Of COURSE they are!
I've been making plans to get back into sparring now that Dave's gonna be back in town so I have someone besides my soon-to-be in-law to beat the crap out of (and have said excrement beaten out of myself by, etc.)
In the past, Dave and I have worked on stuff like that with Shinai, Bokken, and Muay Thai kicking pads for shields. No helmets, no armor (except for one pair of thin leather bracers between the two of us), no gloves, no nothing. Shinai hurt a little. Bokken hurt a LOT.
I've been digging through thrift shops, and through the vintage junk box of equipment at Big 5 Sporting goods, where I've been working on the side, and have been slowly acquiring bits and pieces of things that can function as sparring equipment. I'm rebuilding my shinai to function for WMA with a crossguard and a length adjustment so it's the same handle and blade length as my actual sword, with weight being an understandable problem that I can't resolve. But once that's done...I wanna be able to USE it without causing unnecessary bodily harm to my training partner(s).
In short, this thread is for posting useful and (hopefully) inexpensive pieces of sporting goods equipment, whether they're made for Swordplay or not, that can be used to work on our Numenorean Martial Arts skills.
I've acquired two weight lifting back support belts for free from Big 5's junk pile, one David's size, and one mine, which, when worn backwards (buckle in the back) make very nice kidney belts for the sake of sparring. The chest can take hits easier than the stomach can, so I'm looking forward to testing these out. They look almost exactly like this:
![Image](http://www.caloly-safety.com/images_products/ergonomics_280/clearance_ok1_320-6-XX-LARG.jpg)
In addition, they could be used as training tools by calling them "targets" for accuracy purposes. Until sparring time comes, I think I'll have Lori help me test it tonight by swinging a canoe paddle at the belt and see how it does dampening the impact.
I'm still looking for a helmet/face cover of some sort. I don't want to have to be concerned for my partner's safety (or mine) when working simple drills. I know we should always be careful, but I want to have a security blanket over my head and face. Any cheap suggestions would be welcome to be posted here.
Gloves are a must. I've been thinking about getting a pair of hockey gloves at the thrift store I've had my eyes on, but they really limit what the fingers can do, so I thought I'd ask you all first. Can't be fingerless...I've done that before, didn't go over well. Motocross gloves have occurred to me, but they'd just pad from cuts...the impact would still numb fingers.
Greaves are an easy one...soccer shin guards are plentiful in thrift stores, and cheap at Big 5. Bracers, we already have, and the thughs and upper arms can handle quite a bit of punishment without complaining. A cup is an investment I haven't made yet, but it's something I'm seriously considering.
Alrighty...now that you see where I'm going with this, I'm turning y'all loose. Have at it!