SWORD FIGHTING GEAR
for kids to Have Safe Fun

 

 

So what are properly protected kids wearing to their Chinese sword fighting lessons these days? Do they need foam swords, armour, helmets, or what? I'll show you what ours are wearing and why:

Minimum Equipment For Beginners

• Fencing mask
• Sword
• Forearm protection
• Gloves

Click on these thumbnail images for a larger photo.

Sword Fighting Gear For Heads

Fencing masks are the best option we've found. They protect the top of the head, face, and most importantly, the eyes. Since we are using padded foam swords' a fencing mask is protective enough. They come in kids sizes. It's no good buying one too big with the thought that your child will grow into it. We quickly discovered what the kids named the "cheese-grater" effect. If you are wearing a fencing mask that's too big and another kid pokes his sword at the face mask, it moves and connects with your face, removing small dots of skin. A correctly fitting mask will not do that. Choose the right size. You can always sell it to a new club member later, and buy a bigger one. We usually have some spares for sharing.

Sword Fighting Gear For Hands

Cricket gloves are easily accessible in Australia. Most kids already have a pair at home. They are well padded on the backs of the fingers and one thumb - so buy the left handed pair if your child is left handed. I use one left handed and one right handed glove, for padding on both thumbs, when sword fighting with cricket gloves. If your child advances to using a shinai or wooden sword, some kevlar reinforced lacrosse gloves are worth the $80 or more they will cost. We don't have them here but everything is available on the internet.

Sword Fighting Gear For Arms and Legs

Cricket comes to the rescue again. Child sized shinpads are really good for protecting forearms. You can get them for about $2-$5 a pair in K-mart, as long as you go looking in Spring, when the cricket season is just starting.

Gambesons For More Advanced Students

When kids get good at swordfighting, they will need a gambeson for faster training, or for tournaments. A gambeson is a padded coat that acts like armour to protect the body. Our group shares them. A few children have their own.

Kid's Training Swords

All of our kids start off with custom made jian swords. These are foam swords made of a thick dowel wrapped in closed cell camping mat foam. Then they are covered with a sock, or silky cover and taped together. They have a leather, jian shaped handle. Some kids who are strong enough train with wooden swords, but only the oldest actually fight with them. To do that, they must have full armour (gloves, gambeson, tasset, and a solid helmet.) I make the custom swords for kids. There is a discount for our club kids ($12), or they are $20 each plus postage to buy from me. If you want to make your own kids foam swords, click here.

Kids in more advanced training with all the right equipment.