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Wolfgang R.





Joined: 08 Jul 2009

Posts: 11

PostPosted: Sun 12 Jul, 2009 1:41 pm    Post subject: Freeplay: your protective gear         Reply with quote

I'm always looking for new ideas on (in)conventional protective gear and just wanted to know what the people here use...

Lacrosee? Hockey? american football? coal mining?


Cheers, W.
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Bill Grandy
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Location: Northern VA,USA
Joined: 25 Aug 2003
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PostPosted: Sun 12 Jul, 2009 2:07 pm    Post subject: Re: Feeplay: your protective gear         Reply with quote

Wolfgang R. wrote:
I'm alway looking for new ideas on (in)conventional protective gear and just wanted to know what the people here use...

Lacrosee? Hockey? american football? coal mining?


Cheers, W.


What kind of freeplay? The gear you would use for singlestick would be different from what you would wear for poleaxe, which would be different than what you would wear for smallsword, etc.

My basic longsword gear consists of a padded gambeson, a fencing mask, gorget, athletic cup, steel gauntlets (or padded gloves, depending on who I'm fencing with and how hard we're fencing), and a heavy, heavy dose of control and respect.

My basic rapier gear consists of a fencing jacket, a fencing mask, gorget, athletic cup and gloves. I sometimes wear a plastic chest protector when fencing against strangers if I don't know anything about how they normally fence.

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"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
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Elling Polden




Location: Bergen, Norway
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PostPosted: Mon 13 Jul, 2009 4:24 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

This depends, as Bill said, on exactly what you are doing. For reenactment fighting, I wear padded mittens, cup, toothguard, and a sturdy cap or helmet.
For full body target, I wear the same, but with a fencing mask and BMX knee/shin and elbow/underamr guards.

"this [fight] looks curious, almost like a game. See, they are looking around them before they fall, to find a dry spot to fall on, or they are falling on their shields. Can you see blood on their cloths and weapons? No. This must be trickery."
-Reidar Sendeman, from King Sverre's Saga, 1201
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Reinier van Noort





Joined: 13 Dec 2006

Posts: 165

PostPosted: Mon 13 Jul, 2009 4:58 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Of course, when doing a show or something similar, what I wear is determined by what kind of show.

But for sparring and rough practice I recently required a suit of Police Riot Gear, which I combine with a fencing mask. All I need now is a better throatguard and perhaps some upper arm protection.




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M. Oroszlany




Location: Czech Republic / Slovakia / Hungary
Joined: 12 Jan 2009

Posts: 34

PostPosted: Mon 13 Jul, 2009 7:47 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Is that a hockey goalkeeper mask combined with your fencing mask, or is it some kind of more protective fencing mask in itself? It looks evil Happy
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Wolfgang R.





Joined: 08 Jul 2009

Posts: 11

PostPosted: Mon 13 Jul, 2009 12:23 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Bill Grandy wrote:


What kind of freeplay?


Elling Polden wrote:
This depends, as Bill said, on exactly what you are doing.


well folks, I figured it was self-evident that gear would depend on the overall situation and that one would cite it anyway. I wasn't interested in a particular weapon, I just wanted an insight on what people would use in freeplay.




M. Oroszlany wrote:
Is that a hockey goalkeeper mask combined with your fencing mask, or is it some kind of more protective fencing mask in itself? It looks evil Happy


I think it's just painted on the wire.

@ van Noort: nice fluting on the legs. however, aren' you worried about that gap just above the knee? are these sand-filled gloves?

Cheers, W.
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Ed S.




Location: San Diego
Joined: 08 Apr 2009

Posts: 86

PostPosted: Mon 13 Jul, 2009 1:16 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wolfgang R. wrote:

@ van Noort: nice fluting on the legs. however, aren' you worried about that gap just above the knee? are these sand-filled gloves?


Well, you have to expect a little bit of pain when sword fighting, right Happy. Others will probably disagree with me here, but I wear only a pair of Lacrosse gloves, knee pads, elbow pads, and a helmet. That protects the 'breakable' areas while maintaining some sense of realism. For example, we will not happily sacrifice a limb just to score a 'killing' blow because, well, it hurts. If it doesn't hurt to be hit you really lose the sense of realism.
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Wolfgang R.





Joined: 08 Jul 2009

Posts: 11

PostPosted: Mon 13 Jul, 2009 1:46 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Ed S. wrote:
Wolfgang R. wrote:

@ van Noort: nice fluting on the legs. however, aren' you worried about that gap just above the knee? are these sand-filled gloves?


Well, you have to expect a little bit of pain when sword fighting, right Happy. Others will probably disagree with me here, but I wear only a pair of Lacrosse gloves, knee pads, elbow pads, and a helmet. That protects the 'breakable' areas while maintaining some sense of realism. For example, we will not happily sacrifice a limb just to score a 'killing' blow because, well, it hurts. If it doesn't hurt to be hit you really lose the sense of realism.


Hmn, I beg to differ. I think the only way to achieve the highest grade of realism possible in bloßfechten freeplay is for both sides to armour themselves as thoroughly as possible and evaluate the hits as if they were taken without armour and a sharp blade (O RLY, you don't say...). Only then you could fight with enough determination. Besides, even then pain will always be involved; an additional ruff will still leave a hit to the head pretty painfull and some may still knock you out. Harnischfechten freeplay therefore, is impossible since those armour-piercing techniques will just pierce armour. period. You just can't fence properly if you have to worry about hurting/killing (!) your partner all the time, and even a minor slash and especially thrust to the ribcage can do exactly that (pneumothorax).

Cheers, W.
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Ed S.




Location: San Diego
Joined: 08 Apr 2009

Posts: 86

PostPosted: Mon 13 Jul, 2009 2:39 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wolfgang R. wrote:
Ed S. wrote:
Wolfgang R. wrote:

@ van Noort: nice fluting on the legs. however, aren' you worried about that gap just above the knee? are these sand-filled gloves?


Well, you have to expect a little bit of pain when sword fighting, right Happy. Others will probably disagree with me here, but I wear only a pair of Lacrosse gloves, knee pads, elbow pads, and a helmet. That protects the 'breakable' areas while maintaining some sense of realism. For example, we will not happily sacrifice a limb just to score a 'killing' blow because, well, it hurts. If it doesn't hurt to be hit you really lose the sense of realism.


Hmn, I beg to differ. I think the only way to achieve the highest grade of realism possible in bloßfechten freeplay is for both sides to armour themselves as thoroughly as possible and evaluate the hits as if they were taken without armour and a sharp blade (O RLY, you don't say...). Only then you could fight with enough determination. Besides, even then pain will always be involved; an additional ruff will still leave a hit to the head pretty painfull and some may still knock you out. Harnischfechten freeplay therefore, is impossible since those armour-piercing techniques will just pierce armour. period. You just can't fence properly if you have to worry about hurting/killing (!) your partner all the time, and even a minor slash and especially thrust to the ribcage can do exactly that (pneumothorax).

Cheers, W.


Well, I should have noted that I do not use steel wasters. True, if you want true realism, use the real thing, and that requires some good protective gear. My thoughts were geared toward the use of wooden and nylon wasters.

Also, while I enjoy my methods, take my advice with a grain of salt; I am no expert.
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