Update on the Spatha and Gladius fighting techniques!

[Salvianus]

Well the ones we use the most because of tear and wear on the waisters is the fast ones. They are made of plywood and cut to shape with a figuresaw. Smoth the edges and tape the whole thing with ductape to reduce the risk for splinterinjuries. Then get hold of three tennisballs (if you make a pair of waisters) and cut ONE of them in half. make a hole for the "tang" and also make a "parryplate" of a lid for a icecream box or anything in plastic. Fill the tennisball with papir maschet and ductape it all. Make a hole in the uncut tennisball for a pommel and ductape. This eneable you to use the pommel as a weapon to if you want without damaging ether the waister or friends.

Make the point on the waister wide enough not to go into the grid on a icehockeyhelmet and swing away.

...Hope it helps.

It does, many thanks. I'll probably aim to find a middle way - something to spar freely with, but which looks authentic enough at a distance for the public. For real training, we seem likely to blunt steel.

It certainly teaches caution :-) )