Martial Art Gear - Selecting The Right Equipment

In this article, I thought of sharing on the subject of the various dresses and protective equipment used by students of martial art schools. My objective is to give guidance to the pupil about the precaution they should take before purchasing equipment and hopefully it will help them to select right equipment.

Combat training in martial arts is very old in nature. By name itself martial arts represents a fighting competition. Martial means warlike or soldierly and art means a method or process. Putting both together, martial art, means a war like method.

It is a traditional form of olden war using physical movements and conquering the enemy with or without using weapons. Some of the common martial arts are Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Judo, Kung Fu, Pencak Silat, Hapkido etc.

Combat is an essential component of most martial arts training course. All methods in martial arts consists of one on one fighting to make the practicing surroundings more realistic. Getting ready to fight and the ability to overcome the enemy in a real life situation makes combat fighting a necessary component of a serious practice of martial arts.

Some schools adopt more powerful methods of training, but fight training basically combines a discipline with it always.

In the realm of mixed martial arts MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) made the art very popular effort in the mainstream market. But the nature of fighting, even with a training partner is dangerous. It is more dreadful when it comes to the training with real weapons.

Lack of adequate protection and use of under-rated equipment sometimes can lead to fatal injury and even death. The maxim here is, "be very careful in selecting the quality and type of martial arts equipment".

Firstly, you must make sure to use the right safety gear which will protect you fully before entering into a sparring or fighting situation. Remember, while using the equipment, give priority to safety first and comfort second. Wearing a mouth guard or chest armor may be uncomfortable and restrict your movement, but it will keep you safe from physical injuries.

You can buy good quality sparring gear, but it should be suitable to you. So make sure the equipment fitting could be adjusted to a comfortable wear so that your movements become easy while practicing.

Large padded boxing gloves offer excellent hand protection, but they can't be used in martial arts which need practice of grappling. Large chest guards may be useful but it forbids you from allowing proper take downs and fight on the ground.

In that sense, it is advisable for you to consult with your instructors before purchasing a sparring gear. One reason is their familiarity, so that they can recommend suitable gear for you.

Online purchasing may be a great option for getting suitable fighting equipment, but before going for that option, check out what equipment are being sold in your school.

Some schools restrict the type and color of the gear. This may be due to their familiarity of the product. Some school may even have customized gear to suit their training needs.

Whatever martial art training method you adopt to, sparring or fighting always bring about fun and excitement. The training is very valuable for you to flourish your skills in your chosen field. But remember, safety first. So strap on your protective gear.




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UPDATES:

Sensei Dan Loh joined us as a contributor & writer. Dan is a Karateka with 20 years training in Karate and also enjoys training in boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Filipino stick fighting.

Will Yap has joined us as administrator, contributor & writer. Will is a practitioner of Crazy Monkey Defense (CMD) and holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). His writings on ground fighting will add a new element to this site.

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