stl_karateka Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 In your opinion what sparring gear should be mandatory / optional / thrown away in tournaments? What are the factors (age, gender)? Head gear Face Shield Mouth piece Rib Protector Shin Guards Groin Protectors (I guess they make female ones too) Hand gear Foot Gear Just curious KarateForums.com Sempai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red J Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 #1 FACTOR...................Liability Insurance Premiums! More specifically, what kind of tournament are you referring to? I had to lose my mind to come to my senses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl_karateka Posted December 4, 2003 Author Share Posted December 4, 2003 #1 FACTOR...................Liability Insurance Premiums! More specifically, what kind of tournament are you referring to?Any kind --- I'm just curious what people think. For the TKD olympic tournies they have to wear chest guards right? In most tournaments I do the minimum requirement is head, hands, feet, mouthpiece, and groin protector for guys. I've seen some tournies where min requirements is just hand gear. Personally I only wear the minimum and recent addition face shield to protect the healing nose. Yeah I agree --- insurance is a factor! KarateForums.com Sempai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red J Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 I'll go with your minumum. I had to lose my mind to come to my senses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aefibird Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 I think that head guards should be compulsory for children in competitions. Some kids may complain about it and some adults may say that children don't attack with such force as an adult and therefore a head guard isn't that necessary, but I say that we shouldn't make kids take chances. You only get one body to last you all your lifetime - if you get injured when young it can affect you for the rest of your adult life. In the UK kids have to wear helmets when horseriding or cycling, so why not in sparring contests too? I also think that its a good idea for adults to wear hand pads and a gumshield (and a groin guard for the blokes!) - choosing to wear any more protection should be up to the individual, mainly, as people know what they feel comfortable wearing and (hopefully!) should have the maturity to know what extra sparring gear they may or may not need. Good insurance cover is always a bonus too!! "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aes Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 It is mandatory in our dojo, but the chest protector and cup seem to be not worn sometimes. 43 Years oldBlue Belt (7th Kyu) Shorin-ryuRoberts Karate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorinryu Sensei Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 In your opinion what sparring gear should be mandatory / optional / thrown away in tournaments? What are the factors (age, gender)? Head gear Face Shield Mouth piece Rib Protector Shin Guards Groin Protectors (I guess they make female ones too) Hand gear Foot Gear Just curious I think a lot of it depends on the type of contact allowed. If it's a light to medium contact tourney, and you have judges/promoters that enforce those rules (some don't, and they SUCK!), then I think required protective gear should be hand/foot pads, groin cup and mouth piece..period. The rest would be optional if you want to wear it. This is the "old school" outlook. Now, if you want to get into the REALLY OLD SCHOOL train of thought, then you're talking JUST a groin cup! I tend to be really old school minded myself and I think that to much protective gear tends to make for sloppy techniques because people know that they stand a lesser chance of injury if they just dive in without worrying about blocking. But then again..that's the way I think. Learn to protect yourself first, THEN worry about hitting the other guy. Isn't that what karate is all about anyway? My nightly prayer..."Please, just let me win that PowerBall Jackpot just once. I'll prove to you that it won't change me!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanuckMA Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 SHINGUARDS!!! Even for light contact. Came up shin on shin 2 months ago. The ematoma has just disapeared!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight_kitty Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 SHINGUARDS!!! I can agree with that. Just last week when I decided to spar but had no gear expect a mouth guard. I threw a roundhouse kick and the guy slammed his elbow(on accident...i think) into my shin. There is a small but very bruised area thats still on my leg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight_kitty Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 oops... my message got messed up. the quote is me writing and the unquote is the quote...make sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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