|
bessantj posted:I don't get people who seem to go psycho at tournaments. I don't really fight in tournaments but I did fight in one unofficial tournament put together by my school and a few others in the local area. We were using bespoke rules because HEMA rules can be a bit poo poo. In a match that was first to ten I was nine - one up and my opponent charged me so I just thought he'd given up and I hit him with a thrust to the head. Only he didn't stop and kept on charging eventually colliding with me and we both went over where he held my head down and stabbed me in the side of my neck. I didn't react too well and we got into a fight. But I'll never understand why he decided to do what he did (beyond him being an arsehole.) People get carried away trying to win, the adrenaline gets to them, and there's not enough actual consequences to make them think about what they're doing before they do it.
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 21:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 16:17 |
|
|
bessantj posted:I don't get people who seem to go psycho at tournaments. I don't really fight in tournaments but I did fight in one unofficial tournament put together by my school and a few others in the local area. We were using bespoke rules because HEMA rules can be a bit poo poo. In a match that was first to ten I was nine - one up and my opponent charged me so I just thought he'd given up and I hit him with a thrust to the head. Only he didn't stop and kept on charging eventually colliding with me and we both went over where he held my head down and stabbed me in the side of my neck. I didn't react too well and we got into a fight. But I'll never understand why he decided to do what he did (beyond him being an arsehole.) I think the real question there is if he got his card pulled. Because that's pretty unacceptable behavior for any competitive sport.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 21:41
|
|
|
Liquid Communism posted:I think the real question there is if he got his card pulled. Because that's pretty unacceptable behavior for any competitive sport. They just had him go to the car park and cool off. His schools instructor apologised to me and after about an hour and a bit of cajoling he came over and apologised. I then watched my friend massacre him in the long sword tournament. He was about 6' 3" and my friend is 5' 8" so it was enough to put a smile on my face. EDIT: Actually thinking back I sparred with someone from his school and he said the guy was a bit of a wanker.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 21:57
|
|
|
Ravenfood posted:Or you guys should figure out if you're a sport or a martial art and work from there. Isn't it pretty obvious the tourney stuff is pure sport?
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 22:17
|
|
|
At least he apologized, I suppose, but still not a good look.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 22:18
|
|
|
DandyLion posted:Isn't it pretty obvious the tourney stuff is pure sport? No, which is why we have people in this thread claiming that behavior designed to win bouts can be bad "fighting", whatever that means.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 22:32
|
|
|
Liquid Communism posted:At least he apologized, I suppose, but still not a good look. His apology was funny because it was so obvious he'd been told to do it and didn't want to like when you're 10 and your mother makes you say sorry to someone when you don't want to.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 22:33
|
|
|
Ravenfood posted:No, which is why we have people in this thread claiming that behavior designed to win bouts can be bad "fighting", whatever that means. if you didn't have a hit rattled ball of goo for a brain maybe you'd actually be able to read my posts and figure out what I was saying
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 22:38
|
|
|
I wonder if, like, the chess thread has problems with low level lovely players coming in and trying to correct high level players
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 22:39
|
|
|
Durrr hurrr how can cheesing behavior be bad technique *waggles fishpole blade furiously until it bends in a complete circle*
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 22:42
|
|
|
dupersaurus posted:Not cool man. Not cool
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2018 22:51
|
|
|
your friend a dog posted:Durrr hurrr how can cheesing behavior be bad technique *waggles fishpole blade furiously until it bends in a complete circle* Sounds like a perfectly good foil parry to me 
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 01:32
|
|
|
Ravenfood posted:Sounds like a perfectly good foil parry to me *sobs brokenly*
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 02:21
|
|
|
This whole thing actually does make me wonder: Is there any sort of development towards electric/automatic hit registration in HEMA/SCA? Presumably that would be quite a bit more complex than what's used in olympic fencing, but it doesn't seem like something that should necessarily be entirely infeasible.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 10:46
|
|
|
