Fencing Equipment For The Beginner
In addition to a good attitude and a dose of patience, there are several things a fencer needs to actually fence. While equipping oneself for a competition is a little more involved, to get started one just needs fencing jacket, mask, glove and fencing equipment or practice weapon. Foil, sabre or epee are the main fencing weapons.
If you are new to the sport, most organizations will offer "loaner" <a href="http://shop.fencing.net/Articles.asp?ID=131" target="_blank">fencing equipment</a> during your initial training sessions. After you have mastered the fundamentals, you will be ready to purchase some <a href="http://shop.fencing.net/" target="_blank">fencing gear</a>. Two possibilities exist for the newcomer.
The first is to procure individual items one at a time until you have a full set and the second solution is to buy a starter kit. These fencing starter kits have all the basic requirements items pre-assembled and sold as a bundle. You have the list of equipments that you require, but now what? Before you really purchase anything or start using your new equipment, it’s a good plan to have a basic understanding of the capability and purpose of each.
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 <a href="http://shop.fencing.net/Articles.asp?ID=131" target="_blank">Olympic fencing</a>, 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 mask is used for safety so make sure you choose a mask that is equipped with enough padding, fits well and doesn’t bear down on the top of your head or your chin. Although you can buy non-electric gloves, it really is worthwhile to get a glove equipped with a cuff that you can wear for electric fencing.
This cuff lets you to effortlessly connect the body cord from under your sleeve to an electric weapon. These are sized either as small, medium or large, or in separate glove sizes. Going for gloves that are individually sized will generally get you a better fit but they tend to be more costly. The foil is intended for thrusting. The blade is very thin, with a rounded or foiled tip. Foil blades are flexible enough to bend upon striking an opponent, in order to avoid injuries.
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