The Padded Weapon Dilemma;

[JeanryChandler]

Ah, I'm glad somebody was able to decifer that awful how -to I did. If I can ever get my hands on a better camera I'll do another one and revise it. I'm interested to hear how they held up so far, glad that they did.

Aaron Pynenburg should get two of my swords in the mail this week so maybe we can hear from him as well.

I do wish my new sword was a little flatter. I know....quit whining, besides I can still discern the edge.

Next time try using some of that ACOR orthopedic foam in the 1/8" sheet for the flats. You'll have excellent flat shape and discernable edges while still retaining the necessary strength...

BTW, to increase weight you can put a few strips of duct tape down the core, or when you are putting the 'edges' on. It's easy to get it up to around 3 and Half pounds unless you are specifically trying to keep weight down.

I dont reccmend filling the core with anything, it will make it break IMHO.

Jeanry

P.S. you look like a big guy I bet you hit hard!

[TimSheetz]

Ray is BIG and he DOES hit hard.. but in a good way!

[Aaron Pynenberg]

Yes, I will put out my thoughts on them, we still have not received them, but I am pretty far North from you so it takes awhile- our other padded swords are just about toast, but I taped the heck out of them so they should hold for awhile-

[Ray Brunk]

Thanks for the additional info Jeanry. I'll run some more tape to bring up the weight. So far so good.
Not so big anymore guys. I went on a diet and am now under 200. Hopefully my hits still have a little sting.
Anyone who has been hit by Tim doesn't forget! Man's got power in those cuts. What I remember most is the battle axe in the neck at the 2003 gathering. I still see a little blurry....lol
Ray Brunk
ARMA Upstate NY

[E. Perez]

Hey Jeanry, I think your how to was pretty good. I would still like to use a flattened core. The information in your posts based on your experience in building your weapons has given me some ideas on which direction I need to go. Thank you for sharing. Now I just need to find the time to make it back into the workshop.

[TimSheetz]

Thanks Ray,

But interestingly that we have all conversed on this topic because a few things happened in my 0530 Thursday training session.....

My long time padded sword I mentioned in earlier posts in this thread exploded the tip padding... the tape tore open and a big puff of confetti like bits of foam shot out all over... now the tip is totally undsafe... (AF 1LT did that)


A sparring dagger I had with a wooden dowel core was broken off at the shoulder (AF LTC did that), and.....

I knocked the face cage off of a hockey helmet.

Now this is not an object lesson on folks being out of control, but more of a lesson on making sure we do proper equipment maintenance. The pieces that attached the cage to the helmet are the pieces that broke. They were made of plastic and cracked.

This is also a lesson about NOT leading with your face when sparring... repeatedly. It was the 4th clout on it from the same angle and technique.

Anyway, I now must procure the equipment to make new sparring weapons and will be doing so this weekend.

As a safety note, make sure you check the pieces and parts for your helmets and keep them tight. I have other helmets with a few loose screws that I will be doing maintenance on this weekend.

Best Wished for safe training!

Tim

PS: No one was injured in our training.

[Lance Chan]

I guess that helmet wasn't worn by you, Tim?

[Ray Brunk]

Tim,
I totally agree with your view on maintenance. A simple 2 minute check can prevent an injury. I try to take a moment and check all gear before sparring. I'd also like to point out how necessary it is to also check your wasters before training. My caution stems from one hell of a sliver I recieved last year from a splintering waster that should have been sanded down. 5 minutes of care would have prevented lots of pain, blood and uncommon use of a pair of pliers.
Ray Brunk
ARMA Upstate NY

[E. Perez]

Hmmm, Tim, I am assuming by AF you mean Air Force? We had an Air Force type break two of our padded weapons. What kind of training are those getting now a days?

[JeffGentry]

We had an Air Force type break two of our padded weapons. What kind of training are those getting now a days?

Well as far as i know the only Air Force personnel who get any real hard core training are the PJ's(Para Jumper's) and Combat Controller's.

Was probalby just misuse, in other word's they had no clue how to use the weapon.lol


Jeff

[Chris Jarko]

As an active-duty Air Force officer for over 14 years, I can confirm there's very little close combat (I assume that's what you mean by "hard core") training being given to most of our branch of the service. In addition to Pararescue, Combat Control Team and (I would imagine) Tactical Air Control Party (TAC-P) must get some training. I also expect our Security Forces troops get at least some training.

As for me, I've never had any combatives training. Moreover, I've only fired the M9 (pistol) three times (and unless I get tasked to go "downrange", I won't do it again), and I've never fired an M-16.

The USAF senior leadership is conscious of the need to create a "warrior culture" among its members. I would love to see combatives training be a part of that.

[Aaron Pynenberg]

I have a review of Jeanry Chandler's "Padded Wasters" for you all. Some time ago I asked Jeanry to make us here at ARMA-Appleton a set of his wasters for our sparring. Our padded swords had seen some pretty intense action and were on thier last leg.

We recieved them promptly, and put them into action as soon as possible. The one thing about them that stands out just by sight is that they are flat sided, and are not round like most padded swords. They are also very thin, and tappered. The guards are very stiff and our pommels are disk shaped, which we ordered in this configuration.

We used them in several rounds and they ballance really nice, they are slightly heavier than our other padded swords and much more stiff, but remember, Jeanry calls these "padded wasters" and that is specifically what they are. I tend to not use any padding when we fight, but with these you may want to use some hand and forearm protection as they can surpass the pain threshold of most.

On that note however, I got a pretty solid hit in to Gary Lewis during our round to his hands and most of the blow was placed on one specific finger. His finger swelled up pretty good, but it did not break it.

I really enjoyed the ability to work with the flats of the blades on these padded wasters and the guard is perfect for doing techniques out of the kron, off of the guard. I was also impressed that they showed no signs of breaking down and they felt very stout during binds and strikes. I am confident that these will hold up for a long time, well worth the money invested- thanks again Jeanry, now if you could just get them dipped..... later, Aaron

[Tim Merritt]

As a recently seperated active duty Air Force officer--Chris, you need to talk to your unit training officer. Your firearms training is a crime. I was only an engineer and fired a few times a year, excluding use of MILES, local excersises with just blanks...

Anyway, good comments on equipment maintenance, and let me add an observation. Alot of hockey helmets, lacross, riot helmets and such are used, but many (including mine) lack in the area of protecting the front of the throat. Seems a point of vulnerability easily overlooked.

[Brian Hunt]

Hi Tim,

good point about the throat protection. Even a padded weapon can do a lot of damage on a thrust to the throat. A good way to protect yourself in this area would be a gorget, even the padded bib on a 3 weapons fencing mask may not protect you against the heavier weapons we use, rather than the ones it is originally intended for.

just a thought.

Brian Hunt
GFS

[Jaron Bernstein]

Just a safety tip on getting hit in the throat. If you ever get hit in the windpipe and can't breath (whether in a fight or just training), close you mouth and breath through your nose.