The Best Martial Arts Chest Protector

When you are shopping for martial arts chest protectors, whether you are buying for a child or an adult, MMA, Tae kwon do, or boxing, there are general things that you need to consider. Here are is a list of questions that you should answer before making your purchase:

1.Why are you buying protection?

This may seem like a silly question, obviously, you want to protect your chest when practicing martial arts. But there is a variety of options available for various purposes and forms of martial arts. Though they do make pretty good all around chest protectors, if you are planning to use the protection for a specific type of martial arts, it is best to consider buying protection for that form of martial arts. For example, you could use a tae kwon do chest protector when practicing sanda but because it is usually thicker than one typically used in sanda, it may be more awkward and difficult to move around in. On the other hand, if you are using the chest protectors for various forms of martial arts, a good all around design is a viable option.

2.Are you planning to use the protectors only for training or will they be used for more intense sparring sessions?

If you are using the chest protector for simple training sessions where impact is low, a thinner and typically cheaper design is probably acceptable. But if you intend to use the protectors during a more intense sparring session where harder impact is very likely, investing a a thicker and more solid chest protector is the better option to allow for optimal protect. If you aren’t sure, it is better to be safe than sorry, invest in the added thickness.

3.Ribs or Torso?

When shopping for chest protectors, there are typically two designs. First, there are the rib protectors, these usually consist of extremely thick padding that wraps around your ribs cage in the front and back to provide maximum protection of your vital organs. Second, there is the full torso protection. These protectors generally protect all vital organs as well as the collarbone, shoulders and back. Both are acceptable options but if you want as much protection as possible, especially during sparring, the full torso protection is probably the better choice.
4.What is your budget?

Though the most expensive protective gear isn’t always the best quality, generally speaking, you get what you pay for. That doesn’t mean that you can’t get good quality gear for a decent price though. Figuring out how much you are will or able to spend on chest protection is important. As a general rule in martial arts, it is better to spend a little more money and get a slightly better quality protector. If you can afford the more expensive ones, they tend to last a little longer because of higher quality materials. But there are plenty of low budget chest protectors that still offer acceptable quality and good protection.
5.How much mobility do you need?

This can mean the difference in full protection or just rib protection but it is also more than that. Thicker padding provides a lot more protect, especially to your vital organs. But thicker and bulkier chest protectors also take away some of your mobility and make it more difficult to maneuver around and execute moves that without the chest protector would be much easier. If your main concern is protection against strong blows, go with the thicker chest protectors. If low impact blows is most common and you want to make sure you can still move with ease, you may want to consider something thinner and lighter in weight.
What’s available?

Materials

There are a variety of materials used to make chest protectors. Generally, they have a vinyl shell which makes them easy to clean. What’s inside is what really matters. Gels, high density foam and foam rubber are three of the most common materials used to provide the protection by absorbing the impact from the blow to the chest and reducing the likelihood of injury. Some offer multiple layers of foam padding while other offer a gel infused form. All three of these materials listed can provide good shock absorption. Thicker padding tends to reduce the blow from the impact more than the thinner padding. It is important to consider how much impact you will expect the protectors to be able to hand.
Special Features

Reversible Chest Protectors - In sports like tae kwon do, in sparring games, one opponent wears red while the other wears blue. Instead of having to buy a red or a blue chest protector, you can buy reversible chest protectors in both red and blue.
Moisture prevention liners - This can help to prevent bad odors from building up in the chest protector.
Gender Specific - Some brands offer chest protectors designed specifically for males and females. The shape is the main different as males and females are shaped differently. Not all brands offer options for different genders. In fact, it is more common to have a gender neutral chest protector, rather than a gender specific one.
Weight & Size

Chest protectors are available in many different weights and sizes. Ranging from XXS in kids to XXL in adults. Different brands sell different combinations of these sizes and some brands even sell a general “one-size fits most” option. Weight ranges from 1 to 6 pounds. The weight can be affected by the size, the materials used and the thickness of the padding. If you are buying the chest protector for a smaller more petite individual, you may want to consider a lighter weight option because too much weight can slow down the user.
Light Sensors

Some chest protector include integrated light sensors that light up when a strong enough impact is made. This helps to make it easier to assign points to competitors because the lights helps to notify the referee when contact has been made.
Conclusion

There is basically an endless supply of martial arts chest protectors on the market, on Amazon alone, there are 12 pages of various chest protectors that you can purchase. The key to getting the right chest protector for you is to start by answering the questions are the beginning of this guide. Once you have answered the questions, you can narrow your search options and then turn to customer reviews to help you to make a final decision.

Something that is important to remember, safety should always come first. Whether you are buying for yourself, your children or your students, someone’s safety is in your hands when you purchase their chest protectors. With that being said, if you are still unsure of where to start, have a look at the options that are listen in this guide. This guide contains a list of 10 different martial arts chest protectors, all of which have good customer ratings and are made of good quality materials. Start by answering the questions in this guide, even just answering question number one, concerning the type of martial art you will need the chest protector for, it will significantly narrow your options.
Take your time and shop around. You want to make sure that you are getting the best bang for your buck while providing the best protection for you, your children and/or your students in the process.

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This page about Martial Arts Chest Protector was composed by V. Tobies and published by Alternative.me.
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