Protection
Mandatory
Shell
Men... Women... No discrimination at Herja – a kick in the groin hurts everyone. Wearing a helmet is strictly compulsory for everyone during matches!
Nowadays, it’s fairly easy to get hold of a groin guard. Just head to the combat or contact sports section, where you’ll find them at all price points.
You’ll even find a range of styles: the basic style, integrated into combat shorts, and so on.
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Gloves
During combat, it is strictly compulsory to wear a glove on EVERY hand.
The level of protection for each glove is a matter of personal preference. We recommend wearing a lightweight glove on the hand holding the shield, so as not to interfere with the umbo, and a heavier glove on the hand holding the weapon, as this hand is far more exposed to blows.
The only restrictions are that they must:
- be in good condition;
- cover the entire hand;
- that the visible parts must be made of leather, wool, linen or steel;
- be in relatively natural or subtle colours.
There is a whole range of options when it comes to gloves, from the most expensive ones—such as those used in béhourt—to simple leather gardening gloves, as well as those used in historical re-enactments or modern gloves concealed beneath an approved material.
Depending on the level of protection you require and your budget, you can look on websites and marketplaces for reenactment gear, such as sports gloves—for example, those used in hockey or for historical reenactment armour (HMA), etc.
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Neck protector
To ensure the safety of our fighters, it will now be MANDATORY to wear neck protection.
This can be :
- trade protection used as is
- a homemade neck protector:
Min. thickness : 2 cm
Safety : Everything must be properly attached to the helmet so that it doesn't come off during combat.
Aspect :
Not like in the photo opposite, where the cap that was supposed to conceal it has slipped off and so no longer conceals it.
What's more, your cap should be adapted to the dimensions of your helmet so that it looks as good as possible.
This will be carefully inspected during the Checks to verify its effectiveness.
Make aFencing mask
As a key piece of protective equipment in historical re-enactment, it is, of course, compulsory to wear a fencing mask at all times during combat.
In 1600N or even 350N – which is sufficient for our purposes – you can buy them from HMB equipment websites such as Faits darmes and Black Armoury. You can even find them cheaper from Chinese retailers, of equivalent quality, such as on Aliexpress.
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If we want to obtain armies that are consistent in terms of weaponry and protection, we need to take the time to gather and study historical and archaeological data. We have drawn some conclusions, which are presented here. We have also had to make certain compromises between historicity and security.
The organisers reserve the right not to validate an entry if they consider it to be non-compliant, even if it complies with the above rules.
The proportion of certain weapons and protection is limited to reflect the reality of the battlefield. An average is given for groups of five or ten fighters. Limitations on the number of weapons and protections apply to all fighters in the same group, so it's up to each player to ensure that their armies are consistent in terms of weaponry.