Heavy Sparring Kit - Gear Review

[@Shindai]

In my second session I took a glancing blow to the groin, my cup clicked a bit so I knew contact was made. Didn't feel a thing. It wasn't until I got home that evening and took my gear off, and the cup was split down the middle. They get hot, your crotch will sweat and feel unpleasant, but if you go into sparring wearing literally nothing else, WEAR THE CUP. I'd rather go without a mask than a cup if I was forced to choose lol. That cup cost me like £5. No excuses ever. Always wear a cup fellas.

[@sigma6656]

Especially during intercourse XD

[@MarikHavair]

Never put your manhood in someone else mercy, not worth it, you'll regret everything.

[@Rocknoob49]

got a really "fancy" one for 15-20€, i forget the actual price right now. It's got super comfy rounded rubber edges, a hard shell with a few vents and came with a decent, very light holder. Fought against a dane axe who seemed to consistently snipe my groin, and I didnt even flinch. Without it I'd surely been out of commission for the day. GET A CUP.

[@sojjjer]

Baktillus I am fourteen and having to explain to my parents that I need a nut cup because I want to become a longswordsman was painful Still absolutely worth it

[@emceeunderdogrising]

@@sigma6656 I prefer a mask for that.

[@NinjaRabies]

Late to the party, but I have been doing sports fencing and one of the things I learned is that you can also get hard plastic chest protectors for men from Leon Paul (and other fencing suppliers).These can be useful for preventing broken ribs and generally to make sparring a little more comfortable. They are a bit limited in the sizes though.

[@AULIGAofBLEED]

really appreciate your videos. as a person who is just beginning in hema with a remote access to an established club, your videos are really helpful to me, and im sure the hema community in general. since my hometown is coquitlam i'll probably be stopping by for a session or two when im back there visiting. keep up the good work

[@SibylleLeon]

I broke a rib from a light thrust with a practice spear which was heavily padded with foam at the tip. Sooo stupid. But yeah, ribs are fragile. I also tore up the underside of my boob tissue (so, the inside. I was completely unmarked visually) which still feels weird 8 months later, so I'm very much in favour of both fencing jacket and chest protector!

[@TheApocalypticKnight]

There are cheap muay thai cups made of steel. The one I have is from RDX and it's wide, comfortable and good luck damaging that. So far I never had any painful nut shot in any sport wearing it.

[@gabrielvasquez9226]

*sigh* bring out the ball crusher

[@Jer20001]

Feels wierd to be mentioned in a youtube video :p It's great that you take the time to answer our questions. Thanks!

[@hjorturerlend]

I have had questions picked twice, once by Schola Gladiatoria (5 questions) and once by "The Great War" (out of the trenches) - sadly I didn´t have this awesome name at the time ;)

[@guillermodiazgranados4191]

On SPES Heavies. I used them to compete in my first longsword tournament not too long ago and I caught a zwerch to the thumb and it hurt like hell and burst open my thumb and I bled everywhere and a fellow clubmate got their thumb broken two tournaments prior. I would reccomend the polish Sparring gloves as I have used those since without incident. The thumb protection is just sorely lacking on the SPES heavies.

[@DaaaahWhoosh]

I've been trying to make my own gloves, and I can attest to the fact that thumbs are really hard to do right. Just putting plates on the top isn't going to prevent them from getting crushed by blunt force. Just from the pictures, it definitely looks like the SPES gloves fail on that front.

[@janejohnston3482]

The thumbs are definitely the least protective part of the glove and can be dangerous, and we'll actually be trying out a thumb protector insert for them very soon. For other parts of the hand they're definitely the most protective glove out there.

[@guillermodiazgranados4191]

Jane Johnston that would be great as otherwise the gloves are the cheapest and most available heavy glove in north america and if they fixed the thumb I would have no other complaints.

[@Ruskul]

It is tricky, but remember, you aren't just armoring the hand in general, but rather, the hand on a hilt. The plates need to be designed to transfer the force of a hit onto the hilt rather than the hand. The spes thumb plate is simply to shallow and rests on top of the thumb. It needs support, either from the heli or the opposing finger plate. The thumb plate needs to be deep enough to fit the thumb and rest on the weapon. A perfect gauntlet (if such a thing exists) theoretically should not even need padding... imo

[@MagnokTheMighty]

So, what you can do, is take some "thick"-ish neoprene and form it around the sides of your thumb, for side protection, and then force it into the glove. Just make sure it's not too thick. 1/2 or 1/4 an inch is plenty. It tends to form to your finger and is a cheap and easy solution. I personally have a pair of lacrosse gloves I have outfitted to work rather well.

