Question for Female MA'ists

Hi! This question if for all the women out there who take part in sparring, doesn't matter what style. Do you wear a groin guard? Do you think it is necessary? I have a situation where we have a dozen young (10-14) girls in our dojo and some of the parents have asked my opinion on this topic. I have no good answer for them. I have only been training a relatively short time and personally have not seen the need but I can understand why the parents may be concerned. Just to clarify why they ask me this question, I am not the BB or instructor, but I am the highest ranking female in the dojo and I guess they just feel more comfortable asking me about it. Any thoughts or opinions would be welcome.

 

I agree with K-Girl.

Men/boys need the extra protection, since accidents happen, and kicks occasionally "go low". I have been kicked south of the belt before when sparring, but it was no worse than getting kicked accidentally in the thigh or upper arm. I have seen guys accidentally kicked there, and they've been out for the count.

I don't use a groin guard, but I insist that my son use one for sparring (and he's only six).

 

at my school females doing wear groin protection... i think it is a good idea just to be on the safe side.

 

I'm not a woman, but if a woman were ever to ask me about this, I would recommend a groin guard. Women have a pelvic bone that is more sensitive than a man's. While a woman getting hit in the pelvic bone isn't as bad as a man getting hit in the groin, it still hurts quite a bit.

 

I play karate and I don't use any protector, except for my teeth. It's required during tournaments but during practice I don't use it.

 

While it doesn't hurt women as much as men to get hit in that area, it still hurts quite a bit- sometimes enough to stop what they're doing for a few seconds. It really depends on the type/ amt. of contact sparring you do.

 

I would have to agree with you Starboy ... and Anything knows my opinion on this as we already discussed and I prompted her to open discussion on this.

We focus primarily on control when sparring lower belts but once in a great while a lower belt fails to get their kick high enough to hit front target of hogu and strikes the groin area.
A fellow female student at our school was incapacitated and doubling over from a strike to the groin area which was indeed a misplaced jump back kick with the heel driving its way into her pelvic area (where just as important vital organs of a woman are located.)

It seems that once you receive a serious strike to one part of your anatomy, you pay special mind to it. (I was clipped severely with an elbow block to my shin so I upgraded to x-tra thick guards).. I suggest not waiting for that time.

My advice would be to offer females the option of wearing such protectors if they are concerned.

I do believe that many WTF tournies require such protectors to be worn by both sexes. (??)

 

I've been kicked on the 'area' a couple of times. Although its not really that bad, I mean it still does hurt. Especially when I'm sparring with a shorter opponent. I hate it!

 

I don't wear one. The instructor in the written documentation I got when I started said it was reccommended for women, but I didn't get around to buying one. However, wearing one certainly can't do any harm, and is probably a good idea. I don't think any of the girls at my school wear them, though the only two women/girls higher ranked than me (a 2nd dan, and a red belt) aren't very interested in sparring.

 

Grion Gard

I have be hit up into their and I did go down for quite a while.Now I use protection!!

 

Remember its not just the genitals that hurt, its up in the corner of ones legs, if you get hit there, there is some soft and important organs to get hit.

 

groin protection

The hit I took was not in my inter-leg area it was my groin/vulva area.The pain I felt was O UNbelieveable!!!! Like I was going to die! My best friend took a hard kick to this area playing soccer and she was not wearing protection! She hit the ground becoming unconscious from trauma and blood loss! no kidding!! And this is why I wear groin protection!!! got/milk and I got groin/protection

 

we ask girls to wear them in comps although we reccomend they wear 1 while training also,we can break our pelvis bone & i would not wish that on any1 as i have seen it happen

 

I have been training for years and hate having to wear any kind of protection as I feel it hinders my natural movement and performance. Obviously some forms of protection is necessary especially when sparring in competitions. However, you need to be aware of the fact that you are not going to be wearing protection everytime you step into a less than favourable neighbourhood and run the risk of being attacked. Therefore, I think that while there is nothing wrong with buying protection for sparring, however, the girls in the club still need to learn to protect their groins by using correct and effective technique rather than relying on manufactured equipment. The problem with armour, is that it can make us more complacent about getting hit as we don't feel the pain. Pain is a defence mechanisim, it teaches us not to do something again, by removing this, and then placing a woman in a potentially dangerous situation can do more harm than good.

 

So ... uhh do you ladies wear the standard cup or something different?

 

As I had mentioned earlier in the thread.... the protective gear I referred to is a female groin guard or cup pictured here

 

Of course you won't be wearing your sparring gear/groin protection everywhere you go, nor do I think that wearing such items during your training will make you complacent. I believe complacency would become an issue throughout your training, and not just when sparring because of "feeling" no pain. I've sparred many of times geared up, and have been hit hard enough to feel the pain, whether it's a good kick to the groin w/a cup on, or catching one on the chin with the bottom of the other guy's heel. I will agree that it is important to learn effective blocking/striking tecniques, and that goes without saying. I would think that we all know that pain is a defence mechanism, but to suggest that removing it, and placing women it those types of situations could cause more harm is silly. It is my opinion that one should train smart, and understand the varibles and their surroundings.

 

at my school females wear the groin guard. i think its necessary cuz it hurts bad if you get kicked there! so u need protection definelty.

 

At my school, women/ girls are encouraged to wear groin guards when sparring, but I don't think any of them actually do. Men/ boys are required to wear cups. One dude tried to stick-spar without a cup . . . it ended badly a few seconds into the round.