Does your place use chest plates?

[BudoTiger]

nope never used one before. im the type thought that when i spar id rather just use gloves and nothing else.

[bushido_man96]

come to think of it, im not sure that many karate places do, mabe just tkd, because those things are uncomfortable.

Yeah, mostly TKD places. They are usually required equipment for sparring at tournaments. So most will train with them on in class, in order to be used to them.

[Sir Gerbil]

nope never used one before. im the type thought that when i spar id rather just use gloves and nothing else.

yeah we do more kicking, so we just have shin/foot guards, gloves, a helmet and a mouthpeice. theyre all made of the squishy, shiny material whose name im not familiar with.

[BudoTiger]

nope never used one before. im the type thought that when i spar id rather just use gloves and nothing else.

yeah we do more kicking, so we just have shin/foot guards, gloves, a helmet and a mouthpeice. theyre all made of the squishy, shiny material whose name im not familiar with.

if its the same stuff my gear is made from its probably vinyl colored foam

[dano]

At our school, chest protectors are optional. I do not wear one. Except for the one time I had a rib injury that needed protecting.

[YoungMan]

Our classes use them when doing tournament-oriented sparring to better understand what they feel like. All fighters must wear them at our tournament, but we use WTF rules anyway.

[CTTKDKing]

I gotta tell you guys (& girls) if you're wearing them and they restrict your movement at all then you have one that's not sized for you correctly. My instructor takes measurements off you when he's ordering them for you so you know it's going to fit right. They are required for WTF type sparring, so we have to make sure they fit right. You also should wear them when training (at least some of the time) so they are better broken in and conform to you better. There are several different styles of them too, so just go to a supplier and make sure the one you get is fitted properly for you. Mine doesn't bother me at all, and I know most of the people in my school have no problem with them because we took the time to find the right ones for each of us individually.

[Shotokan-kez]

we don't use them but the ladies are welcome to wear breast protectors if they wish.

[knma91]

Well for adult males it is optional, mandatory for kids and females

[a_ninja]

i take shotokan karate my dojo doesnt