Jiu Jitsu Training | Two Arguments, One Cup: Or Why I Decided To Wear A Cup Again

Back in September I wrote about wearing a cup when practicing Jiu Jitsu. I decided not to wear a cup back then because of the following two arguments:

1. In a street fight you won’t have time to put on a cup.
2. When you don’t train with a cup, you get accustomed to it.

I still think both of these are true, but I’m a bit wiser now and have  reconsidered my position on the issue.

First, I have become accustomed to rolling without a cup. It is almost as if I have developed a “six sense” for avoiding trauma to that area of my body; however, I don’t know if I’ll ever be smooth enough to avoid all contact or impact.

In fact, it’s statistically likely that some contact or trauma is inevitable to that area of the body if you train long enough without a cup. So this is my take: I’m now “better and wiser” for not wearing a cup for a while, but because there will always be a risk of injury, I’m going to now protect myself. But I’m also wise enough to not let the fact that I’m wearing a cup affect my Jiu Jitsu. Or put another way: I am still going to pretend like I’m not wearing one.

This is because the point above about not wearing a cup for a street fight is still very true. That’s the thing though: in a street fight, you won’t have time to put on a cup. But in class, you do.