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 organizations will let you borrow their fencing gear when you’re a novice and taking a starter course. Once you’re finished with the course and have become hooked, you’ll be urged to purchase gear of your own. These are the two choices for a beginner.

There are two ways to proceed: you can either obtain each piece individually until you get a complete set, or you can buy a foundation set, which will have everything you need already gathered together and assembled. Now that you have all of the required apparatus, what should come next? Before buying or using any fencing equipment, you really should learn what each piece is used for and what it is capable of doing.

The fencing jacket is made with the intent of protecting the fencer. It is important to select a jacket which is both well made and provides adequate protective coverage. There is no standard minimum constraint in the US, there is a particular standard of protection in Europe, though. For tournaments which are international in scope, such as Olympic fencing, there are greater requirements.

When you are just beginning the basic equipment will more than suffice. The main choices you will be making in this regard are whether to go with cotton or synthetic materials. Cotton is heavier and hotter in use, but is also cheaper. The synthetic materials are of a lighter weight, but they are more expensive.

The mask is also for protection so be sure to select a mask that has sufficient interior padding, does not press on the top of the head or chin, and fits with ease. Even though you can purchase non-electric gloves it is almost always worth buying a glove with a cuff that can be used for electric fencing.

The cuff allows you to easily attach the body cord that’s under your sleeve to an electric weapon. Cuffs come in small, medium and large or are sized in standard glove sizes. Getting gloves that are separately sized will normally fit better but they will be more expensive. The foil is used for thrusting. It has a very slender blade with a rounded or foiled tip. Foil blades bend when they come in contact with a foe so that injuries are avoided.

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