Novice - Training Equipment Question

[Robert W. Childress]

Hey there!

Totally new, trying to figure some things out here. Love the website, by the way, and I'm getting really excited about what I've read here. I'm thinking of grabbing me a couple of longsword wasters from New Stirling Arms. The "long" version has a blade that is 41" long. Is that ridiculously long? Should I get the "short" version instead? Checking out Albion swords, it looks like most steel longswords have blades in the 35-37" range. Essentially, I want to make sure I won't end up screwing up my estimations of reach by using too long of a waster.

Maybe I should just get a couple of both. I'm sure my wife would just love that!

Also, what is recommended for protection during sparring? I figure a standard fencing mask can be purchased for around $50 (like this?). But what should I use to protect the body/arms/legs/hands/etc.? If there are cheap options here, I'd be happy to consider them. Saving pennies on armor and spending them on swords/wasters makes sense to me - my body heals itself all on its own! Swords don't regrow when they break.

[CalebChow]

Hey Robert, welcome!

I think either waster will do just fine. Personally I prefer the shorter one, mainly for transportation's sake. The distance thing shouldn't be an issue if you're training at all distances anyway (strikes, binds, grappling, etc)...

All you really need for protection is the 3-weapon mask you linked; learning control will protect you and your partners better than any armor, and armor can actually hinder your progress in learning that control.

If you have special needs like a bad knee or fingers that play violins for a living, you can get kneepads or lacrosse gloves.

[Stacy Clifford]

A fencing mask is #1 of course, with gloves being the next biggest concern. There is a lot of debate over gloves, so I would suggest searching this forum for threads on that subject (there are many) and weighing the arguments for yourself.

[Robert W. Childress]

Sounds like a plan. Is the problem with [lacrosse] gloves that they mess up your control of the weapon?

The only person I've got lined up to practice with me is also a complete novice, so I may want to grab some knee and/or elbow pads just because I'm a fan of my joints and I could see us doing some damage to each other. Or perhaps we should just play nicely till we have some clue about what we're doing...

Edit - Found a great post. Good stuff.

[Stacy Clifford]

If you're in Atlanta, you're in ARMA Director John Clements' backyard and should contact him directly about joining the Atlanta Study Group. His email address is on the bottom of every page on this site. You couldn't be in a better place to learn this art.

As for lacrosse gloves, some people feel that they are too bulky and reduce your control of the weapon too much, while others (including me) feel that the reduction is too minor to be significant. John Clements is generally against using gloves altogether, but not all of us agree with him on this issue and it is ultimately up to the individual to decide on his own level of protection. The best way to decide is to try it for yourself and see what works best for you.

[Joey Marmorato]

I must agree with Stacy - you are in a great place to learn. Not only is our director very close by, we have a study group here as well.

I'll send you a private message so you can get in touch with me and see about coming to training.

I agree having a mask is definitely an important place to start. We have loaner wasters you can try out before committing to buying something, as well.

As far as protective gear, nothing more than mask and gloves. I use motocross gloves, but not always, and I'm not proud of it.

Look forward to training with you.