Show us your fencing mask !!!!!!!!!

[Dreispitz]

My well abused one. It has gone through some severe encounters over the last years. Telling from the deformations, it certainly was a life saver

 

[hatophile]

I'm not very good

 

[Spitfire]

What do you fence? Sabre? - it looks like it from the look of your mask.
I will try to find mine somewhere - it's even more abused.

 

[Dreispitz]

What do you fence? Sabre? - it looks like it from the look of your mask.
I will try to find mine somewhere - it's even more abused.

Sword to one and a half hand and sword and buckler. German school pre 1500. Err ... full contact



After the fight....

 

[CopperNY]

my 18 year old Triplette 3-weapon has held up surprisingly well through historical fencing and/or filipino martial arts/Dogbrothers fighting:

 

[Dreispitz]

OUCH :cheers1:

 

[Wolfwood]

I'm starting to think there's an overlap between my hobbies here. Perchance you know myarmoury.com?

 

[Dreispitz]

My old Kendo mask. Bought it back in 1986 and used it until 1999. Then I switched to other styles.

 

[Italian-wiseguy]

Well when I said my only training in fencing was my old handbook I wasn't right! I forgot my experience with Kendo! (to my excuse, actually it was a short period, then I preferred to switch to taijiquan...)
don't have a photo of the mask I used, though, nor of the armour for that matter...

anyway, Dreispitz, is your fencing style related with the old german "fechtbuecher"?
Fascinating stuff!

 

[mayserwegener]

Here are a couple of my competition fencing masks by Allstar (Germany). My practice ones are pretty crusty and beat up. I fence sabre so the mask is conductive because the sabre target is from the waste up. We also wear a conductive lame and over glove. This is Olympic sport fencing so we have electronic scoring machines. The ink stamps are from weapon checks at competitions. The masks have to pass punch and conductive tests before every competition. I started fencing when I was 13 years old.

 

[mayserwegener]

By the way in sport fencing we usually don't have problems unless the blade breaks. Back in the early 1980s the 1980 Olympic foil champion from the Soviet Union died when a blade (tip snapped off) enter the mask, went through his eye and into his brain . After this the international body got very serious about improving the mask strength and pre competition testing procedures. Our uniforms are now made of balistic nylon. Still occasionally there are issues when blades break mostly due to faulty mask or uniform.

 

[Dreispitz]

anyway, Dreispitz, is your fencing style related with the old german "fechtbuecher"?
Fascinating stuff!

Yes, we mainly fence after the manuscripts of the masters Lecküchner, Lichtenauer and Manuscript 1.33 amongst others.

 

[Dreispitz]

By the way in sport fencing we usually don't have problems unless the blade breaks. Back in the early 1980s the 1980 Olympic foil champion from the Soviet Union died when a blade (tip snapped off) enter the mask, went through his eye and into his brain . After this the international body got very serious about improving the mask strength and pre competition testing procedures. Our uniforms are now made of balistic nylon. Still occasionally there are issues when blades break mostly due to faulty mask or uniform.

Great, Steve! I was sure, you would contribute to this! :eusa_clap:eusa_clap

My mask is also an Allstar saber one. They are quite strong, indeed. Having said this, we are still constantly tuning our gear fight after fight. Gear is always a compromise between agility and protection when one does not wish to loose realism in training.

 

[mayserwegener]

Dieter, If you notice the first mask has a different mesh shell than the one below which is the latest. Unfortunately AllStar stopped using their German supplier about 4 or 5 years ago and switched to one in China. They also did this for the weapon parts. You may want to check Fencing with Fun (original mesh shell and weapon parts suppliers to AllStar) if you need to replace your mask. http://www.fencewithfun.com/

 

[Godfrey]

Must get back into fencing. It's great fun! Pity I'm such a hack these days!

 

[Fedora Jay]

Man, I really need to get back into fencing too. I really miss it. I didn't get very far along with lessons before I couldn't afford it anymore, but now that times are better, I should dig my stuff out and get back into it. It might even get me back into shape!

 

[Athos]

Hi,

I have been looking for a private message option, but it seems I can not access it.
Dear Mayserwegener, I would like to ask your permission to use the picture of the sabre mask you posted earlier, as an illustration, in a brochure that is being prepared for a fencing competition. (It would appear on the equipment standard brochure, at the details about equipment checking - I looked for a good pic of a stamped mask )

Would you mind to allow us? I can send a website address where you can see what kind of event I am talking about.

Thanks in advance, and have a nice day!

 

[mayserwegener]

Sure you can use it.

 

[Hercule]

Please take no offense, but the title of this thread gave me a chuckle, to think that fencing masks, of all things, are collected to the same degree around here as fedoras. But why not I say! Love to see them. One question though, to anyone who is knowledgeable of fencing in the old time Prussian military tradition - Dueling scars (Schmisse) were considered signs of honor and bravery, but weren't the scarred ones the losers in the fencing bout?


I have fond memories of taking fencing (epee) in college and always thought it would be fun to get into. In more recent times I knew a girl who actually did it competitively in college. Great fun.

 

[mayserwegener]

Please take no offense, but the title of this thread gave me a chuckle, to think that fencing masks, of all things, are collected to the same degree around here as fedoras. But why not I say! Love to see them. One question though, to anyone who is knowledgeable of fencing in the old time Prussian military tradition - Dueling scars (Schmisse) were considered signs of honor and bravery, but weren't the scarred ones the losers in the fencing bout?


I have fond memories of taking fencing (epee) in college and always thought it would be fun to get into. In more recent times I knew a girl who actually did it competitively in college. Great fun.

You are talking about Mensur. It was (is) college fraternity dueling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_fencing

I am Olympic sport fencer (sabre). I was nationally ranked (Olympic team selection) into my 30s and won the age 40-49 U.S. nationals in 2007. Currently I am one of the top age 50-59 sabre fencers in the United States.