Introduction to Gear & Equipment
Detail your services
Protective Equipment and Gear:
HEMA is a full contact martial art utilizing training swords (blunt or synthetic). HEMA requires protective equipment and gear and as you progress you will want to acquire your own kit. When you get started in the club you can use our loaner equipment. However, you will soon want to acquire your own equipment.
A full kit for tournaments will cost around $1,500 (for a recent discussion on the affordability and costs of HEMA see this article). You don’t need to buy this all at once! We recommend you buy this gear as you come to need it. Take the time to try things out and decide what works best for you and your goals. There are a lot of options and combinations, so many of your choices will come down to personal preference.
The following is a list of gear you should aim to acquire, in order of importance for training and safety. This is based on our club’s safety policies and training progression.
We have provided some links to suitable gear as examples. This list is intended to orient you to the types of equipment available, it is not exhaustive or definitive. Training weapons are discussed at the bottom.
We are not affiliated with any of these stores in any way, and you may find better deals or other suitable options elsewhere. We also have links to suppliers on our Helpful Links page.
If you’re unsure about any particular equipment, we recommend you run it by the club’s leadership to be sure it is suitable before purchasing.
You may also find this spreadsheet of HEMA equipment useful. (outside link)
Basic Training Gear:
This is what you need to start practicing.
Clothing:
Clothing suitable for exercise (i.e. t-shirt and shorts, tracksuits, sweatsuits, yoga pants, etc.). As long as you can move and are comfortable this is up to you.
Shoes:
Our club practices on turf, sprung wood flooring, and mats. We recommend you wear light athletic shoes that are appropriate on court surfaces (i.e. basketball courts) and turf. This is largely a personal choice on your part. The only real requirement is that the shoes are closed toe and are not cleated. Non-marking soles are a plus. Keep in mind you will be moving a lot and that you won’t regret having good ankle support.
Members wear tennis shoes (multicourt), sneakers, indoor soccer shoes (not cleats!), wrestling shoes (not recommended on turf), etc.
Gloves:
While optional, we recommend that you wear leather (or similar) gloves. They provide minor abrasion protection, protect you from blisters, and improve sword handling. They also tend to improve the fit and comfort levels of hand protection gear. Some members wear Mechanix gloves, baseball gloves, other thin leather, and some members like cotton gloves. If you would like more protection and some forearm coverage you might consider padded sword gloves, welding gloves, rigger’s gloves, or rose pruning gloves.
Super Soft Gloves – Darkwood Armory
Protective Gear:
After your first practice or two, you will need to start acquiring basic protective equipment. This list is in order of importance to allow you to progress in practice.
Groin and Breast protection:
We strongly recommend everyone wear groin protection at all practices. It is a requirement to wear groin protection for anything other than solo drills if you have testicles. Shock Doctor cups are available at local sporting goods stores and are what most members use. External cups for martial arts are also acceptable if they are closely fitted. If you have breasts we recommend you use breast protection.
Head and throat protection:
Helmet and Mask:
A fencing mask with back of the head protection to protect your head, face, and eyes from injury during drills and sparring.
Most Protection:
Wukusi Cobra Fencing Mask – SoCal Swords
Suitable Protection:
HEMA Fencing Mask (woodenswords.com)
Gorget:
To protect your throat during drills and sparring.
More Protective:
PBT Gorget (Throat Protector) (woodenswords.com)
Suitable Protection:
Roughneck Gorget (woodenswords.com)
Hand Protection:
In addition to our recommendation on gloves above, to spar and drill with weapons that don’t have built-in-hand protection (i.e. longswords) you will need heavy-duty protective gloves designed for Historical European fencing. There are several designs and we recommend you borrow and try a few out at practice before buying any:
Mitten and Hoof Designs:
https://sparringglove.com/en/?v=d8e3950b4591
https://supfen.com/product/hema-gloves/hfg0705.html
Clamshells:
https://supfen.com/product/hema-gloves/hfg0701.html
https://www.woodenswords.com/Heavy_Duty_Gloves_s/2678.htm
Five Fingered Gloves:
The only five fingered glove we currently recommend is the CHGF Gabriel 2.0. While these may have improved dexterity over the clamshell, hoof, and mitten designs they do not offer the same level of protection. Getting hit on a single finger in this style of glove can be very painful.
https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/wu.glv.finger.htm
https://socalswords.com/collections/gear/products/gabriel-2-0-5-finger-hema-glove
Hard Joint Protection and Vambraces:
Protection for your forearms, elbows, and knees.
