Map Ladies....Help me....

Some of us try and have serious ma conversations about useful stuff occasionally Verx,please remember that and don't derail this one too.

 

"This one too"? What exactly do you mean by that?

And I'm sorry Su, I speak my mind and I tend to go a little off-topic.

 

Oooh, I just remembered seeing this top in a shop which you wear underneath for rugby etc. It was designed, so you could take hits and it was quite tight. I think it was called "Armour X". I'll try to get a link later on.

 

So you see, mum, that's why I was searching for "large breasts" on google!

 

I've usually worn athletic bras and had no major problems. 'Course I haven't gotten far into hard sparring yet. One of the tops I have is a Danskin sleeveless, with a built-in bra, it works well for me. Out and about, I'll usually wear a shirt over it. At the dojang I may or may not wear a t-shirt between it and my dobok.

I think I've heard some suggestions from female SCA heavy fighters, making various scale-style armor to help protect their chests. I don't remember details, but that's another place you might look.

 

Carys, try this for infromation:


http://www.qp-sport.co.nz/en/endorsements.mv

 

emberKSW...thanks for the advice...I'll look into sizes and availability of your' Danskin sleeveless'.


Verx, thanks for the link...another site that doesn't go up to my size, only up to D cup...boohoo.

 

It might help if you say what your cup size is but I'm looking around for sites that sell chest guards for bigger chested gal's.

 

Hi, you are a star...

I am 36FF. I have written to a couple of the sites listed and have recieved replies. Unfortunately, their products only go to a D cup size.

I need to get my breasts under tight control for protection and a much smaller size will probably push them out under my armpits!!

Perhaps the average female MA is of a more gymnastic build???

 

I've been looking around for specific chest guards online and I can't find any Carys ,not the insert types anyway

 

Thank you Su Lin, you are very kind.

So many people have tried to help me on this, it restores ones faith in human nature (apart from the guy that suggested reduction surgery )

I love MA..but not enough for that!!

 

Poor Carys The only other thing is to look at one the generic moulded ones maybe? I noticed they have weird sizes though which is annoying. Maybe if you get a decent fitting sports bra it may eliminate the risks?

 

I have been fitted with a sports bra...a heavy duty one. It's a triple layed rubbery/lycra thing.

I call it my sheepdog bra (its rounds them up and points them in the right direction )

Whilst it holds them closer to my chest, I still present a large target and my breast surgeon had warned me about taking hits to this area.

Its not often I wish I was a bloke....

 

I assume you are talking about standing sparring and not rolling? They present different problems. Are you currently using a more standard chest guard? If not that might be an option considering your problems with fitting. I also suggest learning to block and fade better, so berhaps asking to work on drills specifically for fading might be an option. I found the external chest guards too cumbersome and just had to learn to forgo them.

 

I've been up to about a 44D or so, hardly a gymnast.

[edit] Err... probably ought to make that DD, but unfortunately the labels have faded too far to read.[/edit]

I have two other thoughts, neither of which are likely to go over well. Apologies up front!

1) When I lost weight, my bra size went down, too. So at 8 months pregnant some of the bras I wore 4 years ago, and stopped wearing because they were too big, fit great now.
2) I've heard that there are athletic bras in the maternity departments nowadays, those would come in larger sizes. I've been meaning to check them out myself. Except (as above) I still have clothes from my previous size that work fine, so I may hold off until it's time to buy the nursing set.

 

Hi Carys

I have a similar situation (in the FFs!) and I've found that any kind of chest guard/plastic/foam inserts dont fit well and are extremely uncomfortable. When I train (both stand up and ground work) I use a Shock Absorber Level 4, a Royce Impact Free bra over the top and a leotard! This provides plenty of support and protects the ladies from any bruising, it also helps with any paid I might feel. A rash guard also helps, but I can feel incredibly self concious in one so if you want to try that wear a light vest or something over the top.

Try to get to a good lingerie shop and be fitted for a new sports bra (you shouldnt really need a wires and all contraption!), if you cant these websites are brilliant for sports bras in our cup size:

www.boobydoo.co.uk
www.lessbounce.com (my favourite, they also stock the new ShockAbsorber bra)

These are also ok for sports bras, they both stock the Royce one that I use:
www.figleaves.com
www.bravissimo.com

Good luck and keep training hard!!

 

Thank you, thevelvetclaw82...

I knew I couldnt be the only bosomy woman on MAP!!

Am going to check out the links now.

 

Lol! It's nice to know there's someone else out there in the MA world with similar assets! And a Welshy too

Hope you find something to sort you out on the websites, if I come up with any other ingenious ways of keeping the bosom safe I will let you know!

 

Yep, I can guarantee that one works!

Beware though, wearing a chest guard can lead to embarassing questions, such as "Are those real?" and "Wow, what have you done to them?" from any junior students.

If you get this from adults, tell them they're plastic and ask if they want a feel.

 

Forgot something. If you are getting a lot of pain, try and find an Evening Primrose Oil supplement. Most chemists should have them. I got recommended them by a doctor, and it really helps.
A moulded chest guard can be a pain, but at least it can stop some of the impact. Mine is from t sport/cimac. It's a bit bulky, but does the job.

www.cimac.net