wanted: FIE jacket and pants for 12 year old

[joralemon]

My son is right handed and fences foil. He wears a 24 pants in Absolute Fencing, and a 32 Blue Gauntlet jacket (he also has a size 1 Escrime jacket).
He seems to be getting more and more bruised as he advances in the sport, so Im thinking an FIE jacket/pants might help. Please email hrennes415@gmail.com if you have anything that might fit him.

[Stormbringer]

The FIE certification addresses resistance to puncture, with many vendors emphasizing the fact that their FIE jackets are made of thinner, lightweight materials (for improved heat release, flexibility and mobility).
The downside to this is that it probably won't help in term of reducing bruising.

It sounds like what you wand is improved impact damping, where what would be needed are either garments made from thicker materials (i.e. cotton/duck vs nylon/most-other-synthetics), or that feature additional built-in padding (apparently, American Fencers Supply Co. used to sell such a jacket; whether they still do, or if anyone else does, I don't know).

One could also look into wearing additional protection underneath the normal garments, in the form of rigid chest protectors (sold by numerous fencing supply vendors) and/or more form-fitting protective garments, such as those used by mountain-biking cyclists or skiers/snowboarders.

[Fencergrl]

12 year-olds tend to fence too close. If he's getting bad bruises, that's likely why. Have his coach work with him in keeping better distance.

[RITFencing]

12 year-olds tend to fence too close. If he's getting bad bruises, that's likely why. Have his coach work with him in keeping better distance.

This is spot on. He may also have training partners who like to wind up before hitting, or he himself may be charging in. There are a million and one mistakes kids make which, combined with their younger bodies, can lead to bruising and minor pain.

As far as equipment is concerned, a chest protector will be very effective in stopping a lot of the worst shots, which generally come towards the chest area, if he's not already wearing one. If you're still dead set on getting him new gear, though, Uhlmann, Allstar and FWF uniforms have struck me as rather thick and tough, and should provide at least a little relief.

[Fencergrl]

Young kids in my classes all wear chest protectors and plastrons. These both go a long way towards reducing bruising and the amount of ice packs I need on hand.