use hogu ??

to hogu or not to, that is the question...personally i hate them, i feel so constricted in the midrift area..i dont really enjoy getting whacked in the abs or chest while sparring without one, but i do feel that tkd being a martial art, it is beneficial to know i can take a hit and keep on going...and isnt that why we do endless crunches?

--------------------------------------------------------------
Traditional TKD

use hogu

yes and theres other benfits from the abs workout like doing double kicks like front and roundhouse

--------------------------------------------------------------
never give up fight for want you believe in

we never used hogu back in korea unless we went to tournaments.  i remember noticing the mid low part of hogu, where the size is written, and thought that was supposed to cover our groin.  imagine some 7 yr old kid who was pulling down his hogu so much that it covered from his groin to his nipple...  that was me.  lol.
choco_mix and i sparr without hogus most of the time with boxing gloves as well.  he kicks so hard though, i do get little paranoid that he might break my rib cages. 
personally, i hate using hogu, because it restricts height of my kick.  and being 5'6", i need all the height i can get! 
however, like kickboxing rules vs WTF rules, i do believe that more restriction makes it that much more challenging and fun. 

--------------------------------------------------------------
i'm delicious

When I took taekwondo about twenty years back, we used gloves, instep pads, and headgear.  The assumption was that your torso was protected by your opponent's gloves/instep.

Our dojang offers just the olympic style sparring, so we use hogu.  It doesn't really bother me; I practice kendo and am used to a much heavier hogu, but I kind of liked it the old way. 

On the other hand, with so many people just waiting for an excuse to sue over something stupid, it is probably best to require hogu.

Daniel

--------------------------------------------------------------
교사 Yidan kumdo, Ildan taekwondo

If you are training for Olympic Style Sparring Competition then you must wear a Hogu. First of all you be required to wear one when you conpete and if you are not used to it or feel restricted/uncomfortable then you will be at a HUGE disadvantage then your opponents. Also, the majority of the kicks that will be landing will be to the body, if you're an elite competitor who knows how to kick then training full out for competition without Hogus on will lead to a much higher incidece of injury, and greatly impede your ability to stay hathly and keep up regular training. However if you are a Black Belt who is not interested in Sparring competition, and you are training for Self-Defense, Conditioning, or any other reason then why not take the hogu off... If you and your partner can work with each other and exercise enough control so that you don't rupture organs or break ribs then go for it, also if you are training with punches nd kick to the head and body then there will be less punishment to your body as well... 

--------------------------------------------------------------
NL TKD Academy "Home of the Champions"

i don't mind either way.  the only thing i refuse to spar without is a mouthguard.

--------------------------------------------------------------
simplify

I started back in 1982, when hogus just weren't used much. The only time I use one now is when sparring my white belts. I use a "coach's hogu" that is 3" thick. I let them kick me as hard as they like while I use paddles to make sure there hands are up. I call them "the Ninja Paddles of Doom" The kids love it!

When I tested for my 3rd Dan last year, I was only one who didn't wear a hogu. I was shocked! Not because I was afraid to be the only one, but that I WAS the only one.

At our school, it isn't required, but you can wear one if you feel the need. We're not allowed to spar until we're a couple belts up so we have control. Your supposed to have control so you do't have to worry about it, but our school doesn't do competitions so I've never had to wear one. We're required to have head gear, foot, shin and hands. And, we are absolutely not allowed to spar without a double mouthguard, no singles. Hope that helped at all :)

--------------------------------------------------------------
Fortitude

one thing we don't require is helmet.  with or without helmet, your brain's still gonna get affected by the blunt force of the strike.  the only difference is the size of bump on your head.  besides, what helmet really does is to prevent the further brain damage if you get knocked out, fall, and bang your head on the ground.  but since we have thick judo mat, we don't really use helmets except for kids. 

--------------------------------------------------------------
i'm delicious