Post your sparring gear: Livesteel, wasters, shinai, boffers

[Greg]

Whatever you use, post it here! Give us some ideas on what we can use for various weapons practice. I, myself, have been looking for a good sparring equivalent for my hatchet.

Here's my shinai, in its latest configuration. Tennis racquet rubber grip wrap over the standard sheepskin, duct tape wrapped over all leather seams, string and center leather strip removed, rock maple crossguard, and cut down to the length of my Valiant Armoury Bristol. Nice and comfy!

[wulfgar]

Revival makes a firm rubber hammer head that is similar to a hatchet. It is fairly firm though and usually used in armored sparring, they have an SCA and a WMA version.
http://revival.us/talhoffer1467rubberhammerhead.aspx
When I did SCA I used an axe, I made the head by just cutting some thick closed cell foam into shape and taping it to the handle with several layers of cloth hockey tape. Worked fairly well, but again depends on if you are using some kind of armor or not. Axes hit hard!

[Alvin]

Back when I was studying the Regimental Highland Broadsword through The Cateran Society, I used a wooden waster from Purpleheart Armoury for safer, solo practice. I shortened the ¨blade¨ to 27.75 inches to match the one on my sword. I was/am very happy with this waster and recommend it to anyone wishing to study the basket-hilted broadsword. My P-H waster is shown in this photo below my broadsword.

http://www.woodenswords.com/WMA/basketh ... dsword.htm

[Taurthir]

I use boffers if I want to have a deathmatch since it has wide variability in weapons but I do proper training with my steel shortsword with either great caution and respect with who im practicing with or a suit of plate steel and mail on me. Im a survivalist and ill fight given no other choice but infliction of pain due to others lack of control and skill is something ill not subject myself to, if your not willing to learn the right way, step down your weapons danger or begone is my rule

[Duathen]

Here's my gear:



If you're looking for a stand-in for your hatchet, try the following:http://www.newstirlingarms.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=31, New Stirling makes great wasters.