subject: Martial Arts Equipment [print this page] A workman, they say, is only as good as his (or her) tools. A martial artist shouldnt only be as good as his or her martial arts equipment, of course the essence of fight disciplines is flexibility as much as expertise. Having good martial arts equipment doesnt hurt, though particularly where training is concerned.
The thing about training is this: its often more gruelling or physically demanding than actually fighting. Theres a reason for the discrepancy martial arts training is designed to get the body and mind ready for the extreme, but often short, situation of a fight: which requires putting it through extreme and usually long training routines. Having good martial arts equipment can mean the difference between successful training and training injury.
Sparring gloves are a great example of the ways in which good martial arts equipment can help the practitioner during training. Sparring gloves are completely different from fight gloves or of course bare hand fighting, which a lot of disciplines prefer. Sparring gloves are the martial arts equipment equivalent of shin guards or protective work wear they allow the trainee to use and abuse his or her hands without damaging them, while retaining enough designed flexibility that the user can get the most out of his (her) disciplines moves.
In a real martial arts fight situation, speed and flexibility are everything. There is no martial arts equipment on earth that can retain the raw power of a naked hitting hand, whilst protecting the striker from the force their arm is generating. A sparring glove, though, offers support for the wrist (the area into which most force will rebound) whilst leaving fingers free for gripping and chopping. As such, the sparring glove becomes a perfect piece of protective martial arts equipment giving most of the flexibility of naked hands but protecting the user from his or her own power. At the same time, sparring gloves (and other martial arts equipment like them) teach users when they are making mistakes, because theyre thin enough and open enough from an incorrect move to hurt.
Its this incorporated learning that divides martial arts equipment from, say, running gear. Running gear (which, on the whole, is harmful to most people when used over prolonged periods) is designed to mask bad form a runner can use good kit for years and not know the damage he or she is doing to her own body until its too late. Martial arts equipment is delicate enough that incorrect use hurts which trains the user into good fight practices. If running gear were that good, there wouldnt be half the injuries out there today that there are.
