One of the most common questions we are asked is what equipment is required to participate in the sessions. The good news is that for your first sessions, you will need nothing more than loose clothing suitable for exercise (e.g. t-shirt, tracksuit trousers, trainers). Training weapons will be provided by the club for those that do not have their own.

Some advanced drills will require mask and gloves or full sparring gear. Whilst some of these are available to borrow, there are far fewer of these items available for general use.

Sparring has additional requirements for safety equipment beyond regular training, which you can find on this page. You can borrow some of this but not everything is available, especially for steel.

Once you have decided that HEMA is for you we would encourage you to buy your own equipment. This will both help us grow the club and be much nicer to use during training than the old, communal loaner gear. It will also allow you to participate in events and workshops not run by the club.