IntentionalButt
12-29-2009, 06:32 PM
It surprises me (upon thinking about it) to have never seen a knee brace or other orthopaedic aid worn into combat by a boxer.
Certainly ring attire - at least in the professional ranks - is fairly unregulated in the modern era, with people wearing all manner of nonsense beyond the standard velour such as frilly skirts made of odd materials, and sporting all sorts of hairstyles, with foreign objects in them even. There was a time not too long ago when athletic commissions didn't even allow a man to wear so much as a short beard, so it's definitely pretty liberal now.
However, you never see somebody wearing a knee brace during a match. Certainly the odds are against the likelihood that 0% of those we see competing have any wear/strain injuries on their joints that would in other contexts require them to use a brace for even low-impact activities. There's an awful lot of footwork involved in boxing, shifting weight between feet, pivoting, etc. People with chronic joint issues would almost certainly need some type of orthopaedic brace or other aid to ensure safety in going through these motions in training, let alone competition...
Is it that they are banned in the pros and/or ams? If so, why? It's not like the knees are used in boxing anyway, it isn't Muay Thai. Even in a boxing clinch it would be inappropriate for one opponent's knee to touch any part of the other's body.
Are there examples of people using them that just slipped past my notice?
:huh
Certainly ring attire - at least in the professional ranks - is fairly unregulated in the modern era, with people wearing all manner of nonsense beyond the standard velour such as frilly skirts made of odd materials, and sporting all sorts of hairstyles, with foreign objects in them even. There was a time not too long ago when athletic commissions didn't even allow a man to wear so much as a short beard, so it's definitely pretty liberal now.
However, you never see somebody wearing a knee brace during a match. Certainly the odds are against the likelihood that 0% of those we see competing have any wear/strain injuries on their joints that would in other contexts require them to use a brace for even low-impact activities. There's an awful lot of footwork involved in boxing, shifting weight between feet, pivoting, etc. People with chronic joint issues would almost certainly need some type of orthopaedic brace or other aid to ensure safety in going through these motions in training, let alone competition...
Is it that they are banned in the pros and/or ams? If so, why? It's not like the knees are used in boxing anyway, it isn't Muay Thai. Even in a boxing clinch it would be inappropriate for one opponent's knee to touch any part of the other's body.
Are there examples of people using them that just slipped past my notice?
:huh