[@alliaskis]

Could you make a video showing how you put on all that stuff?

[@superfluous9726]

Fencing shoes are a really good choice for hema. They're really flexible and purpose built for fencing. Edit: Carbon fiber body protectors have worked wonders for me, make sure if you get one it's prepreg and has kevlar enforcement. About 2-5mm. It'd take well over a thousand kg per square inch to break one.

[@Zequintiny]

Kg per square inch?? Are you metric or imperial? Pick pascals or psi

[@superfluous9726]

@@Zequintiny No I like kg per square inch because it angers everyone.

[@TudorFencing]

Yeah you "really" don't want to fence without a cup. Last time I was at out club I started fencing a guy and he thrust straight into my groin right off the bat. I was very thankful to have been wearing a cup that day.

[@rafaellopez9340]

it´s sad that all that gear is SO expensive :( spacially if you have to buy it online and ship it to South America

[@avillazamora3660]

Tercer mundo gang

[@exhale85]

Thanks for the review! I would suggest the Nutty Buddy cup! Looking for the SPES Skirt now! Thanks!

[@Pamjamelia]

...Huh. Suddenly I feel very nervous about my first tournament at the end of June. ;A; It's a novice nylon longsword tournament as part of Féile na Gaiscígh which is an event organised by the club I go to, but I'm not sure if protection is provided at the tournament itself. All I have is a mask, gloves and cup for protection, all of which are Red Dragon and I doubt I'll be able to surely afford a jacket before then without having to file for bankruptcy afterwards! Exaggerating, of course. Still, glad I watched this. Thanks for the tips.

[@fabricio-agrippa-zarate]

Jane, I am your absolute fan.

[@chickensandwich1589]

You no can has my Waifu ! :3

[@PerfectionHunter]

At 06:06 the leg armor, the "catchers", what brand are they? What sport are they from?

[@jarenshyers9024]

baseball, i have Easton catchers that look very similar and work well. search "baseball catcher legs" or something like that and you'll find it

[@PerfectionHunter]

@@jarenshyers9024 Thank you Jaren. I'm from Europe and we don't really have Baseball here (it's more of a small underground hobby here) so i had no idea what i was looking at. Now i'm trawling the American market to find good ones that is more fit for Hema. Again, thank you for answering.

[@punnydm12]

Sorry for the late question, but assuming one owns a hard chest protector of sorts, could they get away with a less layered jacket (although definitely more layered on the arms and maybe the back) for synthetic sparring? I've seen some of the jackets, and they seem a little pricey, so I was thinking of making my own fencing jacket of sorts, but layering several layers of fabric would be easier to sew by hand rather than machine which is time consuming; and I'm unsure what form of batting could be substantial enough to withstand full intensity sparring if I were to use only two or three layers.

[@planesrift]

they look lovely

[@johnhill9595]

Good luck getting anything from South Coast - I have a custom jacket ordered 8/20/18 and a fauld ordered 10/5/18. Still no word...

[@the513sojourner6]

Odd question, but please bear with me. In all seriousness, what do you wear UNDER your jacket? Is it just a tshirt, or is there some sort of light gambeson type thing for additional padding? Is the SPES alone enough to take the sting out of steel? I get that it's not supposed to feel good getting hit, but having never laid hands on a SPES jacket (or any HEMA jacket) I had to ask. Also, what about the hips and thighs? Hockey girdle, baseball sliding pants, or just regular shorts? Thanks!

[@DragonguyA]

This may seem (and probably is) a stupid question but can you wear heavy sparring gear while lightly sparring? I'm learning the sword and buckler techniques the guy that was teaching me sword and buckler also recommended that I also try longsword training. If I were to spar and used light armor I would end up more than just injured so can I interchangeably use heavy gear for both light and heavy sparring?

[@Lobster_Lars]

Spes Lobster gloves are way better now than they used to be. I'm waiting for the THOKK weaponmaster gloves.

