Shield Idea

[Zithkor]

I had an idea for a shield that I would like to try. I can see a few up and down sides to it but i wanted some more experienced advice on what you think of the design. Here is a rough picture, the size and angles are still being thought on.



I'm right handed, so i drew it the wrong way but the concept is the same. Thanks for any input.

[Big King Jimmy]

Really really bad idea. Open you up to a hip wrap, pock stab, all kinda of things, and you don't gain THAT much additional range of motion.

[Zithkor]

What if i rotated the shield to better cover my side? Ill probibly just end up making a round shield instead but... what do you think?

[Derian]

I agree with Jimington. Stick to a basic round shield no more than 28" in diameter, unless you're huge.

If you rotate the shield, you're going to open up your shoulder/chest or your hip. Really, when you're holding a round shield properly, it doesn't really impede your swinging movement at all.

[Zithkor]

OK, thanks for the advice. That what i figured I would end up with but i figured id see what some other people thought of the idea.

[Slagar]

Alright, so I've kinda got a different thought here. What I did, is I took a standard 28" round, and added an extra two inches in foam strips to the edges of my shield, but beveled them off to give a sort of "flat spot" right in front of my hand. Same basic upsides as your idea, but no carving out, just flat. This gives you that added mobility, and a nice flat point for better contact while punching, but doesn't take away any of the defense that a standard 28" round would have here. So yeah, your plain 30" round might have a little better coverage there, but with all the crosses I throw, this seemed like a good bet.

For the record, I've taken this through several Numenor practices, and Lord of War. Seems to work fine so far.