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Kiwikarateka
Kiwikarateka's picture
Kickshields wrong equipment for maegeri?

So at my club we use the Muay Thai kick shields for practising our kicks, but we tend to destory them pretty quickly, they tend to develop holes in the middle.

I'm starting to think that front/side kicking them constantly is the reason for the quick degradation as the force of impact is concentracted tightly in one spot, as opposed to the something like a round house kick which has a larger impact area. For reference, we tend to replace pads after about a year. My questions are:

1) What's the normal 'life expectancy' for a kick sheild?

2) Is there some other equipment that is better designed for taking the impact of these kicks with small aras of impact (e.g. maegeri, yokogeri)?

Cheers

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

Well done for wrecking the shields! They should wear out over time if being subjected to regular strong impact.

Kiwikarateka wrote:
1) What's the normal 'life expectancy' for a kick shield?

I think that depends on the make of the shield and the ferocity of use. We’ve had some last considerably longer than others. I have an old “Boss” one (they stopped making them ages ago) and it’s still serviceable. Our club has some Black Eagle ones (again, I don’t think they make them any more) which are solidly constructed and quite dense. The cloth on the front is starting to go / has gone on a few of them, but the shield beneath, although a little dented, is still fine to use.

Kiwikarateka wrote:
2) Is there some other equipment that is better designed for taking the impact of these kicks with small areas of impact (e.g. maegeri, yokogeri)?

I think it’s a matter of getting the right kick-shield. The better the quality, the longer it will last … but all impact kit has a shelf life.

All the best,

Iain

PASmith
PASmith's picture

I'd also ask what make of Thai pad you are using?

I've seen some over the years that aren't worthy of the name (thin vinyl construction, soft felt padding, thin velco straps) and others that are barely being worn in after 6 months of heavy abuse/use and will last for years (generally made of leather, proper binding and rivets, strong straps, etc). Of course the stronger/harder pads can be very unforgiving for beginners so it can be horses for courses. Personally I'd be wary of a brand that doesn't last a year of regular use. Some wear and tear and "settling" of the padding is to be expected but outright unusable seems a bit odd.

The bigger Thai brands are generally pretty well made. Boon, Fairtex, Twins, MTG, Sandee, etc.

One thing to bear in mind is that in Thailand the pads are very often used in conjunction with other pads as a "set". The belly pad for example can take some of the impact on a teep (front kick) or roundkick depending on how the pads on the arms are held.

And also...the side kick is not really a kick used in Thai (they tend to do a sort of side front kick using the ball of the foot). So Thai pads perhaps aren't as suited to them as they could be.

For side kicks I'd go with one of the larger kick shields (much bigger than Thai pads).

Kiwikarateka
Kiwikarateka's picture

Iain Abernethy wrote:
Well done for wrecking the shields! They should wear out over time if being subjected to regular strong impact.

Cheers, luckily they're cheaper to replace than training partners haha

PASmith wrote:
I'd also ask what make of Thai pad you are using?

https://www.amas.co.nz/fitness-equip/punching-equipment/kicking-shield-pvc/

They're made of PVC which might be the problem, however they are quite well consturcted with rivets holding the straps on. The size is resonable, but not giant, see this photo for reference: https://www.instagram.com/p/Buj9pJsF70m/ (ignore the posing :p)

Iain Abernethy wrote:
I think it’s a matter of getting the right kick-shield. The better the quality, the longer it will last … but all impact kit has a shelf life.

Perhaps it's time we tried another brand

Andrew Sheldon-...
Andrew Sheldon-Thomson's picture

I would probably try a different make of thai pads next time.   They shouldn't fall to bits that quickly.   They should last a few years.  Maybe go for something more heavy duty.