The Meerkatsu Verdict
After wrestling the Spider Guard off SpiderBoy (aka as my 3 year old boy Dylan) I took it for a spin in class. The quick summary is...BRILLIANT! Finally, a groin guard that doesn't feel like you're hiding a Sherman Tank under your pants. This groin protector is amazing, soft and pliable to almost feel like it is not there, yet strong enough to take the odd impact or errant knock during BJJ rolling.
Some more detailed photos and comments:
 |
| Wow! A spider guard is contained inside, no really! |
 |
| You get the groin guard and jock strap, but other versions include a pair of compression shorts instead |
 |
| Spider Guard is a lot bigger than my Shock Doctor, but you hardly feel it is there. |
The company that makes Spider Guard has some funny videos posted on YouTube. See here how MMA type folk use a gigantic hammer to humorously illustrate how superior it is to other brands:
HAHAHA! I love viral video marketing stuff...when it works, and this one certainly does in my opinion. Well done to them.
If I had one criticism however, it would be that the stitching that holds the cup pouch to the elasticated waist band is not very good. My first sample was falling apart before I even wore it, and my second sample, I can see, is already beginning to come undone. It's just a simple double stitch I can do by hand but still, I expected this part of the jock strap to be better. Nevertheless, I really think this groin protector is head and shoulders above the Shock Doctor when it comes to wearer comfort and a zillion times better than cheapo generic martial art cups.
Finally of course, it's important to note that groin guards are not allowed in BJJ competitions.
Thanks to UK fightwear store Made4Fighters who sent me the Spider Guard. Made4Fighters are offering a 10% off everything sale (starting Xmas Day) and running until the end of January. On top of that, they tell me that they're offering an ADDITIONAL 10% off everything on Xmas Day and Boxing Day only using the code XMAS2010. Wow!
CREDITS AND DISCLAIMER
Thanks once again to Made4Fighters for sending me cool stuff to review. I am not sponsored by anyone. My reviews are my own opinion and if you enjoyed this article, please feel free to post a comment and mention it to the vendor as this helps me get more reviews. SpiderBoy courtesy of his mum who granted me permission to plaster his face all over my blog :)
Spider Guard website: http://www.spiderguardwebflex.com/
.
18 comments:
"Finally of course, it's important to note that groin guards are not allowed in BJJ competitions."
Que?
At the IBJJF and non-IBJJF competitions I have competed in, 95% of people wore a cup. I have no idea what you Brits are doing over there...
We are definitely not allowed to wear cups in competition as it means you execute armbars with bad technique. I have seen competitors asked to remove them before a match if they are wearing them.
Article 6 of the IBJJF Rules states:
"• Wrestling shoes or any type of shoes, head gear, shirts under the gi (except for girls) and any kind of protectors that can alter the outcome of the match in any way are not allowed in competition."
Groin guard are definitely not allowed as the extra leverage you get at the fulcrum point of an armbar is considered an advantage.
Although of course Tree Frog, at most comps, no one is going to check 'down there' so that's probably why competitors who wear cups get away with it. However, if I was beaten by armbar froma guy wearing a goin guard and I complained to the ref, that person would be dq'ed.
Bad technique? No.
I can sort of see how the rule Meerkatsu cites could be construed to DQ cups, but I've not seen a single competitor at the several IBJJF tourneys I've been to asked to remove a cup or be disqualified for a cup.
Quite a few armbar finishes in there too.
It is bad technique if you are using your groin as the fulcrum.
And I have seen people asked to remove them as well in competition.
I had a friend get disqualified in an IBJJF tournament a few months ago because he was wearing a cup. :( Hilarious photos, by the way Meerkatsu.
I have the Spider Guard Groin Protector for two of my sons in high school and they say out of everything we've ever tried, that this is a great product. They said they feel fearless with the protection the cup gives them.
That video is brilliant. Although groin protection definitely lends itself to humour.
I don't wear a cup for BJJ, but out of interest, did you find during testing that the more flexible construction of this groin guard means there is less of a chance that it could be used as a fulcrum for armbars, or driven painfully into somebody's spine during back mount?
Seymour you crack me up so hardcore. Those pictures are priceless. Hahahaha
Hey Slidey, I tend to find my groin guard is not involved in the rare instances I do get an armbar during training. As for digging into the back - or chest when in mount and leaning forward, well I do apologise to the guy below whenever I feel it digging in.
Thanks Julia, little Dylan is available for model shoots at a very reasonable rate, his mother tells me.
This is going to seem like a weird question... but do you wear the jock with the cup pocket facing into your body or do you wear it facing our of your body? Your boy, Dylan, is wearing the cup pocket where it's facing into the body. Is that technically correct? Also, do you wear any compression shorts over the cup? I still feel like it's a little loose on me, or maybe I'm just being paranoid. Thanks a lot!
Abi
Yeah it probably should face away unlike what my boy is doing - silly foo. No I did not wear anything over the system an dyes I recall it was indeed a little loose. I don't wear groin guards anymore, - too much baggage to put on before each class.
Hey Meerkatsu, i know this is an old post but i've only recently realised how important it is to wear a cup during training after a few unplanned accidents. Was wondering if your views on this cup still stood and if you knew where i could get this in the UK as M4F are out of stock! cheers!
I no longer wear any groin protection any more Sam. Just personal preference. ..I have been caught with an accidental hit to the groin rarely but the feeling of increased freedom of movement sans cup won out. For this brand the cup itself is fantastic but the supporting holder and elasticated strapping is very poor. It stretches and begins to deteriorate rapidly over a short time.
I just got mine in the mail and it's way too flat and not "cuppy" enough. There needs to be more curvature. So it doesn't work on me. Hardly getting any protection. I also have a cup from Bad Boy. While that one works, it is so uncomfortable that, no. Not a second longer. Maybe I'll check out the Diamond one.
I have tried the Spider Guard but prefer the Shock Doctor with jock strap. Spider Guard is very wide compared to normal cups. Pretty comfortable and definitely the most flexible cup I have seen. Shock Doctor has soft rubber sides and is very comfortable too. It is not nearly as wide.
Just one practice pointer for new cup wearers: Put on tighty whiteys that totally contain your... um... protectables. Then put on a cup in a tight jock strap (like Spider Guard or Shock Doctor) OVER your tighty whiteys so your protectables are totally inside the cup and held in place by the tighty whiteys under the cup. This works really well for me.
Post a Comment