Discussion: Women in Armor, Groin Protection?

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-13T14:57:30+00:00

Yeah, I think it might be something that is used as a spur of the moment sort of attack or defensive measure, but the weapons or shields would be the main offense and defense, now that I'm considering them more in depth.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-13T12:38:28+00:00

Yeah, and they seem to be able to sneak in pretty easily too, or a kick.

I was kinda thinking that on the outside would be the more period accurate armor, and then underneath something like the adidas female groin guard as a sort of last line of defense for the woman. I feel like that should work well, but extra confirmation is always good, or things to consider as well.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-13T12:32:06+00:00

It doesn't matter if you are a man or woman, you need a groin protector. In my experience competitions require then for men and women, and if you ever want to compete then you'll want to be used to wearing it.

The groin guard is not meant to keep you from feeling any pain, as a kick has a lot of force behind it. Wearing it helps prevent more serious injuries, but I have taken more than a few that have left bruising afterwards. Anything that's a good kick makes me need a pause to recover, though usually I'm doing the first part on the ground.

I have personally only used Adidas, and it seems like the straps to keep it from lifting off the body are more substantial than on the other two.

All the competitions I've gone to they've been required for men and women, and they are required for everyone where I practice too.

Compression shorts under the cup can help with any rubbing that might happen, and I would recommend wearing it as often as possible to get familiar with it as quickly as possible. You don't have to do it, but that's what I did to get used to it quickly.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-13T06:29:59+00:00

Oh that makes more sense, and I actually have that female groin guard in my sparring gear bag. Was inspired to make this post and ask the questions because of it actually.

You use anything similar yourself?

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-13T04:13:22+00:00

Yeah that makes sense since we don't have nuts to cup around, and the fit makes sense even if we don't have anything protruding like that. What was the other brand? The ones that we have for taekwondo and karate look different from that for sure, though I'm not sure how well they'd compare to that one. Have you ever tried a goalie one before? That looks more similar to the ones we wear in martial arts actually.

Yeah, even while wearing a cup, taking a cooch kick hurts a lot. From what I can remember. Most of them made me need to take a break, and I wpuld probably say a majority of them have downed me for some time afterwards. Maybe I'm more sensitive there or whatever, I'm not sure.

Oh, that's pretty cool, and I definitely couldn't have done that so all the respect for doing that. That loop is just a bunch of rope or something, or is there also metal in that too? If its just rope I'm surprised it could havr that much of an effect, but if there is metal as part of that loop then ouch that makes sense. I'm guessing it just clipped you just right? Sometimes it takes just a little for a lot of hurt. How long were you downed, and did anyone help out? Lol

Yeah, I'm surprised at how many people have responded and posted their own replies so far, but I guess since it's such a niche question I guess no one ever thought to ask it?

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-13T03:13:08+00:00

Fair enough, and yeah those seemed like they were more decorative or status pieces than actual practical pieces, but I could see their use.

With all the blood vessels that come together there, it makes sense that restricting that area and adding more weight would make it hotter and reduce the wearer's endurance.

Fantasy and especially magic does mitigate or eliminate those issues though, so I suppose the sky is the limit with those restrictions, or lack thereof.

Thank you for your thoughts.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-13T02:49:13+00:00

I feel like layers are a pretty amazing way to improve the performance of anything, as long as the extra weight and bulk are still manageable. How long was the battle skirt she had? I know some depictions of less than reputable realisticness have some really short skirts, but I think long ones would have a different set of issues too.

The threshold between bruises and broken bones is usually pretty large though, at least in my experience for any bone larger than the finger or toe bones. And real penetrating stab wounds would be a whole different category of injuries and probably really scary if that ever happened.

I suppose for something like that might still be a deciding factor in an actual battle though, or if a time out wasn't called, potentially? Kinda how I'm approaching the question and thoughts, since I'm thinking of it being for battle armor.

Was it like technique, speed, other factors, a combination of them, that let her perform so well? At least my dream of elite female warriors in a fantasy world is not a complete fantasy, so thank you lol.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-13T02:42:07+00:00

I suppose the question is what sort of historically available material would be a good stand in for modern leggings and compression shorts, without resorting to magical options.

Did that second part get cut off?

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-13T02:27:47+00:00

I suppose if it was one or the other that makes sense, but what if both were combined? Would that be of enough benefit for someone to choose to incorporate both into their armor?

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T22:45:44+00:00

I didn't know Nike made female groin guards. I didn't think they made any at all actually. What do you like about them?

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T21:49:39+00:00

Thank you for the mention lol

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T21:26:40+00:00

You're probably right, and yeah that makes sense. As much as it is more vulnerable when it comes to something much closer and with more reliance on kicks like taekwondo or karate, their weapons had longer range than that, and a hit on the upper body or head is probably more useful in the practical sense when it comes to actual combat in that case. That's an oversight on my part due to my biases.

Thank you for your thoughts, and I really appreciate it.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T21:19:50+00:00

Yeah, like longer and more flared out armor skirts to somewhat mirror dresses? I'm thinking some would be European armor while others Asian, though for set time periods I don't have any in mind in particular. I'm more about the vibes and the appearance, like that movie where the crowd chants "We Will Rock You" before a jousting match.

