Shield sizes

[Mason Pluzak]

Having just remade my heater shield I noticed how short it is. Holding it out it covers me quite well but it doesn't do anything for my legs (Shield measurements are 18" * 24" and it begins to taper at 15"). It goes down to my hips. Is that too small for a heater shield?

Looking at page 108 in Medieval Swordsmanship I see that their heater is about the same for me so I'm assuming that's correct (it just makes my legs feel very exposed)

How would I defend my legs with such a seemingly small shield?

[Eric Allen]

You know, I've actually been wondering about the "proper" size for a heater shield as well.

Your best bet to protect the legs is to move them. When your opponent strikes at your legs, try to get out of the way. That said, you CAN use the shield, you just have to drop your arm down and perhaps squat a bit, but its not a fool-proof plan.

I've messed around with this a bit with my round shields. I had my sister charge at me and swing for my leading leg while I tried to defend from the blow. Even knowing where the strike was going, I only managed to block with the shield less than half the time. If I steppedout of the way, or even into her, the failure rate dropped significantly. Lesson I learned: move.

[Craig Peters]

As Eric has indicated, it is primarily through footwork that you defend your legs. You want to be careful about dropping your shield down to defend against a lower strike as it immediately opens up the upper blossen to attacks.

One of the advantages of a smaller shield like a heater shield is that you can cover different lines of attack much more quickly than you can with a kite shield or even a larger round shield. A heater shield is probably not as good as a buckler in this regard, but it's still more mobile than most shields.

[Nathan Dexter]

Hi.
My heater is close to that size and it works wonderfully, yours should be fine.

[Kevin-Irizarry]

Personally, I would keep a smaller shield, enough to protect the midsection and the groin. As stated above, footwork is one of the best options, no extra weight, and no getting used to a larger shield.