your friend a dog posted:*sobs brokenly* Ok, all joking at the expense of foilists aside though, you really need to calm down on this one since it's clear you're not really listening to what I'm saying either. You've decided there is some ideal of "good technique" that everything else, like scoring etc, should be in service of. You could presumably design a sport that enables that, but my theory is that, in a sport context, good technique is defined by what wins the sporting event. You even talked about the fact that HEMA's ruleset encourages "sloppy" technique. Ideal foil parries are different from ideal epee parries because they're what work under the terms of sport, and bear little resemblance to some kind of idealized historical parry because that's not the point of either sport. And if HEMA wants to move that way, then they have to accept that, just like every nerdlinger who comes to an Olympic fencing club needs to be slapped until they stop saying things like "realistically..." It's simple: what is the role of competing against another person? Is everything in service of that? Or is it a fun way to identify problems in your technique? Olympic fencing has occasional honor code bouts too: in practice, to work out problems or to test out drills. They are in service of winning competition, though. Good technique is defined by what wins the sport. It's not possible to say "i lost the match but at least I fought better" (if you define technique really tightly and don't include distance, timing, and application then i suppose the sentence "i lost but at least my technique was better" is...at least possible) because there isn't some platonic goal of fighting better. Hell, it's a given part of Olympic fencing that if the judge didn't think you parried, you didn't regardless of what everyone else thinks. It's an expected and understood part of the sport to learn to adapt to the judge while on the strip, and part of being a good fencer. If HEMA is a sport, then wild swings designed to hit so obviously that judges can't miss them are good technique, not bad. Dangerous and stupid ruleset, sure, but playing to that ruleset is what they should be doing. If it is a martial art, then the competition is secondary tk, and in service of, the form and technique. Is competition the goal, or is it a tool in service of improving an art form? Ravenfood fucked around with this message at 13:26 on Aug 7, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 11:59
|
|
|
Perestroika posted:This whole thing actually does make me wonder: Is there any sort of development towards electric/automatic hit registration in HEMA/SCA? Presumably that would be quite a bit more complex than what's used in olympic fencing, but it doesn't seem like something that should necessarily be entirely infeasible. There were talks a few years ago, but the situation is very complex. You would need to consider many factors from the strike itself, plus you would still need judges to rule on things like afterblows, open or closed doubles, etc. Ravenfood posted:A good post Exactly.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 13:21
|
|
|
Ravenfood posted:Ok, all joking at the expense of foilists aside though, you really need to calm down on this one since it's clear you're not really listening to what I'm saying either. You've decided there is some ideal of "good technique" that everything else, like scoring etc, should be in service of. You could presumably design a sport that enables that, but my theory is that, in a sport context, good technique is defined by what wins the sporting event. You even talked about the fact that HEMA's ruleset encourages "sloppy" technique. Ideal foil parries are different from ideal epee parries because they're what work under the terms of sport, and bear little resemblance to some kind of idealized historical parry because that's not the point of either sport. And if HEMA wants to move that way, then they have to accept that, just like every nerdlinger who comes to an Olympic fencing club needs to be slapped until they stop saying things like "realistically..." It's simple: what is the role of competing against another person? Is everything in service of that? Or is it a fun way to identify problems in your technique? Olympic fencing has occasional honor code bouts too: in practice, to work out problems or to test out drills. They are in service of winning competition, though. Good technique is defined by what wins the sport. It's not possible to say "i lost the match but at least I fought better" (if you define technique really tightly and don't include distance, timing, and application then i suppose the sentence "i lost but at least my technique was better" is...at least possible) because there isn't some platonic goal of fighting better. Hell, it's a given part of Olympic fencing that if the judge didn't think you parried, you didn't regardless of what everyone else thinks. It's an expected and understood part of the sport to learn to adapt to the judge while on the strip, and part of being a good fencer. If the purpose of studying HEMA is to recreate historical martial arts in a functional manner, then yes, there are objective standards of what makes good technique. Translating that to a tournament-capable ruleset is an art that is still developing, and as such relies heavily on fighters self-policing and behaving in an honorable manner on the field. The example YFAD illustrates (charging though a face thrust to grapple and get an afterblow for a 'double') is, so far as I can tell, bad technique from the perspective of recreating a historical martial art because it would be suicidal with sharps. That is, in theory, why HEMA (and SCA) fight with feders and schlagers as opposed to foils or epees, as these more accurately behave, weigh, and balance like a sharp. Liquid Communism fucked around with this message at 14:16 on Aug 7, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 14:13
