What kind of fighting does she do? I'm assuming its heavy combat with the rattan weapons and armor, and not Rapier. I've done both. I have some stuff I could loan you that may fit you for either. I don't have my rapiers anymore, I sold them, I do have the helmet and gorget and a dagger.
I think it's heavy you're talking about. I have my helmet, a gorget, some basic leather underarmor and ABS plastic armor. Might fit you. The problem with armor is the fit. When you get what they call "Iron Key"(loaner gear from the realm) its not going to fit good, but it should protect you okay. The thing with ill fitting armor is its a bitch to get on an off and makes you tired just doing it. It also rubs you raw or cuts and bruises you. So does armor you make yourself until you adjust it to fit you.
The secret to good protection is padding underneath the armor. For knee and elbows its a simple as thick cloth knee/elbow guards (your own). For your torso and uppper thighs, a good thigh length gambeson. Rigid armor, like steel or ABS (impact resistant plastic) will deflect alot of the power of a rattan weapon (these guys/gals, the experienced one's hit like a train, their sport, like ours, is full contact) but not all. Its the padding underneath that will absorb most of the force of a blow. If all you have between your skin and bones and the rattan weapon is rigid armor, you are going to feel the blow.
Pad your outer thighs as good as you can. In SCA combat you get hit mostly in the head and thighs. The targets for their attacks are the head, torso, arms down to an inch above the wrist, and thighs down to an inch above the knee. I took a lot of shots through my thigh armor and years later would get pains in my outer thighs like being pricked by hot pins. They eventually went away but I've read on the SCA forums that its a common ailment. Good padding would probably aleviate that.
When I fought, 10 years ago, minimum armor was like head, neck, groin, kidney, elbows and knees. You want more than minimum armor. Protect your chest your back (back wraps are legal) your thighs, your upper arm, and your lower arm and your wrists (wrists shots are ilegal but happen)
The marshal will ask you what kind of protection you are wearing and will ok or deny you for combat. (Girls need cups too)
When I went out to fight for my first time, I had read alot then made my own minimum armor. I hate asking to borrow things. I had no chest armor. I got hit across the chest. Put an 8 inch bruise across my chest (somewhere on a dust covered floppy disk I have that photo) The next time I went out, I had simple but effective chest/back armor. This is what I used. I took a nylon weighlifter's kidney belt (very thick padding) reversed it and wrapped it around my ribbs. Then I took a plastic bucket, cut off the bottom, slit the back, drilled holes and strapped it around my shoulders with shoe strings and tied it tight. It was loose enough to flex a little for movement and the padding took the sting out of shots. Then I covered the mess with a tunic.
In the SCA you can wear non period armor but it has to either look period to the layman (for instance my ABS armor is black and looks like boiled leather armor which is period) or must be covered by garb.
You can make a "flak jacket" out of our Blue camp mat and wear it under your armor/garb. Trouble with that is it will be hot because it doesn't breath and you will sweat and get all muggy. You can cut the blue mat into strips like we do for sword blades and glue it to the back of armor with a 1/2 inch gap or sew it into two pieces of cloth (like a Tabard) with half inch gaps sewn in between. This would be like a period gambeson. You can also make gambeson's (like a padded thigh length tunic) from a moving blanket or from like a baby's quilted blankie. The padding will be hot but will take the sting out of blows.
Padding for your forearms can be foam mat under metal, plastic or leather. For a long time I used Soccer shin guards on my forearms with a thin strip of foam glued inside and faux fur glued on the outside. Later I moulded ABS plastic (from heavy duty industrial barrels the white or blue ones you see like at a car wash or farm, etc) and made vambraces. (forarm protection) thigh armor and upper arm armor. You can mold this plastic by heating it in an outdoor propane bbq grill. Once it gets soggy looking you mold it over your body (with a bunch of wet towels protecting your body) or on a form that is shaped like your body part, and then toss in a bucket of cold water. Drill it then strap it with leather and buckles or simple boot straps that you can tie.
A word on Leather armor. I made a Roman lorica segmentata type armor using several thick leather weightbuilding belts. Like 3 or 4 of them strapped up my torso from the waist. I took a hard shot to the kidney and the damn leather didn't do shit. I was hurt. You need really good padding if you are going to wear leather armor. Leather is not rigid enough to spread as much force out of a blow.
Helmet's can be a pain too. It's hard to get a good fit in someone elses helmet. My present helmet I never wore to fight in. My old helmet and my steel knees and elbow pieces (steel being the best armor but expensive and heavy) I sold when I thought I was done with the SCA for good. Then I started wanting to get involved again and I bough that helmet cuz it was cheap, but I don't really like it. Same with my ABS armor legs and elbows. They don't really fit as well as my other stuff and I've never fought in them. I bought them from an SCA merchant because I could afford them and plastic is cheaper than steel. I have faith in plastic if you are wearing padding. I had fought for a year in such armor under my garb and was rarely hurt.
SCA swords have a baskit hilt made out of either steel or ABS plastic. This is to protect your hand. You also have to wear a demi-guantlet of armor to protect your wrist. If you have a sword or pole arm that does not have basket hilt then you have to wear full hand guantlets or hockey gloves to protect your hands. I have all three. A shot through hockey gloves can still hurt, especially the fingers. I still have my old sword if you'd like to try it out. I can bring it to Althing. Their swords and shields are going to be heavier than what you are used to, but the same mechanics still apply that you have been learning in our sport.
Shields are made of plywood or steel, with an edge padded with rubber or leather, etc. You can not shield bash or edge a person in SCA combat. The edge is to protect rattan weapons. Your hand must be protected by either a metal boss (I have one)for punch type shields or by a steel or ABS plastic basket guard on strapped shields. You still have to wear a demi-guantlet as well. (and gloves, leather ones)
My round strapped strapped shield that I put the khaki cover on, that is my old SCA plywood shield. Even though it has all that foam padding now, it might still pass for SCA combat except for the hand grip. I do have an ABS basket guard that I made lying in the shed somewhere. Looks like shit but would protect your hand and only needs to be screwed over the leather hand grips.
Damn, you're making me feel the itch to go swing some rattan and see how I do after all these years. Maybe I'll go with you.
Konradr
Home 
Latest images 
Register 
Webpage 
Log in 
Subject: I'm scared, you guys. D: 
Sat May 29, 2010 2:29 am
but alas those were thiner days back when i was in good shape 
still the bruseis can be rather ugly looking 
