Kicking Shields

[Oso]

Need to buy a couple of good kicking shields.

I'm afraid I can't give the TC2000 sold here a good review. The foam collapses way to quickly. (I did faithfully purchase 2 a couple of years ago).

So, with no place to hang a bag I need a couple of good, long lasting kicking shields.

Opinions/suggestions please.

TIA

[rubthebuddha]

if you're thinking handheld, you can't go wrong with fairtex. in the 4½ years i've been at my school, i don't think we've truly killed more than a set or two, and we have both wt and muay thai.

http://www.fairtexgear.com/html_documents/gear/gear_products.asp?cat_id=2

i've held those against some of the nastiest round kicks i know (both my sisok and di-sihing positively clobbered me with their power, but my arms and the mitts themselves took it time and again).

[Oso]

RTB, thanks. I just bought a set of thai pads from Title Boxing but wish I'd a thought about Fairtex.

It doesn't look like they have the big shields for front kicks, though.

Have you used either the belly pad or trainer's vest?

[Suntzu]

hold the thai pads in front of you.........

[Bluesman]

iisports sells an awsome one. They sell more than one but the one that weighs 13 lbs is the one I am talking about. It is stuffed with the same material as a heavy bag. Its expensive to ship at 20 dollars and they will only put one in a box. Their curved sheild that they brag about is just ok to me. That heavy one can take anything someone can throw.

[Oso]

hold the thai pads in front of you.........

hmmm, never tried that for straight line kicks.

vert or horiz?

or maybe vert for side kick and horiz for front???

I'll check it out, thanks.


Bluesman:

this one:

[Oso]

or this one:

[apoweyn]

Oso,

These ones are pretty good, in my experience.

http://www.centuryfitness.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&productId=64560&langId=-1&product_parentId=13516&crumb=13501&categoryId=13516&parent_category_rn=13512

[yenhoi]

You can do anything with big thai pads.

www.mnkali.com has thai pads for sale, I think!

The best ones I have were made for some football team some 20 years ago, so my teacher says.

:eek:

[Suntzu]

vert or horiz? horiz........ like your protecting a football except palms facing out....

[Oso]

Ap, that one has been on the top of my list. Did you check out www.iisports.com that Bluesman was talking about? They look pretty tough as well.

I've used thai pads for round kicks and skip-knee drills but that's about it. We've always gone to the big shield for most everything else. Something knew to work with. Thanks, all.

[Bluesman]

Whao, hold it one moment,
I just got one of those iisports sheilds today as they were on back oreder. It weighed 7.5 lbs! It is similar to my other one but the stuffing seems to be different. Still good but shipping was still 20 bucks.
Anyway it comes to a total cost of 60 bucks each. Go to ebay and search for kicking sheilds. Look for the one I am talking about and for the total price as they have had them on there for different amounts. Don't get into a bidding war as they run them each week.

[Pork Chop]

Twins thai pads are the best
that is all

[apoweyn]

Originally posted by Oso
Ap, that one has been on the top of my list. Did you check out www.iisports.com that Bluesman was talking about? They look pretty tough as well.

I've used thai pads for round kicks and skip-knee drills but that's about it. We've always gone to the big shield for most everything else. Something knew to work with. Thanks, all.

I just had a look at it. I've not worked with that particular one, whereas I've worked pretty extensively with the Century one. You can really haul off on it.

I'm a big fan of the thai pads too. But I think there's still good reason to have a couple of good air shields around. They offer a better target for sidekicks and front kicks, to my mind. Yeah, it takes more precision to hit the thai pads. But in terms of resistance and wotnot, I like the airshield. Besides, when people are developing a technique they're not comfortable with yet, the extra surface area is beneficial for the guy trying to land the technique and the guy trying not to get clobbered while he holds the pads.

Just my thoughts.

[yenhoi]

Wimp.

;)

[apoweyn]

Originally posted by yenhoi
Wimp.

;)

Man, my tough guy credentials are going up in smoke lately.

Remind me to kick your arse when I finish working on this macrame goldfish.

[fa_jing]

Airshield all the way, baby. Canvas or vinyl. When testing power, you want to try to knock the other guy out of his stance.