|
|
|
Liquid Communism posted:If the purpose of studying HEMA is to recreate historical martial arts in a functional manner, then yes, there are objective standards of what makes good technique. Translating that to a tournament-capable ruleset is an art that is still developing, and as such relies heavily on fighters self-policing and behaving in an honorable manner on the field. E: you can even be a sport that tries to be really close to recreating a martial art, but there are aspects of the martial art that will not easily translate, if at all, to a nonlethal competitive environment, and those edge cases will continue to be an issue in the community unless there is consensus on what the goal is. Ravenfood fucked around with this message at 15:09 on Aug 7, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 15:01
|
|
|
Ravenfood posted:Right, which is why I said that deciding whether you're an art or a sport is pretty important. I think that the two goals are mutually exclusive. The thing is, there will not be that consensus any time soon if ever. There is in the SCA, in that the organization as a whole has standards, practices, and rules of the list set by the organization. However those standards in the SCA are intentionally very loosely defined as far as practical intent and limited to speaking to safety practices, because their goal is to have the greatest number of participants able to get into their game with a minimal investment of preparation and gear to get started. HEMA as a whole is a loose label for any number of individual clubs, individuals, and organized schools with very different takes on how their various arts are to be practiced, and what sort of rules of engagement are appropriate and necessary to compete. There's no sanctioning body to even take up the question of art versus sport, and no general agreement on things as simple as 'is playing with sharps okay as long as we promise to be extra super careful?'
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 16:20
|
|
|
Liquid Communism said it well. The bottom line is, just because what HEMA is doing might win them that individual tournament, does not mean it's good technique, or good fighting. If your entire fighting style hinges on the fact that the judges will arbitrarily ignore an identical hit from your opponent, but notice yours, then you are not a good fighter. You're a lovely one who only wins until the ruleset is applied fairly and evenly across the field. Not hard to understand.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 19:51
|
|
|
Guys help me out. I need to wire some foils, how do I keep the wire taut while the glue sets?
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 20:00
|
|
|
Siivola posted:Guys help me out. I need to wire some foils, how do I keep the wire taut while the glue sets? Do you have any kind of ability to put tension on the blade? A length of fine chain with caps on each end should let you bow it, which will help. Also, just lightly tape the trailing end of the wire to the tang to let it seat.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 20:09
|
|
|
Yeah I can bow it alright, there's a shelf set up just for that at the shop. On the last one I did, I missed a spot with the glue and the tape had slipped, so the wire popped up proud when I straightened the blade. I tried salvaging it with more glue but I don't think the outlook's good.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 20:14
|
|
|
You can always re-bend it and apply more glue but you may have to strip all the glue and start again; every fix for a popped wire I've seen has been temporary (if it works at all). Make sure the wire is taut before you bend the blade (I was shown to give it a few wraps around the threading on the tang), and make sure you bend it pretty far. And don't skimp on glue.
|
|
#
?
Aug 7, 2018 20:24
|
|
|
dupersaurus posted:I was shown to give it a few wraps around the threading on the tang But today I realized the shop had cut the tangs too short for my long-rear end grips. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 10, 2018 21:27
|
|
|
Siivola posted:This did the trick, thanks a bunch! How long can the grips on a foil possibly be?
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 00:00
|
|
|
The PBT model A1 is about a centimeter longer than most pistol grips, it seems. The tang's cut exactly flush with the bottom of the hole where the nut goes.
