Martial Arts
Buy and sell martial arts gear in Costa Rica.
Mitsuyo Maeda, the judoka whose teaching in Brazil grew into Brazilian jiu-jitsu, passed through Costa Rica on his way south, and the country has kept a mat culture of its own: taekwondo first practised at the Universidad de Costa Rica, and jiu-jitsu academies in places like Moravia and Desamparados. Kimonos, doboks, boxing and MMA gloves, shin guards and children’s protector sets are listed new and pre-owned, the kit people pass on when they move up a size, change discipline or stop training. Check first which art a uniform is cut for, because a judo kimono and a jiu-jitsu one do not swap well.
Kimonos, judogi, karate gis and doboks:
look alike on a hanger and behave very differently on the mat. A jiu-jitsu kimono is fitted, with a thick collar and reinforced knees, and tournaments under IBJJF rules accept it only in white, blue or black. A judogi is looser, with longer sleeves and a heavier jacket made to be gripped and thrown in. Karate splits into light kumite suits for speed and stiff canvas kata suits that snap with each technique. The taekwondo dobok worn under the national federation, which follows World Taekwondo, is white with a V-neck and gains a black collar at black belt.
Boxing, Muay Thai and MMA gloves by weight and cuff:
the ounce figure on the cuff tells you what a glove is for. Lighter boxing gloves are for the bag and pads; most gyms want the heaviest weights for sparring, because the padding protects your partner as much as your hand. Muay Thai gloves have a shorter, softer cuff so the wrist can bend in the clinch and when catching a kick. MMA gloves leave the fingers free to grip, thin for fights and thicker for sparring. Bags and interlocking puzzle mats for a home dojo sit close to exercise equipment; the mats under yoga and Pilates are too thin to take a fall.
Taekwondo protector sets and electronic trunk guards:
a child starting taekwondo needs a trunk protector, the peto or hogu, plus head, forearm, shin and groin guards, and outgrows the lot long before wearing it out. That makes a complete children’s set the most sensible pre-owned buy in martial arts. Electronic protectors are another matter: they score only with the sensor socks and head guard of the same system, so a Daedo trunk guard will not register a kick from KP&P socks. Ask which system the club competes on before paying for one.
Leather gloves against the cheap pair:
new, entry-level synthetic boxing gloves cost around ₡10,000 to ₡15,000, while leather gloves from Venum, Hayabusa or Fairtex sit nearer ₡40,000 to ₡80,000. Used, that gap closes fast. A glove keeps the last owner’s sweat and its foam packs down over the knuckles where the hits land, so a pair with a year of sparring in it is worth a small part of its price whatever the brand. Gloves used only on the bag, or never worn because the owner bought the wrong weight, hold their value far better.
Knuckle foam, linings and the collar of a used kimono:
put your hand inside a used glove first. The lining should be whole, not cracked or peeling, and the knuckles should feel as firm as the rest; a soft patch means the foam has shifted. Check the stitching at the thumb and pull the strap tight to see that it grips. Copies of Winning, Cleto Reyes and Hayabusa gloves turn up: blurred logos, uneven stitching and a weight that does not match the cuff give them away, and a kitchen scale settles the last point. On a kimono, look at the collar, which takes the grips and frays first, then the trouser knees and sleeve ends. Ask how it was washed: cotton gis shrink in hot water and the dryer, so one bought as an A2 can end up an A1, while a used gi that has already shrunk will not shrink much more.
Listing a kimono, a peto or a pair of gloves:
give the discipline, the brand and the label size, and for a kimono add the sleeve and trouser length measured flat, because two A2s from different brands rarely match. For gloves state the weight, laces or strap, and whether they saw the bag or sparring. Photograph a gi’s collar and knees, a glove’s lining and knuckles, and every piece of a protector set laid out with its sizes. A jiu-jitsu player coming over from Moravia will hold your jacket against the one in his bag and compare the sleeves, so have it washed, dry and a tape measure ready.