[Oso]

Ap, my thoughts as well on the bigger bag. So, I guess we're both wimps. Still going to play with the thai pads to see what that's like.

Suntzu, BMore, etc: What do you feel is the advantage to using thai pads over a shield?





I've always set the bag holder up in a hill climbing/bow&arrow/forward stance.

While the kicker is trying to knock the other guy back the holder is trying to hold their stance. At most shifting back in the stance but not moving the feet.

I feel it's also good for new people to start feeling what's it's like to get hit.

[Pork Chop]

The only advantage I can see is that you can use thai pads for everything, without stopping to switch.

On thai pads you can do all punches, including hooks, as well as all kicks, including leg kicks.

As for contact surface, it's a matter of personal preference, I just happen to like the way a good pair of twins feels versus hitting an air shield.

[Suntzu]

easier to work combo..... easier to do attack-defend-attack type stuff(pads become the fist-becomes the pad or whatever)...lighter and more mobile for the holder.... all i can think of right now....

but both are useful....

[apoweyn]

Can't argue with any of the benefits Suntzu or BBanga mentioned. But I do think (as Suntzu mentioned) that there's a good reason for both pieces of equipment.

[Pork Chop]

Yah, both are useful.

For front kick and side kick; with the airshield, you get get satisfying contact from the get-go. With the thai pads, it takes a little getting used to.

[Oso]

agreed on all counts

plus, I thought of this:

as the bag holder you would have to work harder to keep the two pads together so you don't get hit by strikes slipping between them.

anyway, I'd ordered some thai pads already and was looking at kick shields. I think I'm going to order the blaster. I've used it as well and liked it. I'll try one of the iisports models when I can take more of a chance with my $$

thanks for the suggestions and unless anyone wants to continue discussion on kick shields, thai pads or pad thai sauce I'll probably delete this after a bit.

cheers yaawl.

hey, I still want to come up that way the weekend of 2-14...oh, smack...that's valentine's day...hmmm, might have to work that one out a bit...

..still while you DC/MD folks are looking how does that weekend sound?

[apoweyn]

still while you DC/MD folks are looking how does that weekend sound?

Hmm... Now that you've pointed out it's Valentine's Day (which I should have known), I'm not sure. Lemme get back to ya.

[Oso]

yep, understood. I had just been looking at the fact that I have a 3 day weekend that weekend due to Prez's Day. Since she trains, my girl would be fine with going up that weekend as long as we hit some sightseeing and a good resaurant on sunday but I definitely understand the priority for the 14th.

What about a sunday bash?

[Pork Chop]

Going out of town the week of Feb 16th for work.
Might be around the weekend before, dunno yet.
Would like to actually make one of these get togethers though.
We'll get back to yah...


You know, you guys could drive up some time instead of makin us drive an hour down there all the time :p

[Oso]

ahem...7 hours.:)


but, an hour more won't make much diff to me so I'll can go to MD as easily as DC. I bet parking would be easier from what I've heard.

[Pork Chop]

I can agree.

If I'm going to drive, I'd rather drive out to southern maryland or northern virginia these days than to D.C. proper.
The fact that I haven't yet doesn't mean that I wouldn't if we had something set up. :D

Parking, traffic, disgruntled ex-kung fu instructors.... a nightmare I tell yah :p

[rubthebuddha]

oso -- no belly pad use here, but the big trainers vest, yes. i've used 'em twice, as some of my larger fellow students own 'em. they like 'em. anything by fairtex will last, and those things specifically let you handle a whole lot more contact than, say, the basic macho vests.

another benefit of the fairtex vest? shoulder movement. most vests are crap for wing chun, because you ... can't get your elbow in enough. ;) the under-armpit area keeps the elbow out too much. but the fairtex trainers vest? two of our biggest guys own 'em, and this is no longer a problem when they get geared up for nasty sparring.

[Oso]

rub, sweet. it looked like a winner. I'll have to wait a few months but those will be on the list.

just dropped 600 on some mats. trying to make a push to gear up and also going to do some print advertising. gonna drop about 2000 in the next couple of weeks

{fingers crossed}