The way I like it

[Manny]

Reading the post about kyorugi or poomsae post makes me realize some things about tkd sparring (kyorugi). I think if I were a sambunim I will teach sparring without so many safety equipment and use control.

When I use only the gloves and the shin/instep pads I feel very good cause the hogu limits my limited (jajajajaja) movements, I feel free and light, yes without a hogu and a helmet and anything else we have to crontol ourselves in order to not hurt our sparring partner.

I never liked the the hogu and helmet, yes in a competition probably is a must to wear for safety, but given the fact I don't compete I really don't see why I have to use them.

Manny

 

[dancingalone]

You should train without them at least occasionally, all while keeping up a high level of contact and intensity. The padding changes things quite a bit. No one really fears a reverse punch to the gut anymore with hogu on. Without the hogu, even a 3/4 strength punch will put you on the floor gasping for air if placed at the right spot.

In the name of safety, a lot of school owners have completely altered the relevance of precision and power in their sparring practice. The old guard know this, but many of the younger guys who've never sparred without protective gear don't unfortunately.

 

[terryl965]

I do not like the hogu a s well, alot of the time well lets face it all the time I do not wear it except in competition because they make me.

 

[Earl Weiss]

IMNSHO the main benefit of the head gear is not to protect the head from damage caused by strikes, it is to protect the head from damage caused by striking the head on the floor.

I started in days with no head gear. Just like the pro hockey players of the day.

 

[Manny]

I follow you dancingalone, in fact doing half korugi if you get hot with the iterchange of kicks and blows (punches) the things get very rough (ask my insteps and shins jejejeje!!!), sometimes sambunims asks us the actually kick and punch just to remeber how to take a blow, we use mid power but light speed to acomodate the kicks and punches. We don't tap we kick and punch at mid level or 3/4 as you said.

There are two black belts who spar with me, one is a heavy weight like me, well not so heavy like me jejejeje but is a grown up man ans everytime we sparr or light sparr we try to nail each other, the other black belt is a 19 years old very fast boy who has a lot of flexibility and kicks hard, he's a middleweight so you can imagine it's hard time to chasing him and conect him and always is the risk of a counter kick or punch and this boy likes to kick the head a lot.

For competing rules I admit it's necesary (for safety) wear the armor, but for dojang pourposes I think a pair of gloves,shin/instep pads and a mouth guard it's all.

Manny

 

[CDKJudoka]

I remember when sparring was just a thin hand covering, a cup, and mouth guard.

*Channeling Archie Bunker* Dose were da days!!

I hate all the gear that we have to wear know. It shows that you don't need control in your technique.

 

[celtic_crippler]

The only thing we wear is light gloves and a cup. Sure, we have the occasional injury but I think it's worth it.

 

[CDKJudoka]

The only thing we wear is light gloves and a cup. Sure, we have the occasional injury but I think it's worth it.

No mouth guard? That thing has kept me from getting knocked out quite a few times.

 

[celtic_crippler]

No mouth guard? That thing has kept me from getting knocked out quite a few times.

Nope. If you don't keep yer mouth shut you lose enamel. lol

 

[FieldDiscipline]

IMNSHO the main benefit of the head gear is not to protect the head from damage caused by strikes, it is to protect the head from damage caused by striking the head on the floor.

I started in days with no head gear. Just like the pro hockey players of the day.

That is my understanding too.

 

[sempai little1]

I think in the beginning the new students should wear gear, Head to toe.
I will fight out right with any one of my training partners with very little gear. But I will be damned if I go up against a novice without full body armour. Exspecially the old guys, no offence gentlemen but all three of my non tournament black eyes have come from novice men in class. AND THAT'S JUST BLITZING DRILLS FOR PETE'S SAKE!

Novice students, although easy to read are so very random in what they do, it can be scary for other students....and me. Those little ones with no fear scare the begeezes out of me.

Until control is learnt and to a point were injuries are minimal or student is tough enough to handle some contact. I still opt for the equipment.