[@Ruskul]

Hey, I just wanted to say, I really appreciate your videos. I do have a question however- I feel the hema community in general is very for "off-the-shelf" gear. I understand the reasons for it (professional look, standards/known quality , easy for a beginner to buy, etc...). But I notice that in many cases, the hema community could learn a lot from other other communities that have already have solutions to protection problems. I by no means am an expert, but I have noticed a few things: I just got a pair of Spes Heavy gloves. They are more expensive than my sca mittens (of steal and leather), and have less mobility and LESS protection!! Have you tried, or have you had access to sca gloves? and if so, what about them is unsuitable for hema? Now that I have my spes gloves, I don't see why I was told to buy them, instead of simply using my sca gauntlets. There are even sca kydex or abs gauntlets that are cheaper, less bulky, and engineered to deal with much more force than the SPes gloves seem to be able to take. I just don't feel safe in the spes gloves, AND they don't seem more restrictive, which is odd to me. I've been fighting in gauntlets (mostly heavy spear for a few years, and have gotten to wear a number of sca gloves, most of which I recall liking better than my SPes gloves. Gorgets, for hema specifically, are also pricey, coming in around US $50+. But for sca rapier, and for heavy, they cost the same for custom jobs, often involve better protection, etc... Again, what are the advantages of going for gear specifically made for "hema"? when existing gear could better be adapted. Lastly, I noticed that you do indeed have custom elbows. What prompted that decision? After getting my hands on quite a bit of hema gear, included whats noted above, I think I should do all my gear custom. Most of the hema specific gear seems overpriced (as in, you can get custom sca gear for example) and offers less protection than some equivalents. What is your take on this? It seems the sca community is perfectly situated to address protection problems in Hema- they also have an excellent safety record (at least, so I have been told). Whats your take on this? Am I ignorant of something obvious, or perhaps missing some crucial assumptions or motivations? I mean, if you are going to use hockey gear, why not use sca gear, for example? The biggest concern though, for me, is how miserable head protection is in hema. I have a PBT hema warrior mask, it it has so many flaws all of which is because it is based on a fencing mask instead of a helmet. Getting hit straight down on top of the head, or into the jaw is no joke.... anyway, I'm rambling Cheers, and thanks!

[@CzornyLisek]

Ruskul SCA as Society of Creative Anachronism can be easily seen as part of HEMA As HEMA is any non-modern European fighting and everything around it. And as far I can see SCA is kinda super safe. Well HEMA isn't intended to be super safe anyway. In HEMA there are sparings with sharps swords and no protective gear what so ever. Also things like bare-knuckle boxing also go under HEMA even those with extremas like biting off somebody fingers ect. About costs there is already shit ton of manufacturers that sell equipment at all kind if prices and levels of quality.

[@adamplentl5588]

@@CzornyLisek what dumb ass is sparring with edges and no safety gear?

[@Josh-bi2gy]

@@adamplentl5588 a group of germans

[@dgoodwin6945]

I could not help but notice that at the beginning of your comment it states "a question". Naturally, I was curious as to what your quest was so I clicked on the show more option. What emerged was enough writing that it could have nearly been mistaken as an essay with a multitude of questions. Nevertheless, a decent read, cheers.

[@ering1107]

@@dgoodwin6945 "What is unsuitable about custom/sca gear for hema and why do some hema schools/tournies look down on it?" I think that is the theme of the question with the added assumption that custom gear currently can be much safer (with examples provided)

[@afterzanzibar]

How hot is it when your in full gear?

[@pangboi3453]

I want to get a synthetic longsword mostly for drills and light sparring with my friend, Of course i will get head protection and my friend has an extra pair of sparring gloves for me, but as for leg, arm, and body protection, what about using a heat gun to shape pvc sheet/unrolled pvc pipe to make the extra pieces for light/medium protective gear?

[@dildarhussain5331]

Hi sir

[@dildarhussain5331]

We are manfacturer and supplier of hema kit fencing

[@ballisticsquid]

My God. Such poetry!

[@guy661]

hi guys, does this sparring gear work well for unarmed marial arts aswell like groin and side kicks?

[@jamesrussels2126]

Are Jane and Lee still at the school? Havent seen them recent vids, although I could missed them.

[@BloodandIronHEMA]

Yep they are :) Scheduling just has been problematic for the last little while

[@guybucknell4481]

Would this kit be ideal for quarterstaff or traditional Chinese staff martial arts?

[@custodianvrael6471]

For some sections of armour i.e the gloves is it alright to use some pieces of Buhurt gear?

[@CaballeroDeOtono]

There are any difference in gambeson or that jackets?

[@marco5w221]

Here in brazil HEMA equipment is very VERY expensive ( one pair of the infinity gloves coasts more then the minimum wage.... here this glove costes around 2500 reais and the minimum wage is 1200 reais). So even wen we do a heavy steel longsowrd sparr we just use a jacket, mask and gloves.

[@dildarhussain5331]

Hi sir

[@dildarhussain5331]

We are also manfacturer and supplier of hema kit fencing

[@dildarhussain5331]

If you have need anything about hema gear please contact with us

[@Cherokie89]

Are groin shots normally legal in most hema competitions/sparring? Seems like most of what you'd hit with a 4 strike is... groin.

