what should be worn for sparring

[TjD]

what do you all think should be worn for full power sparring, in terms of which pads/gloves/etc? should there be mats, and how thick?

by best, i mean what should be worn to minimize damage while maximizing what's learned and being closest to simulating real combat.

[old jong]

I think the ancient Greek did it the right way...They used to fight naked....This way,there was no internet arguing about who had the biggest balls.;)

[yuanfen]

Wouldnt rubbing olive oil mimize cuts and abrasions?
Cod liver oil could come in handy externally and internally for close encounters. Details matter.

[TjD]

Originally posted by yuanfen
Wouldnt rubbing olive oil mimize cuts and abrasions?


it certainly minimizes cuts and abrasions from my girlfriend when we "spar" :D

[yuanfen]

You have changed my mind on sparring!

[anerlich]

You can spar naked if you want, though don't expect me to join in.

If you don't wear a mouthguard though, you are an idiot. A cup is also a good idea.

[Edmund]

Originally posted by anerlich
You can spar naked if you want, though don't expect me to join in.

If you don't wear a mouthguard though, you are an idiot. A cup is also a good idea.

And some boxing gloves - 12oz or more.

[KenWingJitsu]

Fingerless WT/Vale Tudo gloves.

Headgear & mouth piece.

cup.

Knee & elbow pads.

[old jong]

There was that aftershave lotion called "Hai Karate" Who could win against somebody smelling that bad?...;)

[TenTigers]

I think it's a little innappropriate at this time, as even summer's line up is being withdrawn. Most stores are showing the fall stuff at this time, as some stores have started back to school ads. But you really can't go wrong with colors, and whites, some prefer pastel shades, but there are still alot of people going with the bright colors, and believe it or not, black is being worn as well.

[TjD]

so much for a decent discussion :rolleyes:

[teazer]

Originally posted by Edmund
And some boxing gloves - 12oz or more.

or less.

[reneritchie]

I love the line from Michael Jen when he's instructing to grab the belt and then says, if the person is not wearing a belt, grab their pants, and if they're not wearing pants, well, he doesn't want to know what you're doing...

[Edmund]

Originally posted by teazer


or less.

Yeah! Tape a piece of fluff to your hand. Good idea.

10oz are amateur boxing competition sized gloves.
8 or 10 are used for most pro matches.

12 and up are sparring gloves.
The design is also sometimes a little different. Softer foam layers to prevent injuries like cuts.

Those Vale Tudo gloves have very little design to them at all.
Take a closer look at what's in those things.

Someone asked what was going to be safe and I told them, based off what I know, to pick the sparring gloves.

[TenTigers]

Oh SPARRING! I thought you asked what should be worn for SPRING !!! oops, my bad!
actually, I like macho's headgear and face cage-only because it provides good visability-and those plexi masks fog up-besides, if you recall the FIST gear-their plastic face sheild came loose and one of my students took ten stitches over his eye from the edge of the sheild. Headgear will still not protect you from a concussion, but keeps your nose, eyes, and teeth intact. You can use the "jkd gloves' or "kenpo gloves" whatever they're called, or the century gloves-which are actually bag gloves-don't offer much in the way of padding. Thai shin guards are good, as well as elbow pads. The macho chest gear actually protects you TOO much. Usually, when you kick someone, they stop, but with this gear, they keep coming at you like Jason-keeps ya honest.
Murphy's Law states that if there is one square inch of unprotected bodypart-that's where you'll get nailed. Goes with the territory. For the most part-going all out full contact doesn't work as well as I like. Take a few chain punches, or cup choy, or sow choy, and you're done. Any time the head snaps back, the brain rocks back in the skull and smashes against the wall of the cranium-there is a cuncussion-however mild. There is ALWAYS brain damage. period. Frankly, after those Pink Floyd concerts in the 70's, I'm not sure how many brain cells I have left.
Remember boyz n girls-there is no such thing as purple mesc-it's all acid.

[Ernie]

o.k. i'll put my version in
this is the jail house poor mans set up from my early days of '' gee lets see what going all out feels like

1]used motorcycle helmet
2] any cheap elbow pads
3] used baseball catchers shin gaurds
4] century kendo gloves
5] alot of ice/jow/tape for things that broke and had to be put back together including fingers
6] lack of commen sense or idea of progressive sparring

now i can work of some boxing gloves and that's it , controlled progressive training , the goal is attribute development not rockem sockem robots any more , but that's just me

[TenTigers]

I have these great umpire shin guards, but they keep falling off. Evidently umpires don't kick all that much. Thicker elastic and velcro should do it I think. So...how do the dog bros. gear up? They seem to go at it pretty hardcore, perhaps someone with jkd knowledge might have some info.

[Ernie]

i have some back ground in stick and knife sparring , but to be honest nothing is really safe the are chips of wood flying through the face gaurds , and joints still get all twisted , doesn't really build for a skill development enviroment , kind of more like a how big my balls are .
if you pad up to much you tend to change your mental intent and get sloppy . i know real fights are sloppy but training should give you refinement not 3 months out cus you broke you what ever , to me less is more .
i have trained with vunak and some of his people and seen both sides of the coin , now years later even there camp is backing of and refining to try and stay a litle healthier

[kj]

Wow - you're almost starting to sound like me, Ernie. What's the world coming to???

:D:D:D

Regard,
- kj

[Ernie]

train hard play hard , but when it gets to hard to train back off live life :) :D
let me know what you think of the last clips i sent i might have some more goodies in my video store :)

[Ren Blade]

Headgear with a cage to protect the face.
Body pad that can be tied in the back or velcro.
Gloves that allow you to grab like they use in UFC.
Groin cup.
Knee pads.
Shin pads.

This should be sufficient enough to go full contact and as realistic as possible without killing your partner.

But nothing's guarenteed. Good luck!

[yuanfen]

The path to the Society of Creative Anachronisms and
Rennaisance festivals.

Possibly some armor, swords, lances and jousting. You never know what you might run into.

[Edmund]

Originally posted by yuanfen
The path to the Society of Creative Anachronisms and
Rennaisance festivals.

Possibly some armor, swords, lances and jousting. You never know what you might run into.

Well if you don't use any safety equipment for full contact sparring (i.e. what was being asked about), you're on the path to the hospital if anything goes wrong.

Concerning headgear with a face cage:
They save your face but a punch feels like it's tearing your head off for some reason. I think by design the cage has little give which means all the force gets transferred to your neck.

That's why I'd rather go with bigger gloves and no head gear.
If you go with the bigger sparring gloves, you won't be cut.

[Ren Blade]

Personally I don't like using bigger gloves cause they slow your hands down a little. I can block, strike and grab faster with the gloves I use which are similar to the ones used in the UFCs. Bigger gloves can be clunky and limits you a little more to the techniques you can execute in sparrring. I say go with the headgear with the face cage. Yeah it hurts when you get hit still and it may strain your neck, but it makes you more alert and makes you move and react faster resulting in you not getting hit as much cause you're avoiding the hits. But the more comfortable you are in sparring, the less alert you are and that can translate into the street.