Your friend,
Sempai Little1 :wavey:

 

[sempai little1]

IMNSHO the main benefit of the head gear is not to protect the head from damage caused by strikes, it is to protect the head from damage caused by striking the head on the floor.
.

That is too true.
I had a fight in Spain a few years back and the girl I was fighting ruptured my eardrum even with the helmet on. My helmet keeps my hair out of my face, and it makes my pony tail look cute too.

Your friend,
Sempai Little1 :wavey:

 

[dancingalone]

I think in the beginning the new students should wear gear, Head to toe.

----

Until control is learnt and to a point were injuries are minimal or student is tough enough to handle some contact. I still opt for the equipment.

There should be some balance mixed in there somewhere. If you wait until your students are something like brown belts or even blue belts, they'll have engrained a lot of bad habits precisely from the use of protective gear.

 

[sempai little1]

Agreed.
That is were different level classes are a great idea.
We have drills class, once they get the hang of that they move on to the next level.
As they move up in classes the ability increases and the equipment decreases...to an extent of course.
Their belt level has nothing to do with their sparring level, some take longer to move up while others proceed so fast they are teaching you a thing or two before you know it.

I am an over protective Mom type. So I like to see my students geared out more then they want to be. I'm mean like that.

Your friend,
Sempai Little1 :wavey:

 

[ATC]

We do both, hogu and no hogu. Just depends on the day and what Sabunim wants to do. When I spar brown belts and down I use no gear and tell the student that if they can hit me to do so. Most color belts can hit hard enough to really hurt you, if they can hit you at all.

I know that our fighting team will sometimes train (not spar but regular training) with full gear and more just to get use to moving with gear on. Sometimes they double all the gear. Not for protection but to get use to it and to learn to move with it.

 

[terryl965]

I remember when sparring was just a thin hand covering, a cup, and mouth guard.

*Channeling Archie Bunker* Dose were da days!!

I hate all the gear that we have to wear know. It shows that you don't need control in your technique.

Same here.

 

[ACJ]

You should train without them at least occasionally, all while keeping up a high level of contact and intensity. The padding changes things quite a bit. No one really fears a reverse punch to the gut anymore with hogu on. Without the hogu, even a 3/4 strength punch will put you on the floor gasping for air if placed at the right spot.

In the name of safety, a lot of school owners have completely altered the relevance of precision and power in their sparring practice. The old guard know this, but many of the younger guys who've never sparred without protective gear don't unfortunately.

Maybe you just don't hit hard enough? I would very much not like to get hit by a number of my students, with or without the shield. So I try not to.

For our club sparring = full gear.
Self defence = head guard.

 

[goingd]

I have seen people really hurt without hogu in the "controlled" environment of a studio. I think that unless one knows the students sparring have a lot of control then for their sake they should wear the hogu.

Besides, on the streets we can't expect to be so light and free; there could be something restricting us at any time so in that light the hogu kind of acts as a limiter [in a good way] while training.

Just my opinion though. ^~^

 

[dancingalone]

Maybe you just don't hit hard enough? I would very much not like to get hit by a number of my students, with or without the shield. So I try not to.

For our club sparring = full gear.
Self defence = head guard.

That's one way of looking at it. LOL. I prefer to believe my tai sabaki is good enough to minimize even high intensity strikes. And that's something I try to teach to my students.

As I said above, sparring all the time with padded up teaches you bad habits and inevitably grooves your strikes a certain way to your detriment. If this hasn't been your experience, lucky you.

 

[ACJ]

That's one way of looking at it. LOL. I prefer to believe my tai sabaki is good enough to minimize even high intensity strikes. And that's something I try to teach to my students.

As I said above, sparring all the time with padded up teaches you bad habits and inevitably grooves your strikes a certain way to your detriment. If this hasn't been your experience, lucky you.

Well sure the act of being a sport is going to teach you bad habits from the get go, sparring gear is just another facet of that same problem. But it also teaches a number of things, like delivering hard blows and taking them, etc.

If you're bring tai sabaki into the argument, then the shield doesn't matter too much anyway. We always teach dodge rather than block and we don't just take hits.