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 08:31
|
|
|
I've once fixed that problem by carefully drilling the counterbore in the grip deeper, assuming there's enough meat in it to do so. Also, ask around, someone at your club may well have a spare grip lying around that they will let go for cheap or free. On the subject of people doing stupid poo poo, I've been helping ref school level tounaments and had an... interesting kids' team foil bout. Both teams looked like raw newbies but one of them had a goddamn bingo on the following: -A single foil between all their fencers, I don't know how it survived but it got a 45° bend about an inch from the tip at one point -One fencer who had no idea how to use electric gear or plug into a spool -Said fencer turned up late, carrying an epee -Another fencer, taller/more developed than all the other kids, whose only move was "remise from the arm as fast as possible to get past the parry" (had to card him and explain how to extend without punching) -A timid one whose preferred move was to cover target with the off hand On the plus side nobody got hurt, I didn't have to pull anybody off the piste, and both teams seemed to get somewhat better at actually fencing by the end of the match. I feel really bad for that poor foil though.
|
|
#
?
Aug 12, 2018 08:02
|
|
|
Hi! So totally random newbie, but I just started taking German longsword classes and I'm really liking it a lot. Trying to get back in shape(ish) and it's a fun way to unwind. I found a school that seems pretty chill and everything looks good on that front. Then I started looking into getting my own equipment and I'm just staggered by trying to internet research this. First I don't even know what I need, really. Obviously I have to get a sword to practice with at some point (which from googling means I should get a feder for sparring but there's also some kind of weighted much shorter thing for inside that might also be good since I live in a pretty small apartment???????? Also gently caress if I know which ones are good.) Then there's protective gear of some fluctuating amount required for different things (I can ask my teacher what's good for class, sure, but what if I ever want to mess around with anyone not at my school? Also the unknown quality thing again). I'm not really interested in tournament stuff (just to dodge the argument I read skimming the last few pages to come in with context), more interested in just like working on my technique and some sparring for fun and exercise. But considering all this stuff is super expensive, it'd be cool that if I later decided to do a tournament that I didn't have to rebuy everything. Help? I tried looking at measureandweigh.com, which was really cool and good but seems to be pitched more at somebody already established, plus it's very new. Then I checked a bunch of the links from HEMAA and then checked links at their sites and on and on until I got even more confused. Like, the school I go to would just sell me a sword or whatever, but if I'm paying 2-300$ for a thing, I want to put in some research to make sure I'm going to get one I like. Also, since this stuff is pretty expensive, I'd prefer to buy it a little bit at a time so I want to know what's most important to have to get started. I know this is very whiny and annoying but I really like this new hobby and I'm either an idiot (well, I am regardless, but you know) or this is very hard to just dive into. I have a big list of poo poo I read and my own thoughts, but I'm assuming those are mostly garbage so I'm not mentioning them so advice comes like a blank slate.
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 04:21
|
|
|
Xiahou Dun posted:Hi! The only gear you need to start is a mask, gloves, an athletic cup (for men), and a training sword of some kind. There are plenty of different feders available and they’re easier than ever to get. The best thing to do is try out a couple different training swords/feders and see which one feels good for you, and then make a decision based on that. I personally prefer the Albion Meyer, but it’s on the higher end of feder prices, and it’s relatively small compared to “tournament” feders. That being said it feels the most “sword-like” of the feders I’ve used, and I’ve used most of them. After you get those, you can try and find a jacket. There are plenty of options now and prices have gone down moderately in the past few years. You can get a decent jacket for around $200+s/h, which is still expensive, but you’ll be getting something that’ll last. After that there are all kinds of smaller things, such as throat protection, knee, elbow, shin, forearm protection, chest protection, etc. These extras can vary wildly in price, and a lot of people use what works best for them rather than the HEMA-specific stuff. The school you’re going to also has a big community of people who make their own gear, and I can definitely put you in touch with them. As for the weighted sword trainers you’re talking about, I think they’re OK but aren’t necessary. If your ceilings are too low to swing a sword just do another type of exercise, like footwork or thrusts, or you can try cutting from your knees which is actually super useful. I can show you a few things to do in a small apartment. My general starter kit that I recommend to students is an Absolute Force HEMA mask (either with back of head protection or without), lacrosse gloves or some kind of padded motorcycle glove for practice (not for sparring, just something to protect your hands in case you practice with a student and they make a mistake during drills), and a feder of some kind. Verisimilidude fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Aug 13, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 04:30
|
|
|
I asked a similar question in a LAN thread because I remembered somebody posted there and it was Verisimilidude, so we're now PMing, but happy to read any other advice! Also, yeah, obviously I read your post. Still god drat terrified about having buyer's remorse with a feder I don't like. THERE'S SO MANY AND A LOT OF THE PAGES ARE IN POLISH. I DO NOT SPEAK POLISH.
