Your First Jomsborg Combat Gear

Those of us who love to train are happy to loan our extra gear when we can, but there is only so much to go around and
you’ll need the following equipment as soon as you can get it:

1. Armored gloves
2. Elbow and knee pads
3. Vambraces (forearm guards)
4. A weapon (axe or sword)
5. Shield

None of these are optional, if you ever want to spar. We have fun, we look awesome, but our priorities are (1) Safety,
(2) Showmanship, and (3) Competition—in that order.

1. Gloves:
For training purposes, lacrosse gloves work well. You can get them at Dicks’
and similar sporting goods stores, but we recommend you check Play It Again
Sports first—you can often get a $90 pair of gloves for $11 there.

For public shows, modern gear is not acceptable. You will need more
authentic-looking leather-armored gloves. You can make these yourself or buy
them from other Jomsborg members who make them.

2. Elbow pads and knee pads:

For training purposes, skate pads work well. You can get them at Dicks’ and
similar sporting goods stores.

For public shows, you will need “low profile” pads to fit under your clothes.
Volleyball pads or similarly sleek pads will do fine.

3. Vambraces (forearm guards):

These need not be fancy and should NOT have any studs or other metal on
them—when hit with a weapon, that metal will dig into you. You can buy these
on eBay or make them yourself. To make these, use shoulder leather, cut a
trapezium shape of the right size, then soak it and wrap it around a cylinder to
shape. Punch lace holes, thread the lace, and you're done.

Men should also invest in a cup—the groin is a legal target in all systems. Just sayin' :-) Also, some women wear
plastic breast armor. Look into this if you are worried about it.

4. Weapon (axe or sword):

Axes and spears were by far the most common weapons in the Viking Age. Swords were valuable and rare.
1. If you want to haft your own axe, the axehead on this page is a decent one.
2. If you want to buy a completed axe, grind down the head of this one so it is 2mm on the striking edge
with rounded edges.

Swords for what we do are special objects. They must be relatively light, balanced and—most importantly—
resilient. Brittle steel will burr and snap. DO NOT BUY: Hanwei/Paul Chen, Del Tinn, or Depeeka weapons.
Importantly, swords should also be arguable reconstructions of the archeological finds from the Viking Age,
represented in Petersen's classic typology (some slight variation is acceptable, but Samurai swords and such will not
be allowed on the field):
 The best producer of Viking combat swords are Paul Binns, Bob Davies, and a few guys in Hungary and Poland. Talk
to Mike once you start thinking about buying a sword.

5. Shield: We will hold occasional shield-building events, but a “How to” guide for making your own is here.

What you have to look forward to:

At first, learning the Fives and the other basics of the Jomsviking system can feel simultaneously tedious and
overwhelming. A warrior must have the basics ingrained before assembling them into a personal fighting style.

That said, once you are ready to spar, the experience is like nothing else. Western style and Eastern style each offer
their own thrills and challenges.

Western Style does not target the head, and depends mostly on speed and targeting. Some good videos of a regular
weekend training fighting Western style are here. Eastern Style is much more aggressive and includes headshots. A
good “mashup” of Eastern style is here. And of course for a full picture of the scene, check out the documentary To Go
Viking.

The International Army of Jomsborg

One Shield, One Brotherhood