Posts Tagged ‘fencing gear’

Fencing Shoes: The Nike Ballestra

Along with a healthy attitude and adequate staying power, a fencer also requires a few other things when fencing. If you are outfitting yourself for competition it’s a bit more complicated. If you’re starting out you need a fencing jacket, mask, glove and fencing equipment. The fencing swords you use to practice with includes a foil, saber or epee.

Many clubs will help beginners by lending them fencing gear when they are just starting out. Once you complete a beginner course, you will be hooked, and will want to get your own fencing gear. There are a couple of different options for beginners.

The first option is to buy the equipment piece-wise, until you have a full set. The other option is to purchase a starter kit, these kits contain all the basic elements of fencing requirements already assemble and sold as a unit. You have a list of required items, but what do you do with it? Prior to purchasing or using your own equipment it is important to have a solid basic understanding of both capability and purpose of each item.

The fencing jacket is to assist protect the fencer. It’s important to choose a jacket that is well made and that will give adequate protection. The US does not have a set standard minimum constraint, though Europe requires a particular standard of protection. For international tournaments like Olympic fencing, the requirement is greater.

The basic uniforms are sufficient for the beginner. If you choose cotton material you will find the price to be much more reasonable, but it is much hotter and heavier to wear. The other option is synthetic material which is a bit more expensive, but it is a much lighter weight.

The selection of the protective mask is an important factor to consider. You will want to be completely confident that the mask does not push on the very top of the head or chin, and that it has plenty of interior padding that allows it to fit perfectly. There are non-electric gloves available, but it is generally suggested that purchasing a cuffed glove that is suitable for electric fencing is a much better choice.

To easily attach the body cord to an electric weapon, use a cuff like this one. They come in all standard sizes and can also be obtained as gloves. This will give you an enhanced fit, but the cost will be higher. In order to thrust, the foil is used. It has an extremely slender blade and a round or foiled edge. When striking your adversary, the blade of the foil bows so that you do not hurt anyone.