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 04:35
|
|
|
it's poles and czechs all the way down bro such is life
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 04:49
|
|
|
So, last weekend there was the Helsinki Bolognese Open 2018 tournament, the first actually serious fencing competition I have been to since I was about 10. I participated in both sidesword and sidesword+buckler and that was one heck of an experience. Didn't manage to win a single match but that wasn't too surprising as I have only been training for a year, but one sword+buckler match came close, I lost it 4-3 when the time ran out (in a system where 7 points win a match). The best thing about the tournament the opportunity to fence with people whom I would normally never face and to sit down for beers with them afterwards.
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 06:46
|
|
|
Xiahou Dun posted:Help? Rule #1 of buying HEMA gear: Ask your instructor. Lots of teachers have their own pet preferences. Lots of old school teachers demand fingered steel gauntlets, for instance, while the sporty generation forbids those and says to buy Sparring Gloves instead. SPES and Black Armoury are good places to source protective kit. Sparring Gloves make popular gloves. Regenyei and Kvetun make good, reasonably prices fencing swords. Field hockey shin guards go well with long socks. If you're in the States, sorry, you gotta order almost everything through an importer. Don't buy cheap knockoff stuff like Red Dragon unless you know you need some specific thing. Don't buy Neyman, they can't stick to deadlines.
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 08:49
|
|
|
Siivola posted:Rule #1 of buying HEMA gear: Ask your instructor. Lots of teachers have their own pet preferences. Lots of old school teachers demand fingered steel gauntlets, for instance, while the sporty generation forbids those and says to buy Sparring Gloves instead. Yeah, Red Dragon gloves are kinda cheap but bad. Here in Europe many tournaments might not permit steel gauntlets and some societes don't permit them to be used in sparring. I have experiences of SPES, Sparring Glove and Neyman and for all the the quality has been solid. Neyman can't keep their promised delivery dates but I bought pompous renessaince pants from there and they are awesome (but arrived 2-3 months after the initially promised date). SPES Officer Jacket is good and I like the style.
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 10:25
|
|
|
Here is my kit for the Bolognese tournament (sans mask and sword, everyone was given a similar (Kvetun) sword to fight with. https://imgur.com/a/NvHgLFs Jacket is SPES, trousers Neymann, gloves Sparring Glove.