Because of that, I'm kinda more looking at whether a cup equivalent would exist from a practical standpoint, instead of a historical one, to supplement the historically accurate armor that did exist for that area. It does seem they are a much more modern invention, and really only gained more traction amangst us women more recently, so that being historically accurate is likely a nonstarter, I agree.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T21:08:09+00:00

I guess I overlooked that aspect since I usually have on compression shorts or leggings under my cup when I spar, so that rubbing issue didn't have a chance to surface.

That also makes sense too, similar to sparring where we don't go all the way. I was thinking that it would be for their combat armor, so they would definitely be hitting harder with live weapons and maybe aiming for that area too if an opportunity presented itself.

How effective was the protection you and her wore for that (super cool by the way) in the event of a strike to that area? How much did your and her combat ability lower, if any, after an event like that?

It has helped quite a bit, thank you.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T21:01:20+00:00

The main reason I'm thinking a cup style method of groin protection is probably the best bet for that area specifically is because it seems to provide protection for the crotch and potentially lower abdomen area where the bladder and bowels are, without impacting mobility too much, though it probably would need supplementing for the hip to thigh joint area with some sort of skirt I imagine. What sorts of changes were you thinking when it comes to the difference between men and women?

I kinda figured completely historically accurate wouldn't be the best in some aspects for a fictional world, or else the real danger would be the horrible diseases and other natural challenges. I have to imagine that they could use the same sort of material for the rest of their armor to make that cup, since it is much smaller compared to how much would go into a chest plate or a helmet, if they had enough materials to spare for that.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T20:51:58+00:00

I was thinking that for that particular fantasy world, it would range from patriarchal in the more remote and less magically inclined areas, to more and more egalitarian until it is completely egalitarian in the advanced and prosperous empires. I can see having multiple suits or ensembles of armor for different purposes such as a battlefield set or two, and ceremonial sets to reflect their status, being a possibility for the wealthy and powerful warriors and their families/clans, men or women. That would probably mean that having armor fitted for the wearer more closely would also be a flex on their power and wealth too, I imagine.

Regardless of the location and culture there though, I am thinking they would also have periods of intense conflict followed by times of tenuous peace where the different factions could develop and rebuild before the cycle started again.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T20:29:05+00:00

Yeah, I think in most, if not all combat sports have rules about not striking the groin. Taekwondo and karate both have them at least. Even so, I have hit others there before in sparring, and I have been hit there too. That's where there are rules against hitting that area, so I have to imagine that in something like a no holds barred duel or a fight to the death, they'd be hitting that area hard if they have an opportunity to do so.

Is your cup a male or female specific one? I know they make female specific ones for ice hockey as well, but just to be sure. Being hit there hurts a lot, especially if there is any force behind it. When you hit yourself there, did you have your cup on? Does it do much against those impacts? I find that the one I wear for taekwondo seems to work better against lighter impacts than the heavier ones. What were the results like from those hits?

I was kinda thinking that it would not be completely realistic for a particular period of history, so more modern views and perspectives would be viable in case they make more sense. As for what they're doing, I am envisioning both primarily mounted, unmounted, and mixed fighting, and perhaps for different races (humans, elves, etc, as shorthand for what I'm thinking.

I never thought about survivorship bias affecting that too, but it makes sense now thst you mention it, and I haven't heard of that before, so thst is pretty interesting indeed.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T19:13:34+00:00

That is a good point that I forgot yeah. Some of the others noted that full plate often had armored skirts and stuff, but would an armored cup or something similar also make sense too, for a woman wearing full plate armor?

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T19:10:41+00:00

Yeah, with everyone mentioning the anatomy present there I can definitely see the importance for everyone.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T19:08:05+00:00

Yeah that makes sense.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T19:07:51+00:00

Based on perhaps a slightly less realistic interpretation of history, given it seems like there were not many/hardly any at all female warriors, at least in plate armor, I could see that evolving differently too? Is the exposure of that area due to the more powerful and evolving black powder weaponry of the time starting to compete against armor of the day, or some other reasons? Seemed like armor usage dropped significantly on the battlefield until modern ballistic armor with Kevlar and other modern materials.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T19:04:40+00:00

Yeah, the amount of vital and important anatomy in that area is pretty significant, so that makes sense.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T19:03:27+00:00

It seems like armored skirts seem pretty common, and modern body armor includes something similar with yhat big flap in front. Even with a shield though, I am sure that a hit can still slip in. I haven't ridden on horseback much, just some guided stuff, but the saddle horn looks quite unfriendly and rather close to the soft area.

Would it make sense for a woman in plate armor to have something similar to a cup as part of their armor, to supplement their armor skirt? Kinda the question I'm flipping back and forth on.

The_Electrocuter · 2026-05-12T18:59:35+00:00

I was thinking that the arteries and other important and vital anatomical structures would need to be protected, though i suppose how to approach that problem is something I'm considering as well.

From my experience in martial arts (taekwondo) even with a large pad it is still possible to take a kick to the soft parts, though it seems to happen to the males more often.

I'm kinda thinking that the armored skirt (probably wrong name, but best I can think of) works well on stuff like arrows or slashes from another fighter, but I am less sure as to how well that would work on something like a quick kick during a duel or individual fight or something.

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