks sign him up in the "master's club." (Sorry. Old guy bitterness, creeping in I do miss the old days. But it's probably cuz my body misses my 17 year old

I've noticed, as I look through old magazines that I have, that there was a different attitude back then. They only way I can describe it as a "shut up & train" sort of thing. There was little flash, just a focus on hard work. Uniforms were simple, competitors bowed & gave it their all. Sorry to sound like an old guy, but it ain't like that any more.

I've got a few from 1981. So, not too far back. (Sorry, it doesn't seem that far back to me) I had a few from as far back as 1976 (TKD magazines, not BB) but I threw them away when I moved a few years ago. I'm kicking myself over that!

I went through a box full of old MA magazines from as far back as '81. Many 2-page ads for Jhoon Rhee's gear in them. Ground-breaking stuff back then!

In times gone by, many TKD schools used a 6 (or fewer) belt system. Commercialism is one reason that 10 (or more) is the norm. So, in & of itself it doesn't make it a bad (or even questionable) school. All my best!

Thanks for filling in details John! I started MA in 1982 & Saf-t gear was big stuff then. Macho had just come on the scene & was more popular. There's a photo of Jhoon Rhee kicking Muhammad Ali (his student) I think from the late 70's or early 80's. Both are wearing Saf-t gear.

I'm interested in your opinion (rather than what your school does or doesn't do) on whether or not you like rank stripes on black belts. I was recently at the Kukkiwon (Taekwondo) Instructor's Course. The "powers that be" were asked what the "official" black belt looked like & they said "no rank stripes on the belt." Many folks in the room were quite surprised that it was not considered "kosher." Every school &/or MAist has their own opinion on this. Having rank stripes makes it easier to denote who is in charge &/or where one stands in a room full of BB's. Others like a plain & simple belt. What do you like?

I have found the bar in the boxing "face saver" headgear to be very difficult during any sparring using kicks. For boxing it's great. But you really can't see kicks until they make contact with your melon. My advice is to spend more money on a mouth piece & significantly less than the one in the OP asked about in the url. A head gear with shield should not cost anywhere near $175. Dentist made mouth pieces are best.

I think he had his had in invented the dipped foam sparring gear. He had a line called "safety-gear" as far back as the 70's.

This is very true. I wore a belt regularly for maybe 10 years that only turned grey. It didn't fray. Go figure.

If the belt frays through regular wear, sure. If someone does things to the belt to make it fray unnaturally, or prematurely, that's just sad. My regular belt is begining to fray a bit. I plan to wear it until it falls apart.