Getting started in HEMA doesn’t have to be an expensive pursuit. As you begin with our school, very little equipment is necessary, all we require is athletic clothing and training shoes. As you progress you’ll want to start gradually acquiring your own gear at certain levels, to make things a little easier we’ve compiled a list of required and recommended equipment with links to a few good options. This is by no means an exhaustive list of vendors and options but pretty much the best options.
As a general note, NSHF prefers that jackets and uniforms be black, let’s face it – black is definitely the coolest choice and you want to look good fencing right? 🙂
Mask and back of head protection
A fencing mask is the most essential piece of equipment to first acquire, along with back of the head protection. After completing our “Intro to Longsword” course, all students are required to purchase their own mask with a separate back of the head protector in order to continue further. It’s worth investing in a quality mask that will be offer adequate protection and last you through years of training. We have 3 options listed, a basic, middle of the road, and top quality option, all are suitable and safe for training, and primarily depend on your budget. There are many options for mask/overlays, the primary requirements are that the mask have 350N or 1600N (bib resistance) rating and either be CE Level 1 or CE Level 2 (mesh strength) rated. The Absolute Force option is the most affordable option, the PBT a middle of road option and the Allstar is widely accepted as the best all around quality with the strongest mesh. When deciding on BOH overlay, make sure to get the appropriate size to fit your mask.
Absolute Force Mask 350N CE Level 1
https://www.woodenswords.com/Absolute_Force_HEMA_Basic_Fencing_Mask_p/af.mask.basic.htm
PBT Mask, 1600N, CE Level 1
https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/p-mask.std.htm
AllStar mask, 1600N, CE Level 2
https://www.blue-gauntlet.com/Allstar-1600N-FIE-Epee-fencing-MASK_p_3668.html
BOH/Mask Overlays
https://www.woodenswords.com/HEMA_Back_of_the_Head_s/1926.htm
Gloves
We recommend “Sparring Gloves” as the best overall option for longsword training as they are the current gold standard. Either the mitten or hoof glove option. Gloves for longsword fencing need both adequate protection and sufficient mobility, and “Sparring Gloves” are the best overall in this regard. There are other glove makers but most lack either the same protection or mobility.
The next best option are “Spes” heavy mittens, they offer great protection but are a bit more cumbersome than “Sparring gloves.”
“Red Dragon” gloves are suitable for drilling and light contact work and dussack training but not for longsword sparring.
After buying your own mask, you’ll want to look into investing into your own gloves, HEMA gloves are quite expensive, but definitely worth the investment! We highly recommend “Sparring Gloves” as the best all around option.
https://hemasupplies.com/product-category/gloves/
https://www.woodenswords.com/SPES_Heavy_Gloves_Full_Hard_Thumb_p/spes-gloves.full.htm
https://www.woodenswords.com/Red_Dragon_HEMA_Gloves_p/glove.red.dragon.htm
Training Swords/Feder
For the first few months of training, our beginner’s use synthetic longswords, they offer a safe and affordable option for learning fundamentals. We have plenty available at the school so there’s no need to purchase your own unless you want to get extra training in at home. All students entering our Intermediate class are require to purchase their own steel longsword; often refered to as a “Feder,” all drills and training after our beginner’s courses are conducted with steel.
This is once again an investment, so you’ll want to look into all the various options. We highly recommend Sigi Forge longswords, they offer one of the best training swords around and are reasonably priced. The only downside is wait times can be from 3-7month. So its better to order one sooner rather than later.
Regenyei armory is also a very good option and have a much shorter wait time. Though they lack some of the finer qualities of Sigi Forge, they are still very good training swords and have been in ues for many years. Links to each are listed below.
https://www.woodenswords.com/Type_III_Pentti_Longsword_50_p/type-iii-50.fuller.htm
Shoes
General athletic shoes are fine for historical fencing. Volleyball, badminton or sport fencing shoes are an even better good option as they are light and allow for quick footwork and have a relatively thin sole. Wrestling shoes are not recommended as we do a lot of running and a variety of calisthenic training and they are not optimal in this regard.
Jacket
There are numerous options for fencing jackets, with light and heavily padded options. The primary requirement is that the jacket should be 350N puncture resistant, all standard HEMA jackets should meet this requirement. The “Spes AP Plus” jacket is hands down the best all around jacket in use and is of great quality, it’s one of the best options to start with and the gold standard in HEMA jackets. There are many other makers of jackets, but we highly recommend the Spes AP Plus. There is a men’s version and ladies version, linked below.
They also offer custom sizing, so if you don’t fit well within the common size chart, it is definitely recommended to order a custom size, very much worth the extra money.
Lastly, NSHF requires jackets/uniforms to be black, its definitely the coolest and most badass look, looking good while fighting is very important after all. 😉
https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/spes-jp-m.htm
https://www.woodenswords.com/SPES_AP_Plus_Women_s_Jacket_350N_p/spes-jp-w.htm
Chest protection
A plastic plastron is often used underneath the jacket for extra protection against thrusts. It is not required but highly recommended for women.
https://www.woodenswords.com/Absolute_Force_Chest_Protector_p/af.chest.htm
https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/p-chest.extend.women.htm
Throat
Rigid throat protection is a must, Purpleheart armory has several options. Whats most important is that it is rigid and fits underneath the jackets unless specifically designed to go on the outside. There are many options, some with additional chest and collarbone protection.
https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/p-gorget.htm
Groin
A standard athletic cup is required for men during all high intensity drilling and sparring
Elbows
Rigid elbow protection is required, any sort of elbow guard is usually fine as long as it properly fits your jacket. The spes elbow guards are affordable and made to fit perfectly on the Spes jacket.
https://www.woodenswords.com/SPES_Hard_Elbow_Guards_Pair_p/spes-elbow-h.htm
Legs, knees, shins
HEMA fencing pants are highly recommended and offer extra padding for the thighs and 350N puncture resistance, they are mostly necessary for sparring.
For the knees and shins there are many options, The “Spes” knee and shin protectors are good options, they are affordable, simple and lightweight and fit with the rest of the kit.
https://www.woodenswords.com/SPES_Hard_Knee_Guards_Pair_p/spes-knee-h.htm
https://www.woodenswords.com/SPES_Hard_Shin_Guards_Pair_p/spes-shin-h.htm
Nashville School of Historical Fencing 