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So I've been getting interested in TKD sparring, but I'm still murky on some things. I am going to get everything else, but I am still trying to decide if I should get a groin protector. I am a girl, so I don't know if there is really a need for it like there is for they guys.

I would probably be starting a lot older than the other people practicing around my age, so I'd be taller then them I'd imagine.

mattm
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The Electrocuter
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4 Answers4

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I would rate this a matter of personal choice. Getting hit in the groin is intensely painful, no matter what you have between your legs. Men have it a bit worse, due to the external bits having a better chance of actually getting badly damaged (and a burst testicle is no joke). On the flip side, cups are generally a bit awkward to wear, and can cause chafing at the least, and the edges can bruise and cut, even on an impact that would not have actually hit the groin.

As a female, you might want to look into a chest protector to avoid a pain point that most guys don't have to worry about as much. Also, as Amorphous Blob noted in the comments, get a mouthguard and properly fit it. Replacement and repair of teeth is expensive. Mouthguards are relatively cheap.

Macaco Branco
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When it comes to Taekwondo, as a female, wearing a groin protector is more annoying than being kicked in the private parts. The groin protector scrapes the sides of your legs and more often than not causes more damage from the impact than the kick itself would. Kicks hurt, that's normal. But being kicked in the privates as a female does not really add pain, unlike as a male. I'd personally recommend against a groin protector.