Forearms and elbows:
SF HEMA Forearm Elbow Protector - Pair | Historical Fencing Gear Supplier | Supfen
SPES "Geko" Forearm Protectors PRO (woodenswords.com)
Knees:
for Men & Women (Multiple Colors),Black: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement
Combo knees and shins:
Red Dragon Shin Guards - Pair (woodenswords.com)
Economy Knee Guards with Side Wrap (Pair) (woodenswords.com)
Torso Protection:
Jackets:
A fencing jacket with a minimum of 350 newton penetration resistance (some tournaments require 800 newton and above), to minimize the bruising and injury from hits to the body during drills and fencing and to minimize the risk of penetration in the case of a broken blade. Fencing Jackets made for HEMA are recommended. Some jackets are heavier and more protective, while lighter jackets provide more mobility and are cooler (an important consideration in Tallahassee but all jackets are hot). Some jackets have rigid plastic protection as inserts or attached to the outside of the jacket, keeping the external attachments on jackets is sometimes frustrating. All the major HEMA suppliers offer several jacket options, you should have a fairly good idea of your preferences and needs by the time you start to need one.
HEMA Sparring Jacket - AR7015 - Dark Knight Armoury
SPES AP Plus Light Jacket (woodenswords.com)
SPES AP NG PRO, Jacket 800N (woodenswords.com)
SPES Hussar Jacket 800N (woodenswords.com)
SF Thermo Ventilation HEMA Jacket 800N | Historical Fencing Gear Supplier | Supfen
Heavy HEMA Jacket – SoCal Swords
"Colonel" Fencing Jacket – SoCal Swords
Plastrons:
Plastrons are recommended to provide additional protection from thrusts. Some go over your fencing jacket and some under.
Hard Plastic Under Jacket:
Absolute Fencing Plastron – SoCal Swords
Padded Over Jacket:
SPES Body Protector Plastron Level 2 (woodenswords.com)
Lower Body Protection:
Fencing Pants:
A fencing jacket with a minimum of 350 newton penetration resistance (some tournaments require 800 newton and above), to minimize the bruising and injury from hits to the body during drills and fencing and to minimize the risk of penetration in the case of a broken blade.
HEMA Sparring Pants - AR7024 - Dark Knight Armoury
SF HEMA Pluderhose Pants 350N | Historical Fencing Gear Supplier | Supfen
Short Lightweight Pants, SPES, 350N (woodenswords.com)
Battle Skirt:
An option to increase protection of your thighs.
SPES Thigh Protection Skirt Level 2, 800N (woodenswords.com)
Shin Guards:
Protection for your shins.
Shin Guards - Harrow (woodenswords.com)
Amazon.com : Grays G800 Shinguards Size: Small Black/Silver : Sports & Outdoors
Combo knees and shins:
Red Dragon Shin Guards - Pair (woodenswords.com)
Economy Knee Guards with Side Wrap (Pair) (woodenswords.com)
Training Weapons
We have feders (a term for blunt longsword simulators) to loan at practice for new members. Everyone wants to get a training sword as soon as possible, after all that’s why you are interested in HEMA. However, remember you can practice at home with any sword like object (i.e. a right=sized stick) and you should not be doing fast or oppositional drilling without the required protective equipment. Review the safety policy to see what that entails.
Most of our members acquire a feder around the two-month mark, but you should take your time and try some different examples to see what you like. Particularly if you are purchasing an expensive steel feder. Other weapons like the dussack (a single hand weapon) or rondel (a medieval dagger) can be purchased later as you expand your training to include them.
There are steel and synthetic (nylon and plastic) feders on the market. We recommend you start by purchasing a synthetic feder. You can choose to buy a steel feder first, but they are more expensive and often have long wait times for manufacturing and shipping. Synthetic feders are also safer to use before you have all the protective gear because unlike steel they have no risk of breakage and creating a puncture risk.
There are a few general types of synthetic feders, the ones linked below are the most suitable for our club due to being constructed from similar materials. They are compatible with the majority of the feders in our club for drills and sparring.
Meyer Longsword Trainer (woodenswords.com)
Type III Pentti Longsword 50" (woodenswords.com)
Tournament Feder – SoCal Swords