How many of you use armour/padding/guards for chi sau/sparring at all? What do you consider are the benefits/drawbacks?
Some styles seem to use it for ‘hard’ contact, or for ‘attackers’ on gradings. I can see the benefit in teaching you to appreciate when you really have the timing and rooting good enough to land a good strike, but the way I understand the penetrative, whipping energy or uprooting energy of wc strikes, a good one should negate the benefits of the armour. So what would be any other benefits?
Cheers.