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 15:43
|
|
|
Now that I'm in the office I can make an effort post on some gear recommendations. I will preface this by saying to always ask your instructor first as to what gear you should and should not have. What I'm writing applies to my school (and many schools across the country), but if your school has certain preferences or requirements, by all means follow those. If you're just starting in HEMA, you can look into acquiring gear in three phases: (1) Bare Essentials, (2) Sparring Gear, and (3) Cutting Swords. Phase 1: Bare Essentials The first phase focuses on getting the bare essentials, IE equipment for drilling safely with a partner. The main purpose of this gear is to protect yourself from getting accidentally stabbed in the face, your fingers smashed, hit in the dick with a wild thrust (if you have a dick of course) and having the proper implement to practice with. The pieces of gear you will need for this are a mask, gloves, and a training sword. For a mask, I highly recommend the Absolute Force Basic HEMA Mask ($60). It's the standard in many schools for its relatively low entry-level price point , its durability, and its ease of purchase. There are certainly better, more comfortable masks out there (such as the PBT HEMA Warrior Reinforced Mask), but this one is a solid choice that may last your entire HEMA career. You can opt to get it with back of the head protection ($109.99), but for the first phase it isn't necessary, and I personally prefer some other options for back of the head protection, which I will get to in phase 2. Next you will need gloves. I know lots of people opt early for sparring gloves, but I think for now you can still get away with light gloves since you won't be doing much (if any) steel sparring at this point, and steel sparring without other pieces of protective gear is still fairly dangerous. I recommend some simple lacrosse gloves that fit snuggly, or even padded leather gloves ($36). You can also get away with some oil rigger gloves (~$25, Amazon), which work very well for the price. I personally use a pair of padded leather gloves and the Red Dragon HEMA gloves, and I switch depending on what I'm doing. If I'm just doing cuts in isolation, I'll go without gloves. If I'm doing blade-to-blade contact with new fencers, I'll use padded. If I'm expecting contact as per the drill on my hands, I use the Red Dragons. Now for feders. The best thing to do here is to try out as many different feders as possible and try and figure out which one feels the best to you and is in your budget. Feel is going to be very personal to the user, so it's fairly hard to describe. Just try a bunch and see what works. Most students will be more than willing you let you see a sword or feder of theirs, so just tell them you're in the market and ask if you can check theirs out. Note: I would recommend getting a feder over a blunt longsword, namely because a feder is more versatile and can be used in both drilling and sparring. A blunt longsword will feel more sword-like (depending on the brand), but they may not be made to spar safely with. The big brands are Albion, Regenyei, and Black Horse, though nowadays there are many different blacksmiths and forges pumping out feders, and they come in a range of sizes, colors, styles, and prices. Purple Heart Armoury has a few different feders for sale as well, and they're pretty good for entry-level swords and are fairly cheap ($200-$269). My personal favorite is the Albion Meyer ($490) since it feels, to me, the most "sword-like". It's on the higher-end price-wise, but is built to last, and if it breaks they will replace/repair the blade. Note: I would not recommend getting a nylon training sword. They generally feel bad, aren't particularly sword-like, are horrible in the bind, will get chewed up by clashing with steel, and are honestly just as dangerous as steel. They're cheaper sure, but if money is that much of an issue for you I would recommend just getting a a wooden sword or a synthetic longsword. The synthetic in particular is what we give to new students to do solo practice with, since it's a bit lighter than a feder and much cheaper. As for cups, well, just get an athletic cup. There's lots of options! Just find something that fits, has a removable cup, and please for the love of god wash it regularly. Going with the cheapest options, you will be spending around $280 in total ($60 for mask, $20 for gloves, and $200 for a training sword), with the biggest variable being the price of the sword (ranging from $200 to $500). Phase 2: Sparring Gear Now that you have the essentials (mask, gloves, sword) you can start focusing on phase 2 (sparring gear). This is for sparring at 70%-full speed with steel feders. Ideally you want to increase protection without sacrificing mobility. This will never be the case, but it's easier to do so now as the number of people making decent HEMA gear has exploded in the past few years.This gear (at minimum) typically includes the following, in order of necessity: jacket, sparring gloves, throat protection, knee and elbow protection, shin protection, chest protection, and back of the head protection. To start, you'll probably want a jacket. The SPES AP ($209) is the standard in most circles. It's a solid jacket, fairly durable, and on the low-end price-wise. You will want to make sure you