Between introducing new folk to fencing masks and hearing people on the internet complain about their blutwaffle, I feel like it’s worth taking a moment to talk about how masks should fit.

Different strap and padding systems have different ways to adjust the fit, never mind the old “headlock the mask until the sides are closer together” alteration, but whatever the means of adjustment, you want a mask that:

Image from http://www.fencing.net/15530/a-comprehensive-guide-to-fencing-masks/

Seats your chin inside the padding for it. Not having the lower edge of the padding pressed against your lower lip, but sitting in it like your butt in a bucket seat



Doesn’t wobble when you shake or nod your head

Cannot be made to touch your nose or forehead, even with strong pressure, and likewise won’t touch the top of your head if you’re Donkey Kong hammerfisted on the crown of the scalp - this is a HEMA test, since it’s less relevant in Oly fencing.

If your mask doesn’t meet those criteria, it’s not a mask failure when you bleed, it was a fitting failure.