Martials arts are inherently physically risky. It is, after all, a simulation of violence. The first line of defense in your and your opponent’s physical safety is control of your weapon. We teach students with this basic fact in mind. Your opponent is ‘lending’ you their body for training, treat it with the same respect you wish to be treated. Communicate with your opponent how fast or hard you want to go, and even in competition, never go so hard or reckless that you intentionally cause harm.
Also remember: not all disabilities are visible.
That being said, the second line of defense is your gear, and we all want to look fine too! So, here is Steelbound’s official gear advice. Steelbound expects students to invest in their own gear, and while it is tempting to buy a sword first 😉 protection should be your primary purchase. After some experience you will be in a better position to invest in a sword.
For the Introduction Course you only need basic sport gear. We provide minimal gear to you, which can also be loaned from Steelbound after the introduction course if no one is using it.
“Coming soon.”
– Fiore de’i Liberi, 1409
Basic sport gear
Any indoor sport shoes (like for tennis, boxing, etc) is acceptable, and sport clothing you feel comfortable in. Because even synthetic weapon simulators can hurt on exposed skin, we request that shorts/skirts be at least knee length and tops cover the chest and shoulders adequately.
Minimal gear
Masks, gorget (throat protection) and gloves, designed for H.E.M.A standards and the discipline you are studying. With this gear you can do paired exercises in the lessons without having to borrow protection from Steelbound. Teachers may ask for specific gear combinations for tailored exercises. When light sparring with synthetic swords you will also need elbow protection. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.
Full gear
This gets you ready for tournaments and the full range of sparring with steel swords. A 1600N mask & overlay; hard shin, knee & elbow protection; hard plate gloves with forearm protection or a separate forearm protection; a chest plate; a (minimum 350N) fencing jacket and finally a (minimum 350N) fencing skirt/pants that reach over the knee. With the exception of shin, knee and elbow protection which can be from other impact sports, everything else should be gear designed for H.E.M.A. and of reasonable quality.
Pro tip: if you think you may need to make major modification to a gear piece to meet our standards, it’s probably not reasonable quality.
Please ask the teachers or board for a list of recommended sellers and last but not least, measure twice before making an order. Don’t complain if you spent hundreds of euros on gear which is not allowed because you didn’t check with us!
