The use. Of sparring gear. In martial. Has proven. To be one. Of the most important. And it has been used. Throughout the history. Of martial arts. Aside from knowing. The things. Before buying sparring gear. Martial arts practitioners. Should also know. The history of sparring gear. And how. It has changed. Over the years. In this article. We will tackle. The evolution. Of sparring gear. During its. Earlier time. And now. In the more advance. And modern times. That we have.
History of Sparring Gear: Early Days
The use. And the history of sparring gear. Can be tracked. In the early days. Of martial arts training. In ancient China. Where soldiers. Wore leather, helmets. And also body armor. During combat training. To protect themselves. From injury.
Aside from China. Ancient Greece also had. Their way. Of protecting. Their bodies. Like for boxers. Where they wrapped. Their hands. With leather straps. And also wore. A weather gloves. To protect. Their hands. During sparring. It is seen. Both for Chinese. And Greeks. That the use. Of sparring gear. For them. Is for protection.
1960s - 1970s
The history of sparring gear. In 1960. And 1970. Was the year. Where martial arts. Became popular. In the United States. And because. Of that. The demand. On sparring gear. Has increased. That period. Helped a lot. In having. A significant evolution. In the design. And materials used. In sparring gear. One of the most. Notable developments. In sparring gear. During this time. Was the use. Of foam. Which is important. For protection. And impact absorption. Which also helps. For the practitioners. To be comfortable. During training. And competition.
1980s - 1990s
1980s and 1990s were for. The advancements. In the history of sparring gear. Because of the continued. Improvements in materials. And also. With the design. And safety features. Sparring gear continued. To become lighter. And comfortable. With the use. Of new materials. Like synthetic fabrics. That provides. Improved breathability. And moisture-wicking properties. That helped. In giving comfort. During long training sessions.
It was also. During 80s – 90s. That face shields. Were introduced. On sparring helmets. This allowed. For the practitioners. To have. Better protection. With their face. And eyes. During sparring. Usually, the face shields. Were made. Of polycarbonate. Which is lightweight. And impact-resistant plastic.
2000s
Finally, for the latest year. For the history of sparring gear. Where the factor. Of performance. Was added. To the qualities. Of sparring gear. During this time. The one notable development. Is the custom-fitted sparring gear. Which allowed practitioners. To have. A more personalized fit. For better protection. And increased comfort. During sparring. That can also help. In having. A better performance. Custom-fitted gear. Was especially popular. In competitive martial arts. Like Taekwondo. And Karate.
Over the years. The history of sparring gear. Has continued. To evolve. And improve. In today’s modern times. Sparring gear. Are designed. To be lightweight, flexible. And comfortable. While still providing. The needed protection. Because after all. That is. The main reason. For using. Sparring gear.