Sparring Gear - Essential Gear for Sparring in the Martial Arts
Sparring drills are many times practice within the arts to train and simulate an actual self defense situation. Specific rules are followed throughout sparring to limit the likelihood of injury and to still allow the student to improve his or her martial arts skills, quickness and performance. Sparring done in martial arts classes is NOT practicing self defense unless your opponent is decked out in pads covering the major soft targets used in self defense.
Continual concentration is essentialto martial arts sparring. A large number of martial arts are based on the connection between the mind and body. Concentration needs to be practice to increase mental skills development. Outside distractions, such as fatigue, noise, and movement by other students must be blocked out so it does not occupy the mind. Along with the external factors are the factors within the mind, in addition to the martial arts student's physical state and internal dialog, must also be locked out. Relaxed breathing exercises are a useful tool for concentration improvement. Becoming aware of and ignoring negative self talk also enhances concentration during sparring.
Two such types of safety protective gear used within the martial arts sparring, are foot gear and gloves . Both are made of vinyl-dipped foam. Good quality foot gear provides good traction and air movement. Sparring gloves give the student hand and wrist protection with minimal restriction.
Kicking pads are made of padded high density foam and are very mobile to increase kicking speed. Kicking pads protect either the abdominal area or the forearms and are to be held the trainer or sparring opponent. Hand clasps are on the underside of the kick pad for ease of movement. The kicking pads are used for front and side kicks, knee strikes and punches, practicing foot jabs. Arm kicking pads/bags are used in sparring for front and side kicks. The assistant is well-protected by the kick pad, and the student can focus on increasing accuracy and power.
Mobile kicking bags can be held be a person or a lot of them have the ability to hang them on the wall or hung from the ceiling. Now they are making bags in which the base can be filled with sand or water to increase stability and weight to absorb powerful kicks. These kicking bags are manufactured with durable fabric, usually canvas, including a leather kick area, and may have padding so that the student can modify the hardness according to their skills. Kicking bags can be used to improve the power of front and side kicks.
Head gear for training in sparring is made of thick quality foam for maximum shock absorption. Head gear should cover the entire head and have additional absorbing foam over the ears. Small holes in the head gear create good air flow and adjustable straps ensure a snug fit.
Clear face shields attach to head gear. A face shield should not reduce vision vision and should also be impact tested. Face shields are more comfortable if they include adjustable straps and have air flow openings. Another piece of martial arts sparring equipment is the protective chest guard . These are normally made of high density foam with an outer layer of soft vinyl. A protective chest guard should cover the entire collarbone and shoulder areas. Chest guards reduce the likely hood of injury during sparring, but full protection cannot be guaranteed.
One last essential piece for sparring is the mouth guard. This helps to protect the teeth from a high kick reaching the jaw and catching the mouth open with a possibility of having the tongue between the teeth or can cause teeth to chip from hitting each other. As the students become more winded and tired their mouth tends to remain open to breathe in increased air. This gives rise to the chipping of teeth or losing a whole tooth when getting hit by your sparring opponent's kick.
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