Face masks review for weapon sparring

The strangely looking face mask and helmet that used by a Tennen Rishin Ryu's dojo in Japan draw my attention, I wrote to them to ask the detail about this face mask and helmet, they just replied me that it was hand made by them. Obviously, they (we) are upset by what we can get on the markets, it is time to review the existing products.

Face mask (and helmet) is used to protect our face and head against impact during sparring training, it is sometimes also protecting the throat and part of the neck like the fencing mask, as well as the shoulders like the kendo men. However, those existing products have several disadvantages so that we should look for a new inventor.

Frist look at the kendo men, it is stable and realiable, but it is uncomfortable due to bad ventilation, too heavy and bad in balance, moreover, the visual angle is too narrow, it also prevents from clear hearing and freely movement of your arms as you raise your arms closly to your ears when doing the nagashi motion. The strainless steel bars and throat cover provide substain protection against heavily strike to your face and throat, but it also makes the mask too heavy and bad in balance. The protection against over head and sides (to your ears) attack is weak. And the back of our head and neck are totally exposed.

Several modifications and corrections have been made, the same concept and configaration has been used by other sports like the naginata, yari, taihojutsu, jukendo, tankendo ... are modified from the kendo men. The wings of the newly produced kendo men and the naginata men as well as the jukendo men are shortened, while the wing of the taihojutsu men is split into two parts to allow more freely upward movement of the arms.

Additional padding could be added to the back of the head and ear caps were added into the sides of the taihojutsu men to protect the back of the head and the ears. However, the basic problems of the kendo men still there. Men with ear capsalso used by Owari kan ryū yari jutsu.

HEMA mask is a copy of a fencing mask, conventional fencing is not supposed to recive heavy attack, additional fabric cap and padding are added to prevent the direct contact of the metal sword to the mask and protect the back of the haed as well as to improve the stability. Since it does not provide full coverage of the neck, an extra neck protection is needed.

Inspired by Kendo, a Slovenian club has created a leather protecting cap that to protect of the neck and shoulders. Still, the HEMA mask or the fencing mask shares the pool visual angle as if the kendo mask does.

Face mask for kali / arnis / escrima is too bulky, heavy and pool in ventilation. However, it has a moderate visual angle.

Pugil stick helmet used by the USMC is using the football helmet with a special facemask which does not avaiable in the open market. Since the facemask is fixed on the helmet, the neck and throat areas are widely opened.