helmets

[flaco]

hey guys, whats your opinion on best safest helmet to use in sparring? we use the hockey helmets, but they are a little bulky, im looking for something that can handle headbutts,etc.ernie i iknow your out there!where can i get the helmet that vunak uses?any other ideas are appreciated.

[Ernie]

i will look into it
i originaly used motorcycle helmets for training h.k.e.

i don't really use helmets when i spar to be honest
boxing head gear some times
but normally we train raw
just 10 ounce gloves

i have been out of the ring for the last year though so i haven't kept up with what my more realisitic friends are useing

just got off the phone with my friend he is a instructor under vu
head butts are still isolated off motorcycle helmet

beyond that they only wear head gear during stick sparring with face shields to protect the eyes

head butts are trained after you basic boxing/kick boxing and trapping skills are good

you need to be able to enter and gain position on the body to fire a proper head butt

i was trained useing dumog and hubud drills like chi sau for sensitivity to seal the position to fire of h.k.e.

seems things are still the same

so beyond a motorcycle helmet and some light pads
can't help you

maybe that's why i'm nuts banged my head to many times :D

[Ultimatewingchun]

I don't recall the name of the company, offhand - but it's a basic white martial arts helmet with three thick black plastic bars covering the face area...they've been on the market for years now.

What we've done is remove that plastic face cage and have replaced it with a hockey mask face cage (which can be purchased separately). The bars are metal, and though more numerous, (it's impossible to actually punch any part of the face because there are so many bars)....

though more numerous...they actually inhibit vision even less than the three thick plastic bars - because the metal bars are very thin.

It works well...but be careful if using thin gloves with half the fingers exposed - fingers can get caught in the bars.

No palm strikes are recommended as face shots...as the fingers can then be trapped in the bars.

Aside from that - it's all good.

[Sihing73]

Hello,

Here is a link to a head guard used in some of my Sifus classes. The advantage is that it protects the whole face and head.

http://www.martialartssupermarket.com/index.cfm?action=moreinfo&itemid=4322

Peace,

Dave

[curtis]

Hello
I personally do not use protective equipment in sparring.And I do not personally care about sparring in general. Although having said that I do use protective equipment in role-playing situations. In role-playing you have a primary and secondary. The goal's are entirely different . Sparring is competition between two people.But role-playing is primarily used for learning.as a teaching tool.
Do not wish to go on rampage. If you're looking for a good head gear I would highly recommend a company called FIST.
You can check them out out on their web page .http://www.fist-inc.com/
believe me their equipment is nothing but the very best.
Sincerely yours. C.A.G.

[flaco]

hey ernie, i belive some guys use a riot helmet from the police dept.
in xingyi, headbutts are used as entering from long range, say a outside lop and driving forward with your head down, possibkly taking a punch on toip of your head as you plow him over, picking him up or whatever, but i have not seen the commited power like that in wc, wc as i did it was more of taking lines and angles, maintaing the same structure, no long stances, etc, xingyi will commit 100 percent to attack, its not better, but different,and you need a helmet to practice this, its hard to explain,and sounds kamakazi, but it works,the high level guys i see, they do head conditioning by leaning on walls with their forehead, etc, and their head is like a rock, its sick, (not shaolin fantasy),of course its hard to get close, but your whole body should be used as weapons, your lats, hips, shoulders, elbows, head,etc.
im gonna ask my friend whos a swat guy if there helmets are good, or to heavy, etc.

[Ernie]

like a football line man ha ha

i only use head butts in conjunction with knees elbows anf hitting in trapping range and only when i control the neck from a clinch

but you knw me bro i'm not bound by any structure ha ha
just use what ever is handy at the time

good luck man
get some video and send it out my way
i have a ton of stuff i'll be filming this summer :D