Growing up in Indonesia during World War II, my Dutch-Indonesian instructor did not enjoy the luxury of training with safety equipment.  If a student in his day made a mistake when practicing his technique, it often cost him dearly; he could be scarred for life or, worse, crippled.  While this harsh training environment made fighting art practitioners tougher, it also made for fewer of them.  To help us in our quest to understand and apply classical techniques, modern practitioners must take advantage of our own cultural differences, as well as make full use of technological advances not available to previous generations.
Taking advantage of our own cultural differences means that for one thing we wear shoes in training.  Our primary reasons for this are, first, shoes protect your feet during training (and we definitely step on the feet).  Second, if we must fight, it will most likely occur while we are wearing shoes.  Since our emphasis is always on the practical, we train as closely as possible to the way we fight.  For a detailed explanation why training in shoes is so important, read Barefoot Training in Chapter Six of Martial Arts America, but for now, suffice it to say that if you train for self-protection, then you must train in shoes.
But wearing shoes in training is just the start.  Specialized training equipment, safety gear, video technology and other modern training equipment all help us improve our quickness and timing, stretch our muscles and joints with greater frequency and less chance of injury, and do all this for many more years than was previously possible (Martial Arts America, 1998,20). Taking advantage of technological advances not available to previous generations, means first and foremost that in all our classes, seminars, and workshops, groin protection is mandatory for ALL--no exceptions.  Arguments against groin protection abound, but the fact is that good, comfortable groin protection has been available for years, and if you really intend to strike the groin in self-defense, you must strike it in practice (practice to miss in class and you WILL miss in the street).  With that in mind, the following equipment is recommended for the protection they provide as well as their comfort and wearability.

BEST CUP	No. 80 Adult Hard Cup (cup only--7180) Bike Protective Equipment If 13 year-old young ladies can wear something as uncomfortable as I am told a brassiere is, then I think we macho male martial artists can get used to wearing this well-designed hard cup for a few hours during training.  Besides, getting used to wearing a cup is a whole lot easier than getting used to being hit without one.  (There is also a Franklin Hard Cup that is just like this Bike model--and just as good.)
	Although advertised as Recommended for contact sports, this Bike Pro Flex Hard Cup with its flexible rubber sides flex nicely [read smash] into the very organs it is supposed to protect -- definitely  NOT recommended  for contact in our school (probably because our training is NOT for sport).
	This cup looks really cool--suitable for Transformers and Klingons.  Seriously, This "Shock Doctor 202 Power Carbon Flex Cup" is just what you want when facing a frozen hard rubber hockey puck traveling at nearly 100 MPH, but for even the fastest blow a human can generate, it really is a bit much.  The lighter and simpler Bike, No. 80 Adult Hard Cup (above) will more than adequately meet training needs.
	This style cup and supporter wins the Worst Cup Award.  For martial arts training it neither protects sufficiently nor supports adequately.   Better to wear a regular support over your shorts and insert the banana-style (Bike, No. 80, Adult Hard) tuck-under cup in the support.  Your shorts will absorb the perspiration and the regular support will hold the cup in place better.  For myself, I wear spandex shorts over it all.
	Female Groin Pad Century Martial Arts Supply Equality in training rests on more than just masculine shoulders.  If your male training partner wears groin protection so you can practice striking a highly effective and vulnerable target, then return the favor.  Show everyone that you believe in equal training and give him a groin target he can safely strike as well.
	Female Groin Protector Alternative hard  female groin protection.
For some reason breast protection is a sensitive subject in the martial arts, but it remains a very important one for several reasons.  Here's just one: With breast protection, the male student can grab his female training partner realistically -- something absolutely critical if a woman's training is to be truly effective.  With all that in mind, here are some models that are worn discretely under the uniform and generally work very well.
	Turtle Shells Sports Bra Ringside
	Martial Arts Sports Bra Century Martial Arts Supply
	Chest Guard (Support Bra sold separately) Ringside

 

Officially, our uniforms consist of a black karate gi worn with a white T-shirt, and although we encourage students to purchase them, we do not require uniforms.  Neither do we sell uniforms or equipment in our school--practical martial art instruction for self-protection is our only product.  Locally, we direct the student to Warrior Martial Arts Supply in Englewood, CO.  That said, not everyone can afford to sign up for instruction and, at the same time, purchase a uniform, cup, shoes, et al.  Indeed, some prefer to wait and see if they like the instruction offered before purchasing a uniform.  That's fine with us.  Students and guests are, therefore, welcome to train in sweats (shoes and groin protection are still required).   There you have them--our equipment and uniform requirements.  Since all training is a simulation of reality, we try to balance practicality with safety, street reality with real training limitations. In other words, if we kill our training partners we'll have no one with which to train for the street.  Hopefully, these requirements will help us all to train smarter, not harder.