have the size right the first time, so make sure to ask other fencers if you can try on their jacket. Preferably do this before it gets all sweaty and gross after a day of fencing. There is also Neyman Fencing which offers lots of customization options (including free color customization). They're fairly expensive, and take a long time to deliver, but their product is fairly solid. Just make sure to measure yourself accurately before sending in your measurements! There are plenty of other options out there, so be sure to ask around and see what other people prefer and ask them why. For sparring gloves, most people I know go with the SPES Heavy Gloves. I am not a huge fan of these particular gloves (I prefer something more mobile), but I can see why people dig them. They're easy to get, are super protective, and become fairly supple over time. There are also Sparring Gloves (varying prices depending on style) which have been around for years and are somewhat of the standard. They can take a few weeks to deliver, but they're lighter than the SPES Heavies and more mobile. I recommend doing a custom job on these. There are also the Koning Gloves ($280), which are great if they fit and have been worn in. Many people who use them seem to love them, but they're also a bit difficult to get a hold of. For throat protection, I recommend any of the gorgets listed here. They're all great and will get the job done. I personally use the AF Neck Protector ($25) since it's the most affordable option and low-profile. There's also the Winter Tree Crafts Gorget ($60) which works great and looks pretty cool, and the Leon Paul Gorget ($114) is pretty dang good, but definitely expensive (like all Leon Paul gear). For elbow protection, these work great ($22) and are fairly inexpensive. There are plenty of options though, ranging from baseball elbow guards to hockey elbow guards. Find something that fits well, is in your budget, and doesn't obstruct your movement. Note: If you have thinner arms, the guards I recommended may not fit snugly. If that's the case, there are relatively easy ways to mod them (namely with velcro), or you can find good baseball guards that fit tight around your jacket. For knee protection get these (Amazon, $28). They're the best. Lightweight, comfortable, offer full knee protection and mobility, and cheap. Really any of the options on this list will work great, but the ones I linked are my absolute favorite of the bunch. You can also find great hockey, skateboarding, baseball, and sometimes even MMA options for this as well. Just find something lightweight that doesn't obstruct your movement. For shin protection, again people use lots of different options (I use something similar to these), so find something comfortable and inexpensive that won't slip and slide out of place. You can look into soccer shin guards, baseball shin guards, hockey shin guards, lacrosse, etc. For purpose-made stuff, I'd recommend the SPES Hard Shin Guards ($20) as they're fairly cheap and low profile. Note: You can also sometimes find knee protectors with built in shin protection! There are lots of motocross options for this, as well as a few baseball options as well. Amazon is your friend in this situation. Finally in this phase, the chest protector. You don't necessarily need a chest protector, but I'd highly recommend one. They are now a requirement in tournaments, and if competing is something you're interested in, then definitely invest in one. The Absolute Force Chest Protector ($27) is the standard for most schools. It's lightweight, fits under most jackets, and can be easily modded to better fit the torso. If you have breasts you may want to get this sooner than later, since I've been told getting stabbed in the boob is very unpleasant. If your mask doesn't already have back of the head protection, now is a good time to start looking into it. The options listed here are all solid choices. I personally use the PBT HEMA Mask Back of Head Protector ($65), but the SPES Back of the Head Protectio ($35) is a solid option. Going with the cheapest options I've given and every slot listed here protected, you can expect to spend around $552 ($200 for the jacket, $200 for the gloves, $25 for the throat protector, $22 for the elbow guards, $20 for the knee protectors, $20 for the shin protectors, $27 for the chest protector, and $35 for back of the head protection). Phase 3: Cutting Swords Now for the final (and most expensive) part of your kit: the cutting sword. This will be used for cutting tatami, practicing solo cuts, displaying proudly (read: nerdily) on your wall, and having a bunch of fellow dorks ooh and ahh when you pull it out for the first time. Prices can vary anywhere from a couple hundred bucks to a couple thousand, but the sweet spot is in the $500-$1500 range. You can find something in that range that will last you practically an eternity, assuming you don't accidentally gently caress it up by over-sharpening or hitting it against rocks or steel. With Japanese swords you generally want to go a bit cheaper on your first sword since by their nature katanas are easy to bend and gently caress up. You can always fix the bend, but practitioners recommend going somewhere in the $200-$300 range for your first katana. European-style longswords are more difficult to bend and warp, and as such I would personally recommend jumping straight into the $600-$1500 