Taekwondo Gear Buying Guide

More and more people choose to take up Taekwondo as a demanding physical activity. This martial art is known for making use of a variety of rapid punches, powerful kicks, and other stylish blocking techniques and sweeps. Of course, beginners have to work their way up to master the art, and it is no easy challenge. If you intend to start practicing Taekwondo in a dojo, you’ll have to get certain gears in order to protect you properly as well as to study the martial art in optimal conditions. Here is the list of items you’re gonna need, practice hard in your road to become a martial artist!

1- Gi (Uniform)

The gi is the uniform worn by practitioners of Taekwondo. It allows for optimal flexibility and mobility for performing the moves, as a tighter type of clothing would limit movement. It is thus made of a lightweight fabric and it has to fit loosely on the wearer. Keep in mind that a gi is marked to display the rank of the student or the instructor’s status.

2- Headgear

In any contact sport, protection is warranted. And Taekwondo is no exception to that rule, far from that. The most important factor to consider is comfort, as you wouldn’t want the gear to hinder on your performance. So look for decent quality headgear, a helmet-like equipment that will protect you from head injuries that are recurrent in Taekwondo. The headgear has to be a lightweight, flexible, and shock-absorbing. Look for one that isn’t too tight on the head and would cover the temple and your jaws.

3- Mouthguard

The mouthguard is also an important safety gear. It’ll have to cover both the lower and upper teeth (the best kind are installed in the upper line) without being too large and impede on airflow and the breathing process. In practice, the mouthguard absorbs the impact of a strike on the jaw. At first use, a mouth guard has to be sterilized and molded to fit the user’s mouth. For that, you’ll have to boil the equipment in hot water for about half a minute, and then after it has sufficiently cooled, you’ll have to wear the piece and bite it so that it takes the proper form. Of course, you’ll have to clean the mouthpiece after each use and change it on a yearly basis.

4- Gloves

Gloves are very important for protecting your hands. Full-cover gloves will provide the best kind of protection but will limit you in performing the grabbing and blocking techniques. Therefore, prefer the lighter open-fingered gloves; but the downside is that they leave your fingers open to injury. Prefer gloves using velcro so to facilitate the wearing and removal of gloves.

5- Shin Guards

While gloves are for protection when punching, the shin guards are their kicking counterpart. Kicking is very essential in Taekwondo so you can’t overlook it. The shin guards while not compulsory, will provide welcomed extra protection. Be sure that it doesn’t affect your comfort and flexibility.

6- Chest Protector

Practicing Taekwondo involves sparring, and that automatically implies you’ll get a huge load of hits in the chest and stomach. The chest protector would then help absorb the damage and prevent any injury in your midsection. Covering the entirety of your chest and stomach, it cannot be stressed enough that it has to feel comfortable and not hold up your body. Chest protectors are strapped from the back and are available in different colors in order to facilitate the judge keeping tabs on points.