Sjana
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    Agreed. I once saw a girl got kicked down below. She was wearing a female groin guard. The rubber tip went inside her nether regions and tore it. She had to be carried to the hospital to be sewn back up. – Kristina Lex Jun 26 '19 at 10:16
  • @KristinaLex and Sjana, I know this is a late reply, but I needed some time to settle into sparring. I've been sparring with a groin protector recently because of a kick I took there without wearing one that just hurt so bad and so long, that I promised myself to never spar again without wearing one. I remembered what you said about your experiences, and was wondering if you could expand on them. After a few months, I'd still say I'm pretty new. – The Electrocuter Oct 29 '19 at 08:49
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    Overall, groin guards for females can deal a lot more damage than the kick itself. Yes it is something that happens rarely, but when it does happen you'll be out of sparring for a year, if you still want to spar after that. In general I find groin guards uncomfortable, inconvenient and they hurt more than the kick itself. I've taken a fair share of kicks to the groin without and with protector, and the ones without definitely hurt less for me. The protector gets kicked into the sides of your nether region, which is more sensitive cause of the build up of cysts. Let me try to find out the name. – Sjana Oct 31 '19 at 10:11
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    https://i.pinimg.com/originals/04/ec/f2/04ecf2540fc27314ce3184ec862e2909.png They are Lymph Nodes, which naturally build up non-cancerous cysts. Everyone has these little cysts, both males and females. But in the female body they go further down, to the sides of the nether region. The groin protector can really hurt that area. When you're below 20 years old you mostly likely don't notice the cysts yet, as you get older they become bigger and more visible. They will stay below a certain size for the most part, but a hit to it still hurts. – Sjana Oct 31 '19 at 10:12
  • I am actually wondering which groin guard you used, now that you say that. I regularly use an Adidas one, and sometimes I forget I am even wearing it. Also, when you said that a kick to the female privates doesn't really hurt like a kick to the male privates, I wonder what you mean. Could just be subjective experience, but the girls where I train, frequently are unable spar for longer than the guys, unless the males were unprotected. You also said that female groin guards can deal a lot more damage than the kick itself. Besides the lymph nodes, how else might this happen? – The Electrocuter Dec 23 '19 at 08:48
  • And I've taken a number of groin kicks since I have started, all of the ones since the last time I replied, with a female cup on. If you feel comfortable, would you mind me asking about groin kicks on us females as well? I don't think I know much about it at all, especially at the detail you have went to in your last responses. (Thanks a lot, by the way). – The Electrocuter Dec 23 '19 at 08:52
  • So, when you don't use a groin guard as a female, you receive a kick to your private parts, just like a male does. Except our most sensitive area is a lot harder to hit and never really leaves you with unbearable pain. Yes it can hurt a lot, a kick is still a kick, and the private area is soft and sensitive, but kicks hurt. Males however have testicles, which can actually suffer irreparable damage when hit. They don't break easily for that matter, but they can break. If the testicle gets caught between the shin and a bad spot, it;'s pretty much over. – Sjana Dec 24 '19 at 10:22
  • Personally, I'd say hits to the other private area hurts more than to the one down there. In the chest area we have sort of little half shells, don't worry they're not green and they don't practice kung fu. But those half shells are part of the lactation process. When those receive a good kick you're in for a lot of pain. They don't damage easily though, so it's a case of grinning and bearing it. Just like any other part of your body, if the impact is big enough, it's going to get damaged.But you can't go walking around like a gigantic cushion. – Sjana Dec 24 '19 at 10:24
  • When it comes to being hit in either of those two locations, would you say that there is a certain amount of time or a certain limit on how long you need to recover from it? I'm asking this because the other girls and I all tend to take a long time to recover from a kick to the privates. I'm wondering now how many of the guys you spar with don't use a cup, cause the guys I spar with all do, and they can walk off the vast majority of kicks to the nads in a short amount of time. I'm guessing there are more factors at work there though, than just testicles vs vulva. – The Electrocuter Dec 24 '19 at 17:01
  • In general, men recover faster than women, especially after a certain age. But women also tend to be less willing to put themselves over their pain and keep training. This is something I have noticed a lot. When I get hit in the privates it hurts, sure, but if there's no damage you can keep going. It's not like training with a painful coochie is going to kill you. Just noticed that a lot of women tend to get all weak when they get hit in their privates. Not sure if they're just more sensitive or they are actually just being whiny, since I don't have that problem. – Sjana Dec 24 '19 at 17:35
  • When a guy gets hit in the privates, they usually feel a shot of pain that keeps dragging out and gradually gets less painful. Breathing in and out deep seems to help them with that. For me, I don't really know what helps against being kicked in my privates, I just have to walk it off. Generally I take about 4 minutes to get the pain to bearable levels and I keep going. – Sjana Dec 24 '19 at 17:36
  • Is that something that you got used to after multiple kicks down low, or were you like that from the start? I'd say I have a fairly high pain tolerance, but there is something about the privates that makes me feel like I am unable to continue, for much longer. For most kicks to the privates, I'll recover for ten-fifteen minutes, and for the really bad kicks, I'll stop training for the day to recover. If that make sure you think I am whiny, then I can understand that. I feel that the privates and how someone takes being hit there is quite varied. That's what I'm getting from you, at least. – The Electrocuter Dec 25 '19 at 08:40
  • Great answer! I'd also say as a male, groin protector is counter-productive for self defense b/c it may result in lax guard of that area. (One exception is being a Uke where your job is specifically to get kicked in the [blanks]";) – DukeZhou Dec 10 '20 at 00:51
  • @TheElectrocuter Well yeah, it's definitely going to vary per person. That said, I can definitely go on longer than I could before. I'm sure you've heard of the body hardening method used by Shaolin Monks. Hit a part of the body often enough and it starts to become thicker and more resilient. Aside from killing some of the nerves that is. It's definitely got nothing to do with being a wimp or being whiny. As long as you keep at it, despite the pain, no one's going to call you whiny. Persistence is key in martial arts. – Sjana Mar 25 '21 at 21:17
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You should always wear groin guard when sparring no doubt ! Does not matter if you are male or female. Proper back kick that lands lower than it should WILL burst you bladder. It is required for all WT tournaments.

Gorzata
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Quite a long time ago I did fracture another girl's pelvis by accident when sparing. I know she was not wearing a groin protector. I did wear one off and on but I remember it being extremely large, uncomfortable, and it really hindered my range of motion. It was like walking around with one of those pool noodles between your legs.

Im thinking about getting back into competative sparring and that is my one major concerns. I have been out looking at a lot of research and testimonials and all I hear is that they do more damage than good. This has lead me to look into different protective gear. I'm now considering one used by female Muay Thai fighters called "Lo'Bloo" its much smaller and many say its comfortable. I just can not find if it is approved for use in WT Tournaments.

I would be interested to know if it is approved for use. Its looks so much more reasonable than the "Pool Noodles" that most are using.

user10628
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  • Please take the tour. This sounds like you have a new question, not that you are answering the existing one. If so, please start a new question. – mattm Feb 05 '20 at 16:51