[@dildarhussain5331]

Hi

[@dildarhussain5331]

We are manfacturer and supplier of hema kit fencing

[@robertsuchocki7908]

Can you use it for escrima stick fighting

[@SwongoBricks]

great video. i have a question though. i ordered a blackfencer waster for sparring practice. could i actually use a medieval helmet (sugar loaf helmet with arming cap (of course :P)) instead of a fencing mask for protection or would you not recommend that?

[@codycarter5902]

the eyeslits would allow a blade to penetrate , youd need to have it modified to put a fencing mask style mesh over that. and even then, you'd be severely hindered, youd have a much heavier helmet, less head movement, and have like 1/10th the vision as your opponent. This is coming from someone who wanted to do the same exact thing. You might want to look into SCA cut and Thrust, or Adrian Empire, for armored steel combat

[@SwongoBricks]

okay, thx a lot for the reply. i'll look into it :)

[@dildarhussain5331]

Hi

[@dildarhussain5331]

We are manfacturer and supplier of hema kit fencing if you have need anything about hema please contact with us

[@snachev2010]

Have you guys reviewed the koning gloves?

[@BloodandIronHEMA]

We had a pair of the originals, but by the time we finished testing them out and had them ready for review St Mark already had the 2nd version starting production so there wasn't much of a point. We didn't like the originals so we didn't want to criticize an outdated product. We don't have a pair of the new version at our school, but from what we've tried in the field we don't like those ones either.

[@snachev2010]

Blood and Iron HEMA that makes me sad, I have used my konings for a while now and I think that they are an amazing glove in terms of what it offers in mobility and protection. What did you not like about the gloves just wondering if there is something I should be concerned about?

[@liambanks1827]

Steel BM/Polish Sabre, what gloves do you use?

[@heartsongsKat]

I checked out the Leon Paul chest protectors, and they don't have my specific bra size. Do you think it would be wildly uncomfortable to have a size that's a little off? Could one, say, take the straps off and wear it beneath a tight shirt?

[@janejohnston3482]

heartsongsKat My chest protector isn't actually my correct bra size (got it before I got professionally sized), but it still fits really well and doesn't constrain me. Bras have sister sizes, so if they don't have yours specifically it's possible they may have something that will fit the same while not being your exact size (32C is the same as a 34B, for example). If you want more details or some extra help figuring out what's best for you, you can message me via the Blood and Iron Facebook page. :)

[@8L0ND1E_WOLF]

I'm thinking about starting Longsword Hema, but all the armor stores online aren't in U.S. currency. Where can I find beginner gear in U.S. Dollars ?

[@stevefelten1197]

Now I want to get into this sport I love mid evil combat, I am a practitioner of martial arts.

[@batteredwarrior]

*medieval 😉

[@bavier6355]

A) where can I go for longswords in CaliforniaB) can I even legally own a longsword in CaliforniaC) is longsword sparring a bad place to start because whenever I want to do something I'm usually interested in the worst place to start.

[@donmadlung3642]

Look up South Coast Swords

[@bavier6355]

thanks

[@donmadlung3642]

Oh, Kron is in LA as well. They will get you going but generally you want to work on lighter stuff first for sparring simply because of the lesser investment needed. Check out the light gear vid. Fortunately most of the techniques and guards cross over for most weapon sets either directly or indirectly.

[@TheMonist_]

We got Robert Baratheon over here....

[@Saya-fs1jo]

,im totaly new to even thinking of the sport, is there any commonality in useing reproduction armour during practice? seems well suited more under a historic mindset and not near as expensive as I've ever thought. assuredly they have downsides. but it would seem a more all in one solution for those more historical then sport minded, or those that do any role play/larp, and there's just more novelty. (of course modern headgear is a given)

[@Yggdracyril]

Why do you spar barefoot in training, but would say shoes are mandatory for tournament? Everytime I wear shoes I have so much less controll over my footwork and therefore I spar barefoot whenever possible, even in a tournament. Do you consider this reckless?

[@janejohnston3482]

It depends on the intensity of your sparring and the amount of control and trust you place in your partners. I've never come across a tournament didn't mandate shoes, and it is safer. Not all of our people wear shoes because regular shoes damage our mats, and we trust our training partners not to go there. Accidents do happen though. I would recommend you find shoes that don't hinder you control - Lee likes Vibram five fingers because it feels like being barefoot, so you could give those a try.

[@donmadlung3642]

Tournaments rarely are fought on mats at least in my experience. Frequently it's a gym floor or carpet. Bare feet suck on both

[@timothylaverdiere629]

A recommendation get minimalist shoes. The pads on the bottom are very minimal so you have more control. Then just get pads that go over the top.

