Starting MMA Training, Need Groin Protector and Mouth Piece advice

[Eric Ward]

Hello.

I'm starting MMA training this month and need to purchase a groin protector and mouth piece.

Im just looking for advice from people who have purchased before.

Im looking at:
(WFS) -> http://store.titlemma.com/shock-doctor-shorts-cup.html\

and no idea here:

(WFS) -> http://store.titlemma.com/mouthpieces.html

[Byron Garcia]

I had a problem opening your first link, but I own a couple Shock Doctor cups and compression shorts and I'm happy with those. Some of my training partners use Shock Doctor too. The pocket in the compression shorts makes it easy and convenient to put on before training, and take off afterwards. It also does not move around much (if at all) while rolling or sparring.

I have tried the Everlast and Brain-Pad "boil and bite" mouth guards, but I prefer the custom-fitted one made for me by my dentist. It can be more expensive (though it was free for me since I'm in the military) but it fits so comfortably I sometimes forget it's there (until I try to talk). I can't say the same for the "boil and bite" mouth guards, since they leave more room for error. I feel custom-fitted mouth guards also offer more protection, and mine yet to fall out of my mouth. If you are going to spend a lot of time sparring with full-contact, I suggest visiting your dental office and asking them if they can design and make a mouth guard custom-fitted for you.

[Aaron Cawley]

i have one of the brain pad mouthpieces and it has served me very well. as far as the cup goes shock doctor is pretty good. i like the compression shorts and like byron said i didn't have alot of trouble with it moving around. i also had an under armor cup and compression shorts that worked out well too.

[Byron Garcia]

Under Armour has voluntarily recalled their cups:

http://www.underarmour.com/productsafety/ (WFS)

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09202.html (WFS)

I like their rash guards and compression shorts, though.

[Aaron Cawley]

ouch! i have an old cup laying around that i will cash in on. they are offering a $20 ecard to be used at their website.

[Frank Dennis]

Originally Posted by Eric Ward

Hello.

I'm starting MMA training this month and need to purchase a groin protector and mouth piece.

For a cup, I'd suggest this Shock Doctor steel cup. (WFS) I've taken more shots than I care to think about, and it does the job. Much more comfortable than the Windy steel thai cups, too.

For a mouthpiece, I second Byron; get a custom made one. Also, make sure it's a complete mouthguard... I see a lot of guys not only training with, but fighting with upper-only mouthguards and that's just not bright.

However, if that's not in the budget, the Brain-Pad Pro series are probably the best of the boil and bite ones, in my humble opinion.

[Becca Borawski]

Get a custom mouthguard - there's some good companies out there doing it and it will last you forever. It feels less bulky in your mouth, you won't ever worry about it falling out, and it will offer much more protection. Worth the investment.

[Gary Wimsett]

For custom mouth guards, check out Dr. Persky's shop at FightDentist.com He does the guards for a lot of the top fighters in the world. One of the fighters I work with has one of their guards and he's been satisfied. I believe many of the fighters out of American Top Team in my area use Persky.

[Joshua Murphy]

custom mouth guard, no question.

[Patrick Griffin]

Spend as much money on a mouthguard as you can. If you can go somewhere to get fitted you should do that. The cost will be 1% of the price of dental work... I've got a crown from a cracked rear molar that is worth more than my car right now, and my car doesn't need Sensodyne.

As for cups, I don't use them these days. The Under Armor shorts keep things tucked pretty safely back and, while they're not malice-proof, they're pretty dang safe. It might be that I'm usually working with folks who have a good feeling for intense but controlled sparring, but I'd rather risk the very infrequent hit than the fairly regular bruising that most cups inflict on the triangle around your groin. I mean, a cup that sticks out three inches is far more likely to get hit by an errant knee meant for your abdomen than would be your package sorta tucked towards you back.