range, especially because the quality of what you're getting is so high. For more information on cutting swords, check out Tristan Zukowski's videos. A couple quick notes about picking your cutting sword: size does matter. Depending on how big you are you will want something that rests comfortably in your hands and isn't too out of proportion with your body. I don't really know what those proportions are, so it's good to speak with your teachers, instructors, and other students of similar size what they prefer. I'm short but strong for my size, so I can use a sword like the Alexandria (shorter but heavy) with ease, while I struggle to cut with the Baron because of its length. If you're a bigger person, go for a bigger sword. Smaller person, smaller sword. Just make sure the profile is good for cutting (IE not a thrusting sword. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and it may even be more historically accurate depending on the source material you follow, but a thrusting sword will by its very nature be difficult to cut with and that can be frustrating for new students). The three brands that I always recommend are (in order of price and quality) Valiant Armory, Albion Swords, and Arms & Armor. Valiant Armory offers great swords for the price ($500-$800), and they come with a customizable scabbard.Typically scabbards alone cost several hundred dollars (for some reason), so you're getting a great deal. The steel is softer than the other companies on this list, but they're hand-made, consistent, and hold good edges. They feel good in hand and have lots of options. I highly recommend the Knights Templar Medieval Long Sword ($520) and the Kriegschwert Medieval Long Sword ($500). Albion Swords offers incredibly high-quality swords that can range from modestly priced (~$800) to expensive (~$2000). Their swords are cut from a single sheet of steel and then worked into a sword from there, so they aren't especially authentic, but they are consistent in their quality and incredibly durable, hold an excellent edge, and are incredibly well-balanced and fine-tuned. Some solid choices from their extensive selection are The Crecy ($880), The Steward ($1015), The Baron ($1085), and The Alexandria ($1375). All of these are amazing swords and will last you a lifetime, assuming you take good care of them. I personally have cut with all four of these swords, and I own The Alexandria. The Alexandria in particular is especially easy to cut with, followed by the Baron, then the Steward, then the Crecy. Finally, Arms & Armor offers incredibly high quality, hand-made swords. In terms of quality, they are on-par if not slightly better than Albion. They don't have a massive selection of good cutting swords, but the swords they have are excellent. The two I have had experience with are The Towton ($980), and The Durer ($1075). The Durer in particular is an insane sword, and I would put it just slightly below the Alexandria in terms of cutting ability, just above the Baron. Again, like all other pieces of equipment, make sure to try a bunch of different swords and see what works and feels best for you. Our school in particular usually has about 8-10 different swords depending on who shows up, and if you ask nicely enough, most of the time people will let you try them on some tatami. Note: Swords have a tendency to retain their value fairly well, but you're almost guaranteed to find a used sword that someone is selling on sites like My Armoury or Kult of Athena for cheaper than retail. If you're in the market, make sure to check these websites often as good deals will disappear relatively quickly. Verisimilidude fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Aug 13, 2018 |
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 17:34
|
|
|
Crazy Achmed posted:I've once fixed that problem by carefully drilling the counterbore in the grip deeper, assuming there's enough meat in it to do so. Also, ask around, someone at your club may well have a spare grip lying around that they will let go for cheap or free. Red for violent action? Cause a Group 1 for abnormal action isn't real*.  Also, questionable call if it wasn't for a bell punch, because their opponent should be able to take a touch, even a hard one. Better to just instruct the fencer not to do that and using a "disobeying the ref" Group 1 for following actions.Fun fact: t.87.2 can be used for a Group 1, 2, or 4 (t.87, in total, can be used for a Group 3). Fencing's real dumb. *According to a national level ref assigner.
|
|
#
?
Aug 14, 2018 05:58
|
|
|
BirdOfPlay posted:Red for violent action? Cause a Group 1 for abnormal action isn't real*. Yeah, it wasn't the correct call but they were just kids at a not-very-high-level event (and my memory is poor). It wasn't in guard-punching range but in all honesty I am amazed that no weapons were broken. Thanks for the tip, that is a great catch-all to use for this sort of thing!
|
|
#
?
Aug 15, 2018 12:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 16:17 |
|
|
I've decided to join up with my local Epee Fencing club and they've requested that I get a glove and wire for the first year. Obviously the club sells them but I suspect they are probably pretty inflated in price. Can anyone suggest some decent fencing suppliers I could look at for this? I'm in Canada if this matters.
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2018 20:08
|
|