[@Euclidiuss]

All the gear is so bloody expensive. Im entry level at this point, i have two synthetic longswords, and some gear I threw together for myself. Mask, overlay, cup, lacrosse gloves, motorcross arm and leg protection (big mistake apparently), a gambeson, and a red dragon gorget. Since none of my gear is suited for heavy sparring, I'm only going to be able to do light sparring for a long time, as alot of this equipment is pretty bootleg. But hey, I'll get better gear as time goes on, and sparring intesnity will increase gradually. But for now, I'm on a tight budget as a gas station employee and I'm gonna have to make compromises for myself and my friends, who are also entry level. Odds are, we will sustain a few injuries.

[@patriotr582]

I was looking at the spes heavy gloves when the guy slapped the girls mask and she said "don't hit me in the face" obviously i had to go back and watch it to see if he really did

[@jameswoodard4304]

Yes, American healthcare can be expensive without good insurance, but there's a reason Canada is allowing private hospitals to operate again. If it's not life threatening, you had better be willing to wait forever and receive lower quality of care in the Canadian system. Sometimes for non-life-threatening conditions, waiting the extra months severly increases the seriousness of the condition. Of course, with the vast differeces in economy and population size and concentrations, it's not always a great idea to make direct comparisons.

[@juanpablogonzalezs.v.8319]

i ruptured my partners spleen with a single kick once:( i had padding on my shins too. So i would defenetly think a synthetic sword can be pretty dangerous

[@chickensandwich1589]

Jane is still best girl 😻

[@MikeKnell2884]

Jane, you trolling poet, that hair... You're triggering me, Jane-sus.

[@Tadechicotah]

This is so inspiring! A couple who trains Hema! I'll put my wife into the game at once!

[@jamesreed4229]

Gabriel Pilati they're not married bro. Nicole Smit is Less wife.

[@Spitefire6]

damn, at the club I go to we just use gloves :p surprisingly few of us get hurt though. just teaches us to pull blows for on camera :p

[@Gatsu1995]

Spitefire6 what intensity do you spar at?

[@Spitefire6]

All the fights we do are mostly choreographed, while we use Hema we train for fighting in films and tv shows. we start with an 45 of long-sword, usually shinai but sometimes steel, 15 minutes of free style with shinai, 30 minutes choreographed single handed, followed by either steel single handed or different fighting (with spear, sword n board, stuff like that) I agree it is a bit different to hema, but it still surprises me how little protection we have.

[@chickensandwich1589]

Jeeez... I wish I was that microphone! wait, what...?

[@scdallav]

In The Forge saying "Sorry" will draw pushups.

[@donmadlung3642]

We usually do push ups for doubles at BnI

[@kekarthurthebastard226]

Wow these folks b rich.

[@Mehboobshoukat5689]

Hi bro , its looking interesting ......can you plz tell me the name of the game.....is it fencing .....n what specialities about it ...n where it is famous to play ?? Don't feel weird ti it ...hoping will ans me .....thnks

[@chickensandwich1589]

Jane is best girl. :3

[@filbertthewizard9950]

*S A W R Y*

[@siestatime4638]

My brother's wife is Canuck and claims to love hockey, but she still can't explain "icing" to me...

[@chriswedemann8599]

Siesta Time Icing is when the defending team gets to the side with the puck before the assault team.

[@donmadlung3642]

icing is when a team dumps a puck down the ice past the goal line from their own zone, and an opposing team player (not goalie) gets to the puck first. Whistle is blown and play goes back to offending teams end for a faceoff. It's to keep players from just dumping the puck out of the zone 'willy nilly'

[@GamerMax]

Wow, that feels over-encumbered to me; not even my swordmaster at my school goes that heavy. I think the full-leg guards slow you down. I think socks and knee protectors work fine, and the issue I have with the total knee and shin is they don't protect the side of the knee. Finally, I would debate the gloves; show me one pair that offers legit protection...I haven't found one yet.

[@devekut2]

longsword without a cup. savage AND idiotic.

[@ColtDouglasMusic]

Sucks you guys are in Canada. I'd love to be able to meet people who actually know what they're talking about. Plus, You're in CANADA! I feel so sorry for you guys. Pretty boy Justin is horrible. lol.

[@TheApocalypticKnight]

Pretty what? She's a princess trapped in man's body.

[@HobieH3]

Sorry ("saurry" is, I think, the Canadian spelling), but your haiku was terrible.

[@guy661]

hi guys, does this sparring gear work well for unarmed marial arts aswell like groin and side kicks?